It's the day before Gregory is to leave, and he's been busy checking out properties while I've been working. We've spent our evening together going over and choosing which properties he wants to show me for my opinion.

We've narrowed it down to three: a house on the beach, one within walking distance of the beach, and one with a spectacular view.

I'm excited to see the properties today, but I'm more excited that Gregory is serious about taking our relationship beyond his vacation.

He's waiting for me on the beach because the first house is just a short walk from the hotel. He smiles when he sees me walking towards him and extends his arms, welcoming me into his warm embrace. "Hey, Beautiful."

I snuggle into his chest, feeling it rise and fall with his breathing. "Hey, Mr. Gorgeous."

He kisses my head and says, "Are you ready for this?"

I look up into his chocolate eyes and grin. "The real question is, are you ready for this?"

His kissable lips turn up as he smiles down at me. "Oh, I'm ready. Ama, I want to prove that I'm in this for the long haul."

My heart squeezes with unexplainable feelings, and I cling to him for a moment more before releasing him and taking his hand. "Then I guess we should get going."

It's a convenient fifteen-minute walk from the hotel. We silently hold hands, walking down the beach, each in our thoughts. Just ahead of us is a turquoise-colored clap-board house nestled into the side of the hill, giving the illusion of being a two-story home when, in actuality, it's one floor of living space with an exposed basement that leads out to a deck supported with solid poles disappearing into the sand below. The main floor has two sliding glass doors leading to an upper deck.

At first sight, the color catches my eye. It's adorable and quaint, and being able to walk directly down the wooden steps into the sand is the icing on the cake. The house is lovely, and I adore the back decks facing the beach, thinking how wonderful it would be to have my coffee out there in the mornings and a glass of wine in the evenings.

As we get closer, I notice a man standing on the beach.

Gregory introduces us, "Ama, this is Mr. Williams, Mr. Williams, this is my girlfriend, Ama."

My heart flip-flops at hearing Gregory refer to me as his girlfriend; I don't even remember giving the realtor a proper greeting.

We enter the home by the wooden steps up to the second deck and through the sliding glass door. The open floor concept is the first thing that grabs attention. In the three-bedroom home, the paint of the interior is peach and brightens the rooms. The large living area is separated from the state-of-the-art kitchen with a breakfast bar long enough to sit four. I'm trying to get a read on Gregory as the realtor walks us through the home, but all I see is a straight face with no emotions showing.

"As you can see, it's a beautiful home on the beach. It's ready to move in. Will you be subletting when you're not on the island?" Mr. Williams asks, looking expectantly at Gregory.

Gregory gives me a sideways look, his eyes penetrating mine. "No, I hope Ama will live here when I'm not."

My jaw drops. "What? Are you serious?"

He grins sheepishly. "Surprise!"

My hand covers my mouth as my teary eyes widen. "I don't know what to say?"

He hugs me. "You don't have to make a decision today. Think about it, and talk it over with Trai or your mom."

Kissing his warm cheek, I say, "I will. Thank you, Gregory. I'm speechless."

I love the house, and its location is perfect. The other two houses have to be spectacular to top this.

We get in the realtor's car and drive to the next house.

It's a cute sky-blue two-story. While not on the water, it's nearby. The yard is not large but has a beautiful flower garden. It better be pretty amazing inside to rise above the last property.

The realtor shows us through the house. Its rooms are closed off, and it feels suffocating. It will require a new coat of paint, and the galley kitchen is small but has new-looking appliances.

We continue to follow Mr. Williams throughout the house. "As you can see, this property is also move-in ready. While it's not on the water's edge, it's just a short walk to the beach. The price is also lower than the beach house if you're working on a budget."

Once we finish looking through the house, we head to the car. Gregory looks at me to read my thoughts on the house. My nose wrinkles, and I shrug. That's all he needs to know that I wasn't a fan. It's ultimately his choice, but I appreciate him wanting my opinion.

Driving to the last house, Gregory and I hold hands and steal glances at each other, smiling. I still can't believe what transpired this last week.

Mr. Williams pulls into the driveway of a modern-looking house on top of a hill. The front is all glass glimmering in the Jamaican sun. The view of Negril and the ocean is breathtaking.

The house is spacious with an open, stark white design. It has a cathedral ceiling and an iron spiral staircase leading to a large loft. The kitchen's whitewashed cabinets match the white appliances. I'm anxious to sit with Gregory to discuss his options.

