Grayson and I went to work. Kylie was awoken, helped to her feet and taken beneath my wing. Grayson made hot chocolate and started up the fire, trying to warm everyone up. I seated our guests on the couch, wrapping them both in blankets.
"Thanks, Jackie," Kylie said miserably. She thanked Grayson too when he handed her a mug of hot chocolate.
"What happened to you guys?" he asked worriedly, sitting down in the big armchair.
"It's been an awful week," Clay said grimly, taking a shaky sip from his mug. "She told the press. They've been everywhere. They even staked out my house. I couldn't even get Kylie to the airport, because they're so present."
I covered my mouth. Grayson grimaced and asked, "Are they downstairs, then?"
Clay hesitated. "Well..."
"Oh gosh," I groaned.
"Okay, they will be soon," he said quickly. "I may or may not have driven like a maniac from Montreal. It's very likely I lost them in the wind and snow. And in the speed."
"So you're also likely wanted by the police," I noted.
He cracked a feeble grin. "You know me so well, Jackie."
Grayson stood, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay, between you and me, Clay, I think we've got plenty of security. You guys are welcome to camp out here until the wedding."
"Thank you, you guys," Clay said, getting up to hug us both. "I'm sorry for bringing them here, I just..."
"It's okay," I said softly, holding onto him for a moment longer. "I'm just glad you're safe. Both of you."
Kylie hadn't said anything the entire time, listlessly staring at the fire. I sat down next to her and whispered, "Hey."
"I never thought it would be this bad," she croaked through dry lips. "I thought it would be a smear in the mud. But I'm trying to hide from reporters and Clay's trying to get away and I am scared, Jackie."
"Oh, Kylie," I said, hugging her. She buried her face in my shoulder, crying. I noticed Grayson and Clay leave the room, clearly wanting to give her space.
"I know how crazy it is," I said sadly. "And I know that you're standing strong because you love Clay, and I admire that so much. But if it is too much..."
"No," she sniffled. "I can't go through this nightmare then lose him on top of it."
"I know," I murmured. She cried for a bit longer, until finally I was able to coax her out of the blankets. "Let's get you a hot shower and some fresh clothes, okay?"
"Okay," she mumbled.
I got her a wardrobe change (she and Clay hadn't had time to pack anything) and left her to freshen up. Closing the door behind me, I went back to the living room, where the two brothers were in deep discussion.
"How is she?" Clay asked anxiously.
"Not good," I admitted. "But I think she just needs extra support and love right now. What has the press been saying about her?"
"I...I haven't been able to read much of it," he confessed. "It's too awful. But what bits and pieces I've seen..."
I pulled out my phone and searched for her name. Scathing, wicked headlines came up, ones that made my stomach boil. According to them, and to Laura, Kylie had been pregnant. Okay, fine. But then they claimed she had faked it for the money, trying to rope Clay into legally owing her millions. Now, for some reason, he was covering for her.
"None of it's real," he said quietly. "There's no baby, no money, and I'm not covering for her. I'm trying to protect her."
"Clay," I said helplessly.
He shook his head, standing up to pace. "I don't care if Laura obliterates me. She can drag me through the mud, sue me for everything I have, whatever, but Kylie? Kylie is off-limits. No one touches her. And no one gets to throw her name around in the press," he snarled.
"Calm down, Clay, we're going to fix this," Grayson said gently. "Nothing is going to happen to Kylie. We'll set the story straight and make sure she's safe."
"You better," Clay snapped, then exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry, Grayson."
"It's okay, you're under a lot of stress."
Kylie came back into the room, wearing a set of my pajamas that were slightly too big for me but fit her perfectly. She also had a towel wrapped around her head and cozy slippers on her feet.
"Feeling better?" I asked gently.
"Yeah," she said, still sounding a bit damp. "Thanks, Jackie, you're a sweet friend."
"Of course," I said, gripping her hand. I've never seen Kylie such a wreck before.
Grayson stood, saying, "Why don't I work on getting us some dinner, then we call all head to bed?"
"That sounds great," I chimed in. "I can make that lasagna in the freezer. Sounds good?"
