Crown Me

7.

Luke pointed toward the lift. "Get her to the suite and out of sight. I'll deal with this."

"How?" I asked.

"Lauren," he said quickly, holding his hands up, "and you know me."

"You can't get involved with this."

He pressed the up button and smirked. "It will only help my rep. Jade has been the royal bad girl for too long. Maybe it's my turn to be the royal bad boy."

I was sure Edward would have something to say about it but I followed Jesy into the lift as soon as the car arrived.

Jesy pressed the button for our floor and stepped back like nothing had happened. Caitlin peeked over her shoulder and shot me a confused look. Just when I was beginning to question how she could be so calm, I noticed her lip quiver. My arms were around her before the first tear fell.

"That bloody knobhead! Pillock! Wanker!" A steady stream of insults followed as I rubbed her back and continued until we arrived at our suite.

I swallowed a sigh when I saw the placard on the door. I'd forgotten that we were in the Honeymoon Suite. I was just about to suggest heading home when Jesy's hand lashed out and ripped the sign down.

That worked, too.

"That sodding arse! How could I be so bloody stupid?" she sobbed.

I hugged her close to me. "Hey, your true British is showing."

This earned me a small smile.

"And," I continued, "you have a serious right hook. Let me see that."

She grimaced as I gingerly took her hand. Her knuckles were raw.

"I hope this means you broke her teeth," I said, inspecting the damage.

"I broke her nose." That garnered a real smile from both of us.

"I'll go grab some ice from the front desk," Caitlin said.

I shot her a grateful look. As soon as she was out the door, what was left of Jesy's composure dissolved and she melted into me. A lump formed in my throat and sat there as she cried into my shoulder. I tried to blink back my own tears but there was no way. Not when my best friend was hurting this much. I cried for the future she'd lost and I cried because of the guilt I felt. But mostly I cried because I didn't want her to cry alone.

"Pez how am I going to do this?" she asked me, her chest heaving with the effort of holding back tears. "We're supposed to be getting married in six months. Everything is planned. What am I supposed to do?"

I recalled the night that I'd left Jade. Even now, the pain at that memory nearly knocked me off my feet but I locked my arms around her. "Tonight, you cry."

We'd figure out the rest in the morning when the sun shattered the darkness.
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Katherine Paige Couture was on lockdown. The bridal shop had practically become my second home over the last few months. But today the curtains blocked curious eyes from seeing inside the shop. Kate met me at the back door, her eyes bright as she guided me inside. Most people had been surprised when I'd chosen her to design my dress. What they didn't know was that Luke had introduced us. Hardly older than me, Kate could have passed for a model instead of a lead designer. But her passion lay in the design business, which had earned her an exclusive, albeit small, clientele.

"We've spent all week kicking paparazzi out of here," she explained when I shot her a questioning look.

"I'm so sorry," I apologised. It seemed my marriage was actually becoming the spectacle of the century for all involved.