By Grace[BWWM]

Twelve

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.