I close my eyes, and Gregory takes my hand, leading me into our home. My mind is racing, wondering what he could have done during my work hours.

"Okay, Ama, open your eyes," he says excitedly.

Tears well up in my eyes, and I attempt to blink them back. Before me is a lovely candlelight table set for two, with a flower arrangement of beautiful Jamaican Wild Orchids bursting with bright pink color set in the center of the table with a bottle of red wine.

"Oh, Gregory, it's gorgeous, and something smells amazing. You did all of this for me?" I say, my voice cracking with emotion.

His face brightened. "I wanted to show you how much I appreciate everything you did to create a beautiful home for us. Last night, you made a favorite dish your mom made for you. Tonight, it's my turn."

"What did you make?" I ask, my mouth watering with just the aroma.

"My favorite dish is lasagna," he says with his chest puffed up in pride. "I hope you like it. It's also a recipe that my mom makes for me. Now sit and let me serve you."

As I sit, I say, "If it tastes half as good as it smells, I'll love it."

His mouth curves into a smile, and his cheeks turn pink before he goes over to pull his masterpiece out of the oven. I pour the wine and wait for him to return to the table. He serves us both, then takes his seat across from me.

He raises his glass to make a toast. "To our future, cheers!"

We clink our glasses, and I respond, "Cheers!"

I take my first-ever bite of lasagna. An explosion of flavor takes over my mouth. "Oh my, Gregory, this is heavenly."

His smile broadens. "I'm so happy you like it."

"Like it? I love it! I think I just found a new favorite," I tell him, putting another delicious bite into my mouth.

His smile brightens even more, if that's possible.

We enjoy the rest of dinner, with me moaning after every bite and Gregory raising his brows in warning. Shrugging, I dig in for seconds, which causes him to chuckle. After cleaning up, we take our wine to the porch to watch the sunset.

Gregory leans back and gives a content sigh. "I love it here. If all goes well this month, I want to spend three weeks here and one in Chicago."

My eyes go round with shock. "Really?"

He looks at me and grins. "Would you like that?"

Giving him a sideways smile, I respond, "Are you kidding me? I would love that."

He leans his head back again. "I might have to travel here and there, but I'll try to schedule my traveling the week I'm in Chicago."

"Pinch me. Is this my life?" I ask.

Smirking, Gregory reaches over and gently pinches my arm, then his own. "Yep, this is OUR lives."

I get up and straddle his lap, and he wraps his arms tightly around me. We lean in, and our lips meet. Our kiss is warm and tantalizing. He's my man, my friend, and my home.

Wiggling his brows, he asks, "Shall we move this to the bedroom?"

I jump off his lap, sprinting for the bedroom. "The last one there has to eat the winner!" I shout.

He chases me down and grabs me by my waist.

"Ahhhh!"  I scream through my giggles.

"I got you, you little minx." He picks me up, carries me over his shoulder to the bed, and flops us down. At this point, we're both laughing uncontrollably.

He gives me a mischievous grin. "Tied. Now what?"

"We both win."

We devour each other until we're too tired to move.

"That was amazing." he said, out of breath.

"It keeps getting better and better," I remark, then look over at him, beaming at me, and I smile as he wraps me in his arms.

"Sweet dreams, Ama."

"Good night, Mr. Gorgeous."

He brushes his soft, swollen lips against mine, and we sigh and quickly doze off.

Tonight, my muma is coming over for dinner to meet Gregory. I'm nervous but extremely excited. Gregory is finishing his work in his office, so I'm getting my ingredients together to prep for ackee and saltfish, another favorite recipe my muma taught me to make.

Preparing the dish, I saute the salt cod with boiled ackee, onions, red peppers, tomatoes, and spices, then garnish it with bacon and tomatoes. I plan to serve it with dumplings.

Gregory walks up and wraps his arms around my waist. "Hey, Babe. Something smells delectable. What did you make?"

"It's ackee and saltfish, a traditional Jamaican meal for breakfast or dinner," I inform him.

"Well, I can't wait to try it."

We hear a knock on the door, and he releases me to get the door. "That must be Muma. I'll be right back. Can you pour the wine?"

