Ian POV

I looked across the huge banquet room and felt menacing eyes staring in my direction. It was Darren, the unmerciful ex-boyfriend of Mona. What did she ever see in him? He looked at me with a crooked smile on his face. Oh how I wanted to wipe it off.

"Our table is over there," Mona said grabbing my hand leading us to the front of the stage. Ann stood up and looked at me with upset eyes. "It's her fault, I kept trying to tell her Ann, but she wanted us to be late," I said throwing Mona under the bus. If eyes could kill, Mona would have had me disintegrated.

Ann hugged us as we sat across from her grandparents. A lady sung a beautiful rendition of Amazing Grace. The founder members were presented with a nice plaque as Mona's grandmother received hers. The slide presentation started of how the money was going to help runaways. There were several pictures of Mona, her mother and grandmother, painting and teaching the kids at a youth center.

The announcer came back on stage as asked the following people to stand due their large contributions. Each name was called including mine. I wasn't expecting this. "Ian Harrington and Mona Harris please come to the stage and receive your award. I looked at Mona and Ann in surprise.

"Go ahead baby," Mona nudged me. We stood up as people clapped. I wasn't really the flashy type and awards did nothing for me. I did it because I wanted to help out a good cause and of course make a good impression. We made it to the stage and Mona went in front of me.

"Mona Harris this award is for countless hours of your time with the youth in this community. You have served as Director, financial advisor, teacher and friend to those that have had nothing. The teens in our community voted you as Bridgewater's Community Woman of Year for 2013. Congratulations," the announcer said. She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek. She said a few words and then it was my turn.

"Mr. Harrington is new sponsor this year. Thanks to Ms. Mona Harris. She moved away and still bringing in sponsors." Everyone laughed and clapped. "This award is just a little token of our appreciation from your extremely large donation. We hope you continue to partner up with the Bridgewater Community and we look forward to a lengthy partnership." The announcer handed me the award. I wasn't much on public speaking.

"Thank you for this award. Sorry I didn't have a speech prepared. I will say that the Bridgewater Community has taken a step in the right direction to decrease the number of runaways and place them in good homes on where they can be afforded educational opportunities and help achieve life goals. I consider myself fortunate that Ms. Harris has opened my eyes to an organization that is leading the crusade to help our young children. Thank you again for this prestigious award and I will hang it proudly."

Mona took my hand and we walked off the stage as people stood and clapped.

"You ought to see the women salivating over you," she said.

"Want to dance?" I asked as the music began to play. We sat our awards down and walked out to the dance floor as Maxwell's, Pretty Wings, was being sung by the lead singer. We danced as I twirled her around. She laughed as I dipped her and we enjoyed the night.

"I need to go to the restroom," she said as the song was going off.

"I'll walk you," I said. I didn't trust Darren and I wasn't sure if he was still here or not.

"That was a surprise," she said as we walked out the ballroom.

"Yeah, it was. I am not big on taking awards and things."

"Well you did an excellent job on the off the top of the head speech. I was very proud of you," she said pulling my head down and kissing me.

"People will see us remember," I said mocking her.

"I don't care anymore. You are all mine and I want everyone to know."

I couldn't help but smile. She was starting to loosen up and I was glad. I knew things would probably be different back in New Orleans, but we would take one step at a time.

"Be right back," she said as she entered the restroom.

Mona POV

I walked in and found a stall near the back. I wasn't showing but after seeing Tiffany today, my bladder had started to become overactive. I finished up and flushed walking out the stall.

A beautiful black woman stood in front of the mirror. Her skin was cinnamon with long black hair. It came down her shoulders in big bouncy curls. Her dress was a deep purple and her makeup was flawless. I smiled at her.

"Congratulations on your award and by the way I love your dress."

"Thank you. It was a surprise and your dress is gorgeous also," I said.

"Thank you, my old fiancé bought it for me years ago. Vintage Versace."

"Well he had great taste."

"Yes he did. He was good to me. His father on the other hand was something else. His father didn't like his son dating a career driven black woman. I think he thought I was going to turn his son against him."

"Sorry to hear that," I said washing my hands.

"Looks like you and that young handsome man are more than acquaintances."

"He's my wonderful boyfriend. I'm so lucky to have him."

"Girl you better be careful, there are women right outside that will try to take him in a heartbeat."

"They would be a fool if they did. I don't play fair when it comes to my man."

"I hear a challenge to all women," she said laughing.

I didn't see anything funny. Was she trying to get me to catch a case?

"Sorry it was just a joke. I'm sure he is fine outside by himself."

"I think you are right. It's probably time for me to go back." I looked at her and rolled my eyes.

Ian was sitting outside on his phone. He had his head in his hands. I stood in front of him and I could see sadness in his eyes.

"I will be there by morning," he said to the other person on the end of the line. He hung up and put the phone back in his pocket.

"What's wrong?"

"My dad slipped into a coma a couple of hours ago."