There were murmurs of assent as I headed to the kitchen, with Grayson following me. I could tell that we both wanted to talk, but no way were we about to start whispering right in front of Clay and Kylie. So we both worked on dinner, setting the table and prepping the food. It only took about an hour. Clay and Kylie offered to help, but we firmly refused, insisting that they were our guests.
We sat down to a hot meal, and between the four of us, it was gone pretty quickly. But everyone was full and content, and that was what mattered.
Clay and Kylie took my bedroom, meaning I had to scramble to get everything moved out. Kylie tried telling me not to worry about it, but I didn't listen. I wanted them to feel comfortable and safe while they were here, and having all my stuff around wouldn't help.
"It's not any trouble," I said, dragging out the basket of clothes from the closet.
"At least let me help you," Kylie begged, but I shook my head.
"I got it!"
"You're too nice, Jackie, you know that?" she said weakly.
I smiled. "Just doing my job. Where's Clay?"
"He's coming. I think he's sneaking one more cookie," she said.
Sure enough, Clay came into the room a minute later, a blob of green frosting in the corner of his mouth. Kylie and I both giggled, much to his confusion. "What?"
"I'll let you guys get settled in," I said, still smiling. "Goodnight. Merry Christmas."
I hugged them both before stepping back into the hallway. I could hear the kitchen sink running, so I walked into the room, finding Grayson still doing the dishes.
"You know we have a dishwasher, right?" I asked.
"Yeah. It's almost loaded," he said, gesturing to the mighty machine. "Promise, I'm coming to bed as soon as I'm done."
"Okay, thanks," I said, pecking his cheek. I didn't mean to keep doing it, but somehow I always felt like it was perfect. Mentally, I scolded myself as I changed back into pajamas and braided my hair.
"You are addicted to that man!" I hissed to my reflection. "Stop it, Langford!"
Stop being so cute and cheesy and wanting to go on dates and kissing him all the time and wanting him to snuggle me to sleep. I need to shut down my brain before it gets ideas–dirty or innocent.
"You okay?" I jumped, so lost in thought that I hadn't even realized Grayson was in the room.
"Fine," I said, setting down my hairbrush.
He went into the bathroom to change, so I crawled into bed, waiting for his return. Ugh. I'm like his happy little puppy who just misses him all day. Pathetic, that's what I am. Pathetic.
Grayson emerged, getting under the covers and pulling me into a cozy embrace. He dropped his forehead to my scalp, whispering, "What are they going to do? They can't just hide forever. And we all have to head back to her place in a couple of days."
"We can get a hotel," I offered. We both spoke in hushed tones, trying to let Clay and Kylie rest in the other room. "We can have like, two getting ready suites. That way we really only have to see her the day of. Even then, she'll really only want to sink her fangs into you and me."
"That's true," he admitted. Then he sighed, leaning back into his pillow. "I just want to look out for him, Jackie. He's my little brother, and he's got such a big heart, especially when it comes to Kylie. He doesn't deserve any of this."
"I know," I murmured sadly. "But we're so close. We literally have two weeks left. We can push through. We've already made it through so much, surely we can handle two weeks."
"Somehow, I think it'll be the hardest two weeks yet," Grayson groaned.
"Don't talk like that," I said with a smile. "In a week, you and I are going to the tropics for our romantic honeymoon."
"Ah, yes, how could I forget about our romantic honeymoon where everyone thinks I'm trying to get you pregnant?" he asked, his tone loaded with sarcasm.
An ugly snort escaped my mouth. It was so loud and unexpected that both of us burst into giggles, while at the same time frantically trying to shush each other. Which, of course, only made us giggle harder.
"I don't know if that's the best way to convince me to get you pregnant, Jacks," Grayson snickered into his pillow.
I held back another wave of giggles. "You sure? I thought it was the most attractive thing I've ever done," I said through tears in my eyes.
"Maybe top five," he conceded, forcing me to laugh again.
"Goodnight, goofball," I sighed, still smiling.
He kissed my temple. "Night, little piggy."
"Okay, that's not fair," I complained, laughing again.
"It wasn't," he agreed, biting back a smile. "Sorry."
Shaking my head, I sank back into my pillow, noticing that once again he was holding me as we drifted off. I could've asked him to sleep on his own side. To not be so touchy and cuddly. I could've.
But I didn't.