From Uncle Reezy, To Daddy Reezy

by Schweetpea1870

2 future parents... 36 weeks... 1 event that will change their lives forever... the sequel to Babysitting With Uncle Reezy continues :) Riley/Cindy and Huey/Jazmine; Rated M for language/sexual themes

10. Week 14: The Proposal

Back for a new one :)

Thank you's to my darlings:

Jor-El Smith, KateyBee42, hueyfan, SexySade, anon, anonrain, Guest, PippElulu, Cartoonlover187, jazzyhue20, natasha annalise, Guest(2), and Katie.

Yes, I'm back. Yes, I'm getting better about those update times. Slowly.

Yes, this chapter's a major one. And a long one. But y'all don't care about that ;)

Let's go.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks or any of his characters.

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"So this is the message you wanna send to the young youth out here like myself just tryna do the right thing and not love these hoes, huh? Well, what's all this? Is this what's hot right now in the streets? That's what's really hood, huh?"

Riley Freeman; Tom, Sarah, & Usher

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Week 14

Tuesday, September 18

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Riley's POV

"I love your hair." Cindy giggled, running her fingers through it.

"Girl, if you don't quit playin' and keep braidin'." Riley grinned. But his grin faded when he heard an unmistakable shutter noise from behind him. "Did you just take a picture?!"

"Nooo!"

"Delete it!"

"Oh hush up and do your homework!" Cindy shot back, turning his head back around to continue. Riley glared at his screen with a sigh. He sat on the floor of the living room working on his laptop while Cindy sat on the couch behind him to re-braid his hair. She was officially halfway done; the right side of Riley's head was perfectly cornrowed while the left side was in a wild and unkempt 'fro.

Riley picked up the hand mirror beside him and scowled at the reflection. The left side of his head looked way too much like his brother's. Which was gross. Not to mention gay. He couldn't wait for her to be done.

"What are you workin' on again, Reez?" Cindy asked him as she parted his hair.

"My favorite." He responded, his sarcasm heavy.

"Art History." Cindy chuckled in return.

"God I hate this shit." He muttered, staring loathingly at the endlessly long page of the E-book.

"How much more do you have left?"

"A lot. Don't even ask."

Cindy paused to lean down to look. "It might help if you were actually reading. I swear that's the same spot you were on the last time I glanced at the screen."

"Nuh-uh."

"I remember that picture in the corner."

"…No you don't."

"Shuddup." Cindy chuckled again, going back to his hair. "What are you in such deep thought about, babe?"

More than you know.

"Just… thinkin' about different things. Mostly regardin' studio stuff." Riley lied briefly. In actuality, the studio was going fine. Hell, the studio was great! He was still so surprised by the amount of daily customers he was getting. Of course the count had died down a lot since the grand opening, but he still had a decent incoming of people. He knew that the screen-time Xzibit had given him on his Pimp My Ride special had helped with that. Riley was also in the process of possibly working with a sponsor or two, which he was extremely excited about. He'd been keeping in touch with a few and getting some plans ironed out beforehand, but he was pretty confident that his plans would become a reality very soon. He also still had people interested in purchasing and requesting artwork done, which he'd been busy planning as well. And he was still thinking about future extracurricular activities he could have at the studio, like art classes for both kids and adults.

So yeah… things with the studio were going fine. What wasn't going fine was….

How the fuck was he going to propose?

Riley could hardly think about anything else. He knew that he didn't want to wait any longer and wanted to propose this week for sure. Maybe during the weekend… he just didn't know how. And he wanted to prepare himself and plan out something, dammit. He'd already dropped off the ring to be resized down to a 6.5 last week. He would actually be able to pick it up as early as tomorrow if he wanted. So at least he'd gotten that taken care of. But now he just had to figure out a plan. Like how the hell he was actually going to propose. And shit, what was he going to say, other than the obvious? Was that enough? It didn't seem like enough. He definitely had to say more than just four words. Also, he was still trying to figure out where and when he should propose. Definitely not the house. That was tacky. He'd briefly thought of taking her to The Hill but immediately nixed it; as scenic and beautiful as the spot was, it would forever be Huey and Jazmine's. Which made going to their proposal spot instantly tacky as well. He knew he should take her somewhere… but where? A restaurant? That was classy-ish, but he did not want to propose in front of a crowd of other people like that. Not that he would be embarrassed or afraid of rejection (maybe just a little), but because he wanted complete privacy. Noisy niggas or a crying kid would ruin the moment completely.

"Reezy!"

"Huh?" Cindy pulled him out of his train of thought by tugging gently on one of his rows.

"Did you hear what I said?"

"My bad, what'd you say?" He asked her, pretending to scroll down through his page.

Cindy scoffed behind him. "What's up with you?"

"Whatchu mean?"

"You've been actin' weird the past couple of days."

"No I haven't." He brushed her off lightly.

"Boy stop." She sucked her teeth. "Seriously. What's goin' on?"

"Nothing, girl. That's the truth." He lied again, trying to remain calm.

Cindy paused her braiding for a moment; Riley could practically feel her eyes burning holes into the back of his head. She was silent for another moment before resuming, then she made a little noise to herself.

"Hm." She went, almost smugly… like she actually knew something.

"What?" Riley tried to keep the anxiousness out of his voice.

"Oh nothing." She answered, mimicking him.

"Girl, for real. What you thinkin'?"

"Why would I have anything to think about if there's apparently nothing?"

"Babe."

"Yes love?"

Riley growled in playful frustration as he tilted his head all the way up, leaning back against her knees to look at her upside down. "What are you thinking?"

Cindy grinned at him cutely before leaning down and planting a sweet kiss on his lips. Then she raised his head back the way it was and started braiding again.

"You're plannin' something." She said simply.

Dammit-shit-fuck.

"Huh?" Riley tried to act both confused and surprised. "Whatchu mean? What would I be planning? And why?"

"I dunnooo." Cindy answered in a sing-song. "But you know what I think it has to do with?"

"Tell me, girl." He challenged, but was silently praying otherwise.

Please don't say it. Please don't say it. Please don't say it.

Cindy leaned down next to his ear, kissing his cheek before whispering to him.

"You're makin' new stuff for Reezy's Room, aren't you?"

Riley nearly had to hold his breath to keep in the loud sigh of relief he wanted to exhale. She thought he was hiding the fact that he was making new pieces for his studio room featuring artwork reflecting his life. He'd decided last week to name it Young Reezy's Room.

Thank GOD.

Riley chuckled, glancing at her. "You know I don't show my work until it's all the way finished, girl."

"Mmm-hmm." Cindy smirked, giving him another peck on the cheek before pulling back. "Sneaky."

Thinking about it, she'd actually made a good guess. Riley had been working the past few days on new artwork for both his main showroom and the others. She probably thought he was doing a special surprise piece on her, or the pregnancy, or….

…OR… Riley thought again, the wheels in his head already turning. Because holy shit, he could totally… he could definitely whip up something in time.

Thanks for the idea, babe.

"Love you, boo." Riley told her as he rubbed her leg.

"Mhm." Cindy repeated, grazing lightly between some of his finished rows. "I love you too, Reez."

Riley felt her remove her hands from his hair at the sound of her phone receiving a notification. After a few moments, she grabbed another section of his hair, beginning to part again.

"Jazmine just texted me." She told him. "We don't have to pick up Jamilah from daycare tomorrow."

"For real? Why not?"

"She has an appointment for a checkup tomorrow afternoon. Jazz and Huey are taking a half day to pick her up and take her."

"Oh aiight." Riley nodded easily, but was continuing to think and plan. Hmmm….

"BOY!"

Riley sighed, his thoughts immediately interrupted by Granddad's loud voice from the kitchen. Cindy giggled and tied an elastic band to the end of his cornrow before letting him go. Riley rose to his feet, rolling his eyes at her before heading to the kitchen.

"Yes?" Riley stated boredly. Bane of my existence? He added in his mind, but decided not to verbally say it.

Granddad was glaring at him with his arms crossed, a tall bag of garbage on the floor next to his feet. "How many times do I have to tell yo raggedy-ass to take out the trash?"

"I was getting to it after my hair was finished."

"I know you better get that tone outta your voice before I get my belt on yo behind!" He retorted, his hand already on his buckle.

"Damn, just chill already, abusive nigga!" Riley protested, grabbing the bag. "Got me lookin' a damn fool." He muttered, flipping the hood of his hoodie down to cover his unfinished hair.

"Shut up." Granddad silenced him. "You got me havin' damn flashbacks! Half of your face lookin' like you and the other half lookin' like your brother's. Terrorizin' me every day of my life. Couldn't wait to get one of you out of my house." Granddad started to rant. Riley tuned him out, his previous thoughts starting to form in his head.

Speaking of Huey….

"Granddad," Riley spoke quietly, already pulling his phone out. "Do me a favor and distract Cindy."

"What?" Granddad repeated loudly.

"Damn, witcha loud-ass!" Riley hissed, ignoring the glare he got in return. "Go talk to Cindy. Just distract her for a little bit. I gotta make a call." He whispered this time, his voice low as he started for the backdoor with the trash in hand.

