Becca.When James came to find me, I was rather pleased. I was enjoying my time with Neal, but I had come with James, and he had promised an evening with me, even though the current conversation between Neal and James seemed anything but pleasant."The auction is about to start, so I think we should take our seats," James said, holding his arm out for me, which I slowly took."That's wonderful. What's the charity this year?" Neal asked as he followed behind us."The money goes to the breast cancer society to help with treatments," James said hesitantly as his eyes met mine.I wasn't sure if he had remembered my mother, but if he did, then he would have known my mother died from breast cancer. I hadn't realized this was what the charity gala was for, but now that I knew, it brought back memories.Holding myself together, I let James lead me to the table where we would be sitting. I had imagined the rest of the evening would go well, but instead, I found that Allison and Tall

James.The night was supposed to be perfect, but once again, my ignorant ex-wife ruined it. It seemed, no matter what I tried to do with Becca, Allison couldn't get it through her head that I was happy and didn't want her.After years of not dealing with her, the first time I take an interest in a woman like this, she acts out. Sitting in my office at my house, I chased back another glass of whiskey and looked at the clock. It was close to 6:00 in the morning, and I still hadn't found the courage to go see Becca. I should have followed her last night, but I couldn't. Becca was angry, and she had every right to be. One thing I had learned, though, is when a woman is angry, it's better to give her space to calm down instead of constantly giving her something to be pissed off about.So here I sat. Staring at this stupid f*cking photo on the wall in my office. I wasn't sure why I bought it. It was gloomy and depressing, or at least I thought so.Everything about its dark shad

Becca.Four days passed without another word from James. Our conversation weighed on my mind a lot, but I found myself busy doing other things to keep myself preoccupied, whether it was enjoying drinks and dinner with Allegra and Neal or simply even just taking time for myself.I had wondered if Miami was going to leave a nasty taste in my mouth, but in reality, it wasn't. I simply had been too caught up in bullshit to have fun.Walking down to the cafe near the apartment building, I looked forward to the breakfast tea latte they offered and a blueberry muffin. I was an addict for caffeine, and considering I had been so preoccupied lately, my recurring headaches ended up resulting from no caffeine. Something I would make up for by the cup full–or twenty.As the door chimed, I walked in to spot the usual bright, cheerful barista. "Becca… your usual sweetie?" she asked with a smile."Yes," I laughed. "Am I that obvious?""Oh, sweetie, you are the only person I know that

James.The moment I received the text from Becca, my chest squeezed with the idea that something was wrong. We hadn't spoken in a few days, but that didn't change the fact that I cared for her. I had been doing exactly what she asked me to do. I was sorting out the issues with Allison. Becca had been right when she told me I needed to sort my ex out. Allison had been nothing but a complication for Becca and I. I couldn't believe it took me being on the verge of losing Becca for good to realize I didn't want to.I couldn't lose her. The thought of it was too much to bear.Pulling up to the house, I made my way inside and to my office. I had a virtual meeting I was to attend, and only a few minutes to prepare for it.That was, until I got the text from Evette that the client was going to have to cancel."Shit. Of course, they are." The client was more than annoying, and if I couldn't get them to agree to the deal I had provided, it was going to complicate things furthe

Becca.As the plane took off from the airport, I tried to come to terms with what I had done. I was leaving Miami with Neal and headed back north to the lands I knew. It was disheartening to know things had gone as bad as they did, but I accepted it.Glancing over at Neal, I saw that he was busy typing away on the laptop in front of him. The man had been on one business call after another, and it reminded me that just because someone has money that doesn't mean they don't work for it.Like James, Neal was a busy, successful proprietor.It now made sense why he said he didn't want to leave his partner when he had to go off to another location. He wants to be part of the relationship and not constantly away. Which was sweet, but seemed lonely."Thank you for letting me catch a ride."Looking up at me, he smiled. "You don't have to thank me. I'm more than happy to help you out.""Why though? I mean, you barely know me."Neal looked at me for a moment, as if contemplating w