“Don’t hold nothing else back from me, aight. You had me thinking I had to put a hole through a muhfucka.”

“You got to control that crazy,” she giggled.

“You like that shit.”

“I do. Love it actually.”

“You know this means you ain’t going on tour with me. Opening show, closing show, that’s it. You’re going to have security with you wherever you go. Your ass is put up. Set and home.”

“Max,” Eden whined.

“Eden, you have watched me beat a nigga, heard about me beating a nigga, and have an idea of what I did to a nigga. I will not be back in prison because someone attempted to harm you and my child.

“Attempted because you know like I know that shit being executed ain’t fuckin’ happening. Know your man, baby. I’m always standing in front of you.”

“I know and I love you for that.”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For loving me. Giving me a family. For being my family. Ain’t nobody ever loved me like this.”

“Well, now I get to experience you for eighteen years at least.”

“At least? Oh, I’m getting more out of you than one. You see how big this house is?”

“You better stop, I’m going to think you want forever with me.”

“I want forever with you. Watch and see.”

“I’m watching you. It’s one of my favorite things to do.”

Maximus smirked. “Yeah, mine too. You got a prayer in that bag to heal my shoulder faster?”

“Healing. That’s the prayer. Complete healing. Not so you can get some.”

He groaned. “Something about being inside of your skin makes me feel better.”

“You’re literally living inside of me. But outside of that, maybe you should feel these emotions and not chase them away with weed or my pussy.”

“I think your pussy got magic in it or something. Makes me forget that shit is actually happening,” he stated, sitting up and groaning. He slid his hand down his face. “I keep runnin’ it through my mind. Like what kind of shit goes through someone's mind that makes them hate like that. How we come up in the same house, born to the same fucked up parents and turn out different?”

Eden repositioned herself on his lap. “You made a choice. That’s the difference. You made a choice to be better. Being better doesn’t mean you’re perfect; it just means you’re actively choosing not to be like the people you were a product of. He made his choice. His choice was going to land him in the dirt one way or the other. But I can tell you this, and I want you to hear me. It would have always been you or him. No one gets to take you from me.”

Eden kissed his lips.

“Don’t talk that shit to me knowing good and well if I slip inside of you, I’m tearing something up.”

Eden giggled and pulled herself off his lap. “I’ve seen enough blood to last me until I have this baby. Let’s change the subject. New label, new horizons. What’s the plan?”

“Jay Lucci is planning to come back over for the video shoot. BGCs is a go for remodel. T-shirts are about to launch, and Keon signed the lease for the dispensary.”

“Things get easier when the storm passes.”

“Yeah, speaking of storms passing, filming is about to start, you ready?”

“Absolutely not.”