When I get to the river there are people everywhere playing games, running, picnicking families and couples going on dates. It's a beautiful day, and it seems as though everyone is taking advantage of the first truly warm day of spring. As I walk past them, I get even more excited, wondering if, like those couples, that will be me once I find Imani. I'm not paying close attention to where I'm going, wandering along the paths and past each small park, getting more nervous as I go along.

I came to a picnic area that was much quieter than the others with only a few families and couples around.

And that's when I see her sitting down on a blanket, her back turned towards me. My heart skips a beat and I step off the path, taking long strides to where she is. From here I can see that she's laughing but I don't know what's so funny until I see a little Korean boy run up to her. She holds out her arms and he throws himself into them. They hug and she's speaking to him, but she doesn't let go and he ends up sitting in her lap.

I'm confused as I watch them; who is the little boy and why are they so close? Is it a friend's child that she's watching? And what about our date? I don't know if I should leave or stay and indecision keeps me locked in place while I stare at them.

The two of them don't seem to notice, but they have attracted the stares of the people around them. I suppose that seeing an African American woman with a Korean child is something they've never experienced and they are watching out of curiosity.

Others look uncomfortable and keep their own families far away from them, as if what they are doing is somehow wrong. I can feel myself start to get angry because of their ignorance and distrust at seeing something out of the norm. Soon my anger has me moving towards them with determination; I won't be like the others.

As I get closer, the little boy gets up from Imani's lap and starts looking behind her. He sees me coming towards them and turns to her, whispering something in her ear. She looks around in urgent confusion, but calms when she sees that it's me.

I stop walking when I'm right behind her, and she stands up to face me. This is the first time I'm standing right beside her and she only just comes up to my chin. I feel pleased by our height difference; I like being able to see all of her rather than being directly face to face. It also made it easier to not be so nervous.

"Anneyonghaesyo," I said, giving a small bow to both Imani and the little boy.

She smiled at me and then said in Korean to the little boy, "This samchon is Jung TaekWoon. Insahae, JaeHyun."

"Anneyonghaesyo. JaeHyun Taylor imnida," the boy said in a cute voice and bowed low to me. I immediately I felt a smile come to my lips, and I was reaching out to pat his head before I even realized what I was doing. He was just so small and adorable and I could understand why Imani had been so lovable to him.

"Annyeong JaeHyun-ah. Pangawayo." I was still half petting him when he turned to Imani, my hand falling to my side as it slipped from his head.

"Eomma, can I go play by the water?"

At his words, I felt all the breath in my lungs get knocked out of me and I missed her response to him. He ran away quickly though, so I guessed she had told him it was ok. I sat down on the blanket hard while Imani looked down at me. I didn't know if it was from a lack of oxygen or from the way the sun illuminated her from behind, but she looked like an angel; an angel with a baby.

Eomma? I had to have heard him wrong. Or maybe it was a nickname for her? My thoughts were going around in a whirlwind and I couldn't do anything but stare. I knew my face showed my usual look of indifference and for once I was glad about it. I didn't know what to think and Imani wasn't giving me any hints that said this scene was a joke. I felt the wind pick up around me, and even though the sun was beating down on my neck, that breeze chilled me through. I hugged my arms to myself as Imani turned her attention away from the boy and onto me.

"TaekWoon-ssi, are you ok?" she said with a frown. "I guess you're surprised huh?"

I nodded my head when no words came to mind.

"I met JaeHyun when he was two years old at the orphanage I was volunteering at. JaeHyun isn't my biological son, but he's been mine ever since. I'm planning on adopting him as soon as possible so, before whatever this is between us even begins, I wanted you to know about him." She said it quickly with force behind her words, and she seemed almost defiant, as if she was willing me to negate what she'd said.

We both lapsed into silence as she finished speaking and I couldn't help but look at JaeHyun. He was playing by the bank of the river, but not so far down that he was near the water. Apparently, he'd found some frogs because he was cradling something in his hands and peeking in-between his closed fingers. He squealed in panic when they tried to escape and caught them again and again. I felt a smile come to my face in spite of the situation. The little boy was definitely cute and a big part of me wanted to play with him. But I held myself back and thought about what Imani had said.

This kid had been living in an orphanage since he'd been born. His parents had abandoned him but Imani was here, wanting him instead. He was going to be loved and taken care of; her feelings for him had been stamped all over her face when she'd told me about him. And even though she was young, had no husband, and was working a full-time job, Imani had dedicated herself to this child. As I thought of these things and how she must struggle, I became in awe of her. It wasn't an easy thing to adopt a child, to take care of someone who wasn't yours by blood. In fact, some orphans were orphans simply because their own families didn't want them after their parents had died.

But she was giving a family to JaeHyun, and more than that she was giving her unconditional love. When I'd first seen her, she'd been beautiful in the extreme, but now I had proof that her beauty wasn't just on the surface; it extended to her heart. I hadn't ever expected to want to be with woman with a child, but I could feel myself falling for her the more I knew her. Unlike every other girl whose main concern was themselves, she had been selfless. Now more than ever I wanted to know who Imani was, inside and out.

