I was going in and out of sleep, hunger and throwing up. It was a really long flight and I hated every second of it. My only saving grace was the man who was with me the entire way, making sure that when I wasn't throwing up, I was at least comfortable.

"As soon as I've dealt with this crisis, we're going to see a doctor. This can't be normal," he said, rubbing my back as I cuddled into him.

I love the fact that even at my worst, he thinks I'm beautiful- and it doesn't get worse than being as sweaty as I was and throwing up to top things off.

"It's normal Laz," I replied lowly.

"No, it isn't. I've heard a lot about pregnancy before, and this, what you're going through, is a tad bit extreme," he countered.

"Maybe it's the flying also?" I offered.

"Maybe, but we're still getting you checked out," he said sternly.

Something tells me that arguing with him is futile.

"So, you never told me what the crisis was exactly," I reminded. If anything, he seems to dodge my question.

"An important and very private document was leaked to the press and now my position as CEO is threatened," he finally informed.

Except I knew he was still hiding something from me.

"So are you going back to do damage control?" I asked.

He nodded. "Nate's holding down the fort in the meantime, but he can only do so much."

"Nate is your best friend, right?" I questioned.

"That's right, and he's also my lawyer and Deputy CEO. Lana is my female best friend, and then there's Ingrid too. Recently, I've realized that I don't know where I stand with Emile," he said.

"How come?" I asked.

He sighed. "When my parents and grandmother died, I refused to accept it for the longest time. Eventually, I started acting out, and my grandfather tried to bear with me, until he couldn't anymore. I was out of control, and Emile was also going through stuff at home, so the two of us got hooked onto the wrong things and got involved with the wrong people. While I was able to prove myself to my grandfather on the business front, Emile's father has never felt that he's ready to take over the family business. Anyway, we very quickly caught the attention of the press for all the wrong reasons, and it stayed that way for years. I was able to go with that lifestyle simply because I was angry, lost and didn't know any better."

"And now?" I whispered.

"Now I know that I can do and be better. I know that there's more to life than just partying and getting drunk and high. I got too good at hiding not only my emotions, but my bad state as well. There was even a time when people thought I had a twin from good I was at hiding my social life from my professional one. Anyway, a year ago, we were out clubbing with Nate and Nate's wife Ginny, when there was a shooting. Ginny died that night and Nate disappeared for the entire year after. I continued with my downward spiral, until that night I was poisoned. That night, together with my grandfather's passing, meeting you and Nate coming back a changed person, I guess I've started to truly re-evaluate what I want to do with my life," he replied.

"Look who's growing up," I said with a smile.

He returned the smile. "It feels good to want to be better. Ever since coming back from Paris, I've had a totally new image. I haven't gone clubbing, I cleared the house of all alcohol, I haven't smoked or taken any drug, and I haven't caused unnecessary scenes in public. I've just stuck to a healthy diet, an exercise plan, and trying to do more for the company. Nate has been a great influence in this new phase because it's the lifestyle change that he also went through. Ingrid hasn't scolded me once about my image, and Lana hasn't tried to kill me. Aside from Sophia being a pest and Emile being pissed off at me for this change, I must admit that it's felt good. There's also this gorgeous woman who told me that I needed to open myself up to good things and good people. I'd like to think that I'm on the right track."

"She sounds really smart, like someone you want to keep for the rest of your life," I said innocently.

He laughed before kissing my forehead and entwining our fingers. "You helped me to change my life and see myself differently even without Nemo in the picture. I want to be the man my grandfather thought I had the potential to be, but most importantly, I want to be the best man for you and Nemo."

Because I was already feeling as hormonal as six women on their period combined, tears rushed to my eyes. I hadn't really shared my feelings with him on my mother leaving my apartment the way that she did.

It absolutely left me terrified.

Nonetheless, as I sat here listening to him, I couldn't help but feel relief spread through me. I'm a realistic person, which is how I know that I should leave room for him to mess up here and there, but I was confident in that he sincerely wanted this life.

That he was going to be there for me every step of the way.

"Remind me to bulk order some Kleenex tissues once we've landed. I need to be prepared at all times," he teased, wiping away my tears.

