Would you Rather

Derek fiddles a small black box in his hand, looking off into space in deep thought. He let's out a small sigh of stress as he takes the ring box and tucks it inside his coat pocket. He proceeds to pull out his cell phone out of his back pocket of his slacks and dials his friend Tony. The phone rings three times before Tony answers. " What up bro" Tony greets Derek. " Hey T did you get that reservation for me?" Derek inquires. " Yup, you are set for dinner for 2 at Landry's 7pm." Tony hesitates " Bro you sure you ready for this next level of commitment?" Derek let's out a small laugh " absolutely bro, Laura is the one, I know it. She has been down for 4 years with me, thick and thin" " I can dig it, but what about Shana?" Tony asks " What about her?" Derek rebuttals. " How you think Shana gonna take you tying the knot with Laura?" "I don't think T. Shana isn't a factor anymore, I have moved on. The only thing that keeps me and Shana in each others lives is our son. " Derek says. " So ya'll are done done? " Tony questions " Yea man" Derek quickly answers now getting frustrated with Tony's continuous questions. " So we gonna act like you wasn't just rubbing skins last month with her?" Tony instigates. " First of all that was three months ago, and she caught me off guard, talking about DJ asked to see me... yea right she just wanted this dick. That doesn't change the fact of how I feel about Laura." Derek replies. "So you mean to tell me that you won't 'accidentally' slip up in it again" Tony pushes back. "Naw, that's over and done with... can we drop this now? You are throwing me off my game here. Actually, I gotta go back in the house anyway to get DJ ready to go with his mama in a bit, I'll hit you up later." "Okay bro, I don't mean no harm, I am just looking out for you." Tony says trying to reassure his friend. Derek hangs up the call with no response to Tony.

MY ONE AND ONLY

Derek makes his way back inside his apartment to be greeted by his 4 year old son DJ. "Hi dad! you're back!" DJ says with excitement. " Yeah son, daddy just stepped outside for a second you good?" Derek playfully asks DJ as he pokes at his little tummy. DJ flashes a wide toothy grin at Derek as he nods his head yes. " Your mama is coming to get you in a little bit, so go clean up your toys and get your backpack together." Derek commands playfully. DJ runs down the narrow hallway of the apartment to his bedroom, cutting Laura off in his path. "Hey now! slow down DJ you almost knocked me down!" Laura playfully says. DJ lets out an innocent giggle as he continues to his bedroom. "Everything ok babe?" Laura asks Derek as she goes in for a hug and forehead kiss. " Yep I was outside grabbing something from the car and then Tony called me being weird." Derek says covering up the surprise. "Hmm women issues again? Tony needs to get outside the box and date someone who betters him." Laura says still embracing Derek around his waist. Derek bends his neck down to plant a kiss on Laura's full soft lips. " Not everyone is as lucky to have a woman like you babe." "Awe aren't you sweet" Laura says in response to his statement.

Derek's cell phone rings loudly from his pocket, he looks at the screen and see's it's Shana calling. " She must be outside, let me get DJ together" he says to Laura as he picks up the call. " You outside?.... wait what?.. what you mean? aight hold on I'll be out with D.." Derek smacks his lips and ends the call. Laura looks on confused. " She is acting weird she wants me to come talk to her. Could you get DJ's things together for me?" He asks Laura as he heads outside. Derek walks over to Shana leaning against the hood of her car. " Hey baby daddy" Shana flirtatiously says to him. " What's up Shana, what you need to talk to me about? DJ is getting his stuff together now." "It's about DJ, I got invited out tonight to this lounge for work, so I needed him to stay with you tonight." she answers. " That isn't going to work for me, Laura and I had plans tonight... I was taking her..." Shana rudely interrupts Derek " What do you mean it doesn't work for you? That's your son, your blood... he comes before your girl." Derek fights the urge to respond in rage, " Yes, DJ is my son just like he is yours. We agreed that you were coming to pick him up today and so I made plans. You can't find a sitter for him?" Shana senses Derek's frustration and plays into it. " I mean I could, but we agreed to keep other people out of raising him remember.... I can't just leave him with who ever" Shana says as she rubs on Derek's chest. " I didn't say leave him with anyone, I said a sitter... someone you trust" Derek firmly answers as he pulls her hands off his chest. Laura walks up to them with DJ in her arms and looks at Shana with an attitude. Shana stares back at Laura and rolls her eyes. " Look DJ there's your mommy!" Laura says trying to ease the tension. DJ wiggles out of Laura's arms and runs to give Shana a big hug. " Hi my baby! Did you have fun at your dads?" Shana excitedly asks. DJ nodded his head in agreement. Shana looks at DJ's shirt and see's a small stain on it from his lunch, she turns her lip up in disgust. " Jeez baby did you get a bath at all while you were here, you're so dirty." Shana shoots her eyes over Derek's shoulder at Laura. "Some people just don't care I guess.... Well baby, mama just came to say Hi, Daddy is gonna keep you for one more day because I have work." Shana tells DJ. Laura's mouth drops in shock of the news. " Go on back inside with your step-mama baby I'll come get you in the morning." Laura cuts her eyes at Derek looking for some type of response. Derek nods his head towards the door " can you take him in babe? I'll be right behind you." he requests. Laura takes DJ by his little hand slightly dragging him back into the apartment.