"Nigga you got one more time with that attitude!" He snapped before turning to leave the kitchen. Riley knew he'd probably pay for that sooner than later, but whatever. He walked slowly out of the house as the dial-tone continued to ring.

"…Yes?" Huey finally spoke after a beat.

"I hear y'all are takin' the day off for Mila tomorrow." Riley replied.

"For her routine checkup, yes. More importantly, why?" His voice was already laced with suspicion.

"I gotta favor." Riley decided to cut to the chase.

"Shocker."

"Nigga hush." Riley hissed. "This is serious. I think I know what I wanna do for the proposal. But I need some help."

"You need a lot of help."

"I wanna take her somewhere nice." Riley continued, ignoring him. "And I wanna do somethin' romantic. And I wanna kinda snapshot the moment. But first I need to plan her outfit."

"You need to what?"

"I'm thinkin' about makin' her some artwork. And I wanna draw her in the artwork. And me. For when I propose."

"Let me get this straight. You're going to paint or draw the proposal?"

"Probably drawn with some color over the top."

"Not the point." Huey told him in annoyance. "What does that have to do with me?"

"First of all, I don't wanna hear no hatin'-ass comments from you. And don't fuckin' judge me!" Riley warned in advance. Then he took a breath before continuing. "I've been lookin' online for proposal and surprise ideas that boyfriends sometimes do for their girlfriends."

"I gotta say. This sounds pretty gay already."

"Shuddup, punk!" Riley snapped as he threw the trash bag into the garbage can. "I was lookin' for ideas and I saw that some guys plan an outfit for their girls to go on a date night or whatever. The comment section of some of these posts were lit, yo. Bitches were buggin', saying it was one of the most romantic things a dude could ever do for his girl."

"And?" Huey prompted.

"And genius, clearly I have to do this!" Riley retorted. "I want my picture to be detailed as fuck. Down to the outfit. Obviously I have to plan this way in advance, so I have to know what she's gonna be wearin'."

"So just grab an outfit from her closet!"

"I don't wanna do that. These chicks were talkin' about the outfit idea like it was gold. These dudes actually went out and bought completely new outfits for their women, including shoes. That's about as romantic as it gets accordin' to 90% of all women."

"So buy her an outfit then. Again, what does this have to do with me and my life?"

"I was gonna ask if you could ask Jazz for some outfit advice."

"What?" Huey let out. Riley could tell that he was quickly losing his patience.

"Look, it ain't that big. I just want you to ask her what kind of outfit I should buy her for a surprise date. That's all you have to say. You don't have to go into detail or anything-"

"Riley, NO."

"Whatchu mean 'no?'" Riley demanded.

"I mean exactly what I said. No. This is not my responsibility and this does not concern me. I can't keep being your middle man. You want my wife's help, you're going to have to ask her your damn self."

"Nigga, what the hell am I supposed to say?"

"'It's not that big.'" Huey mimicked him, even mocking his voice. "You're apparently just asking for her opinion according to you. She's right here. You can talk to her, but I'm out of it. Here."

"Nigga, don't!"

"Riley?" Jazmine light voice answered the phone.

"What's up, J?" He fought back his groan. He was gonna choke that nigga.

"Nothing much, how bout you? I heard Huey say you needed something?"

"Yeah… just some… advice, I guess." Riley hedged carefully. Because how do you hold back from the worst liar with the biggest mouth in town.

"Sure, what's going on?" Jazmine asked easily.

"So uh… I wanna take Cindy out on a nice date."

"Ooooh!"

"Chill." Riley deadpanned. "It's gonna be a surprise. I had read somewhere that plannin' your girl's outfit was apparently romantic or whateva."

"Omigod, YES." She replied with major enthusiasm.

"Yeaahh soo… I'm thinkin' of doin' that. I wanna buy her somethin' new but don't really know much on outfits and was wondering if-"

"You wanna go to the mall, tomorrow around 4-ish?" She asked immediately.

"Uhh, I was just gonna ask what type of style or outfit I should get. Like a dress or skirt-"

"A skirt? You would put Cindy in a skirt?"

"Aye, I just said skirt as an example-"

"Honey, you need me." Jazmine cut him off. "We should be back home by 3:30 at the very latest after we finish some other errands. Pick me up at the house around then?"

"Uhh… okay I guess?"

"Sounds great! I can't wait to see you!" Jazmine said, bubbly. "I'll text you tomorrow. Have a great night!"

"You too." He barely got out right before she hung up. Riley stared at his phone and shook his head. He started to compose a text to her as he walked back inside the house.

To Mariah Carey: Calm the fukk down. Don't tell Cindy.

He received one back only a few moments later as he started to put in a new garbage bag.

I would never! ;) ;) ;)

For your sake you better not ya lightskin hoe.

Meanie :'( :'( :'(

You good.

XP

…You wild.

Riley rolled his eyes, putting his phone back in his pocket. That bitch was cray.

"He never showed you these?" He heard Granddad's voice as he walked down the hall.

"No!" He heard Cindy reply as she was laughing.

Riley had an uneasy feeling as he walked back into the living room. He stopped in his tracks once he saw Granddad next to Cindy on the couch, showing her pictures on his digital camera.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, walking closer to try to take the camera away. Cindy leaned back and stiff-armed his slightly, a smirk on her face.

"Why didn't you ever show me your pics from SAAAD, babe?"

"From what?" He repeated, but the memories started to sink back in immediately.

"The Specially Abled Alliance Against Defamation." Cindy recited back, still smirking.

"Gimme that!" Riley snapped, quickly snatching the camera to look. His face heated up as a picture of his 8-year old self stared back at him, running for his life as an angry mob of special needs kids chased behind him.

"Yep." Granddad grinned smugly. "He was the poster child for that group and he was the advocate for Yes-Homo. I just finished showing Cutie Pie the pictures I took from the first round of shooting you did for them… the footage that was never used."

"You didn't." Riley growled, whipping his head over to him.

"I did." Granddad smirked.

Cindy started laughing again. "How the hell did they even get you in a gay outfit?"

"Because I threatened to beat his black ass if he didn't get into it. They just put him in some of the old Gangstalicious clothes he loved to wear. Remember those bra midriff tops and the khaki skirts?"

"Granddad!" Riley protested in embarrassment.

"I remember that!" Cindy giggled, ignoring him. "And I remember when they had him make that bad PSA announcement for gay tolerance. Why didn't they ever show clips of him all dressed up?"

"Because he wouldn't stop crying."

"Shut up!" Riley shouted, running out of the room with the camera and all the way up the stairs to delete the pictures off both the device and the computer. He still heard Granddad snicker while he left.

"There he goes to probably cry now."

---

The Next Day; 3:50 PM

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Riley knocked on the door impatiently as he checked his watch. It was already ten minutes until four; he really didn't have much time until Cindy would get off work in a little over an hour. He had no idea how long shopping would take with Jazmine, but he didn't want to get home later than usual. He'd decided to take a half day as well and close his studio early, but of course didn't tell Cindy about his plans. She would still expect him to be home before 7:30.

But who knew? With Jazmine, this trip could quite possibly last hours.

The door finally opened to reveal Huey carrying Jamilah with one arm.

"Unca Reezy!" His niece exclaimed happily.

"Hey baby," Riley smiled at her, stepping inside the apartment. Huey handed her off to him when she reached her arms out, stepping around them to close the door. "How's my favorite girl?" Riley asked her after he gave her a big kiss on the cheek.

"I'm good." She told him. "I got shot." She pointed to her arm at the Hello Kitty band-aid.

"You got a shot." Huey corrected her choice of words.

"You did? Did it hurt?" Riley frowned as she nodded quickly, her bottom lip pouted. "Aww, I'm sorry babe." He turned to glance at Huey. "Did she cry?"

The look Huey gave in return was slight, but very evident by his expression. It had obviously been brutal, which was no surprise. Jamilah hated needles.

"Just a little." Huey replied, clearly lying. "But she felt much better when the doctor gave her a treat after."

Jamilah's eyes suddenly lit up, remembering. "I got a lollipop!"

"Whaatt, that's awesome! That must mean you were a good girl!" Riley grinned, making her nod with a bright smile. "What flavor?"

"Ummm, cherry!" She said, before turning to her father. "Can I have it now, Daddy?"

"You can after we eat dinner." He smirked at her.

"Yo, where's Jazz? We gotta get goin' soon." Riley said, checking his watch again.

"She went to go change out of her work clothes."

"Did she fall asleep back there? How long y'all been home?"

"Calm down, I'm right here." Jazmine said as she entered the living room. She was dressed simply in a gray draped cardigan over a bright pink tank, black leggings, and sandal flats. Her hair was up in a high curly bun, a few spirals framing her face. "I'm ready!"

"Aiight cool. We out." Riley said, turning back to the small child in his arms. "I'll see you in a few days, okay Mila?"

"Okay." She nodded.

"Gimme my hug." He grinned, feeling her squeeze him as tight as she could. He kissed her forehead when she pulled back. "I love you, babe."