"You have three nice homes to choose from. I know you want to finalize everything before your flight tomorrow. We can meet at the hotel bar at 5:00 tonight, allowing you time to discuss the three properties and make a final decision." Mr. Williams says as he drives us to the hotel.

We thank him for his time and let him know we look forward to this evening. I look over at Gregory; he's smiling from ear to ear as we head to his room to order room service and discuss the properties.

He orders us grilled chicken salads and a bottle of wine, and I go to the deck to wait for him; the warm breeze softly blows my hair.

He sits next to me and takes my hand in his. "Okay, Ama. If you were to take one property out of the mix, which would it be?"

I think he knows which one I'm going to pick. "The blue house."

He nods. "I agree, so let's discuss the other two. Tell me your favorite things about each property."

My eyes brighten, thinking about the two beautiful homes. "My favorite thing about the beach house was the decks facing the beach. I can see you on it, enjoying your coffee and reading a book. The house on the hill was more spacious and had a beautiful view, but you would have to drive to the beach. Which one are you leaning towards?"

He takes a moment to think before speaking, and I can't help but smile. "There are things I like about both homes too, but hearing you picturing me at the beach house on the deck, drinking coffee and reading makes my decision clear."

With the decision made, he takes me on his lap. His lips press against mine, giving me a deep, sensual kiss. Our tongues touch, twisting and tangling around each other. I can't get enough of him. He's like oxygen to me, and I moan into his mouth.

He pulls away and whispers in my ear. "Ama, you know what your moans do to me."

My lip turns up with a smirk. "I do."

A knock on the door tells us that room service has arrived. I move back to my seat, not caring if the employee sees me since Greorgy is leaving tomorrow.

John enters Gregory's room, pushing a cart containing our food. He works in the kitchen and delivers room service to the hotel's guests. When he sees me, his brows raise with surprise before giving me an 'I won't tell' nod as he places our meals on the table. Gregory hands him a tip, then John discreetly leaves us to enjoy our dinner.

Gregory gives me a peck on the cheek before returning to his seat and my hand slowly moves up his leg. "We have to finish our meal and meet the realtor. We don't have the time to take this further. Plus, this is our last night together for a few weeks, and I want to take my time with you."

I feel the heat pooling between my legs. "Okay." I pull my hand away and pout.

Gregory and I start to chat about his new home choices. Perhaps our new home; I'm still unsure what to do and need to discuss it with Trai.

After dinner, we head to the hotel's beach bar to meet with the realtor. He's there waiting for us, so we sit with him, say hello, and order three beers.

"I have paperwork for all three houses. Have you decided?" Mr. Williams says, pushing the papers to Gregory.

"Yes, we have." We look at each other and smile.

"The beach house," we say in unison.

"Excellent choice," Mr. Williams says, handing Gregory a pen.

They review the paperwork and complete all the necessary forms and contracts. After Gregory signs everything and gives Mr. Williams a check for the down payment, they shake hands.

"Thank you for all your help and taking care of this quickly," Gregory says to Mr. Williams, giving me a cute sideways grin.

"It was no problem. We're used to pulling things together quickly. Many tourists find our island irresistible and want a vacation home here." Mr. Williams looks at me when he mentions the island being irresistible.

Heat fills my cheeks, and I smile; he returns my smile and leaves.

I give Gregory my most seductive smile. "What now, Mr. Gorgeous?"

He takes my hand and wiggles his eyebrows. "Now? I say we get back to my room so I can devour my precious dessert."

I raise my eyebrows. "Dessert, huh? Then what are we waiting for?"

We practically run straight to his room. Once inside, I go to the bathroom to freshen up and remove my clothes, leaving on my black lace thong, thinking I'm sexy as hell. I walk out and see Gregory in nothing but a bed sheet.

My eyes widen. "Damn!" He wins the sexiest contest, hands down.

His eyes scan my body. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Now please get that beautiful ass over here."

I obey, and when I'm within reach, he grabs my ass and pulls me on top of him. Our lips crash together, and he pushes his hardness against me, causing me to roll my hips over him.

"Wait!" he says under his breath.

I stop moving and look into his beautiful dark eyes, waiting for him to speak.

He kisses my neck, moving slowly, then nibbles my lobe. "I want to take this slow and savor every moment," he says huskily into my ear, making me shiver.

