“Wow, I guess that’s one of the sacrifices people make in relationships.” Lorence said.

“It’s a whole lot more. You need to love each other, understand each other and communicate effectively for other things to fall in place. Your partner’s views will not always conform to yours and vice-versa, but you both need to learn to respect your choices and not argue to force opinions down each other’s throats.” Margie added.

“You are indeed an angel. We should set up an office for you to counsel people though.” Lorence said.

“If you will agree to be the co-owner of the office and handle some counseling sessions.” Margie answered.

“If we do that, we will grow bankrupt.” Lorence teased.

Lorence was not quite sure how she would cope with the knowledge that she would have to bend sometimes, but she knew that she was in already, and did not want to be the one to chicken out only because she had issues about uncertainty. “I can pull this off. If we have stayed together for some months without any issues, then it’s no big deal. I just need to pay more attention to him and his views.” Lorence thought to herself.

Jaden was not as conflicted as Lorence about the relationship, and everyday seemed to give him a new burst of energy whenever he thought about the woman in his life. More than ever he wanted to be by her side, protect her, provide for her, and be her all round support, but she was preventing him from doing all of those, and sometimes it made him feel helpless when he wanted to do something for her but could not because he had no idea how the gesture would be interpreted. He had never met anyone who had a strong principle about independence like Lorence, and it fascinated him.

Dealing with Lorence was a new turf for him, because in times past, he was used to being in control and getting his way with women; and in fact because he was affluent, women were always at his beck and call, wanting to do whatever he asked of them, and worshipping him for what they hoped they could get from him. Jaden had never quite experienced requited love; because all the women he had been with had shown that they were only after the material things that he made available, and did not really care whether he was well or not, but on the flip side, he could control them however he wanted, and they were always so obedient.

However, Lorence was a different breed, and even though sometimes he wished he could make her do his bidding, he loved the fact that she could think for herself, and he also loved that she was not one to conform to standards and principles that did not agree with hers. He loved her intelligence, and also loved the fact that even though he did not agree with some of her views, she was learning to accept him and his views without having to force him to accept hers. He also understood that he needed to accept her and her views without making a fuss over it.

For Jaden, one thing was certain, and that was the fact that he knew Lorence loved him. When they got back from the vacation, Jaden noticed that she called and texted him more than before, and it made him feel loved and cared about; he was glad that he finally mattered to someone, and it always made him excited because he had never really been in that position before. Lorence loved and cared about him in her own way, and Jaden did not want to trade her attention for anything else, because he believed that meeting someone else that was as principled as her was a rarity, and so he did not want to do anything that could mess things up; that was why whenever there was an argument, he had a way of calming her down by kissing her and making her forget the argument. “Kissing her always works, like magic!” Jaden mused as he looked at her pictures on his phone. She looked delicate, but he had first hand experience about the fact that she was not as delicate as she looked, and there was no disputing that fact.

Sometimes, Jaden thought about his family, and wondered how they would receive Lorence when he introduced her to them, because they were used to seeing him with flashy ladies that only knew how to attend parties and put up appearances like they were important. Even though his folks did not say much about his relationships, he knew they wanted him to be with someone with substance, someone who was a lady in all ramifications of being a lady, and not one who only knew how to wear the latest fashion ensemble and put on a show of being classy. Jaden daydreamed about what it would feel like to introduce Lorence to his parents, and then spend a few days with his family; he smiled at the idea and remembered that he was supposed to go visit his family that period. He checked his calendar, and realized it was that time of the year when he traveled to spend some time with his family at Queensberry, Scotland, and usually he went with his friends and his girlfriend to show them the rich cultural heritage of his family’s dukedom.

Only few people knew Jaden was Scottish by birth, and he liked it that way, because as a wealthy venture capitalist and a philanthropist, he was a public figure, and he had realized that the press was always trying to link him and his business with some influence from his family in Scotland, and he was weary about explaining to the press and whoever needed to hear it that his venture investment was a private thing, and not the family business that the world thought it was.

As he thought about the plans he needed to make for his trip to Scotland, he remembered that he needed to inform Lorence, and even though he was excited about telling her and travelling with her, he was not quite sure how to tell her, considering that they had just gotten back from their vacation, and knowing the type of person that she was, there was every tendency that she would object.

Jaden frowned at the little issue he had about telling Lorence to come with him to Scotland, and thought about several interesting ways to tell her. He did not know her friends, and so it was impossible for him to go through them, plus he was certain Lorence would be mad if he went through her friends to pass the message across to her.

“Why don’t we all hang out together?” Brian suggested when Jaden told his friends that he had no idea how to tell Lorence to come with them to Scotland.

“But we are all hanging out together at the moment.” Mark answered with a shrug.

“I think he means all of us including Lorence.” Jimmy suggested.

