Two Years Ago

"He's on the way now, Lailah. I know that you don't understand me, but I want you to have fun." Vanessa cooed to her sweet little angel.

She was going to Mason's house for the weekend and though Vanessa didn't want to see him, she was going to rough it. Lailah loved her father, so she would get through seeing him for a little while.

Mason rarely spoke to her when he picked up Lailah, but when he did. She shuddered at the memory from two months ago.

She wasn't going to dwell on negative thoughts. Her therapist was a wonderful help in coping with the loss of Mason and seeing him as a man instead of a savior or hero.

It was a long process, but Mason was now a man. She didn't love him anymore, but she couldn't deny him. It broke his heart when she didn't listen to him.

"Why are you dressed that way?" Mason's voice boomed as he walked towards her.

She looked down at her outfit and didn't see a problem with it. "Um, I-" She tried explaining.

"You what? You're dressing like a hooker in front of my daughter!" He yelled and his veins popped out of his neck. "Gosh, you make me so annoyed." He huffed and snatched Lailah from her hands.

Tears poured down her face as her heart crumbled. Her intentions were never to make anyone upset, but it seemed like she always found a way to make him upset. "I-i'm sorry! I didn't mean to do anything to upset you, please understand."

Mason narrowed his eyes at her and shook his head. "You can dress like a hooker all you want, but you will never find a man who wants you. Men don't want a woman with a child, you'll be an old maid forever." He spat at her and walked away, leaving her heart and soul in the dust.

As Vanessa cried, she knew that he was right. It hurt her soul, but he was right. Mason might've been a mean man, but he was honest.

-

Present Time

It had been two or three weeks since Vanessa left Miami, she wasn't quite sure how long it was because life got a little hectic when she got back home.

Work demanded most of her time because when she left, everyone supposedly forgot how to function without her, so things went haywire with her clients. Thankfully, the people she worked with were forgiving, as they remembered the mood of her entire company. They gave her grace and she worked out their problems by the grace of God.

She was grateful to have a successful business, but she missed Reid. They saw each other as much as they could, but it was tough only getting to spend a few hours with him throughout the week.

If she could go back to Miami, she would do it in a heartbeat. Everything was perfect, she didn't once worry about Mason, who strangely hadn't bothered her since Reid talked to him, and she was surrounded by people who enjoyed her for who she was.

She sighed sadly as she thought about Cabbrieli. Reid didn't say much about him in the past weeks, but she knew that they were both missing each other. Cabbrieli was a fun guy and she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he lived in Miami with no one to keep him company. And according to Reid, he didn't even have a girlfriend, so he was certainly lonely.

"Poor, Cabbrieli." She murmured without noticing.

"Nessa!" Her mother, Jenna's voice brought her out of her trance. Suddenly, Vanessa remembered that she was at game night with her family. Oopsie daisy.

She looked up and hummed. "Yes, mama?"

Her parents, along with Eva and Lucas looked at her with wide eyes. "Who is Cabbrieli?" Jenna asked with a slight tone.

Lailah, who was eating animal crackers, beamed. "He's my tall friend," She answered proudly.

Vanessa laughed at her answer and softly pinched her cheeks. "You're so cute," She kissed Lailah's cheek happily. Lailah really liked Cabbrieili, it made her glad to know that he was nice to her little girl.

"Who's this tall friend?" Her father, Lucas Sr, asked.

Vanessa looked away from her baby and noticed that everyone was still staring at her. She wasn't sure why. She didn't say anything bad.

"Um, he's Reid's son." She was getting a little uncomfortable.

Eva pursed her lips and scratched her head. "I didn't know that he had a son, there's nothing about him in the news, or even on Google."

The room fell silent and they all stared at Vanessa waiting for her to answer.

"Why would this man be in the news or on Google? Who is he? He better not be a criminal or something crazy," Jenna's voice raised as she spoke.

Vanessa was ready to go home. No one yelled at her at home. It was just Lailah's sweet childish voice and nothing more.

"Is he married?" Her father asked.

"Why haven't we met him yet?" Lucas pressed.