"Absolutely."

I open the door. "Muma!"

"Daughter!"

We hug. "Welcome to our home."

I step out of her way, and she looks around and smiles. "I like it; it looks beautiful."

"Thank you, Muma. We love it."

I smile at Gregory; he returns my smile and walks over to us.

"Muma, I'd love for you to meet Gregory. Gregory, this is my mother, Abigay."

He takes her hand and kisses the top of it. "It's my pleasure to meet the wonderful woman who created the amazing Ama."

She glances at me. "I like him."

We all laugh.

"Dinner is ready," I announce.

We walk to the table. Gregory pulls out the chair for my muma, and she sits while I go to get the meal and bring it to the table.

"Let me help you, Ama." Gregory joins me in the kitchen, takes the heavier dish of the ackee and saltfish, and I grab the dumplings.

"Thank you, Gregory."

"You're very welcome, Beautiful."

We share a smile and set dinner on the table before sitting and eating our meal.

"Supper is delicious, Ama," Muma says, scooping more dumplings onto her plate.

"It sure is," Gregory agrees. "I hear that Ama gets her cooking talent from you."

Muma's face brightens, and she smiles at Gregory. "Thank you."

We talk and drink wine; Muma's stories about me as a child have us laughing all evening. Too soon, it's time for Muma to leave.

"Thank you for a delicious meal and entertaining conversation," Muma tells Gregory and me.

"I love you," she says, hugging me goodbye, then Gregory.

"I love you, too," I tell her before she leaves and shuts the door. "That went well."

"Yeah! I think she likes me!"

"I know she does!"

We hug, and he kisses the top of my head. "Do you want to have a nightcap on the porch?"

"I would love that."

He goes into the kitchen to pour two more glasses of wine. I head out to the porch to enjoy the sounds of the ocean breaking on the shore. A few moments later, Gregory joins me.

"Here you go, Beautiful."

He hands me my glass and sits down beside me. We sit in comfortable silence for several minutes before Gregory breaks it.

He draws a big breath and says, "It's so peaceful here, very different from the city."

I reach over and place my hand on his. "Tell me about the city."

He smiles wistfully. "It's loud and crowded with people and has a lot of restaurants and museums. The buildings are tall. Some are over 100 stories tall."

"Wow, that's tall!" I exclaim, my eyes wide with wonder.

"We have a beach, but it's not nearly as beautiful as this. Many different cultures live in the city. Our winters are deadly, and our summers are hot. We're known as the windy city. One winter, I visited my grandmother when I was just a child. She had a house about an hour out of the city. While we visited, it snowed about three feet. It was so windy that the snow drifted to the top of one side of her house. The other side was grass. It was so incredible sledding off of her roof."

I gasp in shock. "Oh, my. I have never seen snow, only pictures."

We talk for hours about our childhoods and their stark differences, and then we finally head to bed around midnight. We sleep soundly until 3:15 a.m. when we hear someone pounding on our front door.

Gregory jumps out of bed and quickly throws on a pair of shorts. "Stay here," he commands.

"Okay," I reply, my voice shaking in fear.

Waiting in the room as Gregory walks to the front door, I hear him open the door.

"Ama! Come here!" he shouts.

I pull on a robe and run out; my jaw drops in shock when I see Trai.

"Oh my God, Trai! What the hell happened?"

I can't understand the words she cries through her tears.

"I'll put on some coffee," Gregory says, entering the kitchen.

"Thank you, Gregory," I convey, giving him a look of appreciation before walking Trai to the couch and taking her into my arms as she continues to cry.

"Are you hurt?" I ask, giving her a once-over.

She nods, looks at me, and I push the hair out of her face. Her eye is swollen and discolored, and her lip is split and bleeding.

"Oh, Trai, my sweet Trai."

I hold her and kiss the top of her head. Gregory comes in with coffee and looks at me, unsure what to do. I give him a look that lets him know to stay close till her crying begins to subside.

"Can you talk now?" I calmly ask.

Trai slowly nods.

"What the hell happened?"