"I love you too, Unca Reezy." She smiled up at him, kissing his cheek.

"Give your mama a hug." Riley said, handing her over to Jazmine.

"Bye Mommy, I love you!" Jamilah wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Awww, bye baby. I love you too." Jazmine cooed, kissing her cheek. "Be good for Daddy, okay? I'll be home soon." She grinned as her daughter nodded. Then she turned to Huey, stepping over to him.

"Here's hot potato." Jazmine chuckled, handing Jamilah to him. Then she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Bye, honey. I'll be back in a few hours."

"We'll see." Huey responded with a smirk.

"Bye." She grinned, leaning in once more to peck his lips.

"Ew, that's nasty." Riley commented from the door, already holding it open. "Let's go, Light-Bright."

"Can you stop with that?" Jazmine demanded, whacking him lightly on the chest as she stepped by him.

"Nope." He replied easily.

---

Jazmine's POV

"This is torture."

Jazmine rolled her eyes at Riley's dramatics as they walked through the mall. He'd probably stated that at least five times so far. It had been almost forty-five minutes since they'd been in the mall and hadn't found anything immediately appealing yet; Jazmine had taken him to the four largest department stores first to sort through, but hadn't had any luck there. They now were in search of the smaller shops throughout the mall. Jazmine grabbed his arm as he was about to pass one and started to pull him inside.

"Old Navy?"

"Yeah, they might have something."

"Ugghhh." Riley groaned from behind her.

Jazmine turned and gave him a look as they headed for the maternity section. "Be positive. And tell me again: what were you picturing Cindy to wear for the date? And what all are you planning on doing?"

"I'm just takin' her to dinner." Riley said vaguely with a shrug, glancing away at the clothes on the racks.

"Casual or dressy?"

Riley paused thinking. "I mean, I wanna take her somewhere nice but at the end of the day I want her to be comfortable. Not super dressed up."

"Okay, okay." Jazmine said, nodding as she browsed through the racks as well. "Sooo maybe something like a cute blouse and leggings? Then we can either dress it up or down with shoes after we already have the clothes."

Riley nodded, seeming to be in thought. "Yeah… yeah, that sounds good I guess."

Jazmine gave him a funny look before shaking her head. "At least you didn't say skirt this time."

"I told you, I just said it as an example-"

"Oh, what about these, Riley?" Jazmine asked, pulling a pair of dark-wash pants from the rack. "They look exactly like jeans but they're actually jeggings. Super comfortable." She said, letting him feel the material.

"That's what's up." Riley nodded, looking it over. "You think she'd like these and wear 'em?"

"Definitely. And they're on clearance, which is a bonus… I might actually get a pair for myself." She said to herself, grabbing a pair in a lighter shade.

"Whateva." Riley rolled his eyes with a smirk. "I'll get 'em. Grab me a pair in her size?"

Jazmine picked up a small/medium for Cindy and took one for herself as well before they walked away from the rack. They browsed the shirts and blouses section but didn't find anything they particularly liked, so decided to just pay for the pants and try somewhere else. Jazmine dragged him to several more stores, including The Gap, Motherhood Maternity, and Nordstrom, but didn't have much luck. They were running out of stores that even carried maternity wear.

"Man, this is torture!" Riley started to complain again.

"Ninth time." Jazmine muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing." Jazmine shook her head. "And we'll find something. And if we don't we can always try back through the stores. Maybe we just didn't look hard enough. Or we can go to another store outside of the mall."

"The last thing I wanna do is leave here to go to another damn store." Riley grumbled.

"I'm trying to give you options here." Jazmine slightly grumbled back. "What day did you say your date was?"

"I dunno, probably Saturday."

"Alright, well it's only Wednesday. If we can't find anything today, we can take a trip to the other mall about an hour away. Maybe Friday evening." She suggested.

"I can't wait that long, J. That's cuttin' it way too close!"

"Cutting what too close? It's just dinner." She asked in confusion.

"Nevermind." He muttered stubbornly. She knew it'd be useless even trying with him right now.

"Riley, I swear…." Jazmine rolled her eyes, looking away from him. She happened to look into a store, spotting a sign for maternity wear. She grabbed Riley's arm to stop him from passing it and started to pull him inside.

"Huh? H&M?" He asked, barely having time to read the overhead sign.

"I didn't know they had a maternity section. Over here." Jazmine said as she led him, starting to feel hopeful. H&M usually had cute and trendy styles. Jazmine had passed on almost all of the other clothing because they seemed so bland and old lady-ish. Just because you were becoming a mother didn't mean you had to suddenly dress like a grandma.

"Now this is what we've been looking for." Jazmine starting smiling immediately as she approached the section. Finally. "Something like this would be totally cute for a date!" She told him, showing him a mannequin wearing a dressy top with a sheer sleeve design.

"That ain't bad." Riley said, checking the price. "A lot cheaper than that Nordstrom place, thank God."

"I know." Jazmine agreed. "I actually liked their stuff, but they're just way too expensive for one item."

"Word." He nodded, sorting through the racks.

"What color do you want her to wear? Do you have a preference?" She asked, taking another section.

He shrugged a shoulder. "First I just wanna find somethin'."

"And if we do and they have it in multiple colors, which would you want?" Jazmine turned to cast him a teasing look. "Blueee? To bring out her eyes?"

"Whateva, girl." Riley rolled his eyes, but smirked.

"We both know it's your favorite when she wears it."

"What. Ever."

"Probably a light ice blue shade like… like… oh shit." Jazmine blurted, pausing.

"Did you just cuss?" Riley snickered, turning to look at her.

"Like this!" Jazmine quickly pulled the hanger off the rack and lifted it to show Riley.

"Oh shit." Riley echoed her, stepping over to look at it closer. "This is nice."

Jazmine nodded, turning it around so he could see both front and back. It was nice. The top was an off-the-shoulders style with three-quarter billow sleeves that also had a double-layered overlay in the front. The first layer of the shirt was a form-fitting tunic that reached down past the hips, while the second scooping layer fell on top, stopping at the navel and giving it a very flowy effect.

"J, try it on." Riley told her immediately.

"Seriously?"

"Girl, hell yeah. I need to see how it looks on. Cindy's just a little bit bigger than you."

"How do we ask?" She said pointedly.

Riley sucked his teeth. "Please, Jazz." He replied dryly.

"Very good." She chuckled, taking the two smallest sizes to try on. Riley followed her to the fitting room and sat outside on a chair while she stepped inside an open room. She took off her cardigan first, then her top before tossing them both on the bench. She decided to try on the smallest size first, slipping the shirt off the hanger before pulling it over her head.

This is even a little tight for me. Jazmine thought to herself, trying to adjust the snug top. Once she did, she looked in the mirror and grinned. Riley was wrong; Cindy definitely wasn't that much bigger than her anymore. They now seemed to be about the same in size. Jazmine suddenly had a bump, but it wasn't too surprising. Dr. Barden had told her the second pregnancy would seem to progress quicker than the first, especially when she would start showing and her symptoms. Her body changes started out slow, but seemed to happen overnight before becoming so noticeable. She'd definitely caught up to Cindy with a quickness. And with her symptoms, she seemed to be more sensitive this time around and picking up on more things. She was shocked to feel the stir of movement the other day while she was with Huey. She was both surprised and happy to feel it so early. While she was pregnant with Jamilah, she hadn't felt her move at all until about 20 weeks. This time it was very light, just a quick flutter-like sensation in her belly, but Jazmine had definitely felt it.

She placed a hand on her stomach and rubbed it while she admired the outfit in the mirror from side to side. The shirt would look so good on Cindy.

Jazmine opened the door of the fitting room and stepped out, approaching Riley next to the tri-fold mirror. "What do you think?"

Riley glanced at her and his eyes widened. "Damn."

"You like?" Jazmine asked as she stepped up to the mirror, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yo, this is nice." He answered, standing up as he examined the outfit. Jazmine gave him a look as he started to circle around her, still staring.

"Yeah, this is also now weird." She added, feeling uncomfortable under his gaze.

"Girl please, it ain't like I'm checkin' you out. That's gay." He scoffed, still observing the outfit. Jazmine noticed that he kept staring at her belly. "Damn, you got big."

Jazmine lightly shoved him off balance, causing him to finally stop circling her. "Gee, thanks." She said sarcastically. "I'll take that as a compliment."

"Whateva." Riley rolled his eyes. "I want it. I don't care how much it is." He told her before checking price hanging off the tag on her back. "Oh hell yeah, I'll take it!"

"Okay good." Jazmine chuckled. "You should buy the other size I left in the dressing room. This fits, but it's a little snug even for me. The other one will give Cindy more room to breathe and move."

"Aiight. Go change and bring the other one out. Then we can get the shoes and get the hell outta here."

"I'll be right back."

It only took them a few minutes for them to get ready and pay before leaving the store. They headed for a different store that was directly across from H&M that was the most popular shoe department in the mall.

"How do you wanna complete the look?" Jazmine asked him as they entered. "Dressy or casual? Heels? Sandals? Flats?"