Her eyes shut tightly and an image of Mason filled her head.

'Why don't I know what's going on? Are you keeping secrets from me! God, I can't believe you!' Mason's angry and loud voice filled her ears. 'We're supposed to be husband and wife! Stop keeping things from me! Why would they tell you and not tell me? This is just so unbelievable!'

She couldn't take this any longer. "No!" She screamed and opened her eyes, trying to get Mason's face out of her head.

The chatter came to a stop and Vanessa's heart dropped. Her hand shot to her mouth and she shook her head. "I-i'm so sorry," Her voice cracked from screaming. She never screamed, God, she hated screaming.

She picked up Lailah from her seat and rushed to her car. She wanted to just rewind time and keep herself from yelling, but that's not how life worked.

She was just driving. She didn't know where she was going to end up, but she didn't care. As long as she got away from her family.

-

"I just don't see why you need my property when you've just purchased land in Miami." Hayes said dauntingly.

Reid was over this process. It didn't seem like this property was worth the investment anymore, Hayes was ruining the joy that usually came with buying land.

"I'm a businessman, Hayes. You know that. It's not about being greedy, it's about knowing what a good investment looks like. Your property is at the center of the biggest tourist hotspot and I'm willing to go up on my offer." Reid explained calmly. He wasn't calm at all, in fact, he was angry. Hayes loved taunting him with a possible yes, and at the last minute, he'd change his mind.

Hayes sighed mockingly. "Just give up. I'm not selling this property today, or tomorrow."

"I'm not a q-" He started to say, but the doorbell rang. He wasn't expecting anyone and only three people knew his address.

"One second, Hayes." He said and walked to the foyer.

Hayes scoffed and continued yapping in his ear. For a posh businessman, Hayes was petty and childish.

Ignoring the annoying rant of Hayes, Reid looked at the security screen and saw Vanessa and Lailah. A smile lit up his face at the sight of his two favorite girls.

"What a great surprise! You look beautiful, Vanessa." He kissed her cheek and moved out of the way so they could come in. "My house is your house, I'll be right back."

Vanessa looked surprised at his words, but instead of speaking, she just took a seat on the couch.

Lailah, on the other hand, tugged on his free hand and beamed at him. "Hi!" She said happily.

Reid picked her up and walked to the kitchen. "Would you like some juice?" He asked, and she nodded.

He opened the fridge and pulled out a small container of apple juice. "One second, angioletto." He was going to devote all of his time to Vanessa and Lailah. Hayes was being a pain anyway, so he was happy to end the call.

"I understand that right now you don't want to sell. Call me when you're ready." Before Hayes could answer, Reid ended the call.

He walked back to the living room and sat next to Vanessa. She was so beautiful. He didn't know if she wore makeup or not, but either way, she was stunning.

Lailah's small hands made their way to his face and squeezed his cheeks. "You're cute!" She gushed and hugged him.

Little Lailah was the sweetest little girl he'd ever met, she made him feel much younger than he was. Her energy challenged him to be active. In short, he loved both mother and daughter immensely.

"So are you, dear." He said and kissed her cheek. "I'm very happy to see you, Vanessa. You look troubled," He noted after observing the woman he loved.

She wore a smile, but it was fake. Someone must've said something to hurt her.

"Has Mason tried anything?" He would visit Mason, and this time he wouldn't be so kind.

Vanessa shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. She looked amazing. It was so easy to be distracted when she was around. "N-no. Thankfully since you've talked to him, he's been invisible." She smiled and held his hand. "I can't thank you enough for that," She murmured.

"I would do it again. I like seeing you happy,"

Vanessa smiled and this time it was genuine. Though she still looked a little sad. "It was my family. They were asking about you and it was all so overwhelming," She sighed and leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I-i was so upset, they were all talking at the same time and it reminded me of, it reminded me of Mason. I didn't know what to do, so I left." She explained shakily.

"Sing, mommy!" Lailah exclaimed out of the blue, making them both laugh.

Vanessa pinched Lailah's cheeks. "You sing! Better yet, let Reid sing." She wiggled her eyebrows and poked his side.

