Jo POV
“What the hell was that all about?” Layla asks as I place both my hands on the sink, trying to calm my beating heart. “What are you doing here with that asshole?” She keeps asking as I struggle to breathe and I feel like my entire world is ready to collapse. “What were you thinking? Kissing that guy? Like that?” Layla finally realizes I am struggling and stops speaking as she rests one hand on my back.
“I panicked. It was the first thing that came to mind, and I know I fucked up, but you know what? Fuck him.” I say at the same time the door opens and Barbie walks in, waltzing with her small baby bump. If there’s one person who I would say doesn’t deserve, this joy is her.
I look away from her, and Layla smiles as we stay quiet. “You don’t need to stop talking. I know you are obsessed with Dylan,” she says, and I can’t help but snort as I look at her now. “You need to move on, you were just a pass time wh
Dylan POV“Dylan, bro, you’re making a scene. Everyone is looking,” Fred whispers. He uses his hockey-player charm and smiles at people. I keep my eyes trained on Jo, who is looking way too comfortable in that asshole's arm.“Hi, I’m Greg. You might remember me from the Hamptons house we used to play together?” The fucker says, and I look at him as I remember him. “I am Alma’s son,” I scrunch my nose as I remember perfectly the prick. He used to steal my toys. Fred was too young to play with us and Jude was always playing alone anyway while Richard, well, Richard, was always trying to get into the girl's pants.“Pumpkin, what is going on here? I’ve been looking for you. Vogue wants us,” I hear Savannah’s voice as she talks next to me, resting her hand on my chest and the other one on my shoulder. I wrap one arm around Savannah’s wa
Dylan POV My phone rings in my pocket and I take it out to reject the call, but I see that is Richard calling. He never calls unless something is wrong. “Excuse me, I really need to take this,” I say before I kiss Savannah on the top of the head and walk out of the room. “I am kind of busy right now. What happened?” I ask, and I can hear Layla speaking on the other side. “Okay, you know that guy, Greg? He is bad news,” Richard says, and I take a deep breath as I shove my free hand into my pocket. “I know, he is Alma’s son. She tells me what he gets up to,” I say, and I can hear Layla on the other side. “Just tell him to get here now.” “Okay, what is going on? Where are you?” I ask and Richard gives me the directions to the room they are in before we end the call and I walk as fast as I can, raising no suspicions. I open the door and Layla
Jo POV“I can do it myself,” I say to Layla, as she stands up to make me some breakfast. I really wished she would let me do it. Her cooking skills are horrible, and I will have to eat, anyway. I stand walking after her into my small kitchen and she looks at me sideways.“Go back to the couch, get some rest,” she says and I shake my head.I want to make us breakfast and go back to my normal life; I tell Layla as I open the fridge..“Seriously Jo, you need to rest, that’s what the doctor said,” Layla says, and now I’ve had enough. She has been here all day yesterday, then she slept on the couch when she told me she was going home, and now she is here still.I put the eggs on the counter and look at her. “Layla I will not break, according to the doctors he didn’t touch me, yes, he drugged me, I was out of it for a few hours, but that was it,” I say and she looks at me with teary eyes.
Jo POV “When can I expect the delivery? We are kind of in a hurry. I can pay extra if it means that they will deliver the chair today or tomorrow,” I let out to the sales assistant that is typing away on her computer. I just bought the most incredible feeding chair for the nursery. “The earliest we can deliver is next week,” she tells me without even glancing up. I take a deep breath and bump my head on the counter softly. She finally looks at me, and I smile. “Look, my best friend went into labour today, she wasn’t supposed to for a few weeks, I just want to have the nursery ready for when she comes home, and for that I need that chair,” I tell her trying to get her to feel sympathetic to the cause. “I am sure that the Ashfords will shop here often if I get things ready,” I say, throwing their surname out loud. I finally get her full attention. “Ashford? As in from the Ashford Media?” She asks and I nod. They are well known in New York, especially be
Dylan POV“Dylan, you have a meeting in ten minutes,” Soraya announces through the intercom between my office and her desk. I rub my forehead, throwing my glasses on the table. I have a terrible headache today and I can’t even think about the next meeting.“Okay, can you bring me a coffee, please?” I ask. Hopefully, the caffeine will help subside this hammering inside my head.“Sure,” she replies, and I sit back in my chair, closing my eyes for a few minutes. My mind immediately travels to Jo, the way I found her on that bed, how she was looking so peaceful but so damaged. I don’t know what happened in that room, but I know the police are looking for him, and so is my private detective.I rub my forehead again, putting pressure above my eyebrow as I remember how she looked at me when she opened her eyes, the confusion on her face, and then the smile. It felt like nothing had happened before, but as soon as s