"I still wanna keep her comfortable. I was thinkin' maybe a pair of boots? I don't think she has any nice ones."

"Ooh, that's a great idea. Like a knee-high fall boot?"

"Somethin' like that." He smirked, leading the way to a particular section. When they got there, Jazmine looked at the brand before turning to him in disbelief.

"Timberlands, Riley? Really?" She deadpanned.

"What? My girl ain't got none and she loves this brand."

"But these aren't dressy enough and way too casual. It won't go well with the outfit."

"Girl, just help me look already! They gotta have somethin' for-ohhhh my God! These! These are the ones!" Riley said immediately, squatting down to a pair on the bottom shelf and pointing. "These are sexy as fuck!"

Jazmine raised an eyebrow but was slightly impressed at the selection.

They were a pair of Timberland ankle boots with high heel.

"She's gonna love these." Riley said, picking them up to look them over. "I know that for a fact. Damn, these are hot!"

"Whatever makes her happy." Jazmine grinned with the shake of her head. "She's a size eight."

"Right." Riley said, searching for a pair in her size. "Thank God, one left." He said as he put down the display and grabbed the box. "Leggo."

"You're not even gonna check the price?" Jazmine asked in surprise.

"Nope, don't care."

"Wow. That's big."

"What time is it?" He asked as they stood in line.

Jazmine checked her phone. "Just a little after six now. Are you satisfied with everything you got for her? You have her shoes, leggings, and top. Anything else?"

"Just two more." Riley spoke distractedly as he set the box on the counter and pulled out his wallet.

"Two more?" Jazmine repeated. "What two other things do you need?"

Riley glanced at her for a quick moment, seeming strangely startled for a split second. Then he turned away and back to the waiting cashier. "Hold on a minute." He practically mumbled as the man scanned and started to bag the shoes. Jazmine stepped around him and waited after he paid and took his bag. He barely looked at her as he headed for the exit, Jazmine following closely beside him.

"Sooo?" She asked expectantly.

"So what?" Riley kept his gaze straight ahead.

"What two other things do you need?" Jazmine repeated again, becoming slightly annoyed.

"I said just one thing." He told her, barely glancing down at her before looking ahead again.

"You definitely said two." She informed him.

"I meant one." He said simply. "I thought about gettin' her bracelet or necklace to go with the outfit, you think she'll like that?" He spoke again quickly, before Jazmine could even reply to his first response.

"Well… yeah." Jazmine answered, suddenly thrown off at his randomness. "All women like jewelry so I'm sure she would. Do you have any ideas in mind?"

"I dunno, maybe somethin' related to basketball or somethin' romantic with a heart or whateva."

"Sounds… cute."

"Know any stores?"

"Claire's is right here, we can look around." Jazmine pointed across the aisle to the entrance. Riley nodded and followed her inside. An employee named Katie helped show them around the store, stopping first at the section of bracelets, which Riley thought looked to kiddie for Cindy. She then showed them the rings as well, which for some reason Riley seemed way too disinterested in. Then she led them to the wall of necklaces, letting him look through himself. His gaze fell on a heart-shaped key necklace that was very pretty. The long strand of the necklace was made of alternating white and gold pearls, which Riley knew to be her birthstone. The head of the necklace had the top designed in a heart shape; inside the heart was a small sparkly crown, resting on top of a white pearl. The bottom length of the key itself was studded with tiny and sparkling crystal-like studs. Jazmine quietly told him it was most likely cubic zirconia, but he didn't seem to know what that was or care. He bought it anyway, looking very satisfied.

"Done." Riley said as they left the store.

"No final item to get now?" Jazmine teased him jokingly, but secretly was slightly semi-serious.

Riley glanced at her subtly, giving her that weird look again. "Nope, not yet." He replied offhandedly.

He had said it to be sarcastic, which Jazmine knew, but still. Something was off. What was his deal?

"Riley," Jazmine began, looking up at him while they walked, about to finally address it. "What-"

"What time is it?" He cut her off.

Jazmine sighed and checked her phone again. "6:22. Why?"

"You hungry?" He asked.

"Umm, a little I guess. I hadn't really been thinking about it."

"Want Red Lobster?" He spoke again, surprising Jazmine completely.

"Um, yes. I love Red Lobster." She nodded with a smile.

Riley snorted. "Like you the only one."

"What do you mean?"

"A broad will do anything for them cheddar biscuits!" He smirked, then frowned when he was lightly whacked over the head. "Ow!"

"One, that's rude. Two, don't call women broads. And three, shut up, they're delicious."

"…Thanks for provin' my point… ow!"

---

"This was really nice, Riley. And everything was great." Jazmine said with sincerity, happily reaching for another biscuit.

"Consider it a thank you." He shrugged a shoulder, reaching himself for another one before realizing she'd snagged the last one. "Damn, you gonna get another basket to box up and take home?"

"Duh." She shot back, taking a triumphant bite. They were just finishing up their meal, mostly Jazmine; Riley had been finished, but Jazmine was still snacking on the biscuits as opposed to her side salad. She'd mostly added it to her order for Huey's sake. He'd probably be irritated with her for eating all those "unhealthy" biscuits and for choosing the shrimp linguini alfredo as her main dish, being as though he thought all seafood was bad during pregnancy. And she had destroyed it too, which was very unlike her. Jazmine almost always had to box up half of her plate to-go once she was full.

Not today. That alfredo didn't have a chance. Neither did the biscuits.

Oh well. She was eating for two now after all.

"So how you been?" Riley asked before taking a drink of his Sprite.

"I've been doing well, thank you." Jazmine smiled.

"Did you see your doctor again?"

"We went to visit Dr. Barden for an appointment last Saturday. She says everything's looking good and progressing normally."

"Nice."

"How's Cindy doing?"

"She doin' good. No complaints yet anyway."

"I'm glad." Jazmine smiled again. "I'm sooo happy for you both."

Riley paused, giving her a strange look. "For what?"

"What do you mean for what? For having a baby. About to start a family together."

"Oh… yeah." Riley mumbled distractedly, lifting his glass again. Jazmine rolled her eyes and grinned.

"So when's the wedding?"

Riley about choked on his swallow. "What?" He managed to barely cough out.

Jazmine giggled. "I'm just asking. You're starting a family together soon, you already live in a house together, you're both obviously in love," She teased. She grinned when Riley ignored her and reached across the table for her glass of water, immediately taking a few chugs.

"You both seem very happy together," Jazmine continued on. "And super cute, still doing sweet things for each other like romantic dates, surprise dinners, special gifts…." She trailed off a bit when she noticed Riley was diverting himself and his gaze deliberately. He went from chugging down the remainder of her water, to making himself suddenly very busy examining the check, and finally to looking around the room anxiously for the waiter to return.

"…Riley?" Jazmine said quietly.

"JACK!" He shouted eagerly, waving at the startled waiter who was more than three booths down.

"Yes sir?" He asked with concern once he arrived.

"I'm gonna add on a basket of biscuits. Could y'all box that up in the back and put it on my check?" Riley spoke quickly, handing the receipt and his card to him.

"Um, sure. I'll go put that in and bring them out when it's ready." Jack nodded, taking the receipt before walking away.

Jazmine stared at Riley. He still would not look her in the eye, doing everything but. His fingers drummed rapidly on the table as he continued to scan the room, looking for who knew what. Then he took out his phone, keeping his head down as he typed away on it.

"Riley." Jazmine spoke again.

"Dang, it's almost 7:10 now. We gotta go soon." Riley said in response, not even lifting his head.

"Riley." She tried again.

"And I still gotta drive you home. Homeboy better hurry up with them biscuits, yo. As a matter of fact-"

"Riley!" Jazmine raised her voice, lightly smacking the table with the palm of her hand.

"What, girl?" Riley snapped, finally glancing up to meet her eyes. He stared at her plainly, his expression unwavering. Jazmine knew the look well: his so-called "poker-face." But in this case, she could see right through him.

"You're going to propose." She whispered.

She caught the way he slightly widened his eyes in response. "Huh?" He said instead, as if he hadn't heard her. Then he started to slide to get up from the booth. "It's too damn loud in here, I can't hear you when you mumble like that. I'll be back, I'm gonna go find-"

"YOU'RE GOING TO PROPOSE!" Jazmine shouted loudly in excitement.

"SHHH!" Riley dove next to her on her side of the booth instead, covering her mouth with his hand while half of the people in their section turned to look. Jazmine squealed loudly, not caring anymore as his hand was already over her mouth, as she leaned in and hugged him tightly.

"Quiet down!" Riley hissed before Jazmine finally pulled away from him so her mouth was free.

"It's true, isn't it?" Jazmine ignored him, not even attempting to lower her voice.

"Dammit Jazz," He growled, looking embarrassedly around at the other customers.

"Look at me. In the eye. And answer me." She demanded, crossing her arms. When he finally did turn back, he had that obscured look on his face again. "Are you planning to propose?"

Riley stared at her before just barely moving his head. In a very slight up-and-down manner.

