"Is Nicky okay, Mommy?" Jake appeared at her side when she entered her Kim's house. She sat Nicholas down on the couch. He smiled when he saw Jake and reached for him.

"He'll be fine, Jake." She sat down on the couch and motioned for him to come to her. She hugged him and kissed him. She had missed him. Jake was her sweetheart. He helped her take care of Nicky, feeding him, trying to wash him up, dressing him, even though he made the biggest messes in the world.

"How you doing, you okay buddy?" She could see concern in his little eyes.

"You got Nicky's medicine?"

"Yes baby." She hugged him again and watched as he joined his little brother on the couch. Her sister walked in and hugged her.

"Girl, you ain't nothing but a Tyler Perry movie! You got your baby in the hospital. Your baby daddy there. Then your new baby daddy shows up. Girl. Too much for me!" Kim sat down. "But how you doing girlfriend?"

"I'm okay. My baby is fine so I'm good."

Kim reached for Nicholas and held him in her lap. Taking his jacket off, she tossed it on the arm of the couch and lifted his arms and legs, and searched his chest and his face.

"Just what are you doing?" Savannah  asked.

"I'm checking him for bruises. You don't know what those doctors do to your children when you're not around." Nicholas was smiling and laughing. "So, was Mr. Sexy this Dwight guy you've been calling me about?"

Savannah blushed. She hated when her sister was inappropriate. "Aren't you married? You can't go around calling other men sexy!"

Kim snapped her head up. "Girl, are you crazy? I can say whatever I want  to say. And besides, Kenneth is the finest black man I have ever been with. I was just admiring Dwight's physical features." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Have you tested those physical features?" Her smile was sinister.

"No. I just met him. What are you trying to call me?" Savannah put her hands on her hips.

Kim sat Nicky down on the floor and stood up. "Girl, I was just playing with you. But you know I have to live the single life through you. Kenneth ain't going nowhere."

"Mike came to the hospital this morning. Right after Dwight left and right before we left."

"Wait a minute. You mean you and Dwight spent the night together?" Her eyes sparkled with intrigue. "This is getting juicy."

"We did not spend the night together. He slept on one side of the bed. I didn't sleep at all." Savannah declared, hoping her sister would let it go for the moment.

"Savvy, that's just minor details. You had that man who just met you,  never met your kid, leaves his own kid home and spends the night with you and your sick baby in the hospital. And you mean to tell me you aint giving him none?"

Savannah just rolled her eyes. Kim could be quite a piece of work. She'd always been the outspoken one. Savannah had secretly been a little envious of Kim's ability not to care. "I'm not giving him any. Geez Kim. Is that all you think about?"

Her sister simply nodded her head, and sat back down on the couch and tucked her legs underneath her. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure her children were safe, Savannah joined her sister on the couch. "Mike said that he wanted to get back together with me."

"I will kill him," Kim added, nonchalantly. Her facial expression was strangely complex. There were several different emotions going through it.

"He said that seeing Dwight there made him realize that he wanted us back."

"And just what in the hell is he going to do with Tracey? Savannah, look, men are greedy. If they can have their cake and eat it too, they will. Sadly, we as women have let them get away with murder almost. So, when they get with good women, they think they can still act the way they do." She paused. "Your job is to not let them get away with that mess."

"I  know." Savannah stated. She knew there would never be a second chance for them. Initially, that thought bothered her to the point where she wondered if she shouldn't just forget about all the things he had done to her and forgive. Wasn't that in the Bible? Yet, when she thought back on the nights she spent curled in a ball, crying her eyes out, she realized, it wasn't him she missed. It was being loved that she missed.

"Take it slow with Dwight. You have a habit of letting your need to be love take over and next thing you know you're buying wedding dresses and renting banquet halls."

Savannah blushed.  "I'm going to take the boys home and chill out today. I called my boss last night so I probably have a thousand messages on my machine."

Savannah arrived home a few hours later. It was nearly four in the afternoon. The boys were lying down for their nap and Savannah had decided it would be a wonderful time to take a bath. As the warm water washed over her shoulders, she closed her eyes and thought of Dwight. Kim was right. He was handsome. Not extravagantly so, but she didn't care for pretty boys too much any how. A smile crossed her lips as she remembered him sleeping. So peaceful, not at all bothered by being in the hospital with her.

It was time that she was happy. She'd spent years getting nothing but second best from Mike, who thought that bringing her pancakes in the morning while she was pregnant was enough to make her forget that he had not been home the night before. But thinking was not helping her relax so she shook all thoughts out of her brain and closed her eyes.

***********************************************

"Savannah, Dean here. How is your baby?"

It was a little past nine in the evening. Her boys had awaken around seven and ate dinner, but immediately went back to sleep. Nicholas was back to his usual self, but she could tell that the attack had taken a lot out of him. Jake was just as tired, no doubt concerned about the welfare of his little brother. She was trying to catch up on some work before bed when her phone rang. She knew it was Dean Mitchell from the number.

"He's fine. Thank you for asking. I told your secretary to tell you that I would be in tomorrow. I've talked to Clarke and we have rescheduled our preliminary sit down. I'm working on the figures now and I should have them on your desk tomorrow."

"Good. Good." He paused. "I'll let you go and I'll see you tomorrow." He said his goodbye and Savannah went back to work. After a few more minutes, she set her work aside and picked up the phone.

