"Honey bun, when do you plan on going back home?"

"Never."

She and Connie shot me disbelieving looks. "Never?"

"I don't know. I don't think I want to leave," I admitted.

"So you stay here and do what exactly?" Connie asked.

"I don't know. I'm thinking of maybe starting up my interior design business," I replied.

"Since when is your ass interested in interior design?" Fifi asked.

"I got the itch for it on my vacation, so I did this online course and got my short course qualification," I explained.

"What about your writing?" Fifi asked.

I shrugged as I flipped the egg. "I don't know. With the whole internship drama, I've been turned off of writing."

"Ok, while I still don't know the full story with your writing, I'm pretty sure that jumping into an industry with a short course in something that until five months ago, wasn't particularly your interest, isn't wise. How about you start small?" Connie suggested.

I frowned. "What were you thinking?"

"How about starting a design blog? If people like your take on things, then you can grow it from there," Fifi suggested.

"That's actually a good idea," I smiled.

"Does this mean you're coming back home with us?" Connie asked.

I hesitated. "I told Cuba that I'm in love with him."

Their eyes widened. "What? When was this?"

I didn't expect to tell Cuba that I love him at the time that I did, but in the moment, I couldn't not tell him. I'd just randomly woken up to find myself still alone in bed, so I got up to look for him. The last thing I expected was to overhear him talking to my mother in the kitchen at four in the morning.

The last thing I expected was to hear him tell her that he wanted to die.

Granted it was in the past, when I heard those words, my heart dropped to my toes. Listening as he further told his story, tears filled my eyes, while an indescribable pain settled in my heart. It hurt to hear those words, the pain behind them.

But it was also a revelation.

As his words settled in, I could only remember his words to me on our way here in the jet. He told me that he wanted to woo me and make him fall in love with him. Yet, in that moment, I found that I didn't need to be wooed, or at least not in the way that he was intending on wooing me.

I had already fallen in love with him.

I realized that he'd wooed me through the smallest things. He'd wooed me in how considerate he is when it comes to me. He wooed me by paying attention to my every need, even if he didn't agree with it. He wooed me by not giving up on me. He wooed me by buying me expensive gifts and not caring that he did because he only wanted to get a message on them.

He wooed me from the moment he made me the honorary person to call him Laz.

I was sure that I was irrevocably in love with him. Nothing anyone says could change that, and I found that I didn't want to live without him. What that meant exactly was a grey area for me, and I found myself weighing the pros and cons of moving to New York.

I didn't know how to bring up my thoughts with him either, especially now that I knew how he felt about me being away from my family. I didn't even know how I would break the news to my father and JR.

"About five hours ago," I replied. After our moment, I told him to get some sleep and that I'd wake him up later.

"That was four in the morning. What were you doing at four in the morning?" Fifi asked with a raised eyebrow.

I rolled my eyes before telling them what happened, but not entirely what Cuba said. "He wanted to die?"

I nodded. "The amount of pain that hit me when I heard him say that was the nail in the coffin. I realized then that I truly am in love with him. Telling him wasn't planned, but I'm glad I did."

"We can imagine, but what about your dad and JR? Have you even told your mum all of this?" Connie asked me.

Cuba had insisted that Connie stay over with us at the mansion, so it was him, my mother, Fifi, Connie and I in the house. I hadn't seen my mother since her conversation with Cuba, and I knew for a fact that she wasn't in the house.

I didn't know where she was.

"I haven't spoken to my mother since the day before yesterday, and I'm not particularly concerned about where they stand on this. It's my life and my future that I'm considering here," I replied.

"I love that you're taking charge of your life like this, but it's also my responsibility to call you out on your BS. You know damn well you care what they think, and I don't think you should be so nonchalant about this. Even Cuba knows better, and I can promise you that it doesn't make him feel great knowing that he can't do anything to change mum's mind about him, so don't put him in the same position with dad and JR," Fifi told me.

I sighed. "So what exactly do you expect me to do? There's a high chance that they'll be on the same page as mum, which only means this will be a bigger battle to fight. I refuse to let this come down to me having to leave Cuba to make anyone happy."

"So you'd rather it come down to you having to pick between him and your family?" Connie asked. I couldn't help the glare I sent her way.

"Look, I get what Con is saying, and honestly, that is what it's looking like right now, except it also looks like you've already chosen him. We just want you to at least leave some space for your family, even if they take a while to come around. Don't write them off completely," Fifi advised.

"We'll see what dad and JR say," I responded.

"Which means you're definitely coming back with us then?" Connie asked.

I nodded. "I guess I am, but I'm only leaving once everything with Cuba is on track. I'm not going back without him, and neither am I going to be pulling him off schedule. He's got a lot going on right now, and despite what he says, I want to bother him as little as I can."

"Still haven't told him about what you and Nate managed to pull off?" Fifi questioned.

