"I thought you'd still be here."
I open my eyes and look over at Eric who is standing by my office door. I flash him a small smile and look back at my computer screen. "Yeah, got a lot still to do."
Since coming back to my office after my meeting with Jackie, I've done nothing but work. Luca, Fredrick and Jade left my office without a single word being said after I told them I had something important to do. I rescheduled the rest of Jade's meeting until tomorrow which she was fine about because, as it turns out, she had to leave anyway. Luca told me he'd pick me up when I finished work and Fredrick just left without saying he was sorry. I didn't expect anything else from him after what he said but I know both Jade and Luca will have it out with him when they're in private.
"Late night?" He queries, stepping into my office with both of his hands holding the strap of his bag that's on one shoulder. I raise my brows as a silent way of acknowledging his question. "Thought as much as I hadn't yet signed you out for the day."
"You don't need to wait for me to finish. I can sign myself out."
"We both know I can't let you do that." He takes a seat opposite me. "Anyway, Oscar is still working away in his office so I have him to sign out, too. Plus, I need to lock up."
"What time is it?" I look down at my watch on my wrist and grunt loudly. "Half six. Bloody brilliant."
I sit up straight in my chair.
"Been working hard?"
"Don't I always?"
"After what I've witnessed from everyone in here today, I would class this as working over-overtime."
I start tidying everything away so I can pick where I left off tomorrow. I shut my computer down and start getting ready to go.
"It's probably a good time to tell you that Luca has been waiting outside for you, then." Eric notifies with a grin. "He's been waiting there since five o'clock."
I walk around my desk and out the office with Eric following close behind. "Can't say I'm surprised."
"It must be great to have a man like Luca." I look at him with a raised brow. "Rich and very good looking."
"Trust me when I tell you that he wasn't always like that."
"Which part?"
"Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, it's both." Oscar's voice answers.
I glance back at both men before rolling my eyes and walking down the stairs to the ground floor.
"Clearly, that's what money can buy you." Oscars adds, bypassing me with a leather folder in one hand and his matching satchel bag on the opposite shoulder. "While I remember to ask, what are you doing for this wedding thing Jackie has us all working on?"
"Wedding favours for all three days," I reply. "What are you doing?"
"Rental equipment," he informs. "The biggest vain of my life."
"Thought you liked that part of the job? Picking the furnishings and deciding on where they'll go."
"I do," he defends a tad too quickly. "However, not when I have an impossible deadline. The company that agreed to supply everything have emailed me again saying they're short on some things."
I raise a brow at him. "Can't you just get what you need from them and get the rest from someone else?"
"I could but none of the other companies I contacted can do the supplies on this short notice." He grunts loudly, his shoulders rising and falling before he shakes his head. "I can't seem to catch a break right now. I think I need another holiday."
"You literally just had one not that long ago," I point out.
"Just as well I've still to get a week's holiday before the end of November."
"As does everyone else," Eric chimes in.
We reach the ground floor and Eric signs us out for the day.
"I have to ask but do any of you have budgets for this?" Eric queries, shutting the computer down after handing our ID badges back.
"Not a number in sight," Oscar tells Eric.
"For any of us," I add.
"The more expensive the better the couple have apparently said."
"Oh really?" Eric draws out, looking at me with a grin.
I hold up a single finger and my facial expression turns serious. "Don't you even for a moment think that it's Luca and I who are the ones that this thing is for. One, we aren't engaged. Two, if we were, we wouldn't be getting married in Los Angeles. It would most likely be either here or New York. Three, I'd be the one to plan the whole thing because no one takes a girls wedding dream away from her. And four, give us some goddamn credit."
"I didn't ask but I thought I'd bring it up," he says like he didn't mean to offend me.
"You didn't need to bring anything up."
"I know but-" Eric opens the office door and allows Oscar and I to leave first. He turns the security alarm on and follows us out, locking the building up for the night. "-even you have to admit that it sounds very coincidental."
"Someone's swallowed a dictionary after being left the keys to the office," Oscar teases, his brows rising and falling numerous times during the comment.
