The kickoff meetings for the Miami Dolphins project had me almost foaming at the mouth to get started. They wanted to renovate all their luxury and press boxes, as well as convert four of their concession stands into higher end food service options. It was going to be a tight schedule, but I knew we could do it. I sketched out a quick plan with Gina, letting her be in charge of all of the food service stations and I took the luxury boxes. The press box we would both keep an eye on, but it was the easiest part of the project just because it was a smaller scope and should be fast.

Things were looking up.

I'd just gotten home when I got a text notification from Hayden and opened it quickly. I'd made the mistake of agreeing to let her pick the Valentine's Day dinner restaurant because we were finally going on the double date that she and Heather had been begging for. I had a nice night planned for Kaia and I afterwards, but first I needed Hayden to come through for me.

H10 – We have the reservations. This place is supposed to be amazing!

Me – Where are we going?

H10 – We're going to the House of Food Porn, 7PM reservation

Me – Was that a typo, or do you use the word porn while typing so much your phone autocorrected?

H10 – No! That's really the name!

Me – The romantic Valentine's Day dinner will be at a Food Porn place?

H10 – Forget the name! It is amazing food!

Me – You're killing me.

H10 – Come on! I know you and Kaia will love it.

Me – What kind of food?

H10 – Cuban style sushi, completely stunning!

Me – Have you ever been there?

H10 – No. But Dr. Burns says it is the best place he's ever been.

Me – If you're wrong, I'll have to kill you

H10 – Fair enough. We'll meet you there!

Shit. Hayden was a great friend, and I loved her to death, but I must admit her choice of restaurant made me a little nervous. Still though, it had great reviews once I checked them out, so maybe the name was them just being a little irreverent. I could live with that as long as the food was good and it made Kaia happy.

We found out just how good the food was that weekend, and Hayden was quickly forgiven. The food was awesome, and obviously so was the company. Kaia and I were both sushi fans, so having a Cuban twist on it, another cuisine we loved, was the perfect match. I sure never would have expected it!

The night was everything I'd hoped. Wonderful food, Kaia looking stunning in a short red dress that was perfect for the holiday, Heather and Hayden being adorable together, and all of us laughing. But I guess all the good things that had been happening since I met Kaia needed to be evened out by having the past rear its ugly head.

We were just finishing our desert when I felt Kaia's hand grip mine tightly. I glanced over to see what she needed, but she was staring wide eyed at a young man who was being seated at a nearby table. Heather saw Kaia's alarm and looked over, swearing under her breath. It only got worse when he happened to look our way and saw the girls. Instantly a broad smile lit upon his face.

"Kaia? Holy shit! That really is you!" he took a couple of steps closer to us, leaving his confused date over at their table.

"Go away James!" Heather growled. "We're here for a nice night, and you're not a part of that."

James just dismissed Heather, ignoring her completely. "I'd heard a rumor that you moved out west somewhere, I would have looked all over for you if I knew you were still around."

"I didn't want you to be anywhere near me, that is why those rumors were spread," Kaia said through gritted teeth.

"But I'm here now! How about you come over to the house next weekend, the family would love to see you," he suggested with a smile.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Heather snarled. "Why the fuck would she ever want to go back there?"

"Oh, come on! You haven't been back since your party!"

"And I don't plan to!" Kaia agreed. Her face had turned calmer now, and I was proud of her.

"Hey, I know the party got a little crazy, but it wasn't all bad, right?" the man asked.

"You really are clueless James." Heather snorted. "You either don't remember that day or have no fucking idea of what happened that night."

"Hey, come on, we can let bygones be bygones. My parents have never stopped talking about you and I'm sure they'd love to have you over for a meal," James continued, oblivious to everyone's mood.

Finally, I'd had enough of his bullshit. "James, right?" I prompted, to which he nodded. "Are you seriously asking out my girlfriend, on Valentine's Day, while we're on a date, and ignoring your date?"

James stood there, as if that question confused him. "I guess I am, yeah." He grinned as though he were charming after that one. "Do I know you?"

"Not, I'm pretty sure if you knew me, I would have punched your lights out some time in the past. Does this shit work for you? I mean, do women just suddenly start taking off all their clothes when you completely ignore everything they say and treat them like shit?" I asked, watching his date get up and walk out.

"Seriously? Yeah. Usually. What James Welch wants; James Welch gets."

And then everything slammed into place. Crystal fucking clear, and I felt a predatory smile come over my face. "You wouldn't by chance be Davis Welch's little brother, would you?"