“Thank you Jimmy, but I actually meant, all of us plus Jaden’s girlfriend with her friends, and then we can discuss his yearly trip to Scotland.” Brian added.

“Oh! That would be fun. Are they hot and pretty?” Mark asked.

“Mark, please focus.” Jaden said.

“I love Brian’s idea, and it is only normal that as friends we know each other.” Jimmy added.

“Yes, I think it’s a brilliant idea. The only problem is that I have no idea who her friends are, and how to reach them.” Jaden said.

“Okay, that’s a fix, and I think it can be sorted out. All you need to do is just invite Lorence, and tell her to come have fun with her friends and us.” Jimmy replied.

“It sounds so easy, yet with the type of principled person that she is, I really do not have any idea how she would react.” Jaden answered.

“You are in a relationship, and after several months you still do not have any idea how she would react to being invited with her friends to hang out with your friends? Jaden, this is not you and I don’t know what to say to you.” Mark added.

“I wish I could explain to you, but you won’t understand.” Jaden replied.

“Yeah! Because even I do not understand what’s going on.” Brian added.

Jaden thought about Brian’s idea of having everyone together at a hangout, and then discussing the trip to Scotland, and his desire to have them there. He toyed with the idea a couple of times, and there was no other idea as good as that at that moment, however, he was skeptical about Lorence’s reaction to the invitation. He did not want to blow his chances, and he also did not want to depend on assumptions. He decided he was going to talk to her about it, and would accept whatever reaction accompanied his request.

Jaden could not believe he was becoming so tame; he had never imagined that at some point in his life, he would not be able to command a woman to do whatever he wanted her to do, and after reflecting on it for a while, he winced at the fact that he may have been a control freak, and perhaps that was the reason why his previous relationships were the way they turned out.

“Hey babe, what’s up?” Lorence said as she answered the call from Jaden.

“I’m good babe, and how’s my pretty miss sunshine today?” Jaden asked.

“Making sure her rays get to brighten people’s day today.” Lorence answered with a rare chuckle.

“Super woman! I love you, so I was wondering whether we could all hangout.” Jaden said, feeling like there was a constriction in his throat when he made the statement. “Pull yourself together, no woman should make you feel this weak. The worst case scenario is that she will decline, and you can go without her.” Jaden said to himself, as he tried to calm himself.

“By all, you mean?” Lorence asked,

“Me, you, and our friends. I figured that we don’t know each other’s friends, and we never know where such knowledge could become useful.” Jaden answered.

“Oh, okay. It sounds good, but I’ll need to discuss it with my friends first, because I really cannot speak for them. I will let you know what they think.” Lorence added, and for a few seconds, Jaden was speechless, because he was expecting some form of resistance or reluctance from Lorence, but rather she thought it sounded good. Jaden wanted to jump for joy, but just decided to contain it as he replied.

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“Alright. Thank you, and I’ll be on standby for your reply.” Jaden said.

Lorence thought about the call that came in from Jaden, and she liked the fact that he was taking steps to make each other an integral part of their lives by involving their close friends, and then she thought briefly about what would happen if Jaden asked for her to meet his parents, and deep down she hoped there would not be a point where he had to introduce her to his parents, because she had no idea how she would react, and the last thing she wanted was to embarrass herself or anyone else.

“So Jaden wants all of us to hang out.” Lorence said to Margie and Charlotte.

“I don’t understand.” Margie said.

“Me too.” Charlotte added.

“He wants to meet my friends, he wants me to meet his friends, he wants our friends to meet each other, and thus we all need to hangout.” Lorence explained.

“I think I must have been too harsh and judged him unfairly in times past. He seems like a really thoughtful guy.” Charlotte said.

“I’m guessing his friends are just as cute?” Margie asked with excitement written all over her face.

“And just as rich.” Charlotte added.

“I guess so.” Lorence answered.

“What do you mean you guess so, you have never met his friends?” Margie asked.

“Not really.” Lorence answered.

“Alright, it’s no big deal, so when do we have this hangout? Maybe one of his friends would want a taste of Charlotte.” Charlotte added.

“It’s not like you are actually going to be interested in anybody there. I’ll wager my next ice cream from you two that you’ll be your usual cold and inaccessible self.” Margie said to Charlotte.

“I’m nothing like what you have just described. I am a very friendly and homely person.” Charlotte answered.

“So ladies, do we have an agreement?” Lorence asked.

“Wait, you have not told him already? You want him to change his mind? Do that like yesterday already.” Margie answered.