Lifting me off of him, he turns me over onto my back and looks at me with admiration and desire. Something in his eyes stirs my heart, washing away any doubt about him caring for me.

He moves to the bottom of the bed and kisses my toes while his fingers lightly tickle my legs, working his way up my thighs, moving closer and closer to my aching center. He brushes his lips over my thong and groans before continuing his travels up my body achingly slow.

"This is sweet fucking torture, Gregory. Please, I want you so bad," I hum heatedly.

His breathing is erratic. "Soon, baby. I want to memorize your incredible body."
He finally arrives at my breasts, kissing one while cupping the other one gently in his other hand. My body eagerly presses into his touch.

"I love how your body reacts to me," he murmurs as his lips meet mine, and true to his word, we take our sweet time exploring every inch of each other late into the night.

I'm lying awake the following day, wrapped in Gregory's arms, sad that he's leaving today but excited for our future. I'm using some personal time to take Gregory to the airport.

I look at the clock and see it's 8:30 a.m. Gregory's flight is later today, so I want to let him to sleep. Sneaking out of bed, I order room service for breakfast, and Gregory begins to stir.

"Good morning, Beautiful," he says in his sexy, gruff morning voice.

"Good morning. I hope that you don't mind that I ordered breakfast. It should be here in about 20 minutes."

He rolls over and stretches, causing the sheet to reveal his incredible body. "Not at all. That sounds perfect. I'm going to get a quick shower. Want to join me?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

We hop in the shower taking our sweet time lathering each other. I wash my hair while Gregory rinses the soap from his body, then steps back so I can rinse my hair. When I opened my eyes, Gregory was standing there watching me.

"You're so damn beautiful," he murmurs, his voice full of emotion.

I smile while tears fill my eyes. "You're so damn gorgeous."

He pulls me into his arms, and we kiss till we hear a knock on the door.

"Shit!" Gregory exclaims, hops out, and quickly grabs a towel to wrap around his waist.

He runs out to get the door, and I finish rinsing my hair, then get out to dry off.

We have breakfast on the deck, wearing only our towels, while Gregory discusses his plans with me. "I booked a flight for two weeks from today. I'll go home and settle some things to work remotely from here. The plan is to work two weeks here and schedule all of my meetings for the two weeks a month I spend in Chicago."

"That's a lot of traveling for you," I respond, then pop a strawberry into my mouth.

Grabbing another slice of bacon from his plate, he shrugs. "I travel all of the time now, and knowing I'll be in one place every two weeks a month will be nice." He smiles and places his hand on mine. "Please let me know what you're thinking."

My eyes turn away from him. "What happens if this long-distance relationship doesn't work out?"

He gently reaches over, pulls my chin towards him, and looks at me with those deep, dark eyes. "We have to promise each other that no matter what, good or bad, we'll talk things out with each other. My heart can't take another run away without an explanation. Promise me."

With his glistening eyes penetrating mine, I sincerely reply, "I promise."

When we finish breakfast, I help Gregory pack the rest of his things, and we prepare to leave. Check-out time is 11:00 a.m., so Gregory must be out of his room even though his flight isn't until later.

He looks at his room to ensure he has everything. "I think I'm good to go," he says before his eyes reach mine. Seeing the tears running down my face, he stretches his strong arms towards me. "Come here."

I run to him, and he wraps his arms around me. "I'm going to miss you so much."

"I'll miss you, too," he says, stroking my hair softly, kissing my head, and embracing me tighter. "It's only two weeks, Baby. We'll text, talk, and FaceTime till I get back."

The words "I love you" are on the tip of my tongue, but how can this be true, knowing each other only a little over a week? So, I keep those words from leaving my mouth.

After taking the rest of the morning and early afternoon relaxing on the beach and discussing everything from Gregory's new home, our future, and our families, we drink one more beer together before leaving for the airport, arriving 30 minutes later. Gregory hugs and kisses me one last time before I see him disappear behind the doors, and then I head back to the hotel to talk to Trai.

Returning to the hotel, looking at the clock, and seeing that it's break time, I hope to catch Trai in the break room. I need some clarity on whether or not to take Gregory up on his offer of living in his home.

As expected, Trai is there. "Hey."

She looks up, and a half smile graces her face. "Hey, girl! How did house hunting go yesterday with Mr. Gorgeous? Did he find something he likes?"

