One Wild Night

After a few hours of shopping, exhaustion finally caught up with Harry and Jade. Emerging from a sporting goods store, both loaded down with bags, Jade linked her arm with his.

"Whoa," Harry exclaimed, leaning against a nearby wall, "that was…a lot."

"But it was more satisfying and fun than having someone else shop for you, was it not?" Jade asked with a grin.

"It was only satisfying and fun because I did it with you," Harry he admitted, a grin tugging at the corners of his lips and her smile widened.

"Excellent response!" she declared, clapping her hands with the enthusiasm of a child. "Now, how about a reward? You look like you could use a very expensive meal."

Harry couldn't argue with that. His stomach rumbled in agreement. He did not have breakfast before leaving the house that morning and it was evening already.

"Let's do that then," Harry said and they both took the bags to the car and Harry drove them to Philip's restaurant.

As they settled down on their table, a waiter approached to take their order and Jade smiled as she looked up from the menu, "I want the most delicious and expensive dish here. Same goes for the wine," Jade ordered and Harry shook his head in amusement as he watched her.

After the waiter left he cocked a brow, "Why are you spending so much today?" He asked and she shrugged.

"Just want to appreciate and spoil my man," she said with a wink and Harry chuckled.

"Tom called you, didn't he?" He asked knowingly.

"Tom? Yeah. Why?" Jade asked with a blank expression.

"He asked you to do all this?" Harry asked and Jade rolled her eyes.

"Why would he be the one to tell me how to treat my man?" Jade asked and when Harry continued to stare at her she sighed.

"Just so you know, I was at the mall to shop for you. But when Tom called and asked me to go to you, I figured, why not make you come to me instead? So, this wasn't Tom's idea. It was mine," Jade said and Harry sighed.

"I'm fine," Harry said, and she nodded.

"Of course. How can you not be fine after spending over four hours in the company of your beautiful goddess? I'd be offended if you said you were not fine," She said with a soft smile and Harry chuckled.

"You are right. I was sort of downcast but you brightened my mood," Harry said and Jade watched him in silence for a moment.

"I wasn't going to ask you about it. I was just going to do my best to cheer you up, but I think should. How did the visit go?" Jade asked and Harry shrugged.

"Nothing special about it," Harry said and Jade raised a brow.

"If so, why were you downcast?" Jade asked and Harry sighed.

"It's nothing…."

"Harry Jonas!" Jade snapped, "Don't get on my nerves. Don't you dare," she warned, and Harry's lips curved in a smile.

"Why are you getting upset?" Harry asked in amusement and she scowled.

"Why won't I get upset? You admitted you weren't okay before you got here, and now I'm asking you what was wrong and you're telling me it's nothing. Does that make sense to you? Didn't we agree to be more open with each other and to have honest conversations?" She asked heatedly and Harry chuckled.

"Was this the manner I convinced you to tell me what was wrong at Bryan's place?" He asked and she considered him for a moment.

"You can't talk here? Should I lead you to the ladies' room and threaten not to leave there until you spill it?" She asked and he laughed again.

"I'm glad I can crack you up. Now are you going to tell me why you were upset or do I have to…." The rest of her words trailed off when the waiter returned with their order.

"So?" Jade asked after the order left.

"Let's talk about it after dinner," he said and she nodded.

"Alright then. Let's do that," Jade said and went on to tell him all that she had been doing since she left the house.

Once they got to the car after dinner, Jade looked at him, "Dinner is over now," she said and Harry nodded.

He was silent for a moment and after a while he sighed as he went on to tell her all about the visit and the pang of unexpected sadness he had felt for Sara.

As he spoke, Jade listened intently, her face a canvas of emotions reflecting his own as her hand reached out to rest on his arm in a silent gesture of support. She didn't interrupt, just offered a silent space for him to release his turmoil. He talked until his voice grew hoarse, the raw emotions finally finding their way out.

When he finished, a heavy silence settled between them. He braced himself for questions or for her to tell him he wasn't supposed to feel that way, but Jade said nothing. Instead, Jade simply pulled him close, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace.

Harry didn't realize how much he had wanted a hug until he leaned into her warmth, the familiar scent of her hair a soothing balm to his frayed nerves.

He buried his face in her shoulder, letting out a shaky breath. The dam finally broke, and a single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek. He felt her hand gently stroking his hair, a silent reassurance that he wasn't alone.

He didn't know how long they sat there, lost in the comforting silence of their embrace. But slowly, the tension began to ease from his shoulders, replaced by a sense of quiet acceptance.

