Sharynn POV

She did not want to come back from her vacation with Trenton, but the world went on.

She was finally at the point where she was proud to call Trenton her boyfriend. He definitely was not the type of guy she thought she would ever fall for, but he came at the right time in her life.

Now, if he could pass muster with her parents.

"I'm going to invite him to come to church to meet them," Sharynn said to her best friends as they all found their seats for Sunday service.

Church was very serious in her family. She had been going all of her life since the day she was born. The same church, The Rock church in north St. Louis. In the hood, it was a historical church that meant a lot to her family. Her father was on the Board for the church. Her mother was one of the "first ladies" of the church. Nothing happened at the Rock without her mother and her crew of church mothers.

Sharynn served as an usher since her preteen years. The only time she did not usher was when she was away at college. As soon as she graduated and moved back, she was back to being an usher every other week at her church. Her brother volunteered off and on, doing various jobs including parking lot attendant and janitor. He did whatever he was told by their parents.

Since both her friends were back, she made them attend church with her whenever possible. Neither grew up with strong ties to a church. Amari said she went sporadically in her youth, but by her teen years, she stopped going and so did her mother. Kayla never attended church, last time she was in one she said was her father's funeral. Now she liked attending The Rock with her.

"I don't know if bringing him to church is the best option," Kayla stated, dressed in a long floral dress that did nothing for her shape. At least her hair was cute, all curly and down, and not in one of her buns or ponytails. She needed to take the poor thing shopping.

"Why not?" Sharyn asked her.

"Girllll, are you forgetting how your mother is and how she will grill that man and give him the third degree?" Amari said. "Not in the house of the Lord."

Amari added a cross with her hands as if she needed a prayer. She scoffed at her friend.

"I think it is the perfect place. Neutral territory. Plus, if he doesn't pass the church vibe, my parents would have an issue with him."

"And that's where you are heading in the wrong direction. Why do you need their approval? You are grown!"

Amari had a point there, but she still wanted her parents to like him. She knew her father would be easier to impress, it was her mother that would find something wrong.

In her mother's eyes, she was still supposed to be with Richard. The church mothers were already planning their wedding when they were fifteen. Since Richard and his family belonged to the same church as well, the wedding was supposed to be there.

Richard was never into attending church like her. Since he graduated high school early and left for college, he never really came back to the church. He would come off and on for special occasions or something, but The Rock was a Richard-free safe haven for her.

She still had to face his mother every Sunday, who she considered a second mom.

"Oh, what would Mrs. Richardson think of Trenton?" Amari asked.

She shrugged her shoulders at that question. It was not Mrs. Richardson's business who she chose to date. For that matter, it was not her mother's either.

Her friends and she sat in the middle pew, in the middle to get the best view to hear the sermon. She was so into thinking about bringing Trenton to church with her, that she could not focus on what was being said during the sermon. She hoped her father would not grill her on what was taught like he used to when she was a kid.

"Good sermon, I needed that today," Amari said after services were done. "I need to get my life right and get serious with the people I love."

"Ha!" Kayla said loudly, then quickly covered her mouth. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

Amari gave her a side-eye. "Mmm-hmm, of course, you didn't."

She was bending down to put back on her Bottega mules she had slipped off when she heard a voice she thought she was free and clear from.

"Shar Shar!"

Why was Richard Richardson in this church, at this moment, right beside her?

She finished adjusting her shoes on her feet and then stood to face him.

"Richard."

"The Richard?" Amari jumped up and nearly pushed her aside. "Hi, I'm Amari, Sharynn's best friend. And you really did a number on her sir when you-"

Sharynn quickly pulled her away from Richard.

"Excuse her. I do believe she was dropped on her head at birth." Sharynn looked Richard over. Damn, that was a gorgeous man. "What are you doing here?"

"Last I checked, this was my church too. And my mother begs me to come every single day, so sometimes I like to appease her and come along." He gave her a grin. "You look good."

"Uh, thank you?" Why was she answering back with a question? This man flustered her so. "Umm, where's your little girlfriend? My mother told me you brought her last time."

"Girlfriend?" He chuckled, showing his perfectly straight, white teeth that years of braces fixed. "No girlfriend. Unless you want to take that spot again."

Why was she having a hot flash? Was she having early menopause and she was only in her twenties?

"Sharynn, I think your mother is calling us." This time it was Kayla who grabbed her arm and started to pull her away. "Hi uh...bye," Kayla said to Richard as she pulled her away with Amari right behind.

They made sure they were way out of Richard's view before either said a word.

"Damn, damn, damn! That is a fine man!" Amari said, fanning herself. "Now if I didn't have my boo, look here, I would be working on trying to become Mrs. Richard Richardson."

"Girl!" Kayla said to her.

"Oh, that's right, Shar Shar here wants him back."

"What? No, I don't," she quickly said. "I have Trenton, I'm good."

"And Richard seems like a jerk," Kayla said. "Now come on, your mother really was motioning for us."

She needed to do something to get her mind off Richard. Going backward was not a good idea. She needed to move forward to the future. Trenton may be her future. Not an ex that cheated on her. Richard would never want what she wanted.

Get married, raise a family.

She didn't even know if that's what Trenton wanted.