"I'm more trustworthy than some of the other receptionists we have," Eric points out firmly.
"And by that, he means Pamela," I fill in when Oscar looks blankly at him.
"Oh, her." Oscar shudders. "I wouldn't trust her with anything. Such a gossiping bitch."
I hold my laugh in when I spot Carlo standing at the back of the waiting Jaguar that's parked up in front of our works car.
"There's a reason no one socialises with her outside of work," Oscar finishes.
"Yeah," I concur.
We say our goodbye to each other and I slip into the back of the Jaguar when Carlo opens the door for me. I place my bag on my lap and look briefly at Luca who is busy with something on his phone. He doesn't acknowledge me and I roll my eyes while putting my seatbelt on. Carlo gets into the car and drives off as soon as he's settled behind the wheel.
We drive for no longer than fifteen minutes before I hear Luca sigh heavily and his phone lock.
"You know what Fredrick said wasn't true," Luca mentions, breaking the silence.
I look at him, scoff, and turn my attention back to looking out the window.
"He's just angry because he's stressed about this other company trying to get his share of our company."
I roll my eyes.
Sure he is.
"Kaylee, Fredrick is the type of guy that fights for what's his. He's worked his ass off along with me to get our company where it is today. He says things in the heat of the moment and what he said earlier wasn't true."
I huff loudly, making it clear to Luca that I'm not interested in what he has to say in defence of his best friend and business partner. He shouldn't have directed his anger my way and the fact he did just goes to show that he has something against me whatever that may be.
"Kaylee," Luca says firmly, grasping my hand in his and giving it a squeeze so I have no choice but to look at him, which I do without making a big deal. "He didn't mean it. Do you really think I'd let him get away with saying that to you if he meant it? Plus, Jade wouldn't allow him to get away with that, either. She likes you too much to let her husband ruin the relationship that's made me happy again."
I look down at our hands. Luca has clasped the two of his hands around mine and I place my free hand on top of his.
"I know he wasn't being serious," I start. I pat his hand. "But when you think about it, what he's said is true. You shouldn't need to make news stories about either of us go away so they don't upset either of us or those who know us. I should know how to handle having a camera shoved in my face but I don't because I'm not used to it."
"And you shouldn't need to get used to it," he agrees.
"But I will because I've chosen to be with you."
"Being with me shouldn't have you changing who you are."
"I'll still be myself," I assure. "I'll just know how to handle having people taking pictures of me and maybe . . ."
"What?"
". . . maybe you can stop being so controlling when it comes to stories being released about me."
"Never going to happen."
"Depending on what they are."
"Not happening."
"You-"
"Kaylee, when it comes to you, I don't want people to try and contact your family and friends to get a story on either of us. The story everyone will want to know is how you dealt with the break-up. They know my side but your side is different from mine and they'll want to know it. I'm protecting you and everyone in your life from having their privacy invaded."
"So it's safe for you to reveal things about us but when I tell you to lighten up on it, you want to keep everything a secret and control what's going to be known others outside our friends and family?"
"Kaylee . . ."
"There's not one rule for one and one for another," I firmly tell him.
"I know but you need to see it from my point of view. I've been so secretive about my daughter because I don't want her biological mother to see what she looks like. It may sound selfish but to me, she shouldn't get that privilege because she gave it up when she left. She doesn't get to sit wherever she is and see our daughter's face in a news article to keep tabs on her. She has no right to that and that's why I want to keep things about you private, too.
"I don't want Nadia suddenly turning up on the scene and plotting against you. I don't want her to gather all the information that may well be released about you and use it against us. She's been away for so long and who knows what she's like now. For all I know, she could do that very thing and where would that leave us?
"We'd start arguing with each other. We'd start arguing with those around us. She'd drive a wedge between us and no doubt use that as evidence against me in court to take my daughter away from me. I'd be too caught up in trying to stop her that we'd break up and I'd lose you, too."
"Luca," I hush, moving one of my hands up to grasp at his neck. I pull him closer to me until our foreheads rest against each others. "Don't."