I had kept my head down while thinking, but now I looked up at Imani. She was looking back and forth between me and JaeHyun but she hadn't said anything. Her hands twisted together in her lap and I could feel her tension. Worry showed plain on her face and I realized why she was so nervous. She had done this before and the results obviously hadn't been good. I got angry again when I thought about how other men must have reacted. Instead of seeing what Imani had done as the beautiful thing it was, they had made her feel like it was a burden and something undesirable. But I didn't feel the same and I was determined to let her know it. The wind blew again, but this time the breeze was warm and it prompted me to speak.

"Your hair is shorter today," I said suddenly and then I wanted to face palm. I'd said the first thing that came to mind like usual and now she'd probably think I was weird. I wanted to duck my head in embarrassment but she smiled at me instead.

"I put some curls in it last night. Thanks for noticing."

Her tone was warm and I let out a breath I was holding, glad I hadn't screwed it up. I looked over at JaeHyun who was now playing with another child, both of them exclaiming over different bugs on the ground.

When I turned back to Imani, she was biting her lip and looking worried again.

"I know you didn't expect me to have a kid. I won't be upset if you'd rather not deal with it. Not many guys are ready for a child at our age."

I was surprised again and then a little irritated that she had probably done and said the same thing to other guys before. She was trying to let me off the hook, but she didn't realize I had no intention of leaving.

"I think what you're doing for JaeHyun is amazing," I told her.

"Kunde?" She prompted me.

"There are no 'buts'. All children deserved to be loved and I can tell you love him."

"How?"

"I can see it in your eyes when you look at him; you touch him with care... Bureopta,"I finally managed to mumble, not even speaking above a whisper.

"What did you say?" she asked in a shocked tone.

"I see the lengths that you would go to for JaeHyun. Being loved by you is something to be envied." I wouldn't look her in the face and my ears had gone hot and were probably bright red.

I looked at JaeHyun again as he and the other little boy ran aimlessly in circles.

"TaekWoon, would you like to go on a second date; without JaeHyun next time?" As her words penetrated my wall of mortification, I jerked in surprise. A 'ne' came out of my mouth without thinking and I bit my lip to keep a smile from forming.

"Joah. I'm going to go get JaeHyun. He wanted to go on the water taxis today. Would you like to come with us?"

I nodded again and with a bright smile in my direction, she walked away from me.

She caught JaeHyun in the middle of his run, lifting him up and into the air. She spoke to him for a minute and as he wiggled in excitement, she set him back down. They began walking back hand in hand to where I was on the blanket, and the visual of the two of them coming towards me had my heart pounding and no amount of biting my lips could've stopped my smile.

The day had gone by quickly after that, our ride in the water taxi a gentle glide that made me feel relaxed and content. JaeHyun had expressed his desire to sit next to me during the ride and I had been secretly delighted. He had been calling me ahjusshi since he'd met me, but after the ride he was calling me hyung. I was so glad that he liked me that I was inclined to buy him anything he wanted as we passed the stalls set up all along the path through the park.

But after the ice cream and the chocolate bar, Imani had put her foot down and told him no more sweets. JaeHyun only pouted for a little until his attention had been caught by a large stuffed Pororo doll. He had asked me very solemnly if I thought that it was possible for him to win it since the game was shooting basketballs. I told him just as seriously that I would help him do his best.

In the end, we won it together and JaeHyun insisted on carrying the doll himself even though it was almost as big as he was. He chatted on excitedly all day and Imani and I shared looks over his head whenever he said something unintentionally funny.

I was surprised that he could switch so easily between Korean and English, sometimes starting a sentence in English and then finishing in Korean. More than a few times I had to ask Imani what he'd said just to make sure I'd understood him. I was impressed by how smart he was and could only listen as he told me of the components the made up a remote-control car that he'd taken apart.

The daylight seemed to disappear all of a sudden and before I knew it, we were at Imani's car. I was holding JaeHyun and had carried him all the way to the car, Imani holding his stuffed animal. She placed the doll in the car and I handed her JaeHyun so she could put him in his car seat. She brushed his hair as she left him and stepped toward me.

"TaekWoon, thank you so much for today. JaeHyun and I both had fun."

"I had a good time too. I never knew a five-year-old could eat so much."

Imani laughed and confessed that JaeHyun was probably the only one in the world that could. Her laugh was low and sexy and it felt as though it had triggered something within me. Without thinking I pulled her close to me, my arms wrapping around her waist. I stared at her, shock and something that might have been desire in her eyes that seemed to reflect my own feelings. We stood there just looking at each other, the air in-between us crackling with intensity and unsaid words. I could've stared at her for hours but I knew she had to get JaeHyun home. I leaned in and at her swift intake of breath I moved my lips, kissing her on the forehead.

"Good night Imani. I'll see you on Tuesday."

"Tuesday?" She asked me in a breathy tone that made me want to never let her go.

"For our next date," I told her simply. I let her go and opened the driver side door so she could get inside. With a small wave, I closed it behind her and stepped away enough that she could leave. I stood there and watched her go, the biggest smile of the day on my face.