As in yes.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Girl, if you don't quit!" Riley yelled at her, covering her mouth again. He barely noticed when Jack came back to the table, setting down the box of biscuits and the check with Riley's card. He watched the two before smiling.

"Would you two like some celebratory champagne?"

"NO!" Riley snapped, not even looking at him while he continued to hold his hand over Jazmine's mouth. She was still squealing, happy tears running down her face. A few moments after Jack disappeared, she finally started to settle, pulling away from Riley's grasp again before bringing her own hands up to her mouth.

"Are you good?" Riley glared at her, his cheeks seeming reddened as he wiped his hand off on a free napkin. Jazmine nodded while she beamed, too afraid to speak. Riley rolled his eyes and stood from the table. "Then let's go."

Jazmine followed behind him as he carried the box the biscuits. They received stares as they made their way to the exit, some people even whispering their congratulations. They probably thought Riley had proposed to Jazmine judging from her reaction. After they made their way to the car and pulled off, Jazmine finally felt calm enough to speak.

"I'm sorry I screamed... and cried." She started off slowly.

"Whateva." Riley mumbled in return, eyes on the road.

Jazmine smiled, feeling her eyes start to well up again. "But I'm so happy for you, Riley. Seriously."

"Thanks, J." He replied, glancing over at her. Then his face twisted up again. "Are you really about to cry again?"

"I can't help it!" She sniffled. "Cindy's my best friend. She loves you soooo much. And obviously you love her too. You make her so happy, Riley. It's going to be the best day of her life when you propose to her."

"You can not tell her anything, Jazz." Riley told seriously.

"I won't!"

"I mean it! Everybody knows you're terrible with secrets. And worse with major ones!"

Jazmine shifted her jaw. It wasn't like he was lying. "When do you plan to do it? Ask her I mean." She asked him instead.

"Saturday."

"On your date right?" She clarified, to which he nodded. "Okay. Then I'll make you a deal. Unless she contacts me directly or something like that, I won't talk to Cindy at all. I won't go out of my way, I won't text her first, I will stay as far away as I can until after Saturday. How's that?"

Riley glanced over at her again. "You mean it?"

"Of course. I don't want to ruin anything for you, Riley. And I want her to be surprised just like you do."

He looked at her again before nodding. "Okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jazmine beamed. She paused a moment before speaking again. "So… how are you gonna do it? Now that you've planned out an amazing outfit for her."

Riley smirked. "I'm gonna take her to dinner first."

"Where at?"

"I'm gonna see if Ed can get me another reservation at the Bugatti again."

"Awww!" Jazmine exclaimed. "Are you gonna propose there?"

"No, not at the restaurant. I don't know where yet… but I am gonna make her a picture."

"Of what?"

"The proposal."

"The actual proposal…? Oh!" Jazmine said, finally realizing. "So that's why you needed to know what she'd be wearing. So you have time to work on it!"

"Yep." He grinned proudly.

"She's gonna be so happy, Riley." She told him, placing her hand on his arm. Because they had just pulled up to a red light, he paused to look down at her hand. She went to pull it away, thinking that he was uncomfortable, but he instead reached out and held it, staring at the back of her hand.

At her wedding ring to be specific.

"Granddad told me that he gave y'all our parents' rings." He said aloud, observing it.

"He did." Jazmine replied gently, allowing him to look. His mother's engagement ring was beautiful. It was an oval cut with a diamond-studded halo around the main diamond. The rose gold band also was studded with small stones and braided into an infinity twist design along the entire ring. Her thin diamond-studded wedding band rested above the original engagement ring, curving to shape the top of the large diamond.

"It's nice." Riley said quietly with a nod, releasing her hand before pulling off again at the green light.

"I love it." Jazmine told him sincerely. "I'm assuming Granddad already gave you yours?"

"He did."

"Do you love it?" She smiled.

He turned and grinned at her. "Yeah, Jazz."

"Good. You know Cindy will too."

"I know." He said surely.

"Can I see it?"

"I've actually gotta pick it up at the jeweler, probably tomorrow. I had to get it downsized."

"One of the jewelers in the mall? Why didn't you pick it up today?"

"Because you were with me!"

"That's why you should've told me right away, silly!"

"What part of 'big-mouth' do you not understand?" He shot back with a smirk.

---

Riley's POV

After a lot of back-and-forth between the two, Riley arrived at her place and pulled up to the curb. "Aiight, hop ya ass out my car, Mariah."

"Stop." Jazmine told him with a grin, leaning over to give him a hug. "Get home safe and text me later."

"Maybe." He quipped. He winced when he felt her give him a big smooch on his cheek. "Ugh, girl!"

"Congratulations! So happy for you!" Jazmine told him for like the third time.

"Yeah-yeah-yeah. Thanks." He smirked, rubbing his cheek on his shoulder before gently shooing her off him. "Don't say nothin'. I'll send you a picture of the ring tomorrow."

"Okay. Have a good night!" Jazmine smiled before opening her door and stepping out with her bag and box.

"Later." He nodded, pulling away. He looked at the clock and grimaced. It was already 7:25 on the dot. He was almost surprised Cindy hadn't texted him yet; he was already about ten minutes later than he usually gets in, and it would probably take an extra twenty to get home. And how was he going to get the purchases inside the house without her noticing? And where would he hide them?

At least he'd have the remainder of the car ride to figure that out.

When he finally did get home, he decided to quickly move the bags of clothes to the trunk, covering them with an old blanket that happened to be back there. He would get them out later sometime when Cindy wasn't around. He came into the house and peeked into the living room first once he heard the TV. Cindy was lounged on the couch with her phone out, typing away. She glanced up when she noticed Riley and lightly glared at him.

"There you are." She said, swinging her legs off the couch and going to him. "I was literally about to call you. Where have you been?"

"I'm sorry babe, I got tied up finishing up some last minute plans at the shop." He told her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing her forehead. "How are you?"

"Better now that you're home. I was getting worried." She told him, still slightly pouting at him.

"I'm sorry, girl." He said again, leaning down to kiss her lips. "You miss me?" He grinned, pecking her again.

"Whatchu think, boy?" She murmured with a smirk. "I left you a plate of food in the microwave. I just made a bowl of soup for myself. I wasn't too hungry today."

"You feelin' alright?" Riley asked her, immediately placing the back of his hand on her forehead.

"I'm fine, Reez." She chuckled. "I'm just really tired. There were a lot of customers at the gym today that I had sessions with."

"Why don't you go lay down and rest? Get off your feet." He instructed her, moving the back of his hand to feel both of her cheeks too.

Cindy grinned and pulled his hands down. "I'm fine. I think I'm going to work on some notes for tomorrow with Libby and then head to bed in a few hours."

"Alright baby. I'm gonna finish up the last few details on one of my pieces in the basement, then I'll be back up to give you a massage while you work. How's that?"

"What about your food?"

"Ah, I'm not super hungry myself either right now." He said truthfully. He was stuffed. "I ordered pizza at work earlier and was snackin' on that for most of the day. I'll probably reheat the plate later."

"Whatever works for you." Cindy grinned, leaning up to peck his lips. "I'll be upstairs."

"Call me if you need me." Riley told her, walking out of the living room with her until they parted ways in the hallway. He walked slowly to the door of the basement, waiting out of sight until he heard her footsteps stop climbing the stairs and for his bedroom door to close. He then turned around and headed for the garage. He'd be able to bring that stuff in right away and hide it in the basement for now. The last thing he needed was for her to take Dorothy and open the trunk, looking through those bags out of curiosity. He had just made it into the garage when his phone started to ring in his pocket. He pulled it out and raised an eyebrow at the caller ID.

Wannabe-Ass Nigga displayed on the screen with a screenshot of Lil Wayne for the picture. Riley rolled his eyes and answered.

"Yo."

"What is UP, Big Reezy?"

"Uhh… nothin'… why?"

"Dat ain't what I heard, but ya know… just curious…."

Riley sighed lowly. "She told you."

"YOU WEREN'T EVEN GONNA TELL ME, WERE YOU?!" Caesar yelled loudly, making Riley hold the phone from his ear.

"Nigga, if you don't stop actin' all butt-hurt." He snapped. "I wasn't even gonna tell Jazmine, she just figured it out. She can't keep shit to herself, damn."

"Well at least someone includes me." Caesar huffed. "I can't even believe you gonna propose to her, yo!"

"That's the plan." Riley replied dryly.

"How you gonna do it?"

"I'm gonna take her to a nice dinner and then take her some place quiet after to do it. I dunno where yet."

"You gotta take her some place special, man."

"Don't you think I know that?"

"Calm down, nigga. I mean some place special for you both. Where's somewhere that has meaning for you?"

Riley shrugged while he thought, reaching into the trunk to pull out the bags. "The hell if I know, nigga. We don't really go out all that much. It's not like we have a 'place.'"

Caesar snorted. "Y'all still slow. I can think of one right off the bat."

"Where?"

"The court? Duh."

Riley paused. "You think I should propose to her on a basketball court, nigga?"

"Not just any court. Go to the one you first met at. Wasn't it the one for the elementary school? Where she whooped your ass?"