Sitting across from Trai, my mood brightens a little. "Um, yeah, about that. Gregory found a beautiful house right on the beach. Trai, he asked me to live there."

Her eyes go round. "What? Damn, that's serious. Are you going to? What are you going to tell your mom?" she says, firing questions at me

My head drops into my hands covering my face. "I have no clue. What if I wait and tell Muma if things go well with our long-distance relationship? I want to ensure this will last and not just be a whim or rebound for him."

Trai places her hand on mine. "It looks real; he bought a beach house, Ama. When is he planning on returning?"

My lips curve up, smiling. "In two weeks."

Trai raises her brows. "How long is he staying?"

Reaching over, I steal a chip. "He plans to stay here for two weeks, then Chicago for two weeks," I say, tossing the chip into my mouth.

She squeezes my hand, giving me her support. "That sounds reasonable. Gregory must care alot for you to go through all of this effort."

I sigh, "I know he does, so why do I keep second-guessing everything."

She releases my hand, patting it like a mother, before returning to her snack. "You're just trying to protect your heart. Listen, I say take the plunge and move in. If, after a month, you think that it's not working out, you can bail. To never take a chance because something might happen is not living."

I nod in agreement. "You're right. I'm going to do it. Now, what to tell Muma?"

Excited, I tell Gregory my decision, knowing he won't get the text until he lands.

Hey, Babe. I know you're in the air, but I couldn't wait to tell you I just talked to Trai and decided to move into the beach house.

I leave the hotel after working the remainder of the day, walking along the beach, I wonder how it will be cleaning my last room tomorrow. There are so many memories of Gregory in that room. Reminiscing, such sweet thoughts engulf me as I remember us making love on his bed and in the shower—the many meals and discussions we had at the table on the deck. I feel a tear roll down my face, knowing that these two weeks will be the longest two weeks of my life.

After returning to the hotel, I go to Gladys and get in; even my car reminds me of Gregory. Pulling up to my house, I enter and start packing my things. Muma won't be home for a few hours; I'm not looking forward to that conversation. I continue to place items into my bag when my phone dings; it's Gregory and my heart flutters.

Amazing news! I'm so happy that you decided to move in! I'll call you tomorrow.

I can't help the grin spreading across my face, then as I look around Muma's and my little cottage with tears, I think about being born and growing up here. It's small, but my muma has been so proud of the life she built for us here. When I finish packing my few worldly possessions, she pulls up in front of the house. A small part of me feels guilty for leaving her here to live by herself.

She walks in and places her purse on the table by the door. "Hello, Daughter."

My eyes move to the floor. "Hi, Muma."

She looks at my packed bags. "What are you doing? Where are you going?"

"Muma, we have to talk. Please sit down."

I tell her about Gregory and his plan to live in Jamaica with me part-time in his beach house, what he does for a living, and that he's committed to our relationship.

Much to my surprise, she takes it all pretty well, her face gives away nothing. "When are you going?"

My voice shakes with nervousness, "I'm going to move in after my shift tomorrow. Gregory will return in two weeks, and I want it ready for him."

"I understand," she says before hugging me. Over dinner, she tells me it's time for her to explain about my father.

My mother was nineteen and bartending at the Sunset Pub, a small bar that doesn't attract many tourists. One day, two men on holiday from London, England, stopped to have a drink. They were going around the island, bar-hopping, trying to find small local bars, and Sunset Pub was the last on their list. They ended up staying till it closed.

My father's name was Charles. He was smitten with my mom and returned daily to the bar to hang out with her. After closing, they would sit for hours talking, drinking, and getting to know each other. My father was a businessman in London and was going through a divorce, so his friend took him on holiday to escape it all.

On the last day of his holiday, they once again talked and drank after her shift as usual, only this time, he kissed her. She said it was magical, and one thing led to another; they made love on the beach near the pub. He left the next day promising to return, and she never heard from him again.

She found out two months later that she was pregnant with me and said I was a special gift from him. She always wished my father would return, so she never left her job at the pub. About ten years later, the friend who brought Charles on holiday returned with his family and was surprised to see my mom still bartending at the pub. He told her that Charles never stopped thinking of her and planned to return but was killed in a car accident six months after he met my mother.

Hugging and crying, Muma pulled back, tears streaming down our faces. She looks at me tenderly and says, "Go get yuh, man!"

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