First Degree

6. You Win, You Lose

"I didn't know Trinity and April were cool" Gianna said as I placed my hand on her lower back.

"They not" I mumbled as the arguing started. Gianna shook her head at the scene before she fetched her phone out of her pocket and responded back to a text message from Rochelle.

She didn't try and hide the conversation from me and I noticed her girl was trying to get her to come to a yacht party Marcus was having.

"You gonna say no, right?" I questioned watching Gianna as she typed response and then deleted it like she was unsure of what she was suppose to say.

"Why should I say no?" She questioned as she locked her phone back. I could tell by her tone she was just trying to be difficult on purpose.

"Because that's your ex nigga. If it don't got shit to do with that lil boy like I said then you don't need to be associating with him, period" I responded moving my hand up and grabbing her arm before she could walk away.

"I wasn't going to go to the yacht party. Not because you said so but because I don't want to be around all of that. You also don't run shit, I don't tell you not to go out to the strip clubs with your boys. You'd be all in your feelings then, wouldn't you?" She responded and a few older women in earshot nodded in agreement with her like it was any of their business.

"All you have to say is don't go and I won't go" I smiled sitting my soda down and wrapping both of my arms around her.

There was music playing from somebodies car and I playfully bounced her along to the song as she tried to hide her smile.

"You're so full of shit" she mumbled as I leaned down and kissed her lips with a gentle peck. Gianna reached her arm up and rubbed the side of my face before leaning up and kissing me again.

It wasn't until Cameron ran back over to us that we pulled apart. I looked down at the five year old who looked back and forth between me and his mother and shyly rubbed at his eye like he did when he wanted to ask something.

I reached up and pushed his hand down to stop him from avoiding eye contact and he looked down instead.

"Zo, can you push me on the swing" he whispered and I pretended like I didn't hear him causing Cameron to repeat himself even louder.

"Yeah I got you, come on" I said gently tapping his chest as I stood up straight. Gianna gently rubbed the top of her son's head as he ran over to a swing set and sat down holding on.

"Why are you acting so shy, like you don't know me?" I questioned pushing him on the swing.

"I don't know" he responded as he kicked his legs back and forth trying to go higher. I looked around at all of the kids running around with the birthday girl.

"How do you feel about your pops coming home? I'm still here for you, you know that?" I questioned and Cameron titled his head back some as he swung.

"I know" he responded. I sighed as I stopped pushing the swing once he was high enough. I took a step away and watched him swing a bit before looking down at my phone ignoring a text from my mother asking where I was.

When I heard a car door slam I looked over towards the parking lot where Zane and a few associates had walked over. A man had stepped out of the car and pulled out a gun causing Zane to do the same.