One Wild Night

"You've been going out a lot lately. I just thought you'd do the same today," he said with a sweet smile.

"No, I'm not going anywhere. I want to stay indoors with you," Candace said, choosing not to indulge her father since she knew what he was driving at.

"You can go out if you want to. You don't need to keep me company," he assured her.

"Why don't we return to Sogal by weekend?" Candace asked, changing the subject.

"You read my mind. I was going to suggest that myself. I think I've had my fill of Ludus and I'm ready to get back to work. I can't wait to show you and Jamal around the company," Aaron said with a happy smile just as Jamal joined them.

"Is your company as big as Tom's company?" Jamal asked curiously as he handed his book to his mother for her to check his spellings.

"Tom's company is that big because he deals in a lot of businesses. But my company specializes in photography…"

"I guess it's not as big as Tom's then," Jamal said thoughtfully, cutting Aaron off.

"Jamal! That was rude!" Candace scolded while Aaron chuckled.

"I'm sorry, grandpa," Jamal said with his head hung in shame.

"That's alright. If you want it to be as big as Tom's some day then you will have to run it when you grow up and make it that way. Can you do that?" Aaron asked with interest.

"Uncle Harry and Tom can help me do it," Jamal said confidently, and Aaron laughed again.

"I can't wait to teach you all about Jamal," Aaron said as he looked at his grandson with a proud smile.

"Don't worry grandpa. I will make it really big," Jamal promised.

Seeing how much Jamal admired Tom and wanted to be like him, he had no doubt that Jamal had all it would take to expand HAJ studios into an even bigger company in the future.

He had never been interested in doing more than photography himself. He was content leaving it as it was, but didn't mind if Jamal would have other plans for it.

Aaron watched as Candace corrected Jamal's spelling errors and gave him another assignment to go do in the bedroom so he wouldn't be distracted by the television.

They've been doing their best to homeschool him so he would be able to catch up easily when he returns to school.

"Don't you want to date again?" Candace suddenly asked, startling Aaron who frowned.

"What?" Aaron asked as he wondered where the question had come from.

"From what I've heard from Harry he has never seen you with any lady or heard of you having a relationship. Why?" Candace asked, and Aaron shook his head.

"Because I don't want to," Aaron said, and Candace raised a brow.

"Because you got married to a bitch and she hurt your feelings?" Candace asked flatly.

"You shouldn't talk about your mother that way," Aaron said with a shake of his head.

"You can choose not to see her in that light, but you can't tell me how to see her or how to talk about her," Candace said, annoyed that even now Aaron was defending Sara.

"Candace…"

"How can you be so calm and forgiving? Don't tell me you still love her?" Candace cut it, feeling very much annoyed at him.

"This has nothing to do with loving her…"

"Sure it does. Don't you regret meeting her? Don't you wasting a part of your life with her?"

"No, I don't. That would mean I regret having you and Harry, and I could never regret that. I will always be grateful to her because it's thanks to her that I have you both. I expect you to understand this better than Harry, Candace. Do you regret being with Jamal's father?" Aaron asked, and Candace frowned.

As much as she hated Jero and all he had put them through, she could never bring herself to regret meeting with him. Not when she had gotten the best gift of her life from him.

"Candace," Aaron called softly, and she met his gaze.

"I have never thought about getting involved with anyone after Sara. Maybe it's because I haven't healed completely after all this time, or maybe it's because I am a coward and I'm scared. I don't know which it is. But it has nothing to do with loving Sara," Aaron said, and Candace sighed.

"Don't you get lonely?" She asked, remembering the reason she had asked him the question in the first place.

"How can I be lonely when there is so much to keep busy with? I gave myself to raising Harry when he was younger, and after he left for college I developed other interests. All I have looked forward to was him getting married and having a family of his own so I would have grandkids to dote on. Now I have you and Jamal. I'm not lonely. I'm happy," Aaron assured her and then sat up straighter to look at her.

"And I want you to be happy too…"

"Don't you dare try to talk about Matt," Candace cut in before Aaron could finish and he chuckled.

"How did you know I wanted to talk about him?" Aaron asked, and Candace smiled.