" You better tell your girl to stop snatching my baby before I snatch her ass up" Shana says with an attitude. " Look I am gonna do you this favor tonight, but no more you hear me? you can't just intrude into my life because we have a child together." Derek firmly says. "Um actually I can, because we DO have a kid together. She better recognize, we come first..." Derek cuts her off "No he comes first, then Laura, then you... You need to quit with these antics Shana. How are we supposed to co-parent if you constantly got an attitude with my girl?" "Because! Derek! I don't like her. She isn't a good fit for you." Shana responds " Oh and who is a better fit for me? you???" Derek sarcastically asks. "Naturally baby, we have history." Shana moves in closer to Derek. "Yea, that's it just history, no future together...My future is with Laura...since you must know I was taking her out tonight to propose to her. I am going to marry Laura." Derek reveals. Shana hides her shock "Marry her? Why? she isn't even good with kids?!" " Oh and like you are Ms. I gotta go to work at a nightclub with my girls? it's all good, DJ will just be a witness to the engagement tonight. It's going to be good, and I'm sure DJ will tell you all about it tomorrow when you come to get him... in the morning" Derek ends the conversation and starts to walk back to the apartment. Shana yells out to him " So you gonna act like me and you weren't trying to work it out D?" Derek stops in his tracks and rushes back over to her to cease her yelling. " NO WE ARE NOT. THAT WAS A ONE TIME THING AND I REGRET IT EVEN HAPPENED. GET THE HELL ON SHANA AND LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE" Derek loudly whispers to her firmly holding Shana by her shoulders. Shana let's out a villainous laugh " oooh daddy you know I like it rough" Derek pushes Shana out of his grip and walks away. " Derek you can't just walk away!" she says slickly. He continues walking back inside now feeling enraged of what just transpired.

THE BIG MOMENT

About two hours passed and Derek was still on edge from the conversation with Shana. He was nothing but an empty shell sitting at the dimly lit dining table with Laura and DJ. "Babe this place is beautiful, and pricey.... baby what is the occasion, you know we could have just went to IHOP, you know how I love their french toast." Laura pokes fun at Derek to grab his attention. Derek zones back into the environment and flashes a smile at Laura. " I know babe, and that is why I love you. You never ask for much, and are always so humble. You deserve a nice evening out, order what ever you would like on the menu.." Derek's phone vibrates in his pocket. He looks at the screen and see's it's Shana, he rejects her phone call. A text message pops up, it was from Shana. Derek reads the message to himself " Derek, I will keep your little secret if you cancel the engagement..." Derek looks at the message in disgust, before he could turn off the screen another message came through. Confused, he squints his eyes to get a better focus on what she sent; it was an ultrasound. " What the hell?!" Derek says loudly. Laura and DJ focus their attention towards a distressed Derek. " Everything ok baby?" Laura asks with concern. Derek stands up from the table to excuse himself and replies "uh yea baby, it's my boss give me one second I need to call him back."

