Still Here

Chapter Fourteen

Aubrey thought about calling for Keanna since they were running a little late but he didn't want an argument to break out when they were supposed to be enjoying each other.

"I can't believe you two are going out. Should I leave you alone with each other?" Sandi asked while bouncing Shiloh on her knees.

"Yeah, we'll be fine. Thank you for watching Shiloh. I appreciate it," he said, smiling down at his mother.

"Anything for this little angel."

"Sorry I took so long. I couldn't get my eyeliner to be straight and it was going to kill me," Keanna interjected bounding down the stairs in a beautiful dress Aubrey had never seen before.

"It's...it's fine," he said, walking to the bottom of the stairs to meet her. "You look incredible."

"I hope so. It took almost an hour to get this right," she joked. "But thank you. You don't look awful either." She pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"You two should get going or you're going to be late!" Sandi chimed, interrupting their moment.

"Thank you so much for keeping her. It means a lot." Keanna gave Sandi a quick hug before pecking the top of Shiloh's head. "We'll be back really soon, okay?"

"Bye!" Shiloh called as her parents walked out the door.

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Keanna asked, taking Aubrey's hand in hers. "I'm afraid she'll have a moment and Sandi won't know what to do."

"She'll be fine as long as they don't leave the house," Aubrey said. He pressed the button for the elevator.

"But what if-"

"Baby, she's gonna be fine! And even if something does happen, we're not that far away from her so we can come straight home. Don't worry." He smiled as the doors opened.

The car ride was quiet at first but as soon as Aubrey turned the radio on, the tension dispersed. Keanna was the type that knew every song on the radio and for some reason, Aubrey found that really attractive. He enjoyed having someone that loved music as much as he did. She also had a really beautiful voice.

"This is really nice," Keanna said as they settled into their table at the restaurant.

"Only the best for you, baby." He winked at her before scouring through the menu.

"Aubrey?"

He looked up at her. "Yes?"

"I love you."

Aubrey smiled and reached for her hand across the table. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry for arguing with you all the time and being a bitch. I just need to get over myself," she said, rubbing her thumb over the back of his hand.

"Hey, this is my fault too. I should've been there when you were raising Shiloh so I understand where you're coming from."

"I want this to be real, you know? I don't want to fight all the time especially now that Shiloh's getting older and she understands what's going on. She needs both of us right now."

"I totally agree with you."

"I know we argue a lot but I think we can put our arguments aside for her, right?"

He nodded and lifted her hand to his lips. "Of course."

"And forget about me pressuring you to propose to me. I know marriage is a huge commitment and we need to figure out what we are before we even think about walking down an aisle."

Aubrey agreed with that statement whole heartedly but there was something telling him that he needed to claim her as his right now. He wanted to marry her and not because she had been asking ever since she moved in; he truly wanted this woman in his life forever.

"We should do things like this more often," Aubrey suggested, opening the door for her as they exited the restaurant. "It was nice to have a conversation with you that didn't turn into an argument."

"Shut up."

"Seriously! You didn't yell at me one time in the past two hours. It's kinda weird."

This time, the car ride wasn't awkward at all. Conversation flowed effortlessly and they were both laughing out of control.

"Turn it up! This is my song!" Keanna cried, dancing in her seat.

Aubrey did as he was told but felt his heart twist when he heard his own voice coming from the speakers.

"Grips on your legs! Front way, back way! You know that I don't play! Streets not safe, but I never run away. Even when I'm away..."

Keanna noticed that Aubrey wasn't singing along and stopped singing herself. He sighed heavily but didn't turn the volume down. He couldn't bring himself to.

"I kinda miss Drake," Keanna admitted, pulling her curls to one shoulder. "I never got to go to an award show."

He smirked. "You didn't want to go."

"You never invited me."

He looked at her. "Don't start an argument right now, girl. We were doing so well."

"I'm not arguing!" she laughed. "I'm just being honest. You were at the top, Aubrey. Then you just fell off the face of the earth."

"I know..."

"I'm gonna tell Shiloh to start calling you papi. I miss that a lot."

Aubrey threw his head back in a fit of laughter at her suggestion. "You can always call me papi, baby girl."

Keanna laced her fingers with his before mouthing the rest of the song to herself.

"You know you gotta stick by me. Soon as you see the text reply me, I don't wanna spend time fighting. We've got no time and that's why I need one dance..."

******

The house was quiet when the two got back. Shiloh and Sandi hadn't moved since they left. Aubrey smiled at his mother who was laying across the couch reading a book while Shiloh was sleep on the floor with her doll community.

"She was exhausted," Sandi laughed standing to greet them. "We ate, watched a movie, and then she just fell asleep."

"I hope she didn't bother you too much," Keanna said, scooping her sleeping daughter off the floor.

"Oh no, she was a dream. It was nice to bond with her."

"Well, I'm going to put her in bed. Thank you so much, Sandi." Keanna smiled before heading upstairs.

"So how'd it go?"

Aubrey smiled and shoved his hands in his pockets. "It was amazing."

"That's great. It's about time you two do something together."

"Mom, I think I want to marry her."

Sandi's eyes widened. "Aubrey, are you sure?"

"I'm sure. What kind of ring do you think she'd want?"