Dylan POV“No, Layla went into Labor today,” I say, and Savannah scrunches her nose as she looks at me.“Are you serious? She did this on purpose, to steal my thunder,” she says and I can’t help but roll my eyes. What the fuck is talking about?“Are you serious right now? How did she do that? She can’t control when she goes into labor Savannah, you should know that,” I say and she rolls her eyes, behaving like a child and stomping her foot on the floor.“Layla did all of this, so our interview on Vogue magazine is not relevant anymore. She is trying to steal the light out of us. She is just a jealous little bitch,” she says and I lose my mind. I take one step towards her.“Stop talking. She wouldn't do anything to harm anyone intentionally. It's way too soon for the baby to arrive, so she wouldn't endanger its life. Act your age,” I said before leaving the room after changing c
Jo POVI keep my eyes closed as I try to avoid looking at him. It’s bad enough he was in the hospital and he was the one that rescued me from that fucked up situation, and now he is here? Why is he here? I feel the ice touching my ankle and it makes me flinch in pain and cold. I open my eyes and I don’t have a choice but to look at him.“Thanks,” I say and he nods as he kneels in front of me and rests his head on my legs. I feel like my entire body froze, I don’t think I’m breathing either. The touch of his skin against mine makes my entire body feel like it’s on fire. I close my eyes again as I try to control my emotions.“How are you?” He asks without moving his head, but now resting his arms around my legs as if he is hugging them. If this wasn’t an endearing thing, I would say he looks pathetic. But my heart decides that it's sweet instead.“Okay,” I say, but I know he won’t
Dylan POVA knock on the door brings us both to reality. Panting, I lift Jo from the changing table, putting her softly on the floor. “Shit,” Jo whispers as she looks for her clothes on the floor. I find her underwear and I can’t help but pick it up with my t-shirt and raise it in front of my nose. She looks at me, unimpressed. As she tries to grab it, I put my hand behind my back, forcing her to get closer, and I kiss her again. This time, she doesn’t pull away. She melts against me as her fingers move to my head and I moan as she wraps her fingers around my short hair.“Dylan?” We hear a voice from the other side of the door. I recognize the voice straight away, but Jo looks at me, frowning, and she notices my urgency. I can almost see the lightbulb lighting up in her head as she looks at me, shaking her head and getting away from me.“No, don’t pull away from me,” I whisper as we hear my name being called
Dylan POV “Come on sleepyhead, it’s time to get up,” Jo says as she pulls the covers from my body. “Argh,” I let out, rolling onto my stomach and burying my head on my pillow as Jo opens the curtains. “What are you doing? It’s Saturday,” I let out with my head still on my pillow. “Come on, I need you to get up,” she says, but I groan again, closing my eyes harder, shaking my head. “Nope,” I say, popping the P. Jo screamed for help and I jumped out of bed, disoriented. I saw her in the doorway, already dressed and showered. I shake my head, regretting standing up so fast. “What the fuck was that for? I almost had a fucking heart attack,” I say, going back to bed, but she runs, grabbing my wrist, stopping me. I turn around to face her and she is smiling. She looks way too excited. “Okay, what’s with that face? That’s terrifying,” I say as I move my finger in circles, pointing at her face. Jo smacks my finger away as she pulls me
Jo POV Dylan pulls me closer to him. I keep my eyes closed, my brain is tired that I can’t even open my eyes. I can feel Dylan’s lips move up and down my neck and move to my shoulder. I take a deep breath as he helps me to roll onto the bed to face him. I smile slightly as he kisses me and then kisses my face, my nose, and my eyes. “Good morning,” he whispers, and I smile again. I open my eyes to be faced with those beautiful ocean-blue eyes that take my breath away every time he smiles at me. “Good morning, husband,” I say and he chuckles as I move, resting my head on his chest. Dylan hugs me tightly against his body as I keep my eyes closed, moving my hands slowly up and down his stomach, feeling his rock-hard abs. This man feels like the Gods have carved him just for me. I lick my lips as I open my eyes to look at him. He looks lost in thought, and I can’t blame him. Our lives had turned upside down since we got together and we got married. I don’t
Dylan POV “Are you sure you want to do that?” I ask Fred, while he takes his glass to his lips. He shrugs and I can’t help but smile. “I don’t know, but it seems like a good idea,” he says, and I take a deep breath. “Just because it seems like a good idea, it doesn’t mean that it will be a successful business,” I tell him. He nods and I can hear Jo’s voice in my ear. “I am going to the bathroom, husband,” she says and I look back at her while she smiles, with Layla standing next to her. I nod while I smile. She called me husband, the best word in the world right now. I think I have never loved this woman more than I love right now, and I don’t even know if I will ever love her more than right now. Layla wraps one arm around Jo’s arm as they walk slowly toward the bathroom. They get stopped so many times and I can tell Jo is not loving it. Archie starts crying and Richard immediately goes into panic mode. He looks around, and Layla is nowhere to be seen. He picks up the little one