"I have a better idea. I will sing, another day, and we will go to the carnival. It's fun and angioletto, you can ride the rides. And on another day, I will sing." Reid suggested. He would've sung, but the carnival sounded more attractive than hearing his own voice. It wasn't bad, he wasn't a cocky man, but he knew how good his voice was. He'd just rather see Lailah and Vanessa enjoying themselves, they deserved to have fun.

Lailah gasped and looked at Vanessa and then back at Reid. "Carnival is like Disney! Let's go!" She cheered and hopped off of Reid's lap.

Reid looked into Vanessa's eyes and smiled. "What do you say, cara? Would going to the carnival please you?"

-

"Oh my God! That was so much fun! I-i haven't had this much fun in years!" Vanessa shrieked with joy, not even noticing how loud she was being, which wasn't very loud at all, but louder than her normal soft tone.

Reid kissed her cheek and she leaned into his embrace. "You don't seem like a person who'd enjoy rollercoasters, but you learn something new every day."

Lailah, who was horrified, shook her head. "I was scared!" She cried out and shoved her head into Reid's neck.

"Shh, angioletto. We will ride all of the calm rides just for you." Reid cooed and rubbed her back.

Vanessa's heart always fluttered when she was around Reid, but seeing him interact with her little girl gave her peace about being with him. Mason was wrong and Reid was living proof of that fact.

"You are quiet now, amore mio. May I have, how you say, a penny for your thoughts?" Reid asked as they walked to the next ride.

What was she thinking about other than how wonderful he was? "I'm just thinking about you." She answered honestly, but then she changed the subject. "Let's go on the Ferris Wheel, Lailah will like that." Talking about feelings wasn't something that she was used to. Mason always dismissed her feelings.

Reid gently gripped her waist and kissed her. "You can trust me, Vanessa. Your feelings are important to me and if I'm being honest, I think about you all the time." He told her seriously and led them to the Ferris wheel.

"You'll be in the next carriage," The attendant told Reid and he nodded.

Reid's hand rested on the small of her back and helped her into the carriage. Vanessa reached for Lailah to help her into the carriage, but she clung to Reid.

He chuckled softly and got into the carriage with Lailah glued to him.

"Is it scary?" Lailah asked as the carriage moved into the air. "I see people!" She said while looking over the side.

Vanessa sighed. She was so happy and her little girl was too. She hadn't dealt with Mason in weeks and Reid. Reid is someone who came into her life and turned everything around but in the best way possible.

"You look happy, amore. I love seeing you this way," Reid commented filling the silence with the romantic sound of his voice.

Vanessa looked away from the scenery and kissed his cheek. "I am happy, Reid. It's because of you, thank you." She said softly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Don't thank me for adoring you, cara. I love you and it makes me happy when you're happy. You and angioletto." He kissed her temple and held her hand.

I love you. He loves me. "I love you too, Reid." Vanessa's heart was pounding in her chest. She was genuine but nervous out of her mind. Those were serious words.

"And I love you!" Lailah kissed both of their cheeks and grinned.

Reid laughed and ruffled her hair. "I love you too, Lailah." His eyes were nearly closed from how wide his smile was.

Vanessa bit her lip to contain her smile. Oh, God. She was happier than happy. She was felicitous.

-

Authors Note

Woah y'all!

They love each other!😪 we been knew that Reid loved Vanessa, but now we know that Vanessa loves Reid! 👏🏽👏🏽

Also....just want to check on my Mason haters? Y'all doing alright? I know it's been a while since you've seen him in present time action, but he'll be here soon, I promise!

Back to what's important!

I wonder what's going to make Hayes sell to Reid....hmmm...y'all will see later😌

I just really love Vanessa and Reid's relationship. They're so sweet and they both care for each other. It's nice to see somebody being considerate 😪

Next chapter we get a much needed intimate date for our loves...😉 maybe a little steam too

Anywho! I don't want to say too much, so see y'all on Friday!

Side note: this Monday - Wednesday thing felt much longer than usual. It felt like five days since I updated!

Bye bye!