After Hours

Chapter 21

When we wake up the next morning, Marilyn makes us breakfast and I go upstairs to wake Sam and Zach. After knocking, I enter Sam's room but don't see her in bed. Figuring she's in the bathroom, I leave the door open and make my way to the next room where Zach slept last night. I knock and when I don't hear a response, I open the door and peek in. Laying in the bed is Zach with his arm around Sam, both of their shoulders bare. Surprised, I stand there for a long moment before closing the door and going back into my bedroom.

Jackson is sitting at the edge of the bed with his tie in hand. Sauntering over to him, I take it and put it around his neck before I begin tying it. "What's on your mind?" he asks softly.

I bite my lip. "Marilyn made breakfast for everyone so I went to wake Sam but she wasn't in her room. She slept with your brother last night."

He chuckles. "They're adults and they both had a lot to drink last night."

I sigh. "I know but I don't want him to hurt her. He's kind of an asshole."

"It runs in the family," he says, fixing his tie. "Come here."

He pulls me down so I'm sitting astride him. My lips quickly find his and he immediately reciprocates. I use my teeth to playfully tug at his lip before pulling away. "I think I'm going to look for a dress today," I say, smiling.

He smiles. "I'm happy to see that you're just as excited as I am. This month is going to fly by."

"I know. Have you picked a day to go look at some venues?"

He nods. "Saturday. We're going to look at a couple venues with our mother's then we're going to find a caterer. After that, we're going to taste test some cakes and pick a design," he explains.

My eyes widen. "Did you plan all of this?"

"Well, our mother's found the venues and set up the meeting so I decided to make a day out of it."

I nod. "Where do you want to get married?"

He makes a face. "My mom said your parents are really pushing for a church but I was thinking somewhere a little more photogenic. Then we can get our wedding photos out of the way so we can party," he smiles. "Dominic can take our photos and his team can record the day so we can rewatch it in the future."

"That sounds perfect," I smile. "I can't wait."

"Me either," he says softly, his eyes flickering down to my lips.

Before things can get out of hand, I peck his lips and climb off his lap. When I get downstairs, I pour myself some orange juice before taking my place at the table. Jackson joins me a few minutes later and we begin eating breakfast. About halfway through the meal, Sam and Zach join as well. She avoids eye contact with everyone as she takes her seat. "Good morning," she says quietly.

"It is a good morning, isn't it?" Zach asks with a smile before taking a bite of his toast.

Sam blushes as she stares down at her food. If I knew this is what it took to make Zach nice, I would have got him some female company sooner. "Sam, I thought we could go look for dresses today," I pause, glancing in Zach's direction. "That is if you don't have any other plans."

"That sounds great. I'm going to go home and shower. I'll call you when I'm ready," she says, standing.

"But you haven't touched your food," Zach says.

Sam takes a bite of her pancake before waving at us. Jackson gives me an odd look across the table. "I have to get going soon too."

"You have to give me her number," Zach says, ignoring Jackson. "She is my Juliet."

I chuckle. "Romeo and Juliet both died."

He shakes his head. "We're not teenagers. She's perfect. You don't understand."

"If you want her number you need to ask her for it," I say.

He sighs in content. "She is absolutely stunning."

"If getting laid was all it took to make you nice, I would have got you a female companion a long time ago," I say.

He turns to me with a frown. "Hey, I am nice. Just not to annoying little girls like you."

I raise an eyebrow. "You seemed to like me for a while. In fact, you let me on your bike at the club but wouldn't allow any other girls. I think you like me more than you say."

He glares at me. "I was being nice."

"You asked if I was a model because I was cute and had the body for it," I state in disbelief. "Don't lie."

He rolls his eyes but before he can speak, Jackson reminds us of his presence and I feel guilty. I forgot he was listening and now he looks mad. "This is exactly why I was worried about you hanging out with him," Jackson says, standing up. "I don't believe you've told me about that so what else are you hiding?"

"Nothing," I reply softly, feeling like a child being scolded.

"Dude, nothing happened. I said that before I knew she was dating you," Zach says. "She made it clear that she had a boyfriend but I just wanted to antagonize her."

"Just leave," Jackson says, exasperated.

Clenching his jaw, Zach stands and leaves the room. I take a deep breath as Franklin appears in the doorway. "Mr. Lancaster, may I have a word with you?"

"Just a moment," he says, walking around the table towards me. He reaches into his back pocket and takes out his wallet. Taking out a card, he places it in my hand. "Use this to get whatever you want. If you find a dress, buy it. Buy yourself some accessories and jewelry too. Don't worry about the money."

Leaning down, he presses his lips to mine but pulls away far too quickly. "Thank you," I say softly. "I love you."

"I love you too," he says, pecking my lips once more. "We'll continue this conversation tonight. I have a meeting in half an hour."

I nod and he follows Franklin out of the room. Glancing down at the card, I shake my head. I have my own money but I know it would have become an argument if I would have said that. After all, our money will technically be shared once we're married since he refuses to have a prenuptial agreement. I am thankful that he trusts me but I don't want his parents to think I'm just doing it for the money.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I slip the card into my back pocket and clean up the table.

**************************

Vote ★ Comment ★ Follow