Lucas strolled into the luxurious ambience of the Lakeview Hotels and Suites club lounge at 5pm that afternoon after receiving a call that a surprise party was being thrown for James. He had been confused by the information as he did not receive any memo from his right hand man, but Stacy who called him insisted it was a party in appreciation of their three year anniversary. According to her, it was a low key event that was to end before late evening. At least he hoped it would, since Mathilda won't be coming back today, and he needed to be home in time to relieve Sara of her duty.

He was allowed free pass into the Club area, only to realize it was on hire for the anniversary party. Somehow, he found it odd. He walked to a lounge area to find Stacy and Donald drinking and laughing at a joke Stacy's comical brother, Eden told. Everyone's attention was drawn once he approached.

"Hey, look who's here!" Eden hailed, grinning from ear to ear as they shook hands.

Stacy smiled as he pulled her into a hug congratulating her. He was happy for the couple. Soon more people came to exchange pleasantries, and afterwards, Lucas found himself drinking shots after shots and joking about his childhood and grown up days with James and Martin. Soon though, it was 7pm and Lucas was pulled to excuse himself and leave. Just then, Stacy ran into the room and said James was on his way. Then everyone scrambled to their positions as Stacy went out to bring in her boyfriend.

Lucas heard people talking and laughing and then James walked in first into the dimly lit room, followed by Stacy.

"Surprise!" Everyone yelled, startling James, who in his reaction pumped his fist in defense stance. People burst out laughing at him.

"Damn! I nearly had a heart attack." He exclaimed, breathing hard.

Lucas strolled to his friend smiling. "Remind me never to pull a surprise prank on you. You look like you're Jackie Chan's protégé."

They hugged and exchanged pleasantries.

James scoffed. "I'm just merely alert to my surroundings. Stacy has never done this kind of stuff before. Damn, this surprise shit is not good for my health," he complained, rubbing soothing hands across his chest. A waiter brought them drinks and the two friends went into a drinking competition, reminiscing the good old days. Then the DJ hit the music and a party was in full swing.

His eyes caught the time and he groaned. Sara must be waiting for him to return. He went to James to make his excuse for the second time that night. He was already walking towards the double doors when it was opened from the outside and someone strolled him, grinning mischievously at him. For a moment, he had to pause and blink and assure himself that he was not hallucinating.

"What, Lucas? Leaving when the party is just starting. I'm disappointed," he commented in an amused fashion. He held out his arms for a hug.

Lucas felt his jaw extended at the grin that filled his face suddenly. "Idiot! What are you doing here?"

Martin laughed even as the pair pulled each other into a man hug, teasing each other. "Cleared up the family issues back home and thought I should be back here. Don't tell me you missed me?"

Lucas scoffed. "Not on your life," then looking behind him, he yelled over to James. "Hey James. This madman is here. The third musketeer, Martin!"

James was shocked and barely hid it as his jaw dropped open in bewilderment.

"Martin! Craze man, you're in this town? How and when?" He quizzed in one breath making his way to the pair. He beamed as he pulled Martin into a man hug. "Damn, I missed you."

Martin extricated himself, smacking him behind his head. "You sound like my girlfriend and I don't even have that."

The trio laughed at his comment.

In all their lives as friends, Lucas was the overserious nerd, Martin the comical clown and James the little fool and being the youngest had the others reprimanding him sometimes a little too much with a smack behind his head. Even as grown men, the dynamics hadn't changed. Lucas and Martin were paternal cousins and growing up together strengthened their friendship. Then they went to the same high school where they met James and Karen. Karen and Martin became really close even as Lucas flung himself in between various girls.

University separated them somewhat, with Lucas and Karen attending the prestigious Covenant University where they began their on-and-off relationship that continued till after they left school, and Martin and James going to the University of Port Harcourt a year later where they met Rocky who was Sara's childhood friend. When Martin met his wife Judy right after, he helped connect Lucas with Sara. Lucas had at the time broken off things with Karen, as she wanted a break in order to go apply for the Miss Nigeria pageant and demanded Lucas wait for her after the year-long reign. Suffice it to say despite everything, the trio were still together and now Martin was back to the Lagos branch to stay for good, it seemed.

Slowly, they made their way back to the lounge area and Lucas was pulled into another drinking competition as the three friends recounted their mischievous deeds all throughout their adolescent days.

"Damn, remember that time when we went to Surulere to go see Judy during school break and I almost lost my life because her parents came back home on time?" Martin recalled, laughing at the memory.

"It's a wonder you're still alive, or even that after everything that happened, you still ended up with Judy," James commented, to which Lucas concurred.

Judy was Martin's all time girlfriend after an eventful Easter journey nearly brought him to death's door. He had left the country after University to go do his master's program in the United Kingdom unbeknownst to him that he had inadvertently gotten her pregnant. Her parents, who were strict disciplinarians and church elders were very disappointed in their only daughter and were working quite seriously to get the single mother married in order for her not to be ostracized. Martin came back just in time to stop the wedding, and then went through hell convincing her parents that he was a responsible man and that he was deserving of his son and their daughter's love. Now, he was happily married to her for four years with a six year old son, Tobi and their two year old twin girls, Catherine and Claire.

"But I did well, didn't I? My clandestine meetings got me closer to the woman I love, and helped get Lucas and Sara together. Even if your marriage hadn't worked out well, you'll admit that it helped you get over your obsession with Karen. Damn, your relationship with that girl was getting sticky. You were getting obsessed with her," Martin said, making a face at the thought.