Lorence told Jaden that her friends had agreed to the hangout, and she could hear the excitement in his voice as they conversed over the phone. She could not help but admit the fact that every moment they shared together, she grew fonder of him, and even though she had not committed fully to the relationship, she felt comfortable enough to take baby steps in the relationship without the fear of being pressured to do things that she was not comfortable with. She loved the fact that Jaden was patient, even if he could be adamant and stubborn sometimes; they were both learning about each other, and so they understood that they needed to cut each other some slack sometimes. Oftentimes, Lorence would remember the different times they got sensual with each other, and her body would crave Jaden’s touch at that moment, and so she tried not to think about those moments, but the thoughts always had a way of popping up, and when it did, she would call Jaden or send him a text to let him know she was thinking about him. She always looked forward to hearing his voice over the phone or via voice notes, because there was always that sweet excitement in his voice whenever he was talking to her.

Sometimes it was hard for Lorence to believe that she was the same person that had become mushy over a man; if anyone had told her that she would tow the path of love before the accident, she would have laughed at the absurdity, because she believed that so many men were too sexist to accept her views, and several times they had proven her right when she asked them some questions, well except her ex-boyfriend and Jaden who had craftily answered the questions without showing sexist tendencies.

Jaden was elated because Lorence and her friends had accepted his request for a hangout, and he also hoped they would be interested in traveling with him to Scotland. He loved the idea of having them with him on the trip, as it would be interesting to show them around his favorite spots in Scotland.

“Good news guys.” Jaden said to his friends.

“We are traveling tomorrow?” Mark asked.

“No, Lorence and her friends have agreed to hang out with us.” Jaden announced.

“My idea won!” Brian said excitedly.

“Yes it did. Thank you.” Jaden added.

“So when is it happening?” Jimmy asked.

“Are they beautiful?” Mark asked.

“Mark, I have no idea, because I have never met them. I think tomorrow would be perfect to meet.” Jaden answered.

“Okay! I need to clean up nice, perhaps one of the ladies would influence me to have a change in lifestyle that will make me excited like Jaden.” Brian added.

“I don’t know about you, but I think Mark really needs an overhaul of his emotions more than any of us here. I hope he gets hooked.” Jimmy said.

“What? They will never take me alive!” Mark yelled, and the other men laughed.

Jaden loved how everything was going to plan, and he hoped that the ladies would agree to travel with them to Scotland. Most importantly, he hoped that Lorence would not turn down the offer to come with him on the trip, because she was the most important person she wanted to be by his side when he went to see his family. He had different activities that he was sure she would enjoy, and he was also certain that it would give them the opportunity to bond and become better partners to each other.

Jaden knew there was still so much he did not know about Lorence, and he sensed that she was taking her time with the relationship, but he was not bothered, because he was satisfied with what he already knew; he was only curious to find out what other attributes he had not discovered about Lorence, but he was willing to take his time to unravel the mysterious and amazing being that he had fallen in love with.

Jaden reached out to Lorence to tell her where they would hang out, and then the next day they met at a beautiful lounge.

“Wow! I had no idea this place existed here.” Margie said.

“I love the ambiance.” Charlotte added.

Introductions were made, and they wasted no time in getting acquainted with each other, which Jaden loved. In no time it felt like all of them had been friends for years, and Mark seemed to be having more fun than everyone else, because to the men’s surprise he spoke about love matters like he was an expert, and it threw Jaden, Brian, and Jaden off-balance because they were used to a Mark that was anti-love, and not the Mark that was talking like he was pro-love.

“We should do this often.” Brian said.

“I totally agree.” Margie responded.

“Your girlfriend must be really proud to have you.” Charlotte said to Mark.

“Oh no, I don’t have a girlfriend.” Mark answered. Jaden, Brian and Jimmy exchanged glances, because they had no idea what Mark was up to.

“Oh that’s sad.” Charlotte added, and patted Mark’s hand.

“You ladies should totally come with us to Scotland, I promise that it’s always so interesting when we go there every year.” Brian added.

“You don’t sound Scottish though.” Margie said.

“We are not, but that duke is.” Brian answered, pointing at Jaden, and all eyes turned to look at him.

“Yes, but it’s a long story. However, I go back to see my family every year, and it’s usually fun when I go with these men. My aircraft can comfortably carry all of us here, if you do not mind. You don’t need to worry about anything, I’ll take care of the travel documents and processes.” Jaden said to the ladies who seemed to look at him in awe, including Lorence.

The ladies looked at Lorence like it was her decision to make, and at that moment she was not quite sure what to say, because it looked like her friends were enjoying the company of the other men. She also knew that if she did not go, her friends would not go too, and they would hold it against her forever. She remembered how she dreaded the thought of meeting Jaden’s family, but there she was being looked upon to make the final decision. “I have been played and put in a tight spot.” She thought to herself as she looked at the faces staring at her, eager to hear her response.

“Why are you guys staring at me?” Lorence teased.

“Your highness, we await thine decision.” Margie answered.