Derek walks quickly to the front entrance of the restaurant and calls back Shana, his call goes straight to voice mail. "Shit man! why is this Bitch playing games today!?" He says to himself. Just then Derek feels a tap on his shoulder, and he turns around to see his friend Tony. "Hey Tony what's up? what are you doing here?" a puzzled Derek asks. " Bro you forgot you asked me to come up here and give the ring to the chef so he can put it in a cupcake for Laura to find?" Tony confirms. Derek wipes the beads of sweat forming on his brow. " Bro you okay? you look like you are sick..." Tony asks. " Tone I am sick, Shana's crazy ass won't leave me alone about Laura. I told her today when she was supposed to come pick up DJ, that I was bringing Laura to dinner to propose to her and then she went all psycho on me saying that I shouldn't do that. Then she texted me just now talking about ' I'll keep your secret if you call it off'. This bitch is trying to black mail me from 3 months ago! and then look at this!.." Derek opens up the ultrasound picture that Shana sent to show Tony. "Bro is that an ultrasound?" Tony asks with shock on his face. "Yea man, and I don't know what the hell it's about, I tried to call her and she forwarded me to voicemail." Derek says. Just then Derek hears a familiar voice, that made his heart drop into his intestines. "HEY BABY DADDY!" Shana says with excitement. Derek turns to see Shana dressed in a sexy black dress that hugged her curvy body. In her hands was an envelope and a foil balloon that read 'Congratulations'. "Shana what are you doing here?! matter of fact how did you know I was here?!" Derek questions. Shana laughs as she wraps her arms around Derek's neck and plants a kiss on his cheek, Tony stands by with his eyes bulging from their sockets in confusion. "Bro what is going on? I thought you said you were done with her?" Tony hesitates to ask. "Hey Tone, oh he didn't tell you the news? he's gonna be a daddy!" Shana says in a sarcastically playful tone. Derek squints his eyes at Shana "What the hell are you talking about Shana?" he asks. Shana hands Derek the envelope she was holding for him to open it.

Derek finds a letter inside, it was from an emergency room that read 'Pregnancy found'. Derek's knees began to feel weak, he looks at Shana who had the most evil grin on her face. "Congratulations Derek, I am pregnant. While I was out at the lounge, I got really sick and fainted. Thankfully my friends rushed me to the ER to make sure I was okay, they had blood work ordered and to my surprise I got that letter, Doc gave me an ultrasound and looks like I am 3 months pregnant." Shana smirks. "No, this isn't true... I used protection when we had sex.... I was wearing a condom so it can't be mine!" Derek says to Shana, but looking towards Tony who's mouth was now wide open from what he just heard. " Indeed you did put on a Jimmy, but I am offended...., you forgot that bomb head I gave you before you slid into me in my kitchen? You couldn't have possibly forgotten.. you were so aroused that you jumped inside without noticing I sucked the condom off of you." Shana laughs "Tell me baby daddy, does Laura do it as good as me?... I don't think so by the way you were so eager to have sex with me unprotected, one would believe you aren't getting any pu..." Derek cuts Shana off "You are lying! I know I...I seen.." Derek lost his words from shock. "yea this is that little secret I was trying to tell you about... I won't mention our love child if you cancel your proposal, you also will need to come and lay pipe at least once a week too... You remember how bad my hormones were when I was pregnant with DJ? I couldn't keep my hands off of you." Shana says as she rubbed on Derek's chest, she pulls her hand back when she notices DJ and Laura coming out the restaurant. "Mama! you came to have dinner with us!?" DJ asks with excitement. Shana smiles at her son then looks over at Derek, who was sweating profusely. "Babe... what is going on? you got up and left out like something was wrong, then I come outside and Tony and Shana are here?... What's with the balloon?" Laura asks. Time froze as Derek stared over at Shana who wore a prideful smile on her face. Derek swallowed a big ball of saliva and opened his mouth for his explanation; he was intercepted by Shana "Oh this? I brought it for Derek....He didn't tell you? He got a ba--"

Derek quickly jumps in "A banging ass promotion!" He says unsure of himself. Laura looks at Derek with confusion all over her face. "Congratulations baby! Why didn't you just tell me!? I should have been the one treating you to a nice dinner..." Laura smiles. "So they came out to congratulate you?" she also questions. Derek looks at Tony, who's face was flushed with embarrassment, then over at Shana who still wore a baneful smile. "Yup, they did! I came out here to get them and of course Shana had to be late so it delayed me from coming back quicker... I am sorry babe" Derek says trying to sound reassuring. The hostess pops her head out the door to ask " Excuse me sir, are you changing you mind on the table?" Laura responds "Oh no ma'am we actually were just grabbing our friends to bring them in" Laura extends her hand out to DJ who pulls Shana to come along with Laura, the three of them walk into the restaurant together. Derek looks into the pitch black sky, as if his answer was written in the stars. Tony puts his hand on Derek's shoulder from behind. "So what'll it be?" he asked Derek. "Would you rather smash your baby mama once a week to keep her quiet or would you rather tell Laura the truth that Shana is pregnant with another one of your babies?" Derek puts his hands over his face, Tony clears his throat to ask " Bro, did she really suck a whole condom off you? man if she can do that I wouldn't mind smashing her every week" Tony jokes.