"I'm glad to hear from you," Dwight's voice filtered into her ears.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to call you. I had to take care of a few things. Were you sleep?"

"I was just resting." He yawned. "How is your baby?"

"He's fine. Back to his normal self. They slept most of the day. I just wanted to say thank you for the support. I really needed you." She instantly regretted admitting to being so vulnerable.

"It's okay. We all need someone some times. I won't tell anybody." She could hear the laughter in his voice.

"I know. But it's a lot to throw on you so early. I just hate to  burden you with all this."

"Savannah, if it was Isabella, would you have come to the hospital and stayed with me?"

"Yea."

"Would you feel like it was a burden?"

"No."

"Neither do I. I can't be ignorant of the circumstances surrounding your being a mom because I have Isabella. I know that things come up. I would not have come if I didn't want to be bothered."

"Thank you. Where is Isabella anyway?"

"Laying on my chest. We were watching a movie and the next thing I know I have a little body lying across my  neck and my phone is ringing."

Savannah smiled at the thought. She remembered waking up on plenty of occasions with feet, legs, arms, fingers, etc across her body. "How was work?"

"Work was work. I was a little tired but I managed to pull it through."

"And you work for a carpenter, right?"

"Sort of. We design anything wood. Floors, closets, furniture, if it's made out of wood we can do it. I've been working alongside the owner for a while now."

"That must be interesting work."

"It is. I've always loved using my hands."

Savannah could not help but to feel the pull of desire in her secret parts. She wondered what his hands felt like. Her eyes closed as she imagined him, exploring her flesh until her flesh ended, running his hands throughout the most intimate parts of her. She felt his lips place hot kisses along her neck. "H- have you always worked in that line of business?"

Dwight chuckled. "I started with my father in construction. Then I narrowed my scope a little."

"Why did you laugh?"

He yawned again and she heard him stretching. "I believe you were being a very bad girl just now." There was humor in his tone.

"Was it that obvious?" She asked, a little embarrassed.

"Yea. But don't feel bad. I was thinking the same thing." He laughed.

"I have to tell you, I've been celibate for a few years. And if you're looking for a sexual relationship, then that is something I can't offer you."  Savannah waited for the long pause right before he told her that he needed to end it. That was what she came to expect whenever she mentioned being celibate. Men who at first showered her with attention and even gifts, quickly disappeared when they realized that she was really serious about not giving them any.

"Wow. That is a big deal."

"Look, if you don't think you can handle it, then you should go now. I don't need you thinking of ways you can get me to give in because it helps keep my life free from unnecessary drama."

"Savannah, Savannah, whoa! I'm celibate too. Not really by choice. I find it hard to find a woman who can accept my daughter. So it kind of leaves me.... you know. In a very delicate position."

"Yea. Mine is kind of forced and by choice. I've never been the type to sleep around, even when I was younger. I just had more respect for my body. And now that I have Jake and Nicholas, I know for sure that isn't happening."

'Okay. So now that we have that out of the way, are you excited about the concert?"

"I am. It's been a while since an evening for me did not include Spongebob and spaghettios."

Dwight laughed. "I know. If I watch another episode of Hannah Montana, I'm gonna tear my eyes out of my head. I like Alicia Keys. Not even because I think she is attractive, but because lately her music has just been so full of passion and yearning. I love her latest album."

"I do to. Superwoman is my anthem."

"I bet it is." He paused. "What would you like me to give you?"

The question came so fast that she didn't think she heard it. "What did you say?"

"What would you like me to give you, or what would you like from me?"

"That's a loaded question. I'm not sure how to answer it." She had never been asked that before. She flustered thinking about what he was asking her. And why was he asking her this? They had only known each other for a couple of days.

"I know it is. And I know it's so early, but I figure that if I know what you want up front, I can spend more time giving it to you than trying to guess what it is. I think it would make things a little less complicated." She heard him shuffling around. "Hold on for a second."

Savannah heard the bed squeak and him mumble something. What did she want him to give her? What a question. There were a million things that she wanted. A bigger car. World peace. Good lives for her boys. Love. Real love. Not that love that was okay during the winter but gone by the time spring hit. She didn't know what she wanted from him at this moment.

"Sorry about that. I had to take Izzy to her room. She was kicking me way too much. Let me go first and maybe that can give you an idea of what I mean." He cleared his throat. " I want honesty. I want you to be able to tell me when I'm doing something right and when I'm doing something wrong. I want you to be open minded about us. And don't be scared to express how you feel about me or anything, okay?"

"Is it fair to say I want the same things?"

"If they apply, yeah."

"I've never met a man like you before. Here we are, having just met and you have already met both my boys, spent the night with us in a hospital, and now you are telling me what you want up front. My question is, why aren't you married or at least have a girlfriend?"

Savannah was curious. If this brother was as legit as he seemed, she wanted to know why no one had snatched him up. Surely good men were scarce so any woman coming across him would have tied that ball and chain around him with a swiftness. Yet, here he was, on her phone, and very single.

"I suppose it's for the same reason that you don't have a boyfriend or are married. I can't afford to waste time dealing with a bunch of BS.  Especially since I have Izzy."

"I understand." Savannah yawned. "As much as I would love to keep talking to you, I have a big day ahead of me and I would like to be prepared for it. So I have to say good night."

"Okay. That's cool. Well, whenever you get a moment, you can give me call. Or maybe I'll call and check up on you if you don't mind."

"No. NOt at all. Goodnight Dwight."

"Goodnight."