"Everything I'm doing is for both yours and Louisa's safety. Now that I'm happy, I just can't shake the thought that's in the back of my mind that's telling me that she's waiting in the wings for her moment to pounce."
I shake my head. "Don't think like that. You'll always have me and no one will take either Louisa or myself away from you."
"I . . ."
"I love you, Luca." I place a kiss on his forehead and give his hand a small squeeze. "If she does come like you seem to think, I can handle her. I'm here by your side and we'll deal with it."
"Thank you," he utters.
I rub the back of his neck then pull away from him and we settle back into our seats, silence blanketing us for the remainder of the car ride.
Luca keeps a hold of one of my hands in his, his thumb casually brushing over my knuckles every now and then. He doesn't entertain the notification sounds that come from his phone time and time again. He's too busy watching the city go by like I am.
Things that needed to be said were said. Explanations that were needed were explained and things were cleared up. Worries that weren't an issue out loud were diminished and assurance was put in place for both parties that we secretly needed. Issues others said about us were thrown out the window because they're opinions don't matter.
Our talk has been a major step forward in our relationship and one that neither of us knew we needed to get over until this point.
"So what're your plans for the rest of the night?" Luca asks as the car comes to a stop in the car park at the back of my block of flats.
I take my seatbelt off and prepare to get out the car. "Most likely more work seeing as my boss has taken on a big event that requires every single person in my work to be a part of."
"I thought you were taking it slow at work with everything that's happened lately?"
I can hear the confusion in Luca's voice which has me shrugging my shoulders.
"Try telling my boss's client that." I get out the car and look back at Luca. "Big paying clients mean more than anything else. You should know that."
His mouth opens to respond but he closes it and nods instead. He knows that statement all too well after he did the same thing as what this client is doing.
I smile and wink at him. "See you tomorrow."
"Night, Kaylee."
I close the door and make my way into the building and up to my flat. I pass a few of my neighbours on their way out and smile to them out of politeness. I can faintly hear the sound of the Jaguar driving off in the silence of the building, signifying that Luca has left and is on his way to his home.
I come to a stop outside the front door of my flat and start rummaging in my bag for my house keys. I'm about to pull them out my bag when the front door opens and I come face-to-face with Allison and Greg. I take a step back out of surprise and Allison falls back against Greg. Her hands immediately move to clasp behind her back and she tones down her smile that was the first thing I noticed when she opened the door.
She's overly happy and I haven't seen her this way since the shopping spree we went on for my birthday.
"Oh, hi." Allison looks back at Greg, moving a strand of her hair to behind her ear, then looks back at me. "Uh . . . we were just heading out."
"So I can see," I comment.
We move past one and other; Allison and Greg moving to stand outside my flat and me moving to stand just inside the flat looking out at them.
"Do you need me for anything tonight?" Allison asks, hope in her voice that's really asking if she can go anyway and telling me that she won't be back tonight.
"I'm not your keeper, Allison. You can come and go if you wish."
"Alright," she beams. She takes Greg's hand in hers and pulls him away from the flat. "I'll see you tomorrow."
I roll my eyes and close the door, locking it when it's firmly shut. I walk into the kitchen and place my bag down on the worktop before my eyes focus on the bouquet of red roses in a vase sitting on the coffee table in the living room area.
Curiously, I walk to them and reach for the card that's sitting close by.
"For my wonderful girlfriend, I love you forever and for always. Greg." I read aloud.
I drop the card back to the coffee table and walk back to the kitchen.
"So predictable," I grumble.
I take a bottle of flavoured water out the fridge and down a mouthful of it. I'm not finished swallowing the ice cold water when I turn back around and look back at the flowers Greg got for Allison.
He's always gotten her red roses when he wants to make it up to her for whatever reason. He seems to think that it's the only flower she likes and that every girl out there likes them in the same colour. He doesn't put much thought into the important details that could change things up a bit. I mean, he has money and likes to flaunt it whenever he wishes. He just seems to forget to do so when it comes to impressing his girlfriend.
