Chapter 5 - Fred Ashford

Fred POV

“How are you feeling?” I ask Jude as he stands in front of the mirror, adjusting his bowtie for the thousandth time.

“I am okay, I am just a little on edge, I don’t know, I feel like something is gonna go wrong,” he says and I rest one hand on his shoulder as he turns around to face me. I fiddle with his bowtie and then he looks back in the mirror.

“Nothing is gonna go wrong, everything that had to happen in a bad way already happened, you two were away for ten years, she almost married a guy that is disgusting, she is pregnant with your baby and she loves you more than life, God knows how and why,” I say and Jude looks at me and I smile.

“Mom wouldn’t let anything bad happen, so relax,” I say and he takes a deep breath. Dylan walks through the door holding a tray with four tumblers.

“Richard is coming,” he says and I nod as he places the tray on the coffee table and Jude looks at the drinks.

“I’m here,” Richard says, and we all take our glasses.

“To our brother, the man that waited ten years for the girls of his dreams, the man that has patience with a saint,” Richard says and I nod.

“To you, dickhead,” I say, and everyone laughs.

“Cheers,” we all say in one voice and we all empty the content of the tumblers. I frown and look at Dylan, and he smiles.

“Bonnie is not allowing alcohol,” he says and I look at Jude who shakes his head and rubs his hands over his face.

“That woman…” he says and I sit on the couch holding my apple juice glass and I can’t help but laugh.

“She said if she can’t drink, no one else can,” Dylan says, shrugging, but then he opens his jacket and retrieves a hip flask, and starts pouring the gold content on our tumblers.

“God bless you, brother,” I say and he raises it up and smiles.

“Okay, now, to you Jude, on your wedding day, I hope that woman can keep up with you, but from what I can see, you will need to work hard around her, she is hard work, I hope you have everything you ever hoped for, and I wish you all the happiness in the world,” Dylan says and I raise my glass before bringing it to my lips and emptying the content.

The liquid burns my throat and then my stomach as I feel a chill down my spine. I hate these types of drinks. I am more of a beer type of guy, but I can drink whatever they give me, but I won’t enjoy it.

A memory comes rushing into my mind and I blink twice as I remember the girl, she was straddling me in the living room, her body pressed against mine and I couldn’t even move my hands up.

“Why don’t we go back upstairs?” She asks in my ear and I shake my head slightly and then I am brought back to reality.

I stand up, and all eyes are on me. “I remembered something,” I say, and Dylan frowns as he looks at me. The party. She was rubbing herself on me. She asked if I wanted to go upstairs and I said no.” I let out and Jude walks to me, placing his glass on the table and then resting one hand on my shoulder.

“You were on the floor when I got to you. You weren’t upstairs, so that’s something,” he tells me and I nod, pulling him into an embrace. I feel relief taking over. I didn’t do it. I told her no.

“One more thing for us to celebrate,” Jude says and I nod as Dylan pours more of his drink into our glasses and we cheer again, emptying the content.

“Let Julien know what you remember,” Jude says, and I nod.

“I will, after we get you married,” I say, and he smiles. My brother doesn’t smile very often and when he does, he actually means it. He is serious, almost as serious as Richard. It’s like they were made the same way with the same materials. They even look alike a little.

“It’s time,” I hear mom say as she opens the door and walks in. She is wearing a beautiful, dark green dress. “You boys better go downstairs,” she says, and we all nod. I shake the dude’s hand before I leave the room. Richard rests one hand on my shoulder as we walk.

“I am proud of you, baby brother,” he says, and I nod. Richard never really expresses his emotions and for him to say something like this is because he actually means it. When we enter the waiting room, the girls are waiting for us, and I smile. Parker and Benny are here and they are escorting their girls, so I am left with the most beautiful of them all. Carly. Benny shakes my hand and I smile as I kiss Trish on the cheek. Benny is Jude’s best friend and Bonnie’s brother. Trish is his wife and Jude’s friend and COO at his company.

“Hey gorgeous,” I say and Carly smiles as she walks to stand near me. She wraps her arm around mine, but I can see her eyes on Parker and Harlow. Parker is one of Jude’s best friends, and Carly and Harlow are Bonnie’s best friends. I know there’s something happening with the girls and Parker, but I don’t know all the details.

“Are you ready to be the best-looking couple in this place?” I ask and she smiles, nodding.

“I am ready if you are,” she tells me and I wink at her as the wedding planner adjusts everyone’s dresses and ties, ready for us to walk in. The music starts playing and we take our places. Dylan and Jo are the first ones to walk, then Richard and Layla, followed by Parker and Harlow. The wedding planner gives us the signal and we walk.