“It better be good though.” Charlotte added as she sipped her wine. The last thing Lorence wanted was her friends getting upset with her; they were the only reason she was considering the trip, because ordinarily she would have turned the request down, because they had just returned from a vacation, and she also did not want to be in an awkward situation with Jaden’s family.

“When is this trip supposed to happen, and for how many days?” Lorence asked.

“If I get the go ahead from you, I can make the plans and we’ll leave next week. Normally, we spend about a week, and then run back here. However, we can spend more time if you want.” Jaden answered.

“A week is just perfect for me.” Margie added.

“7 of us in one place for a week, should be fun.” Charlotte said. Lorence knew she could not refuse, because her friends were already in love with the idea.

“Alright let’s do this! We are leaving the U.S. to Scotland.” Lorence said with a smile, and everybody cheered. Jaden kissed Lorence on the cheek and whispered how amazing she was; it made her blush, even though she was not quite comfortable with the trip, and she was going to talk to Jaden and her friends about it.

Jaden was excited about the decision, but he could sense that Lorence was not really comfortable with the idea. He knew she only accepted because her friends wanted to go on the trip too, and if he saw that she was uncomfortable and did not say anything about it, he would come off as being insensitive.

“I noticed you were not comfortable when you heard about the trip.” Jaden said, as both of them took a walk through the park.

“Wow! It was so obvious?” Lorence asked.

“Well, we’ve been together for a while now, and so I can pick up some vibes from you.” Jaden explained.

“I don’t know how to explain this properly, but I’m not sure how I feel about meeting your family, and I don’t mean that in a disrespectful way.” Lorence said.

“I understand, but I assure you that you have nothing to fear or worry about. I’ll be there to protect you if need be.” Jaden said, and Lorence could sense that alpha male tone in his voice, and she went on the defensive.

“I can take care of myself. I don’t need you or anyone to protect me. What makes you think I need to be protected by you? I only said I didn’t know how to feel about meeting your family, and here you are talking about protecting me. I’m no weakling, and I can take care of myself.” Lorence said angrily and walked away from a perplexed Jaden who just stood there with his mouth agape, because he did not understand how he said anything wrong.

Jaden watched Lorence walk away, and he was not sure whether to go after her or let her be. He wondered how he could have said it better, and then he wondered why she would get upset by the fact that he said he would protect her “I was only trying to make her feel better, and not make her worse.” he thought to himself. After waiting a while, he took out his phone to call her, but she did not pick up, and then he decided to let her be.

As Lorence made her way home, she thought about the events at the lounge and her outburst at Jaden at the park. “I messed that up though. He was only doing what any sensible friend would do.” she thought to herself, and wished she could take back what she said to him. She did not like the fact that men always looked at women as weaklings, and it always irked her when they wanted to capitalize on that and lord it over them.

“You don’t look happy.” Margie said.

“Yeah, I got upset and may have said some hurtful things to Jaden.” Lorence added.

“Oh dear. Is this about the trip? We can cancel it for all it matters though.” Charlotte said.

“Well, he said he noticed I was uncomfortable at the lounge when the trip was mentioned.” Lorence explained.

“Were you uncomfortable? Guess I was too excited to notice. Sorry baby.” Margie said.

“It’s fine, even though I would have preferred we came back home to discuss the trip though. I was put on the spot and didn’t know what to say.” Lorence said.

“Sorry, but we did not really know about the dynamics between you and Jaden, plus if you look on the bright side, you’ll have us there.” Charlotte added.

“I told Jaden I was not sure about how I felt about meeting his family, and that is because I feel the relationship is too young for that type of exposure.” Lorence said. Charlotte was going to say something, but thought better of it and said nothing.

“Charlotte, you want to say something.” Margie said.

“Oh no.” Charlotte answered.

“You wanted to say something, I saw you. Out with it.” Lorence said.

“I don’t think you want to hear it.” Charlotte added.

“Charlotte, we are friends, and we should never keep the truth from each other.” Lorence said.

“Alright, so I think you are scared of commitment, and it is okay, considering your previous experiences, but you cannot get into a relationship and hope for it to work if one partner is committed and you're not; that would be a selfish thing to do.” Charlotte explained.

“She’s right though. One shouldn’t get into a relationship if they are not ready to be committed to it. It’s not healthy.” Margie added.

“It’s not like I don’t want to commit to the relationship, I am trying, but it feels like everything is happening so fast, faster than I’m able to catch my breath.” Lorence explained.

“What happened between you and Jaden?” Charlotte asked.

“Well I told him how I wasn’t sure about how to feel about meeting his family, and then he said he would be by my side and would protect me if needs be; I could feel that alpha male thing that men do, and so I reacted and said some things in the heat of the moment.” Lorence explained.

“Wow! Lorence wow!” Margie exclaimed.

“I messed up, yeah?” Lorence asked as she put her palm to her forehead and shut her eyes.