Her voice is hoarse and shaky from crying. "I was at The Jungle, having a great time dancing with a tourist. He got too physical with me, grabbing my arm and telling me we were getting out of there. My red flag radar was blaring, so I made an excuse about working early and thought it was time to go home. He called me a tease and dragged me out of the back door."

My hand covers my mouth. "Oh my god, Trai!"

She continued, "He threw me into a car and drove me to a secluded part of the beach. I was crying and begging him to let me go, then he punched me in the eye and yanked me out of the car. He pulled me to the beach by my hair and smacked me in the face."

My eyes go round as my face heats with anger. "Shit, Trai. Did you get his name?"

She shrugs. "Tom, something. I don't know. I kicked him in the balls and ran straight here."

"Holy shit. Did he force himself on you? Did he rape you, Trai?"

She shakes her head. "No, I didn't give him a chance."

I breathe out a sigh of relief. "Thank God."

"Can I stay here tonight?" she whimpers.

"Of course. Do you need a doctor? Maybe we should take you to a hospital." I ask with concern.

"No. I'll be fine."

"Should we call the authorities?" Gregory asks.

She shakes her head adamantly. "Hell, no! I just want to forget that the whole damn thing happened." She looks at me with tears in her eyes. "I just want to go to sleep."

Releasing her, I get up from the couch. "Okay, let me grab you something to sleep in."

Gregory grabs an ice pack from the freezer and hands it to Trai.

"Thank you," she whispers.

Once I settle in Trai, I return to the living room with Gregory.

"Is she okay?" he asks, his eyes crinkling with worry.

"She will be."

He runs his hand through his hair. "Damn, Ama. I feel so helpless. I want to find that guy and beat the shit out of him."

"Why do some men act like that?" I question, shaking my head in disappointment.

He wraps his arms around me, and I place my head on his chest. "I don't know, Baby."

After Gregory turns off the coffee maker, we return to bed. Trai and I are off tomorrow, so I will spend the day with her while Gregory works. We need some girl time.

Waking up the following day to an empty bed has me wondering where Gregory is. He must have let me sleep in since it was my day off. I put on a robe and head into the kitchen.

The door to the guest room was still closed, telling me that Trai was still asleep, and the office door was closed. After pulling a mug from the cabinet and pouring myself a cup of coffee, I go to the porch.

My mind is full of thoughts about last night. Thank God Trai was able to get away before something more terrible happened.

About fifteen minutes later, Trai joins me on the porch, disrupting my thoughts. "Hey."

"Hey," I say while checking her injuries. "It looks like the swelling went down overnight."

She sits next to me with her coffee. "Yeah."

Taking her hand in mine, I state, "I hate that you had to go through that."

She squeezes my hand. "Me too. Thank you for letting me crash here."

"Anytime," I say, and we sit quietly for a moment.

Breaking the silence, I tell her, "I'm just happy we were here for you."

She gives me a half smile, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "Yeah, me too."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She shakes her head. "Not really. I want to forget about it."

"I understand," I say. "Do you want to hang out today?"

She leans her head back. "I don't want to impose on your time with Gregory any more than I already have."

"Nonsense, Gregory will be working in his office until lunchtime. Let's grab some beer and soak up some sun on the beach."

She lifts her head and looks at me. "Okay, if you're sure."

I pat her hand reassuringly. "I'm sure."

We drink our coffee, grab some leftover ackee and saltfish for breakfast, and eat silently. I want Trai to talk to me about where her head is, but I don't want to push her. Once we finish, we clean up everything, and Trai follows me into the kitchen. Gregory is there filling his coffee.

I give him a peck on the lips. "Good morning, Babe. Do you want some breakfast?"

"I'm good. I made myself some toast earlier." He looks towards Trai. "How are you doing, Trai?"

Her shoulders lift. "I'll be okay."

He places a hand on her shoulder. "Please let us know if there's anything that we can do for you."

"Thank you for everything." She forces a smile.

Gregory returns to his office, and I let Trai borrow a suit. We change and head out to the beach with a cooler full of beer, hoping that Trai will open up, knowing from experience that holding in her feelings can cause her mind to spiral.

Total Words 25,407