"Yeah! He is!" James smiled at the thought of being recognized.

"Amazing. It really does run in the family." I just shook my head incredulously. "I take it back, you might know me. But it would have been a while. How is your brother's jaw? Can he eat right?"

Kaia's eyes swung to me, and I turned my head to wink at her, squeezing the soft hand of hers that still held mine.

James' eyes got big at the question, and he backed up a step. "Holy shit, you're Cole Butler!"

"Yes, I am. And I would love for you to do me a favor. The next time you see your brother, tell him that he should have listened to me back in high school. Now, if you excuse me, we're going to leave." I fished out my wallet and dropped $400 on the table and stood, taking Kaia's hand in mine.

She put her hand behind my neck and then whispered into my ear. "I need to do something but trust me on this."

"Of course. I always trust you baby."

"James. I'll be there next Saturday at 6pm. I'd love to see the entire family," Kaia stated to him, making him smile in spite of his lost date. Giving my hand a tug, she pulled me from the restaurant.

I didn't have many friends of my own in high school. There were a lot that were acquaintances from football, or kids in class that I spoke to, but only one that I could say counted as a true friend. Lisa Winters was her name, one of the tiniest girls I'd ever met, and the sweetest girl in high school. As cliché as it sounded, we met doing a science project, but we never did the date and fall in love thing.

Throughout high school, she never dated that I know of. Whenever we talked, she said she was waiting for the right one, but she was never sure who it would be. She never cared what gender that her future partner was going to be, just that she would know it when she met them, but so far that hadn't happened. She never put a label on her sexuality, she was just Lisa, and as shy as she was that was perfect.

Sometime over spring break, she woke up naked in Davis Welch's bed. She was tutoring him in Calculus, and he'd slipped her something into her drink. Nothing could be proven of course, but considering she never drank alcohol or did drugs, we all knew it. She couldn't handle the trauma of knowing what she'd been through. She'd been saving herself for the perfect person, and that choice was ripped from her control. Davis had that reputation, he'd done it before, and every single time his parents would buy someone off to make it go away. Sometimes it was a cop who lost evidence, or sometimes it was the victim who took money to not prosecute.

But Lisa was too gentle to deal with what had happened and had a complete breakdown. Night after night she couldn't sleep, constantly waking up in terror. Her parents had to move, nobody knew to where, in order to find the help that she needed and escape the reminders of what had happened. I'd tried to keep in touch, but I never got any response. To this day, I still don't know how she's doing.

But I made sure I found Davis. He never cared about what had happened, to him it was a game. Girls were already throwing themselves at him, so why not take advantage of a few more? I found him in the locker room after school. They'd finished basketball practice, and he was one of the star players. I didn't say a thing before I grabbed him, pinning him to the locker so his head couldn't move, and then punched him in the jaw. I knew it broke, and I let him slump to the floor before I crouched in front of him. I grabbed him by that jaw, and he couldn't even scream as I twisted it to look up at me. "I know what you did to Lisa. If you ever do that to another girl, I'm going to make you unrecognizable. That is a fucking promise. Do you understand?"

I got a small nod, and then I walked calmly out of school.

But now that knew Kaia's story, James was the ex, and Davis was the older brother, and therefore the father of Kassidy. He sure as hell hadn't remembered what I'd told him. I'd have to remind him.

When we got to the parking lot, we all gathered around Kaia, to make sure she was okay. But she seemed surprisingly fine. "Cole, can you introduce me to your lawyer? I'm going to need her help," she asked with a smile.

"Of course, she kicks ass, you'll love her." I didn't know what she needed yet, but I knew that she'd get good help from Miriam.

"Are you sure you're doing okay?" Heather asked.

Kaia nodded happily. "I really am. I thought I was going to fall apart there, but now I feel good. I'm so glad you were there! I just want to make sure they can never touch Kassidy if they come and try to find me."

Heather nodded and gave Kaia a big hug, both crying happy tears of relief. I was glad they had each other, and Hayden was obviously smitten with Heather, so we got to hang out more lately, and I realized how good a person she was too. Kaia needed that. With the tears dried off, Heather and Hayden went off to celebrate the rest of their night, and I pulled Kaia into a hug of my own.

"Cole?"

"Yeah baby?"

Do you still have that hotel reservation for tonight?" she looked up at me, her eyes boring into mine with a smirk on her face.

"I do, I thought it would be nice to get away."

"Perfect! Would you please take me there and make love to me?"

***

A/N - Yes, the House of Food Porn is an actual Miami eatery. Quite tasty too!