𝐏𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐢𝐭 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞. Nubia is 22 years old, has been in and out of foster homes since she was six years old, and has been doing everything on her own since she was 18 years old. Nubia is struggling to make her money stretch while working for a cleaning company at record studios in downtown Harlem, New York, where she meets 25-year-old Dave East, a famous and upcoming rapper.

"I told you about looking down when you being talked to mama." Kaiser spoke more softly than before. In the small time he been around Serenity, he noticed how shy she was. She was so avoidant but alluring. He was interested in her. Seeing how well she was with the kids was just a plus. "Why?" She sighed in frustration before signing. She knew if she started talking she would make a fool of herself. "Why what?" He signed back. "Why do you care? You don't know me." "Not everyone has it out for you. I just wanna know you," Kaiser frowned. He didn't understand why she was so isolated but he wanted to know. She was worth knowing.

* Yeah I know Dave East ain't white but just pretend he is for the sake of this book* "You a special thug, you know that right? You don't go round messing with other criminals. It's like you're on an island of your own." "Mess with a thug, thug messes wit' you. I keep sayin' that. And all criminals here are similar to be honest. Criminal, thug. Same difference." xxxxxxxxxx Destiny (Ryan Destiny) is one of the shyest people ever. She can't start a conversation with anyone to save her life. She's studious, she's resilient & she never gives up. She doesn't cause trouble with anyone. This doesn't last very long though. Soon, she finds herself in more trouble than ever. One of her troubles includes Kazenosuke (Dave East). And not just once, and awful amount of times. Will their troubles make them & will they make them a better person? Or will they break them, and make their lives worse than it already is? There's only one answer...

Before the crowds screamed his name, before the league talks and the magazine covers, he met her. Calista Marchand. Not the kind of girl you run game on. She was sharp where it counted, soft only when she wanted to be. Real Brooklyn - pretty in the face, slick with the mouth, and solid with her hands if you stepped wrong. She kept her circle small, her loyalty tighter. The kind of woman who knew how to turn silence into safety and side-eyes into shut-ups. Men feared her. Girls tried to be her. She didn't chase, didn't fold, didn't need nobody. Until Ibrahim Montaigne walked into her life like he had all the time in the world. He didn't come with sweet nothings or flashy promises - just steady presence. Intent in his eyes, patience in his chest, and something rare behind the way he looked at her. Like he saw through the polish and the fire, like he knew the woman behind the defense. He didn't try to tame her. He studied her. Let her be exactly who she was. The shift was slow. She still fought when needed, still had a rep in the streets and in the salon chair. But somewhere between nursing exams and late-night block parties, she started saving parts of herself just for him. The quiet parts. The delicate ones. The ones nobody else got close to. And when she crossed that graduation stage, RN-BSN stitched behind her name and her grandmother crying in the crowd - he bragged harder than anyone. Didn't care who was listening. Forget MVP, forget the championship rings. She was the win. She was the headline. The girl from Brooklyn with spitfire in her lungs, gold in her smile, and a softness only he ever got to see. This isn't a story about being chosen. It's about choosing each other. No fairytales. Just Brooklyn grit and a love that never let go.

"𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐭, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐈, 𝐚𝐡, 𝐚𝐡, 𝐚𝐡."

In the city of Atlanta, a young black entrepreneur, Brielle Smith is living her dream life, balancing her business and raising her two-year-old daughter, Nyla. But their worlds come to a change, when Brielle and her daughter cross paths with a homeless man, Xavier despite the harsh criticism from her family and friends, Brielle opens her home to Xavier determined to help him rebuild his life.

She has everything the world says she should want-money, freedom, a "healthy" relationship- but inside, she feels hollow. Somewhere between punches and pain, she wonders if she can ever find herself again.