Lucas grimaced at the memory. "I wasn't obsessed with her. In fact, it was the other way round. She even had the guts to try to seduce me multiple times while I was still married to Sara."

"Well, she succeeded, didn't she?" Martin questioned knowingly. "Not to rub salt in the wound, Lucas, but you should have been careful since you knew how temperamental she was. Of course it was obvious she was going to try to end your marriage to Sara, and she did."

James nodded, casting a glance at Stacy who was having the time of her life laughing uncontrollably at Eden's jokes. "You should have fought tirelessly for the woman you love. I can't even imagine not being with Stacy."

Enraged, Lucas bellowed. "You think I did not fight for us, for our love? Yes, I admit I had let my guard down when it came to Karen but I fought to keep us together. I begged her to stay and listen to me, listen to my side of the story but no, she wouldn't listen, she wanted the easy way out. In the end, I could see we broke up easily because we didn't know each other's capabilities well enough," he explained with a resigned sigh.

The group elapsed into a comfortable silence, watching the people dancing at the bar area. Soon, Stacy came to drag her boyfriend to the dance floor, and Martin joined him too dancing next to a beautiful girl and having fun. Lucas declined the offer to dance, and feeling frustrated left the party.

He was standing at the concierge while waiting for his driver to pull up, when she walked up to him. He turned to admire her red-hot body hugging outfit, and her ever gorgeous body figure. She was always graceful and beautiful, turning men's head wherever she went, and sadly Lucas was a man and definitely not immune to her charms.

She smiled at him, flashing her pearly whites. "Fancy seeing you here. Did you come with Martin?" She asked, referring to the party and Lucas realized that as Martin's childhood sweetheart, she would be invited also.

"No, but I was definitely surprised to see him back in Lagos. I didn't even know he had plans to come back here," he explained, scanning the area for his car.

She nodded. "I can see that you're leaving already, and I was bored at the party, so perhaps we could go somewhere together alone and have fun, maybe," she invited, smiling shyly at him.

His eyes narrowed at the image her words conjured. "I'd rather not, Karen. Thanks for the offer though."

"If it's because of your son, you need not worry. It's way past his bedtime and he won't be missing you. I'll let you go back to him in the morning," she stuttered, sounding desperate.

Lucas began to shake his head in disagreement. "I'd rather be in my bed right now sleeping..."

"But I love you, Lucas. I still do," she cried, reaching out to pull at his arms forcing him to look into her eyes.

For a few seconds, Lucas had the indescribable urge to kiss her and take her up on the offer like old times but he remembered he left a woman waiting for him and it would be most inconsiderate on his part to go hightailing it off with another no matter how luscious or tempting. Truth was that he wanted to kiss someone else right now.

A car pulled up in front of the driveway, breaking the mood. He snapped his gaze up and saw the driver climb down and rushed quickly to the passenger side to pull the car door open.

He smiled on seeing that it was his driver. The perfect escape was here. "It's a pity I'd say, seeing as I love someone else."

Then without a backward glance, marched off in the direction of his car. Once he was inside, the driver ran to the other side, climbed in and drove off.

When the car pulled into the driveway of his mansion, Lucas was extremely tired and sleepy. Slowly, he made his way into the house and paused when he saw Camilla coming down the steps. Since she was the oldest of his employees, she felt she was their mother and made late-night rounds to check up on the household. Most times, the action unnerved Lucas but he had learnt to tolerate it, grateful that she was a caring person.

"Is he asleep? Is Sara still here?" He asked, silently hoping her reply was in the affirmative.

She nodded, moving past him on the steps. "Poor girl was worried about you but I reassured her it was a pretty common occurrence around here. Then she agreed to stay till you returned. Now, both mother and son are sleeping in your bedroom." Then she was off, sauntering in the direction of the servants quarters.

Her words didn't register in his brain until he was at the top of the steps leading to the second floor. The shrewd woman had realized Sara was Freddie's mother. He supposed it was pretty obvious considering mother and son shared similar mannerisms. He pushed open the door of his room quietly, pausing quickly to stare at the two figures under the covers, sleeping soundly in his bed.

He barely took in a breath, not wanting to wake them. The dim light bathed the room with a warm feeling and he had a nostalgic feeling of times he had wished he'd come home to this setting right in front of him. At that point, he would have given everything to have his family with him. But as his thoughts drifted back to reality did he have a foreboding that he might never get what he wanted. She was here because of her son, not because of him and definitely not because she wanted back into his life, or to start afresh with him.

They did say a person could wait and hope, he reflected, moving to go change out of his clothes. After a quick shower, he felt marginally better, then he wore only his pajamas pants and strolled back to his bed, considering the sleeping situation. He had his mind made up for him instantly when he saw Sara was still in the sweatshirt and pants he had given her earlier. Slowly, he bent over his son and gently scooped him up, muttering to the sleeping child.

"Sorry, buddy but you're in my space. So you need to go sleep in your bed and I have to do same." Before marching out of the room.

When he returned to his room, satisfied that Freddie didn't wake when he put him under the covers, he gently eased himself into his bed, not wanting to wake her up. Slowly, he wriggled his body closer to hers and allowed her straying arms to rest on his shoulder. Just before he finally fell asleep, she had half of her body on top of him.

A satisfied grin was heavily etched on his face as he drifted off to dreamland.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I knew Lucas was sneaky, huh? Wriggle slowly close to her on the bed. For someone that loves cuddles, this is really nice. 😍

Uhhh, Karen still loves him whereas he loves someone else?? I'm loving this, and I love you guys for voting and commenting on my book.

Thank you😍😘