I laughed. "I'm just happy ok? I'm freaking out about what my dad and my brother are going to say once they find out, but it's comforting knowing that you'll be there every step of the way. I know my girlfriends said the same thing, but it's just not the same you know?"

"I get it. You need someone much closer to the situation to give you that peace of mind," he said.

I nodded. "My best friend still isn't back from wherever she is, so it sucks you know? But at least I have you and that makes everything better."

"Did you tell anyone that you're with me?" he asked.

"Just Connie. She promised she wouldn't tell anyone where I was," I replied.

"There's a high chance that we're going to be captured by the press, and I'm guessing you didn't factor in the possibility of your mom returning to your apartment once she'd cooled down," he commented.

"Shit!" I exclaimed.

"It's ok. Just send her a message telling her that you've left to give our relationship a chance and to give her space to come to terms with the situation. Everything else we'll handle as time goes. I'll call Ingrid and ask her what the plan of action is before we leave the jet," he said.

It was happening again.

It's so strange that hearing this man talk business is what turns me on; aside from him wearing his glasses and being naked of course. I've pretty much been confused about why he hasn't kissed me yet, until I looked into his eyes and saw the indecision in them.

The silly man probably wants to take things slow because he probably thinks everything else in our relationship has gone too fast.

And it honestly makes him even more attractive to me.

"I'm borderline afraid of the look in your eyes," he commented, eyeing me suspiciously.

"Oh, you should be," I responded.

"Pray tell why I should be," he requested.

"Because Laz, I'm thinking of doing things to you that are so far from innocent Dori, it's not even funny," I said bluntly.

I almost laughed as he gulped, suddenly looking very nervous. "I don't know if you're serious or not."

I moved to straddle him and his hands automatically went to my hips (swoon). "Do you really think I'm not?"

"These are your hormones speaking Dori," he commented.

"Is it really though? I haven't stopped thinking about that night in Paris and yet all you've done since we've reunited is avoid being intimate with me aside from hugging and kissing my forehead," I pointed out.

"Because look at where our hormones got us," he commented.

I scowled, slightly hurt. "Are you saying Nemo's a mistake?"

He linked his hands around my waist, bringing me closer to him. "No, not at all. I'm just saying that while I loved every moment we spent together in Paris, then I didn't know where that would go. Right now, you mean a hell of a lot more to me than you did then, and I guess I just want us to do things right. I haven't even taken you out on a date. Just because we're best friends and we're having a baby, doesn't mean the romantic aspect of our relationship should jump out of the window. I want to woo you London Dori Simmons. If we're on the same page as I hope we are, then you love me as your best friend, but I want to make you fall madly in love with me. I want us to have the kind of love story that will not only teach our kids about true love, but that will make them yearn for a love like that."

This freaking man!

He was saying all the right things, and I was honestly a mess on the inside. I was feeling emotional from what he'd said, but I was simultaneously even more turned on. I had mixed feelings about kissing him more in that moment than he'd probably been.

But luckily the decision was made for me.

His soft lips covered mine and I was over the moon as I kissed him back. The sexual chemistry between us is off the charts, and he's without a doubt the best I've ever had. I can't think of being with anyone else, which is why I need this to work.

"I bet you never thought you'd want all of this gremlin love," he joked after we'd pulled apart.

I laughed before kissing him. "You're such a weirdo Laz."

He shrugged. "Eh, only you get to see this side of me, so why not?"

And I couldn't have been happier to hear those words.

We cuddled the rest of the flight and I didn't get sick again. I'd told him to tend to his work, but he refused. He told me that he'd be bombarded by the crisis the moment we land, so he wanted to spend as much time with me as he could before he would have to ignore me.

And I totally understood that.

He told me that he'd ask Lana to stay with me because Ingrid would probably also be busy with damage control. I was ok with that too because I like Lana from the short time that I did speak to her.

We landed and I had to throw up once more. The inconsistent movements of the jet just didn't agree with me. Once I was done, Cuba called Ingrid and asked her for the action plan. She told him that he shouldn't go anywhere and that she and Lana were coming to fetch him.

He didn't exactly disclose that I was with him.

"London?" they both said, visibly surprised.

"Hey guys," I greeted with a smile.

They both glared at Cuba. "So you weren't in Indonesia then."