When he finally pulled back, his eyes met hers. They were filled with understanding and unwavering love as she brushed the tears away from his face.

"What am I going to do about you, Jonas? You look even hot when you cry," Jade joked unexpectedly and Harry chuckled,

"I'm sure there is nothing I'm going to say that you don't know already. So, I won't bore either of us with unnecessary talk. She made her choices and now she is suffering the consequence. Bad or good, she is still your mother. You are human to feel the way you do. You can decide whether to forgive her or not, it is entirely up to you. Make the choice that makes you happy and everyone else will adjust," Jade said and Harry nodded.

"Thank you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "For everything."

Without responding Jade pulled him close for a kiss, "I'm happy I could be here for you. Now take me to Tom's," Jade said since she had planned to go back home that day.

"How about you spend the night at Tom's place too? I don't want you to be alone. You can chat with Tom and then spend the night with me," Jade suggested since she was hesitant to leave him when he wasn't really in a good mood and she didn't want to return to his place either.

"Candace and Andy…."

"They can come too. There is enough room for everyone. And Andy has never been to Tom's house. She should see it before she leaves," Jade said and Harry shook his head.

"It's not your invitation to give, love. Would you like someone else to do that to you?" He asked and she shook her head.

"No. You're right. Should I ask Tom and Lucy then? I'm sure they won't mind," She asked and Harry shook his head.

"Don't worry. I am fine already. I feel better after spending time with you. And we can talk some more over the phone until either of us goes to bed," Harry said and Jade sighed deeply.

"This is one of the reasons I need to get my own place. I think I should move out of Tom's…."

"No," Harry said before she could finish, even though he understood her need for her own space.

Jade arched a brow. "Why not?" She asked, and he shrugged.

"It will be a waste when you have so many places available to you. You're going to be spending more time at my place than his anyway," he said, not wanting to tell her he intended to get married to her in a couple of months.

"But I need my own space too…."

"I know, and I understand. I'm not trying to impose my decision on you. Just trust me," Harry said and she sighed.

"Alright then. If that's what you want I will keep shuttling between your place, Tom's and Bryan's and being a nuisance to everyone," she said and shook his head.

"You're not a nuisance to anyone," he assured her, "And stop speaking so poorly of the love of my life. I don't like it," he chided and her lips twitched.

"Whatever," she muttered as she turned away from him even though she was pleased with what he had just said.

Away from there, after Tom was done with his last meeting of the day, he walked into the bedroom in his office where Lucy had been waiting, and found her fast asleep on the bed.

He sat by the edge of the bed and watched her as she slept with a peaceful smile on her face.

He reached out and brushed a tendril of hair from her face. And Lucy's eyes fluttered open at the touch.

"Are you done?" She asked with a yawn as she sat up.

"Yes. I'm sorry I kept you waiting," he said and she shook her head.

"It's alright. I guess that's one of the things I signed up for when I agreed to date a man of your status," she said and Tom smiled.

"Samantha called earlier to ask if we had anything special in mind for dinner," Lucy said and Tom arched a brow.

"That's unlike her to ask. What did you tell her?" Tom asked, wondering why his cook had done that.

"I told her she has been doing a great job so far, and she doesn't have to ask me that," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

"Go on," he said, knowing the conversation wasn't over.

"She said she thought as the lady of the house I would like to have more say on how the home was being run. And I told her if there was anything I didn't like, I would let her know, but so far, I trust her judgement," Lucy said and Tom smiled.

He was pleased that she accepted her role easily and that she was getting along with his domestic workers.

"Do you really trust her judgement?" Tom asked and she nodded.

"She has been doing a good job taking care of you and running the house all this while before I appeared. I don't think that should change. You haven't made any complaint about her meals. And you know how much I love them too. I'm not much of a cook, and I can't really be bothered about trying to figure out what to prepare for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In summary, let her keep doing her thing. I love her," Lucy said and Tom chuckled.

"Alright then. Ready to leave?" He asked and she nodded.

"Give me a minute to fix my makeup," Lucy said and quickly did that, "I'm ready to go," she said when she was done.

"So, today's date is a stroll?" He asked as they left the office.

"Yeah. I should probably give Lucas a call to find out if he was able to do as he planned," Lucy said, thinking of how dull Amy had been at the office all day.

Once they got into the car, Lucy dialed Lucas' line and after the fourth ring he received the call.

"Hey! What's up?" Lucas who had just stepped out of the shower asked.

"That's what I called to ask you. What's up? Were you able to meet with Miley's parents?" Lucy asked without beating around the bush.

"Yeah, I did," Lucas said, thinking about his meeting with Miley's parents.