"I'm so sorry," I said walking between his legs and putting his head on my stomach. I rubbed his hair. Although he and his father didn't get along it was still painful to lose a parent. He wrapped his arms around my waist. I bent down and kissed the top of his head.

"Come on let's go back in and finish our night."

"We can leave Ian. It's not any trouble. You need to spend some time with him. It's been years and maybe you can make some type of peace before it's too late. Losing a parent is not fun and no matter how stubborn you both are, you would not have been here without him. You are his son Ian, he really needs you now more than ever even if he doesn't know it."

"I love you," he said looking up at me.

"I love you too. Let's go."

We said our goodbyes and left. We sat in the back of the limo and I held his hand. I placed it on my stomach and rubbed. He looked at me and pulled me closer to him. We grabbed our things from my mother's house and went straight to the airport.

I checked my email and voice messages after we got settled on the plane. Ian brought me a glass of orange juice and sat next to me. He put my feet in his lap and rubbed them.

"Want to talk?" I asked him. He was quiet and looked down.

"When I lost my mother, I thought my world had slowly disappeared. She wasn't just my mother but my best friend. My father was too busy running all over the world starting up his business. My mother actually gave him the money to start Durand Textiles and later on Shipping. All my mother ever wanted was a faithful husband and children. My dad managed to give her a child, but that's about it. She loved him, don't get me wrong, it was his affairs that really broke up the marriage. That's why we stayed on the island. She figured she didn't have to see it if she was secluded."

"That had to be hard for her."

"I think it was at first, but eventually it became a part of life. I hated him for so long and after she died the hatred became worst. He came in and ripped me from the only place I felt I belonged. He sent me to boarding school and I tried everything to get kicked out. Smoked pot, vandalism, became part of a fight club and even stole a car."

I was shocked. He stared at me and shook his head.

"See I'm not a perfect angel as you thought I was," he laughed.

'No one is."

"Well he found out and sent me to Switzerland to a prepatory school until I graduated. I excelled there and ended up at Oxford University, where I graduated at the top of my class and moved to New York.'

"Wow such a world traveler."

"I guess you can say that. Worked at a brokerage firm and a few years later opened my own. D & H Investments. I wanted to make a name for myself and not be dependent on my families wealth, so I created my own."

"That's admirable of you." He started massaging the other foot.

"I met Zara a few years later in Chicago when I was doing a presentation for her company. She was an intern and she was attending NYU. She had a brilliant mind."

"Sure she did," I said a little jealous.

"All seriousness she was. She had beauty but her intelligence was what most attracted me. She was under the radar. I asked her out although she was four years younger than me but she never acted like it. She was mature and I fell in love. After about a year, I took her to the island and I proposed. She said yes and I thought I would spend the rest of my life with her." He looked away as if it still affected him.

"You don't have to talk about her," I said. I could see pain of losing Zara was buried but not deep enough.

"It's okay. I don't really talk about her because even after these years I still miss her, but the love I once had for her has subsided. I found my dream girl and soul mate and she is sitting right next to me."

"You're so sweet."

"I mean it. Loving you is completely different from the way I love her." He leaned over and kissed me.

"When I got the call that Zara was in a car accident, I had no idea that she would die. By the time I got to the hospital she was already dead. They told me that she was so badly injured that I wouldn't even be able to recognize her. Her family can and took the body and even at her funeral it was a closed casket. I never really got to say goodbye. I visited the gravesite once a week until one day I realized she wasn't coming back no matter how hard I prayed or wished her back she was gone. My life felt so empty until I went to Cason's party and met Alexis. She said she had a friend that she wanted to introduce me to, and that's when the plot thickened.

"You do know I got pregnant that night in the bathroom or either that one week we spent together."

"I figured as much."

"I still can't believe you did all this just to meet me. I should be angry with Alexis but I can't. I still can't believe we did that in the bathroom. That was so not me."

"I didn't think it would have happened. I was actually on my way up to the party to meet you. I was in town and Alexis told me to come. She had showed me your picture so long ago that when you bumped into me, it startled me. Who would have known you would have taken advantage of me?"

"Well I was drunk and you could have told a girl no."

"A man would have been crazy to turn down a beautiful woman like yourself and by the way, you sobered up a bit. Don't think I didn't see that."

"Whatever Ian!" We both laughed.

"I wondered why you never called."

"I lost your card. It wasn't on purpose, I dropped it and when I went back to find it, I couldn't so I wrote you off, but I thought about you a lot and to be honest, I was super excited to know that Blaze was you."

"And if it wasn't me?"

"I guess things would have been jacked up and you would have missed out on all of this," I said wiggling my legs.

"And you talk about me?"

"Hahaha, you're so funny mister."

I yawned trying to cover it up. My eyes were getting heavy as I could barely keep them open.

"Let's go take a nap, we should be landing in another hour," he said helping me up. He guided me to the nice fluffy queen size bed and before my head hit the pillow I was already sleep.