"No, I wasn't. I knew that the two of you were going to make a big deal out of this, and I just needed to see my best friend without any drama," he defended.

Not mentioning our baby drama.

"And when exactly did you become best friends? I thought you said you hadn't spoken to her," Lana questioned him.

"I may have lied to you about that," he replied.

"You seem to be doing a lot of that," she retorted.

He sighed. "She's Dori."

"Hold on! If she's Dori, then that means you lied to us almost three months ago. Not only did you tell us that you hadn't really spoken to her, but you told us that Dori was a friend you'd known for a while who had reached out to you after hearing about your grandfather," Lana said angrily.

I was actually amused by the whole thing, but given the look on her face, I wouldn't dare laugh.

"Why do you even remember all of that?" Cuba asked her.

"Because of the smile on your face when you spoke about her idiot! She means a lot to you, and apparently, it didn't take a lot for her to," Lana said.

"I'm standing right here," I reminded.

She sighed. "Sorry."

"Look, I'm going to put this in a way that's easy for the both of you to understand. I left my number with you guys and asked that you give it to Cuba. I'm very thankful that you did by the way. He left me a message while I was flying home, and I'm the one who called him back. We hit it off on the phone and we formed the kind of connection that you want to keep hidden from the world for the longest time, hence the birth of Dori and Laz. It's our thing, and we both didn't tell anyone about that bond until recently. He came to find me because I'm pregnant and the baby is his," I told them honestly.

They were both wide eyed, while the idiot man looked amused. "WHAT?"

"Yep! Remember how we met at the hotel and how you later asked me who I'd spent the night with, and I told you it was a one night stand with an amazing man? Well, Cuba here is that amazing man, and fate clearly wants us to be together, so there you have it," I explained.

"This is an information overload," Ingrid commented, rubbing her temples.

"So, what you're telling us is that the two of you have had a secret relationship for the past three months?" Lana asked.

"Not exactly," we replied, to which they raised their eyebrows.

You know when you're talking to someone, and you can just see their brains melting from an information overload? That's exactly what was going on with Ingrid and Lana as Cuba explained how we got to where we were.

"The two of you are the most complicated human beings I've ever come across, and yet I can see the intimate happiness that you say you share between each other," Ingrid commented.

"This is why we need to handle this entire thing delicately," Cuba said.

"I just tagged along because I didn't want to be home," I added for whatever reason.

I didn't miss the confused look the two ladies shared with Cuba.

"Well, Nate is waiting for us at the office, so we'd better get there now," Ingrid suggested. It was eleven in the morning and I was feeling a little tired.

"Can you please stay with her at the house? I'm probably only going to come back late tonight," Cuba requested from Lana.

"Of course! Now that I'm about to be an aunt, I may as well bond with the mother of my future nephew or niece," Lana said, smiling.

"Nephew."

"Niece."

You can guess who said what.

Ingrid laughed. "You guys are so adorable."

We headed out and Ingrid dropped Lana and I off at the mansion. After kissing us, the two of them headed off to the office, while I was gobsmacked at the mansion before me. Mr Diaz had told me all about it. He and his wife had it built from scratch, and it truly was more magnificent in person.

"You look awed," Lana commented.

"I am. Mr Diaz showed me a picture of this place, but the picture doesn't do it any justice," I managed to explain while looking around.

"It is an exquisite piece of architecture. I remember telling Cuba that the first time I came here with him," she said.

"How did the two of you meet?" I asked curiously.

"Before we get to that, would you like anything to eat or drink? I wouldn't want him killing me for starving you," she joked.

I laughed. "I don't know about food since I keep throwing up."

"Let's find you something light, and then maybe you can have some tea," she suggested.

"I hate pregnancy," I said, my nose scrunched.

She shot me a knowing look. "Coffee drinker?"

"Obsessed with it, and now I've been banned from having it," I whined.

"We'll have to see if something can be done about that, but for now, we're sticking to tea," she said.

I can see why she and Cuba get along.

I looked at the photos around the living room while she headed to the kitchen to get us food. There were pictures of Cuba at different ages, but I was especially mesmerized by the family photo with him, I assume his parents and grandmother, and Mr Diaz.