Carly’s arm tightens around mine and I smile, placing my other hand on top of hers. “You’re doing great,” I whisper, and she softly squeezes my arm. When we reach our places o stand on the groom's side and she goes to the bride's side.

Benny and Trish are the last ones to walk and then the door opens and Jude walks in. He looks nervous as he holds my mom’s arm in his. She smiles politely at everyone while he keeps his eyes straight on the judge and I shake my head slightly.

“He looks like he is about to be sick,” I whisper, and Dylan nods. “Mom looks great though,” I say, and Richard shushes me.

Jude takes his place and when he does, the doors close again and Bonnie’s song plays. Everything is beautiful here, all white and pink, and when the doors open I have to say I felt like the air left my lungs. I can’t even imagine what Jude is thinking.

Bonnie looks stunning in all white with a small fur coat on top as she walks down with her father. He has tears in his eyes and I can see her mother in the front row smiling as she looks back. Mom holds her hand and I smile, watching it.

I thought I would have this someday. But when Caroline broke up with me because of everything that was happening to me, I realized this was not for me. I wasn’t made to be loved and cared for. I was made to be worshipped as a player and that’s it. No woman will ever put up with the type of life I have. I thought Caroline was different, but when shit hit the fan, she was the first one to leave. I can’t really be here. This is now what she signed up for.

The ceremony was beautiful, short and when they exchange their vows, I can see everyone tearing up and I can’t feel shit. Am I dead inside? Why can’t I feel what other people feel? Once we are done here, we all walk out, following the bride and groom, and the party is about to start. Everything is white and Christmas-decorated. It’s amazing and I can’t believe this is happening.

“Do you want to dance?” I ask Carly, who is sitting next to me looking miserable. The girl looks like someone has won the jackpot and rubbed it on her face.

“Sure,” she says and I Gide her to the middle of the room. I rest one hand on her lower back and hold her hand on my other one as some Ed Sheeran song plays in the background.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, and she shakes her head. Her eyes meet mine and I can see the tears threatening to spill.

I rub my thumb on the single tear that rolls down her cheek, and she rests her head against my shoulder.

“I am sorry, you don’t really know me and I am crying on your shoulder,” she tells me and I can’t help but chuckle lightly.

“Maybe I’ll cry with you. How about that?” I say, and she nods her head and I smile, resting my head over hers. We keep dancing for a long time and when the speed changes, we both go back to the table and we start talking.

“Harlow is my best friend, and she’s always known I had a thing for Parker, and now look at them,” she says and I hiss.

“Auch, that wasn’t very nice of her. Did he know?” I ask, and she shrugs.

“I don’t know, maybe, but he chose her. He is here with her, not me,” she tells me and I lean forward.

“How about I help you make him jealous?” I ask and she frowns, looking at me.

“What?” she says and I smile.

“We can pretend to be getting on, you really getting on. I can kiss your neck, move my hands all over your body, and see how he reacts,” I say, and she shakes her head.

“They would know. I rarely hook up with anyone,” she tells me and I flash her my brightest smile.

“I am just anybody. I am Fred Ashford, one of the most desirable bachelors in New York, plus I am sexy as hell, and I can get any girl to go to bed with me, you can always blame it all on me,” I say and she looks at them and then at me.

“Okay,” she says, and I wink at her.

“Follow my lead,” I say, offering my hand and she shrugs before she takes it. I guide her back to the dance floor and spin her around. I place her ass pressed against my cock and we start dancing, rubbing on each other and I have to say the girl is sexy as fuck, the way she moves, the way she is rubbing her ass on me. Fuck me.

I move my hands from her waist to her hips and then up again to her waist and then her torso moving slowly through her breasts and then back down. I can see Parker’s eyes on us and I lean, placing my lips on her neck as she throws her arms back around my neck and I spin her around. She is now facing me, and I wink.

“Trust me,” I say and she nods before my lips collide with hers before she can even open her mouth to allow my tongue in, I feel a pair of hands pulling me away from her before a fist hits me on the face. “Fuck,” I hiss.

“Parker, what are you doing? Fred, are you okay?” I hear Carly say, and I nod as I look at him. His breathing is heavy and his face is bright red.

“Keep your fucking hands away from her. She’s not for you,” Parker says, and I can see Harlow watching with her arms crossed as Carly stands next to me.

“Are you out of your mind?” She shouts at him and I can see Jude shaking his head as he walks towards us and Bonnie looks like she is about to kill someone. Oops.