"Shuddup." Riley rolled his eyes. "Yeah, but… is that romantic and shit?"

"Hell yeah, chicks dig that shit. And you could make it special by havin' flowers or somethin' already there for when y'all show up."

Riley thought for a moment, ideas already forming in his head. Caesar's lead wasn't bad.

Hmmm...

"Aiight nigga, you down to help or nah?"

"Like you have to ask."

Riley smirked. "Good. Cuz I'm puttin' yo ass to work then."

---

Cindy's POV

Something is definitely up.

Cindy massaged shampoo into her hair while her mind continued to process things in the midst of her morning shower. This should be one of the most relaxing moments of her day. It was finally Saturday and she'd had a hella long week at both of her jobs. She'd also been sleepier than usual, feeling like the pregnancy was kicking her ass. The morning sickness had faded thank goodness, but the fatigue was still lingering. She was really hoping that it would let up soon in the next few weeks.

But regardless, that just came with the territory. Cindy had other pressing things on her mind. Like why Riley was acting so weird this whole week. She still believed he was working or planning something regarding his studio and wanted to surprise her. But Cindy was starting to think there was more to it. He was just acting off. Weirder than usual.

For example, Cindy awoke this morning to sweet kisses all over her face from Riley. She had loved it of course, but he hadn't done that in who knew how long. He had just been acting extra lovey-dovey lately, which was cute, but at the same time slightly suspicious. He also seemed to be sneaking peeks at her more often than usual. She knew half of it was probably from her pregnancy, he was so damn worried about her unnecessarily. But it couldn't be just that. Cindy knew him. The way he looked at her was definitely suspect. He was hiding something and she couldn't pinpoint it.

Cindy was still thinking about him as she finished rinsing her body off and stepping out of the shower to dry. She wrapped her hair in a towel turban before slipping on her robe and headed back to the bedroom. The first thing she noticed when she got to the end of the hall was that the door was pulled shut. She definitely hadn't closed it when she left, so what the hell was Riley doing?

"Why'd you shut the door?" She asked aloud as she tried the knob, which opened right away. The next thing she noticed was that all the lights were off and the blinds and curtains were pulled, making the room extremely dark for the time of day that it was. "Boy, if you try to jump out and scare me, I swear." Cindy warned loudly, feeling for the light switch on the wall. Once she finally found it, she quickly switched it on and was already glaring, still in alert mode. Riley was surprisingly not in the room. However, she then noticed the third new thing about the room. Or things.

The new clothes and a large shoe box on the already made bed.

"What's all this?" She asked to herself again, walking over to the bed and looking down. Laying wrinkle-free on the edge of the bed was a flowy top in a beautiful shade of light blue along with a soft pair of dark jean pants with a legging material.

"Surprise." Riley spoke calmly from behind Cindy, startling her to turn around. She almost did a double-take of him dressed in a casual black button-down with gray pinstripes, black pants, and nice shiny shoes already on.

"Babe… what is all this?" She gestured to both him and the spread on the bed as she struggled for words.

Riley grinned. "Get ready. We goin' out."

"Out?" She echoed. "Where?"

"Somewhere nice. I haven't spoiled you in a while." He shrugged "modestly."

"Honey," Cindy smiled. "You didn't have to do all this. And you always spoil me."

"So I love my girl, sue me." He smirked, stepping over to steal a kiss.

"Baaabe…." Cindy couldn't stop smiling, starting to feel a little lovey-dovey herself.

"Open the box." He told her, allowing her to spin around but kept his arms wrapped around her waist. Cindy pulled the box closer excitedly and lifted the lid to peek in, right before gasping and practically throwing the lid aside.

"Holy shit!" She exclaimed pulling out the tan ankle boots. "Where the hell did you get these?"

"Just a little store in the mall, y'know." Riley replied with nonchalance.

"Oh my GOD Riley, I love them! These are so fuckin' sexy!"

"That's exactly what I said." He chuckled. "But they'll be sexier on you." He added, kissing her cheek. Cindy quickly set the boots back in the box before turning back around to hug Riley. He lifted her into his arms and had her wrap her legs around his waist, making the wet towel on her head plop to the floor, but she didn't care.

"Reez, this is so sweet. You really didn't have to do this. I love everything." She told him sincerely.

"I'm glad." He smiled back, accepting the loving kiss she delivered to his lips. When she pulled back, she was beaming.

"I love this day already." She declared giddily. Riley smirked slightly, having that look in his eye again.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet."

---

Riley and Cindy took the next half hour to finish getting ready to leave for… wherever they were going. While Riley was still in the bathroom brushing his teeth, Cindy had just finished putting on her outfit, which she was obsessed about. She really needed to find out where he got the clothes (and how he figured out her new size and who helped him. The sales clerk maybe?) so she could go herself. The top fit perfectly and accentuated her belly nicely. The same was true for the jeggings; they weren't only cute but very flattering on her legs, not to mention her ass.

And the boots. Cindy was in love. They were her very first pair of Timberlands, and she already knew she was going to wear the hell out of them. Not only were they sexy as hell with the high heel, but they were comfortable too. The height of the heel was only about a four-inch if that, but the width of it was thick enough that made them easy to walk in. Damn, they were fire.

"You like?" Riley asked, coming into the room again as he slid his phone into his pocket.

"I love." Cindy smiled at him through the mirror of their vanity dresser. She had finally finished drying her hair and was about to pull it up in a high ponytail when Riley spoke up.

"You should wear it in a braid today." He told her lightly as he came to stand next to her at the dresser.

"You think? Why?" She questioned, but dropped her hair anyway.

Riley shrugged, not really looking at her as he grabbed his cologne. "I dunno. That's one of my favorite hairstyles on you." He shrugged again while he shook up the bottle.

Cindy eyed him with a slight grin while he dabbed on his scent, but complied with nod. "Only cuz it's your favorite." She told him as she started to part her hair into three sections before starting. Riley blew her a kiss in the mirror, watching the speed at which she braided. She did the style so often on her hair it was like second nature. Within what seemed like seconds she had a nearly perfect side braid completed.

"Don't forget to put on your studs and watch." He told her before he walked over to the closet. Cindy nodded and reached for the velvet box on the dresser. She opened it and took out the gleaming silver watch, sliding it on her left wrist before she lifted her diamond studs and proceeded to put them in as well. By the time Riley emerged from the closet again, she had just finished.

"You look good baby, but you missin' one thing." He told her, sidling up behind her again.

"And what's that?" She grinned, leaning back against him.

He cleared his throat as he lifted his hands and brought them forward over her head. Cindy gasped in surprise when she noticed the long beaded chain he was holding, a key pendant hanging from it.

"Riley!" She said, her mouth hanging open as he started to clasp the necklace around her neck. She admired the pretty detail of the beading and beautiful work on the key in the mirror, angling it around to look at it. Once he secured the lock, she turned around and gave him another big hug. "I love it, babe! Thank you!"

"No problem, girl. I saw it and thought of you so you know I had to get it."

"Why'd it make you think of me?"

He was about to answer, but seemed like he changed his mind last minute. "I don't know." He said instead.

"No way, what were you about to say?" Cindy demanded with a grin.

"You'll laugh and call me gay, no homo." He told her, slipping his hand around hers.

"I will not!" She protested, following him out of the room. "Tell me!"

He glanced down and slightly smirked at her as they walked. He paused once they got to the top of the steps and sighed. "Because… you already know you got the key to my heart, girl." He told her quietly. Cindy could practically see his cheeks starting to warm up.

"Awwwwwww!" She cooed loudly, making his face redden even more.

---

Not too much longer after, Riley and Cindy were loading themselves into Dorothy to head off on their date. Cindy seemed to ask every five minutes or so where he was taking her, but Riley only shook his head. However, judging from the route they were going, she knew they had to be heading to the city. She grinned when they were suddenly driving through the streets of uptown, her guess being correct.

"You hungry?" Riley asked her casually while he made another left at the green light.

"Very." Cindy nodded. As in on cue, her stomach growled.

"Sounds like my babies are hungry too." He smirked proudly.

"Maybe just a little." She grinned back.

"Good, cuz we about here."

Cindy looked back to the road to see if there was any indication of where they were going. Then she emitted a light gasp when she saw the sign for one of the upcoming buildings, noticing that Riley was slowing down to turn in.

"No way! The Bugatti again?" She exclaimed with a big smile as Riley pulled onto the lot of the grand hotel.

He grinned at her in return. "Like I said, I haven't taken you somewhere nice in a while. And their restaurant is nice as fuck. And the food. Better than half the restaurants in the area anyway."

"It's so fancy though. I love my outfit but are you sure I'm up to the dress code?" She bit her lip slightly.

"Relax ma, the dress code's only enforced during dinner hours. We're just here for lunch." He told her assuredly.

"Okay." Cindy beamed before leaning over to kiss his cheek. "This is such a nice surprise, Reezy. Thank you."

"Anything for you, baby."