My heart ached a little when I saw the smile on Mr Diaz' face. He looked so healthy and so much younger. He looked like the man who had gone on all the adventures and trips that he'd shared with me.

The cancer had aged and drained him so much that it was like I was staring at a completely different person.

"Do you miss him?" Lana asked behind me.

I turned to face her, wiping the tears away. "I do. He was such a wonderful man, and cancer just robbed him."

"I'm really sorry that you had to go through that London. I can't imagine what it must've been like for you," she said.

"Thanks," I said with a small smile.

"You're welcome. I've made us simple sandwiches so that we can see if your stomach can handle that much. I brought crackers too since I've heard that they also help with cases like this," she said, indicating to the tray on the table.

I beamed as we sat down on the couch. "Thank you so much Lana."

"Once again, you are most welcome. So, Cuba and I met in a club and he automatically assumed that I wanted to sleep with him. I asked him to dance and we set the dance floor on fire. He thought he'd impressed me with his salsa skills, but he didn't expect me to turn out to be a dancer. That's when I truly had his attention and he suggested we leave the club. In the car on the way here, I pointed out that I wouldn't be sleeping with him, and he was furious. He thought I wanted a relationship from him, and once I clarified that I wasn't after that either, he was sceptical of my intentions, even going as far as accusing me of being a reporter and wanting his money. I made it clear that I only wanted to be his friend, and while he was still sceptical, he went with it. He only later learnt that I'm actually a lesbian, hence why I didn't want to sleep with him, and here we are today," she told.

Wow.

"If I may ask, what made you take an interest in being his friend?" I asked.

"Cuba has the memory of a goldfish, so he probably doesn't remember meeting me before that night. I've never told him this before, but I actually met him two weeks before that night. He was having dinner with Emile, and I happened to eavesdrop on their conversation. The more I heard, the more I realized that Cuba was being sucked in by the negativity that is Emile. Everything Emile was saying, Cuba was either finding offensive, or he just didn't agree with. That's when I realized that Cuba was probably stuck in that friendship because he had no one else. I did my research on him and found out that I was right since Nate was away, which meant that the only two people that were then prominent in Cuba's life were Sophia and Emile. That's enough to make a person want to stay drunk and high," she explained.

I was choosing to blame the hormones for what I did next as I threw my arms around her, squeezing her into a tight hug, making her laugh. "What was that for?"

"Thank you for seeing him through my eyes," I said, slightly embarrassed.

"You believe in him too?" she asked.

I nodded. "In Paris, all he could go on about was how people hated him and how he was ok with that. He admitted to me that he was only ok with it because they hated a version of him that even he hated, so he wasn't truly impacted. I could tell then, that not only was he drowning, but that he was giving up on himself altogether. That's why I left him the note that I did. I truly wanted the best for him, and now with where we are, it makes me happy that not only does he see the potential in himself, but he's got friends like you, Ingrid and Nate to help and believe in him."

"Has he told you about Emile?" she questioned.

"Yeah," I confirmed.

"And Nate?" she asked.

I nodded. "Yep."

"What about Sophia?" she asked.

"He told me about what a pest she is," I said, remembering.

"Wow," she said, a scowl on her face.

"What?" I asked.

"When did he tell you about Sophia?" she asked, looking very curious.

"During our third phone call, which was the next day after our first. We had our second that following day also," I recalled.

"You are definitely going nowhere," she told me.

I laughed a little. "Why?"

"Because London, it took him four weeks to truly tell me anything about his relationships with Nate and Emile, and I found out about Sophia by mistake," she informed.

I frowned. "If they were always in the press, how did you find out by mistake?"

"In the press, their relationship is depicted in so many different ways that you can't even tell the truth apart from the lies. I walked in on them having a huge fight, and that's when he told me about the true nature of their relationship. The woman is nuts, and she may prove to be an obstacle for you," she pointed out.

"Oh, I'm not worried," I said, smiling.

She frowned. "You're not?"

"There's only one Dori for Laz, and at this point in time, I'm confident in that no one will ever compare," I said assertively.

"I definitely like you," she said, smirking, making me laugh in the process.

We spent the rest of the afternoon talking and getting to know more about each other, until I was starting to fall asleep. She led me to Cuba's room, and I fell asleep without even giving myself the chance to check the room out.

