Page 47 of A Don & His Doll

Monroe studied her eyes. Studied her body language, trying to convince himself that she was indeed real. She hadn't lied to him yet, but she wasn't completely forthcoming with the full truth either.

"Hi, my name is Annie, and I'll be your server," she announced. "Can I start you two off with some mimosas, champagne, espresso martinis, or juice?"

"We'll take some apple juice," Monroe said, remembering Sienna loved apple juice just as much as he did.

"Got it. Are you two ready to order as well, or do you need more time?" Annie asked. Monroe looked at Sienna.

"Yes, I'm ready. I'll have the loaded veggie omelet with cheese, please," Sienna said, looking at Monroe.

"Let me get the steak, fried potatoes, and cheese eggs," Monroe stated, then handed Annie both menus.

"Coming right up," Annie replied before walking away to put their order in.

Monroe sat back and redirected his attention to Sienna. "You look different," he said, gazing into her eyes.

"So do you," she returned, straightening in her seat, smoothing out invisible wrinkles in her linen pants under the table.

"Your hair texture, skin tone, and voice is still the same," Monroe identified. "But your eyes...the depth in your eyes have changed, and yo' lil' ass done got thick as fuck. What caused that?" Monroe stated the obvious, but was trying to lead her to coming clean about their daughter. He knew nothing had brought out those childbearing hips like motherhood had. He was ready to address the elephant in the room because that motherfucker was bigger than anything in their past.

"Here's your drinks. I'll be back shortly with your food," Annie interrupted, sitting their drinks on the table, then walked away.

Sienna cleared her throat.

"I paid and went to your funeral," Monroe stated casually.

"I know I-" Sienna replied.

"Nah, I don't think you do." The hurt and disappointment in his voice was impossible to miss. "'Cause if you did, you would've found a way to call a nigga, send a mu'fuckin' kite or something. Instead a nigga ain't heard a peep outta you in a decade, but now yo' ass done popped back up, and I'm 'posed to be joyful 'bout this shit?"

Hard and uncomfortable silence filled the space between them. Monroe had spent years learning how to breathe around a wound that had just barely healed. Yet here she sat across from him, alive, breathing, and asking him to understand choices he still couldn't make peace with.

"Monroe, not a day went by that I didn't think of you. I swear I wanted to reach out, but your mother would've killed me, and..."

"And what?" he pressed. "Did she threaten to kill our daughter too?" Monroe quizzed, tired of waiting for Sienna to stop playing in his face. Skating around the real shit they needed to be discussing. Sienna's eyes filled with tears.

"Here's your food, but please be careful the plates are hot," Annie stated. Sienna turned her head and looked out of the window, not because something so great was outside, but because at that moment it hurt too bad to look into Monroe's eyes.

"Thank you," Monroe told Annie.

"No worries. I'll give y’all some space for now, but I'll be close by if you need me," Annie was well-versed on how to read the energy at the table. She knew when it was time to give people their space.

"Don't get quiet now, 'cause I still got so many more questions to ask." Sienna cleared her throat, then turned her head back to face Monroe.

"You have no clue about hell I've endured because of your crazy ass mother. I'm the one who was shot, and hanging on by a thread. I had two fucking choices, Monroe. Just two. LIVE OR DIE. Now if it was just my life, that would have been one thing, but I was pregnant."

"When you was gon' tell me that?" Monroe cut in and quizzed. "I planned to tell you when you came home that night, but that never happened because when those people broke into our house and shot me..." Sienna paused to get her emotions under control. "I planned to tell you, it just didn't happen because Macie's plan trumped mine. She told me either I could take the money and live with our daughter, or both of us were gonna die in the hospital that day."

"Money?" Monroe asked, feeling his heartbreak again. "I never knew your loyalty and love had a price tag on it. How much was breaking my soul worth? I gotta fuckin' know this. How much?"

"Monroe I know you're hurt, but it wasn't just about you. You weren't the only one who was hurt in this situation. "You keep talking about what was taken from you.

What about what was taken from me?"

"How much?"

Sienna let out a deep sigh. "Seventy-Seven thousand dollars is all she offered me, but it was never in exchange for my love, or loyalty. It was in exchange for my life and our daughter's. There's a massive difference. You have to understand that, Monroe. I loved you then, and I still love you now. Monroe, please tell me you understand," Sienna said, reaching forward, placing her soft hand on top of his. Monroe looked away to process his own emotions, because this entire situation was gutting him.

"She know who I am?"