"You adjusted your posture and your eyes began to gleam," Candace said, and Aaron laughed again.I think you should take a look at

"Alright. Fine. I won't say anything else. How about we leave this weekend?" Aaron suggested.

"That's fine by me," Candace said, and then picked up her phone when it beeped with a message notification.

Candace clicked on it when she saw it was a message from Sonia on their girls group, [Hello, single ladies! Are you here? This is my first message to you as an engaged lady.]

Candace giggled and shook her head in amusement as she started to type a response, but stopped when Jade's response entered.

[Hello, engaged lady! What do you want from us?]

[Candace could you come over today and spend the night here? I would like us to spend some time together discussing my wedding plans. Lucy will be here, so will be Jade, since she can't sleep over at her boyfriend's] Sonia added with a grin, deliberately wanting to annoy Jade with the last line.

[Sure, I can come over.] Candace responded.

[Sonia, keep this up, and on your wedding day I will be the reason why you both can't be wedded.] Jade threatened, and Candace giggled.

[Have you guys picked a date yet?] Candace asked curiously.

[We haven't picked the exact date yet. But it's going to be in month's time.] Sonia responded.

[Alright. See you girls later then.] Candace said as she dropped her phone to focus on the movie, but it beeped almost immediately and she picked it up again thinking Sonia had left another message.

She smiled when she saw that the text was from Matt this time. They had not spoken all day. He had not called nor texted and she had also chosen not to call or text him even though he had been on her mind, especially the words he had said to her during the engagement party about waiting for her to be ready.

His text read, [Hey, sexy!]

[Hey, hottie!] Candace texted back.

[I was changing the bedsheets on my bed and I couldn't help missing you because it smelt like you. So, I decided to leave it until the next time you come, so the new sheets can smell of you too.] Matt texted and Candace eyed the text.

Why did that sound like a crafty invitation?

[Thats fine.] Candace texted back, and Matt scowled at her response.

[What's fine? The fact that I miss you or the fact that I'm leaving the very dirty bedsheet on because they smell like you?] Matt texted back and she giggled.

[Both are fine. I'm sure if the bedsheet was so dirty you wouldn't leave it on just because it smells like me.]

[Why don't you come over and see just how dirty the bedsheet is?] Matt suggested, and Candace shook her head in amusement.

[Nah. I don't think I want to drive down there just to see your dirty bedsheet.] Candace said, and Matt sighed.

[How about you come over to see me then? Just because I miss you. Don't you miss me?] he asked, and Candace grinned. Now he was stating what he wanted.

[Sorry, I can't come over. I've seen you for days in a row already so I'm taking a break.] Candace said, and Matt's brows pulled together.

[Are you getting tired of me already?] he asked, and she giggled.

"You seem to be smiling and giggling a lot," Aaron who had been watching her observed.

"It's just Sonia and Jade. Sonia wants me to come over so we can all talk about the details of the wedding," Candace lied easily and Aaron looked at her doubtfully.

"I'm serious. I'm not lying this time. Do you want to see the message?" Candace asked as she rose to go show him, and Aaron chuckled.

"I never said you were lying," he said, and she scowled at him.

"But you thought so. I will send you a picture of me in my pyjamas with the girls!" She promised as she walked away from the living room making Aaron chuckle.

As Candace walked into her room, her phone beeped again and she clicked on Matt's messages.

[Why are you not saying anything?]

[Are you dumping me already?]

[If you dump me I'm going to do a drunken live Instagram video and tell the world how mean you are.]

[Okay. So, what are you wearing?]

[Want to see the color of my brief? Come over and take a look.]

Candace rolled her eyes and giggled at his messages.

[I'm spending the night at Tom's place with Sonia and the girls. Maybe I will see you tomorrow on my way back home from there.] she texted back.

Matt pursed his lips as she read her text. She was spending the night at Tom's place? To the best of his knowledge Tom had a lot of rooms to accommodate his guests. He was very sure he could pay them a visit tonight and sleep over.

Bryan would need to plan his coming wedding with his best friend too, after all, Matt thought with a grin.