Jo POV Dylan holds my hand while we wait to be called into the ballroom. “How are you feeling?” He asks me and I look at him before I look at the double door again and smile. “Nervous, but very happy. How did you pull this off?” I ask and he looks at me. I turn around to face him and he places both his hands on my face and kisses me slowly. I close my eyes, allowing him to savor the moment. “I didn’t pull anything off. I was with you the entire time. This is all Layla,” he tells me, and I smile. The double doors open and I can hear someone announce us. “Mr. And Mrs. Ashford” My heart beats fast as we walk into the room with round tables and everyone standing while they clap. I smile as Dylan tightens his grip on my hand. “Ladies and Gentleman, the first dance,” someone says and Dylan pulls me towards him as he wraps his arms around my waist. I wrap both my arms around his neck as we sway to the sound of Extreme more than words. I smile as I rest my head against his chest. When th
Dylan POV “You need to chill,” Richard says as he helps me with my butterfly tie. I look at him and he smirks. I grab his glass from the side table and empty its content in my mouth. Argh, that was strong. I lift the glass, showing that it is empty, and Jude laughs as he grabs the bottle and pours another dose into it. “You should take it easy,” Jude says and I flip him off as I look at my reflection in the mirror. Today is the most important day of my life. I am marrying the woman of my dreams. I am finally allowing myself to be happy. A soft knock on the door brings my attention back to the room. Layla steps inside and she looks beautiful in a blush pink dress. “The bride wants you,” she says as she looks at me. I frown and she holds my hand, pulling me out of my room. “It’s bad luck to see the bride before the wedding,” says, and she waves me off. “You will not see her. She will be on the other side of the door and you will be back to back. She just needs to touch you for reas
Jo POV Dylan closed all the windows, not allowing me to lookout., I realised we were not in New York. The flight took longer than what it would take for new York. But I decided not to question him. He looks so lost and I feel like his heart is so broken that I wish I knew what to do. “Are you ready for this?” Dylan asks me and I nod as he holds my hand while we walk down the stairs that connect the private jet to the airport. Once outside, Dylan talks to the pilot while our things are brought out of the jet. He looks so confident when he is around other people, but when it’s the two of us, he looks broken. A minibus stops in front of us, and Dylan holds my hand, guiding towards it. The door opens and my eyes go wide and I squeal in happiness when I see Layla, Fred, Richard, and even Jude inside. “Welcome to your bachelorette party bus,” Dylan says as Jude, Fred, and Richard leave the bus, and I look around, not really understanding what is going on. “What?” I say, but I don’t even
Dylan POV “Thank you for the hospitality,” I say as I give Josie a big hug before shaking Bill’s hand. “You’re always welcome here, and hopefully next time Jo will have a ring on her finger,” Bill says, and I smile. After she said yes to my marriage proposal, I have been so happy that I hadn’t even looked at my phone. I informed my brothers that we would go under the radar for a few days to let the dust settle while Richard took care of everything for us. The only person I kept some contact with was Layla because she would kill me if I kept her best friend away from her. Besides, I needed her to help with a surprise. I open the taxi door for Jo to get in as I wait for her to come. She is still hugging her mom and dad. She hasn’t spoken to her sister since that incident and everything got worse when she had a relapse and is being treated again. Such a shame, another soul that Greg destroyed, and I can’t wait to destroy him. Jo walks towards me. She looks sad, and I know she hates
Jo POV It’s been three days since we got here and Dylan is looking a lot more relaxed and even I feel much better. It’s like everything that happens in New York doesn’t matter here. People don’t really care about the big and famous the big city. “Are you ready?” I ask as I walk back into the guest room where Dylan has been sleeping, and I have been sneaking in every night. “Almost,” he says as he puts his shoes on. He looks so good with normal clothes and not his tailored suits. Don’t get me wrong, one pair of his denim trousers probably cost more than my entire wardrobe, but he looks relaxed with his plaid shirt and dark blue denim pants. Dylan pulls me into his arms and I can’t help but squeal as he kisses my neck, making me giggle. “Stop, come on, my dad will hear us,” I say, but Dylan doesn’t seem to care, especially when he closes the door with his foot pressing my back against it. “We’re gonna get caught,” I whisper between kisses while Dylan undoes the button from my pants
Jo POVLeaving New York is the best thing that we did. After the dinner at Dylan’s house, I think we both need to be away from the city for a little while. We found out so much more stuff that his dad did that it made me sick to my stomach. Dylan has been very quiet the entire flight and drive to my parent’s house. But I can’t really blame him. It was a shit show.As soon as the car stops in front of my parent’s house, I open the door without even thinking about my own actions. I run up the front garden and open the fence before I storm up the stairs to hug my mom, that per usual, is waiting by the door.Her arms wrapped around my body give me a sense of security I didn’t know I needed. I feel safe with Dylan; I feel safe in his arms, but… this is all I need right now. I need my mommy. I’ve been hurt and I am not ashamed to admit that I need my mommy.Mom cradles my face with both her hands and kisses me on the f