After Riley parked, they headed inside the hotel and directly over to the hotel's restaurant, The Veyron. Cindy was thankful the greeter hadn't noticed or said anything about her outfit as he seated them in their large and reserved booth. A minute later, a familiar looking man arrived at their table to take their drink orders. Coincidentally it was Bentley, their waiter from the first time that had visited.

"Aye man, what's up? Figures you'd still be workin' at this place." Riley smirked, secretly still poking fun at his name. He swore it was the main reason he was employed at the hotel.

"Yes sir, I am." He smiled, oblivious. "It's nice seeing you both again. Would you care to start off with our mimosa house special?"

Cindy inwardly groaned. She loved a good mimosa. "None for me, thank you. I'll just have a water."

"I'm good too." Riley added. "I'll take a coffee."

Coffee? Cindy thought in confusion.

"Regular or decaf?" Bentley asked.

"Definitely regular. In fact, can you throw in an extra shot of espresso?"

"Absolutely, I'll put that in and be back in a few minutes." He told him before walking away.

"Since when do you drink coffee?" Cindy chuckled, raising an eyebrow.

"When I'm tired, boo." Riley grinned, fighting back a yawn. "It's been a long-ass week."

"You ain't lyin' about that." She agreed. "I know you've been workin' hard at the studio for the past few days and with your art." She tried to steer the conversation in that direction.

"Yeah." He stated simply before clearing his throat. "I figured we could both use this day just to get out and unwind. I know work's been drainin' for you especially lately." He easily swerved the focus back on her.

"I wouldn't say draining."

"Cindy," Riley gave her a look. "I mean it. When it gets to be too much, you need to stop."

"I know."

"Don't make me get Frank involved myself."

"Oh-kay." Cindy giggled, rolling her eyes at him. He was impossible.

When Bentley came back with their drinks, he gave them another few minutes to decide on their order and look over the menu. Because they arrived during their lunch hours, the prices were a little better, but still! Wuncler Sr. was a crook in the truest sense of the word. Riley ended up doing what he did on their first visit and took Cindy's menu away because she was too focused on looking at the prices. By the time Bentley came back, they had decided on chicken parmesan for Cindy and grilled rosemary chicken and potatoes for Riley. The food was just as perfect as the last time and the conversation was interesting. As much as Cindy kept initiating topics related to him and his current work, Riley almost immediately kept reverting the attention back on her as they talked about how she was doing assistant coaching, her new clients at the gym, and of course, about their upcoming twins. They discussed their happiness and excitement about them for the longest, which easily melted Cindy's heart. Once they got on that subject, they could barely think to talk about anything else.

Cindy was still fantasizing about what they were having (she was dying to find out the gender in a few more weeks), not even realizing that it was almost time to go until Bentley returned to the table with the checkbook.

"Here you are, Mr. Freeman. Thank you both for coming in, it was great to see you again. Have a wonderful day and please stop back soon."

"Thanks, you too." Cindy replied dazedly, while Riley nodded to him. Then she turned back to him. "You already paid?"

"Yeah girl, where you been at?" Riley smirked, dropping a nice tip on the table. "You ready?"

"Sure." Cindy said, stealing another sip of water first. Riley slowly stood to stretch, waiting patiently for Cindy to rise as well. A different song began to play over the loud speakers, causing Riley to chuckle.

"Hold the hell up." He grinned as Cindy stood, smiling as well.

"Unreal." She shook her head.

Nothing Even Matters by Lauryn Hill and D'Angelo.

"I can't believe that nigga did that." Riley nodded over across the room to Bentley, who grinned back at them in return. "Respect. He's gettin' an extra tip for that." He said, reaching back into his pocket for his wallet.

"Wait, you didn't plan it this time?" Cindy asked in surprise.

"Nah, I swear." He shook his head, dropping a few more extra bills onto the table. "That was a good look on his part though."

"Very much so." She smiled over at Bentley too.

"Dance with me." Riley requested, a grin on his face.

"Babe, I'm in jeans and Timbs." She giggled. "Nowhere near fancy enough to be on the dance floor." She told him, thinking back to the dress and heels she wore the first time they came.

"Girl, you look gorgeous. And ain't barely no one even here right now." He stepped closer, intertwining his fingers with hers. "And homeboy even requested it for us. It'd be disrespectful not to."

Cindy pretended to sigh with a nod. "You right."

He smirked and began to lead the way to the floor. "I know I am. Besides, you gotta slow dance with me today."

"And why today?" She mused, sliding her arms around his neck once they came to a spot.

He shrugged again with another little grin, bringing her close. "It's our day. Why not?"

Cindy smiled at him and kissed him gently on the lips, allowing him to glide her easily to their song.

---

She was on cloud nine as they started to enter the suburbs of Woodcrest again. Their date had been wonderful. Riley had definitely outdone himself with the clothes, her jewelry, and the surprise date. Cindy was touched that he planned all that for her and the fact that he drove them all the way into town and back just for lunch. He had already made her whole day.

"Babe?" She crinkled her brow in confusion as Riley drove through the next intersection after the red light had turned green.

"Hm?" He asked, tossing his phone in the cup holder.

"You just missed our turn. Probably because you were texting." She smirked.

"The light was red, what?" He said in defense.

"Who you textin', boy?"

"Oh that? I was just thankin' Ed for the reservation hook-up." He shrugged, continuing to drive straight.

"…Where are we going?" Cindy raised her eyebrow as he turned down a different street that was not the way back home.

It was Riley's turn to smirk at her. "One more place."

"Oh come on, where?" She smiled, now very curious. "You can't keep surprising me like this."

He snickered at that, mischief in his eyes. "Can't I?"

"Reeeez."

"This idea was kinda last minute though, honestly." He shrugged.

"What was? And where?" She asked again.

Riley happened to slow down, suddenly pulling into another lot with a grin. "We here."

Cindy looked up as he drove around the familiar looking building that she hadn't been to in years. "The elementary school?"

"No…." He continued to grin, driving past the school and further down the long wrap-around drive. He soon curved into a separate connecting lot nearby, bringing a smile to Cindy's face.

"The basketball court."

"Not just any basketball court." He said as he pulled into a parking space near the main entrance. "The same basketball court where one smart-ass little girl met the one and only real nigga of Woodcrest."

Cindy giggled at the comment. "Yeah whateva. What we doin' here, boy?"

"To play, whatchu think? I packed a ball in the trunk."

"We gotta hoop at the house, ya goof!" Cindy chuckled. "We could've played there and I'd be able to change outta my Timbs."

"Aw come on girl. I brought you here for sentimental reasons and shit. But I mean if you want, I'll take you back. Most people too scared to play in Timbs, I know. Only the realest of real niggas. I get it."

"They're heels, boy."

"So let's just take some free shots. For old time's sake." He prompted her with a grin that Cindy couldn't deny. She rolled her eyes playfully with a huff, opening her car door.

"Get the ball." She ordered with a wink, stepping out.

"Yes ma'am." Riley smirked, getting out as well and heading to the trunk. Cindy waited for him, slipping her hand into his as they walked to the sidewalk and to the main arch of the small stadium. When they went under and finally came to the actual court, she was surprised to find only half of it open. The right side of the court had a tall white curtain divided midway through the floor of the court and down to the opposite hoop, completely blocking access and visibility to the other side.

"What's up with this?" She asked aloud, kind of bummed that she wouldn't be able to get a view of the whole court like she imagined.

"Must be doin' construction." Riley guessed with a shrug. "Oh well, we can play on this side." He said, tugging her hand over to the left hoop. "Let's play a game."

"What type of game? Heels, remember?" She gestured down with the pop of her foot.

"Not a major game. And we don't have to stay long." He told her. "How bout we do best out of eleven shots and see who makes the most buckets?"

"Aiight, that sounds fine." Cindy nodded. "From where?"

"The middle of the three-point line." He said, going to stand in the spot.

"Let's do it."

"Let's bet." Riley smirked.

"Whatchu willing to lose?" Cindy challenged.

He pretended to think for a minute. "Let's go with a dare. If I win, I'll give you a dare that you gotta do and if you win I'll do one of yours."

"We gonna establish these dares before the game?"

"Nah, I'll need time to think on mine."

"That's dangerous for you, but okay. I'll think on mine too." Cindy smirked. Bad move on his part.

"So deal?" Riley asked, holding out his hand.

"Done deal." She shook it immediately. "This is gonna be cake."

"Mmm-hm." He snorted, handing her the ball. "Ladies first."

"You already know." She lightly hip-bumped him out of the way to stand on the three-point line. She dribbled a few times before raising up and shooting the ball, making it go flawlessly into the basket with a satisfying swish.

"Ahh, I love that noise." Cindy grinned at Riley as he went to retrieve the ball for her. "Better help me keep count, babe."

"Yeah yeah." He bounced the ball to her before standing aside to watch her. "You just as bad as you were back then."

Cindy giggled as she bounced the ball, taking another shot and making it in again. She smiled as she thought back to her younger days. She had been a trip.

"Remember how we met?" Riley asked with a smirk, tossing her the ball.

"Uh-oh. Don't get picked by a girl now, I don't think you want that. That ain't pretty."