Nate had called me the night before while Cuba was in his office working. He told me about how he and Heather had managed to come up with the perfect plan to confuse Cuba and trick him into signing our marriage license. They basically stacked together a whole lot of things and told Cuba that everything needed signing all at once.

My poor baby daddy must've been too unfocused to notice.

Knowing him though, he probably trusted that Nate had gone through everything before getting him to sign it. If there's one person I'm confident Cuba trusts with his life, it's Nate, and it's not hard to understand why. Nate is pretty awesome, even based on the little bit that I do know about him.

"Nope!" I replied, serving them their breakfast.

"What happens when Cuba's inheritance gets processed and he receives it?" Connie asked.

"Honestly, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," I said confidently.

"Whenever you're this confident about something, one must worry," Fifi teased.

"Shut up," I mumbled, making them laugh.

We enjoyed breakfast together before going to sit by the TV. I learnt that they'd both decided that they'd be going back home in a week's time. I highly doubted that Cuba would be done at work by then, but I didn't say anything, especially since I knew that the board had given him three months to turn things around.

Which probably meant I'd still be here by then.

It also meant that I would be about six months along with Nemo. I was already getting bigger every day, and I loved catching Cuba watching me and my belly. It's no secret that he's probably the most excited between us to have Nemo.

I wonder if the two of us will ever grow this family.

"Lolo," my best friends said softly.

"Hmm?" I replied as I looked up.

"What are you so deep in thought about?" Fifi asked.

"I'm just thinking about whether or not Cuba and I will ever have more kids in the future," I confessed.

"Do you want to have more kids with him?" Connie asked.

I nodded. "I've always wanted to have a family of my own, and I know it's something that he wants as well now that he's lost pretty much everyone close to him. I don't know how our relationship is going to work out, or what kind of parents we're going to be, but I do know that I wouldn't want to experience these things with anyone else."

"Don't you just know all the right things to melt a man's heart?"

I looked up and he was leaning on the doorway with his arms crossed, looking delicious with just his sweatpants on. By the looks of things, he'd just taken a shower, and I was in a trance as I followed the droplets on his naked abdominal area. When I eventually looked up at him, he was smirking.

"Lord have mercy!" Fifi exclaimed the very words I was thinking.

"Good afternoon ladies," he greeted.

"Uh, yeah! I'm just going to take one of your cars and go show Fifi this office space I'm thinking of buying," Connie said as she pulled Fifi up with her.

I barely registered them leaving since my eyes stayed trained on this god of a man before me. He got off the doorway and made his way towards me, moving with a grace I'd only ever seen on wild cats. Hell, he looked like he was about to pounce on his prey.

Alas, he leaned down and kissed me softly. "Hey Mama Dori."

"Hey Papa Laz," I said, suddenly shy.

"Have you eaten?" he asked, caressing my cheek with one hand, while the other balanced him on the couch.

"I ate breakfast with the girls a while ago," I replied. It was two in the afternoon, so I was undoubtedly hungry again.

"Let's go and make some food," he suggested, standing up and offering me his hand.

I didn't expect him to pull me into him once I was standing straight, lowering his head and engaging me in one of our most passionate kisses yet. "What was that for?"

"It's the proper greeting I wanted to give you," he replied, giving me an innocent smile.

"You're a dork," I giggled.

"I know I am, but what are you?" he joked.

"I'm your dork," I said with a baby voice.

He chuckled, running his thumb across my cheek. "That you are my Dorky Dori, that you are."

"I don't think I like that name. I like being your dork, but don't put them together like that," I said as we walked hand in hand to the kitchen.

"Alright, fair enough. Dori's a mess of a name on its own anyway," he teased.

"I truly despise you," I said dramatically.

"Yeah no, that's not what you said ten hours ago," he said cheekily.

"Did you really just play that card?" I asked, my face feeling hot.

"You love me, you really love me," he sang, even adding a little dance.

I laughed, tears escaping my eyes. "Oh God! May Nemo get my dancing skills and not yours."

"Excuse me? My dancing skills are off the charts," he defended as he moved around the kitchen, taking out the things he'd need to make us lunch.

"Whatever you say princess," I taunted.

"Princess?" he said, visibly appalled.

"So, what are you making?" I diverted.

He crossed his arms. "You're not about to breeze past the fact that you called me princess."

"Actually, I am," I said nonchalantly.

"Then I'm not making you any food," he declared.

"Then I won't eat and it will be your fault that Nemo and I starved," I played back.

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "How? How did that come back to bite me in the ass?"

I laughed. "I'm smarter than you Lazzy."

"I think I hate that one even more than princess," he said, deadpan.

I couldn't help but laugh, and our banter carried on as he made us lunch. I don't know where my best friends had gone, but I wasn't about to complain about getting to spend time with him like this, especially after our revelations to each other.