I was gently shaken awake and it was dark in the room as I opened my eyes to face the figure waking me up. "Hey beautiful."

I yawned as I sat up while he reached for the side lamp. "Hey. What time is it?"

"It's a little after three in the morning. I only came back to check on you since I have to be back at the office in three hours," he informed.

The sheer madness!

I was super concerned. "You haven't slept Laz."

"I know, but I really need to get on top of this," he argued.

"Have you at least eaten?" I asked.

He shook his head. "I don't even think Nate and I noticed. He's downstairs right now on the phone with some foreign investors."

"Alright! Here's what's going to happen. The two of you are clearly still working, even though I highly disapprove, so I'll go and make you both something to eat quickly, and then I want you to at least take a nap. I promise I'll wake you up, but you can't go back into the office looking like this. You need to reboot," I told him.

He smiled. "There's no getting out of this is there?"

"I'm glad you know it," I said.

He leaned in and kissed me. "I'm really glad that you're here."

"I'm really glad to be here," I admitted with a blush.

We left the room and headed downstairs where I could hear a male voice speaking. I assumed it was Nate, but he was speaking another language, so I wasn't entirely sure. I headed to the kitchen while Cuba went to his laptop.

I settled for pasta with stir-fry since it was the quickest meal I could cook, that would also at least fill them up. I dished up for them, but Nate was still on the phone. I made Cuba eat and when he was done, he kissed me before heading up for his nap, leaving me with Nate who eventually got off of the phone.

"Where's Cuba?" he asked me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "Where are your manners?"

"Sorry! I'm Nate, and you must be London," he introduced.

"Right you are. It's lovely to meet you Nate. Cuba's gone to take a nap for a bit. I want you to eat and then do the same," I instructed.

He smiled a little. "There's no getting out of this, is there?"

"Smart man," I said, making him laugh.

"Thank you," he said, accepting the plate of food.

"You're welcome, but I'd like to ask you something," I said.

"Sure," he said before taking a bite of the food.

"Whatever you're dealing with, does it have anything to do with me?" I asked.

His fork froze midway to his mouth. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I know Cuba's hiding something from me about this crisis, so I assume it has to do with me. Please just tell me because I'm pretty sure the stress levels are not good for our baby," I told him.

He sighed. "You can't in any way hint to knowing."

"I promise," I said as I nodded.

"Mr Diaz' will was leaked to the press, and I'm confident that he didn't tell you what the will said. Basically, Mr Diaz gave him three things he has to do. Firstly, he must live out his life like the man his grandfather believes he has the potential to be and fulfil his dreams. Secondly, he has to help you to start up and register your company, and lastly, he has to make you fall in love with him," he informed me.

I went numb.

"What?" I whispered.

"Before you lose your mind, let me further explain. Mr Diaz left everything to Cuba, except he can only access his money once your company is registered, and once the two of you are married. Now, the deadline on this is three months, but Cuba already turned it down," he said.

My eyes widened. "He did?"

"Yep! He turned down assets and an estate worth millions without even thinking twice about it. By then he'd already made the connections about Dori and the woman he slept with in Paris being one in the same, so he refused the money and told Francois to donate it to charity, which is its fate if the wishes haven't been fulfilled within the three months. He said he refuses to use you to gain his inheritance, so he would rather sell off his stuff to make money," he replied.

"Does he need the money?" I asked lowly.

He nodded. "I'm not going to lie to you London. I get that he wants to be romantic about all of this, but his personal finances are already in trouble, and with the way things are going at the company, it's probably next. He needs that money, but he will never agree to this. I've asked Francois to hold off on donating the money, hoping to miraculously change his mind before the three months is up."

I was honestly gobsmacked. The more I learn about who Cuba really is as a person, the more I fail to understand how dark his past must've been for him to be who he was before his grandfather died. The man I'm learning more and more about, and starting to truly fall in love with, is an amazing man who I would give anything to help.

Which is how I knew what we had to do.

"We need to trick him," I said after a while, remembering that Cuba had mentioned that Nate is a lawyer.

"How are we going to do that?" he asked.

"You're going to draw up my company registration documents and arrange a marriage license for us. One way or another, I will be Mrs Cuba Diaz without him knowing."