"Trick, please."

"How could I forget?" Cindy replied at the memory. "Remember all your smart-ass comments?"

"Oh boy, you look mad. I'm scared now! You're not gonna cry now, are you?"

"Yo mama got caught givin' up neck in the bathroom at the Woodcrest Country Club and it wasn't yo daddy."

"Cuz I sure do." She added with a fake glare.

Riley grinned with the roll of his eyes. "I don't remember sayin' anything that bad. I think someone was just a little overdramatic and a little over-sensitive. You and yo high-ass voice."

"Nigga, please." She playfully scoffed while she dribbled.

"You cried so hard." He teased.

Cindy smirked before going for another easy shot.

Swish.

"Yeah, you bout to be cryin' hard after I win this."

---

"Dammit." Cindy grumbled, catching the ball Riley had just made in after it fell through the net.

"What was that, C?" He asked her cockily.

"Oh nothin'." She answered, bouncing the ball over to him. By the end of her throws, she had made 9 out of 11 baskets. Riley was already on his ninth shot and hadn't missed one so far. All he needed was to make one more shot to win.

Since when did he get so good again?

"You believe in me, girl?" Riley asked her as he dribbled the ball between his legs unnecessarily. Cindy grinned as she watched him, shaking her head.

"Yeah, you know I do. But that ain't got shit to do with you trying to win this lil game." She told him, propping a hand on her hip. He smirked at her once he stopped dribbling.

"Aye babe?" He said, getting into position. "This one's for you." He winked, right before raising up and shooting the ball with a nice arc.

Swish.

"Damn boy." Cindy groaned, walking back over to grab the ball.

"I said it was for you and I meant dat shit." Riley boasted, cheesing hard.

"Oh whateva." She grinned with an eyeroll, spinning the ball on her finger. "Good game though, Reez."

"You too, boo. But now for my bet." He rubbed his hands together.

"What's it gonna be?" She groaned again expecting the worst.

Riley pretended to scratch his chin as he looked around, humming. His eyes hovered over the other half of the court. "I dare you to break in." He gestured with the nod of his head.

"Seriously?" Cindy raised a brow in surprise. "That's it?"

"Yeah. Why not?" He shrugged.

"Boy please, that ain't bad." She scoffed, already walking over. "All that hype. I woulda done that regardless if you had just asked."

"Oh really?" Riley chuckled, following behind her. "So I wasted my dare?"

"Hell yeah you did." Cindy grinned as they approached the curtain. It had a flap opening in the front that was loosely taped shut. She plucked it off before she started to pull it open, glancing back at Riley. "Because if I would've won, I woulda-" She stopped immediately when she turned back around, already inside.

"Oh my God!" She exclaimed instead, her jaw falling open as she dropped the basketball. She felt Riley behind her when he lightly placed a hand on her lower back.

"You were saying?" He spoke smoothly, a smile obviously in his voice.

Cindy couldn't believe it. The hidden half of the court was covered in red and white rose petals. The layer was so filled they could barely see the floor beneath them. But that's not what held Cindy's attention. Because at the end of the court underneath the basketball hoop sat a large easel holding a very large and horizontal canvas, covered by a white sheet. On the edge of the easel, a bouquet of at least a dozen long-stemmed red roses lay wrapped.

"Oh my God." She repeated, quieter this time as she took in the view. She looked down when she felt Riley take her hand.

"Come here." He told her, matching her quiet volume. "And watch your step so you don't slip."

Cindy nodded, silently following him to the end of the court. When they got to the easel, he let go of her hand to release the bouquet that had been tied down to the easel.

"These are for you." He turned to hand them to her, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Riley… these are beautiful." She told him earnestly, sniffing them. She felt her eyes start to well up immediately but she fought to hold them back, chalking it up to the potent smell of the roses causing it.

"Are you ready to see something else?" He asked, seeming to watch her carefully.

"I think so." She answered with a grin, still resisting the tickling feeling in her eyes.

"I hope so." Riley gave the tiniest of smiles before stepping beside her to the right, out of the way of the covered canvas. "Take a look." He told her gently, sliding his hands into his pockets.

Cindy took a breath as she cradled the roses in her right arm, stepping up closer to the easel. She touched the top corner of the cloth lightly at first and grabbed a hold of the loose end. Then, she lifted it from the back and pulled it forward, letting the cloth fall in front of picture before hitting the petaled-floor.

Cindy gasped at the initial sight of the portrait, amazed at the quality at which Riley could hand-draw realistic people. She knew immediately that the profiles of the two people in the picture were both her and Riley, which was almost strange because Riley very rarely ever included himself in his art. But again, that wasn't what held Cindy's attention, because in what seemed like milliseconds, Cindy's eyes and mind raced as she picked up more details of the picture. In the colored drawing, the setting clearly took place at the basketball court, there were even red petals at the very bottom edge of the canvas. Cindy was standing dressed in the blue top, pants, the Timberland heels, and even her hair was done in a single side braid. The detail was incredible, down to the necklace, watch, and earrings. She was holding the bouquet of red roses as she looked at Riley, her other hand over her chest. Riley was dressed in the nice shirt, pants, and shoes he was wearing too. In the picture, he gazed up at her as he held an object in his hand as he was down on one knee… as he was down on one knee… as he was….

Cindy slowly turned her body to the right to face Riley, another gasp emitting involuntarily as her hand flew up over her mouth… as Riley was already down on one knee… gazing up at her strongly… a velvet black box in his hand.

"Oh my God…." Cindy uttered shakily. She watched him swallow a noticeable gulp in his throat before he spoke.

"I never pictured myself ever doing this." Riley began quietly. Then he smiled slightly, speaking up a bit. "And hell, I don't even know how to properly do this. All I do know… is that I love you, Cindy. And no matter how cheesy or lame or gay or whatever this sounds like to anybody, I don't care. You are my everything... and you have my heart. And now I want you to have something else of mine."

The tears were already rolling down her cheeks as she watched him take a deep breath before he cleared his throat. Then he lifted the lid of the box, revealing the most beautiful ring Cindy had ever laid her eyes on.

"Cynthia Soleil McPhearson..." Riley spoke again, his voice now slightly wavering. "Will you marry me?"

Cindy choked out a small sob as she nodded immediately, the tears still coming while she managed to smile. Riley's eyes widened. "That's a yes?" She nodded again quickly as she pulled her hand down from her mouth, causing his face to light up with a smile. "You'll be my wife?" Cindy nodded quickly again, causing Riley to beam as he took her hand and easily slid the ring on her finger. Then he kissed the back of her hand. "You're tellin' me yes?"

"YES!" Cindy was finally able to speak as she stared at the ring on her left hand. It fit wonderfully.

Riley let out a light noise of laughter as he dropped the empty box on the floor and quickly rose to his feet, just in time to be nearly tackled by Cindy after she dropped her bouquet, embracing him in a tight hug as the happy tears kept falling.

"I love you!" She cried, burying her face into his neck.

Riley soon cradled her face gently into his hands as he kissed all over it: the crown of her head, her forehead, her eyelids, her cheeks, her ears, her nose, her chin, before finally her lips. They kissed each other passionately, neither wanting to be the first one to stop until they finally had to pull back for air. When they did, Riley rested his forehead against hers, looking deep into her eyes as he breathed heavily, his eyes now looking a bit cloudy as well.

"I love you too, Mrs. Soon-To-Be Freeman."

---

:')

I hope you guys liked it. That's been my longest chapter for the sequel to date! Phew! Also my favorite chapter to date. We had some brotherly moments, big sis/little bro bonding time, some Granddad cuttin' up time, and of course some emotional sentimental shit in there too. You know how I do.

Only one of you guys (that told me personally) nailed it on the head at the anticipation of where Riley was going to propose. That honor goes to the reviewer Katie! Nice guess! :D

Also, I will include the exact name of the ring that inspired the description of Jazmine's wedding ring in the Disclaimers below so you can Google Search the image. Btw, I tried to incorporate the actual website links to both hers and Cindy's on my profile, but the hyperlinks never seen to work on Fanfic for some reason no matter what I do. I've noticed that it just reopens to a duplicate page of the Fanfiction profile, not just on mine but for other authors who try to put up links too. Ish is annoying lol!

Oh my, the disclaimers: I don't own the rights to Pimp My Ride, the reference to Season 4's The New Black episode (still the worst season ever) and to Season 2's The Story of Gangstalicious Part II, Hello Kitty, Old Navy, The Gap, Motherhood Maternity, Nordstrom, H&M, Timberlands, Claire's, Red Lobster (and the cheddar biscuits), Lil Wayne, Morganite Engagement Ring Diamond Halo Oval 10x8 Twist Shank Rose Gold Band, Nothing Even Matters (featuring D'Angelo) by Lauryn Hill, dialogue from Season 2's Ballin' episode, and any other object, word, etc. that ain't mine!

So what's to happen next? What will be the reaction in person from allll the family and friends? And when's the wedding?!

Find out soon! Next update will be for Friends First, Benefits Second. Stay tuned and thank you all so much for the love.

~Schweetie