"I want to take you somewhere tomorrow," he said once we were done eating. He'd made some pasta bolognaise which he had with red wine, and I with fruit juice.

"Where?" I asked.

"My parents and grandmother's graves," he replied.

"Were they buried here in the States?" I asked.

He nodded. "I don't think at the time my grandfather saw himself moving to another country."

"Wait! Don't you want to get him brought here then? Have all of them in one place?" I suggested.

"Nah. I like having a reason to go to Paris. Besides, it's where I unofficially met the love of my life, so really, I don't mind going there a million times over," he argued.

Meanwhile I was willing my cheeks to calm the hell down.

"Well, I'd be honoured to come with you tomorrow," I smiled.

He pulled me in so that we were laying down and I was cuddled into him on the couch. "Have you spoken to your mum yet?"

"No," I murmured.

"Dori, you have to at some point," he argued.

"I've stated my case, and she's stated hers. Really, this situation isn't going to be fixed if neither of us are willing to see things from the other's perspective. There's no way that I'm about to agree with her either. She's wrong about us, about me, no matter what doubts she has. Some of the things she said to me were really hurtful, and it's just going to take me a while to come to terms with this new dynamic in our relationship," I countered.

"Dori, I don't want to come between the two of you," he said lowly.

"And you're not. I think this started off being about you, but after our last confrontation, it became clear to me that this is about my relationship with her too. She's always kept me under this umbrella of hers, and she's convinced that I won't last if I'm not under it. I'm determined to prove her wrong on all levels," I explained.

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?" he asked.

I looked up at him and smiled. "Glad you're catching on."

"We live and we learn. What about you going back home?" he asked.

"I'm thinking of going back for a while in three months' time," I informed.

"Why three months?" he questioned.

"Because by then you would've wowed the board members and they'll understand that you need a break, so you'll be able to come with me," I explained.

He frowned. "You want me to come with you?"

"You don't possibly think that I'm facing my dad and brother alone, do you?" I countered.

He sighed. "Dori, I've already caused so much trouble with you and your mum. Are you really sure that taking me with will make things better? Besides, I highly doubt you can stay away from them for that long. They're bound to find out that you're pregnant sooner rather than later."

"I'm still not facing them without you, and neither do I want to disrupt your schedule further. You're going to do what needs to be done for the company, until things are settled and you're free to come with me," I said sternly.

"Why are you so stubborn?" he groaned, hiding in the crook of my neck.

I laughed from the ticklish sensation. "Because I want what's best for us."

He looked up from hooded lashes. "And you think starting World War III is the way to go?"

"We can only hope that there are no casualties," I joked.

"If I wasn't enjoying squeezing your butt, I would so face-palm myself," he chuckled.

"You kinky princess," I taunted.

I squeaked when he lightly bit my cheek. "Stop calling me princess."

"Did you just bite me?" I asked, dismayed.

"Mhmm. In fact, I think I want to lick your face," he said deviously.

I squealed and squirmed in his hold as he licked the side of my face before kissing my face everywhere. I was in a fit of giggles by the time he brought his lips to mine, holding me tenderly so as to not squash me, but also tight enough to let me know that he enjoyed where I was.

"I love you so much Dori," he smiled, moving away the strands of hair that landed on my face.

I leaned in and kissed him again. "I love you so much Laz."

"I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing you say that to me," he said softly, caressing my cheek.

"I'll never get tired of saying it," I confessed.

"Let's go out tonight," he said, suddenly excited.

"Where are we going?" I giggled.

"I don't know. We can go out for dinner and maybe a movie or something. I know that you're not a fan of overly romantic dates, so you can pick," he said.

"Well, now that you're so excited, there's no way I can say no," I replied.

"Yes! We'll leave in the next hour," he said, seriously amped.

We headed upstairs and he went to grab his outfit before leaving the room. He let me use his bathroom while he used one of the guest bathrooms that wasn't being occupied. I felt giddy the whole time that I was getting ready. For some reason, my thoughts travelled back to that night in Paris and I couldn't help but think about how far we'd come from then.

How grateful I was for that night.

That night truly is the night that my life changed. While meeting Mr Diaz was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me, meeting his grandson was completely life changing and I thank God every day for sending them to me.

I got dressed in a cute floral dress that flares out from just under my bust, so it was perfect for hiding my baby bump. I paired it with denim wedge heels and a matching denim jacket, before accessorizing simply. I kept my make-up subtle and combed my hair out after drying it. It was now the length of a bob, and I'd really have to look into going to a salon to get it sorted out.

When I was done, I Ieft the room with my clutch bag in hand and went looking for him. I found him downstairs, running a hand through his hair while he looked into one of the décor mirrors. He looked incredibly handsome in dark jeans, a denim dress shirt, a leather jacket and dark sneakers.

"Oh princess, don't tell me you have a thing for mirrors as well."

He turned and was about to hit me with his comeback, when instead his eyes widened as they landed on me. I blushed since he was looking at me like he couldn't believe that I existed. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times but nothing came out, so I walked over and kissed him.

"You look handsome yourself," I complimented.

"You don't look handsome Dori. There's no word in the dictionary to describe how magnificent you look right now," he said seriously.

"Well, magnificent is definitely a start," I winked.

He chuckled. "That it is. You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I replied.

"We're going to have to drive around to find a restaurant where you don't need to book," he informed.

"I don't mind anything that we do tonight. As long as I'm with you," I admitted.

He beamed at my words and we headed out. I was thankful that Connie and Fifi hadn't taken his SUV, but he wasn't happy to find out that they took his favourite sports car. He was complaining about how they'd warned him that they would drive it and he hadn't believed them.

"Why would you not believe them?" I asked curiously.

"I was naïve to think they had boundaries," he admitted.

I snorted. "Ha! Boundaries! You're one of us now, which means they're not afraid of you or the repercussions that come with things like taking your favourite car out for a drive."

"They don't even have the legal right to drive in this country," he argued.

"Because that's going to stop them from driving a fancy car?" I laughed.

He sighed. "To think I thought they were the responsible ones."

"How's it feel to be wrong princess?" I taunted.

"I think for every time you call me princess, I'm going to not kiss you for a week," he said.

"You wouldn't survive," I said confidently.

"I survived three months without kissing you Dori. A week is nothing. Besides, I'm not the one with the pregnancy hormones," he pointed out.

I glared at him. "Fine! I won't call you princess anymore."

"Who's a good Mama Dori?" he teased.

"Not this one if you keep talking to her like she's a puppy," I warned.

He chuckled. "I keep forgetting about your violent tendencies. I hope Nemo doesn't adopt them."

"Hey, she's going to have a fighting spirit. You've got to learn to look at some of these things as upsides," I argued.

He laughed harder before kissing my hand. "Well I definitely hope he gets your talent of spinning negative things into positive things. It's a valuable skill."

We laughed the rest of the way to the strips of restaurants. When we got there, it was hard for me to pick one, so he spun me around in circles and made me point to one. We ended up heading to a four star Italian restaurant that didn't require prior booking.

We had a lovely dinner, and for once, I made him happy by ordering a fairly healthy meal. We went and watched a movie after that, and he was beyond disgusted by the combinations that I was making with my movie snacks.

"Growing up, what did you want to be?" he asked me as we walked hand in hand in the park. It was late out but the sky looked amazing.

"Honestly?" I asked, to which he nodded.

"I wanted to be a stripper," I confessed.

A hearty laugh escaped him and we even had to stop walking for him to regain his breath. "A stripper?"

"I walked in on JR watching a not so suitable for kids video and I was mesmerized by all the money these girls were making from just pole dancing and what not. I asked JR about it, and he knew that there was no point in lying to me. He explained to me how being a stripper works, obviously given me the watered down version then, but I was still sold. I was lazy back then and I hated school, so anything that didn't require me to study sounded like a dream," I explained.

He doubled over in laughter and I shook my head at him, smiling, before heading to the carousel in the distance. There were no kids in sight, and it wasn't moving. I headed over and sat on one of the horses before he joined me once he'd calmed down from his laughing.

"What did you want to be?" I asked.

"A policeman," he replied.

I frowned. "How come?"

"I wanted to investigate my parent's and grandmother's accident since to this day, they haven't exactly given me the answers I want. I only let it go because I realized that I was holding onto something I would never get the answers to," he replied gloomily.

I cupped his cheek. "I don't know if I've said it to you in our time together, but I'm so sorry for everything to do with your family and how you lost them. I'm so sorry for how you were left alone, and I know that your grandfather was definitely sorry for not trying harder with you."

"He tried the hardest he can Dori, but you can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped, and at the time, I really didn't want to. My greatest regret is not being able to thank him for all he did for me despite my stubbornness. I mean, after everything, he still left everything to me and me alone," he said, before his eyes widened.

"What's wrong?" I asked, though I already knew.

He wasn't supposed to say that last bit.

"It's nothing. We should probably get home. I don't want you to catch a cold on my account," he said.

I let it slide. "Ok, but we're stopping for ice-cream and donuts first."

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "Of course, we are."

"It's a craving," I said nonchalantly, shrugging.

He pulled me into him by my waist, Nemo slightly breaking us apart. "Thank you for humouring me tonight. It's one of the simplest dates I've been on, but I've enjoyed it more than any other I've ever been on."

"When it comes to dates, it's all about the company, and you kind Sir, scored big time," I said innocently.

He chuckled. "That I certainly did."

I reached up to kiss him. "I love you Cuba Papa Laz Diaz."

"I love you too London Mama Dori Diaz," he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

Wait, what?