Not like Luca.
My eyes widen and I shake my head.
I've turned into Allison.
I'm comparing Greg to Luca like Allison did. I'm pointing out his flaws and talking my own boyfriend up which I've never done. I've never compared anyone to Luca because everyone is different and their own person. I've never felt the need to compare Greg to Luca but seeing how simple he does things . . . I can't but start thinking of the comparisons.
I've actually transformed into my best friend and I don't like it one bit.
I step forward and lean my forearms on the cool worktop in front of me. I stare at the flowers for a while longer, thinking about nothing in general until something simply clicks in my mind.
I reach into my bag for my phone. I unlock it and scroll through my contacts for the number of the one person I know will be able to give me some advice on the thoughts that are beginning to run amuck in my head.
I put the phone call on speaker, letting my phone sit on the worktop as it rings a few times before it's answered.
"Good evening, Kaylee." Jade answers musically.
I draw my arms in and look down at my phone. "Hi, I don't mean to call at this time because I know you'll be busy with the café and all."
"Not at all," Jade brushes off, "it's fine. What's up?"
"I was wondering if you could help me with a few things," I begin to explain.
"Of course. What is it?"
"It's nothing too big but if you can't help then I completely understand."
I've started rambling and I know if I don't say what's on my mind soon, I may not have the courage to ask anyone for help on this matter.
"Kaylee, depending on what it is, I should be able to help." She assures, putting a halt to my rushed words. "Name it."
I take a deep breath, calming breath. "Help me with how to handle the paparazzi and how to stand by Luca when it comes to public events."
There's silence and the fear I didn't know was hidden at the core of my thoughts begins to come alive. All the thoughts I had on how to handle having a camera put in my face and how to stand by Luca during times like that are coming into question.
I thought I'd be able to handle everything that comes my way. I told myself that I would be able to handle anything as long as I have Luca there but the times he's not there, I don't think I'll be able to handle those times.
"Kaylee," Jade finally says, "this has something to do with today, doesn't it? About what happened in your office."
"Some but not all," I declare.
"I can help you in how to handle the press but how to stand by your man comes naturally. The love you have for him turns to a projection of protecting him when it comes to standing by his side and supporting him when you're out. It doesn't take practice. It just happens."
I run my hand down the side of my face and move to sit on the nearest bar stool. I don't make a move to speak because I know she's not finished saying what she has to say.
"Both our men may seem like they don't need protection from us but I can guarantee you that they do. More so when it comes to them being out in public or at events. They need us by their side to silently let them know that no matter what happens during that time, we're there for them through it all.
"Nothing has to be said. Just them seeing us next to them is all they need to know we've got their backs. It's something that only magnifies when you get engaged then it grows even more when you get married and take their name.
"You're no longer the girlfriend that can be dropped at any point. You're the woman who took their name and is showing a sense of unity and protection for their man. You're showing how much you love him and that it won't just be his name they'll attack. It's going to be like a personal attack to you and you'll take it as such before rising to crush those who dare to diminish your family."
"But here's the thing," I jump in and start, "Luca and I aren't engaged or married. Everyone keeps bringing that up lately and I'm getting really sick of it. We aren't going to start back where we left off. It's been nine years and a lot has changed."
"I think . . ." I hear her suck in a breath before she goes on. "I think it has a lot to do with the fact that Luca was going to propose to you before you split up back then. I've seen the ring he bought for you back then and compared to what he could buy now . . . I have to say, the boy did well."
"Everyone keeps saying that to me but I have no idea what they're talking about." I laugh and bite down on my bottom lip. "I've never seen this so-called ring and-"
"Take it from me, it's beautiful." She promises. "If you've noticed mine, this has nothing on it."
I think of the times I've been around Jade and come to think of it, her engagement ring and wedding band are both beautiful. The pear-shaped diamond with pavé diamonds on the platinum band isn't something you can miss on her ring finger on her left hand. The matching platinum diamond wedding band to match also doesn't go unseen. It's the only thing that Jade tends to wear – jewellery wise – that screams out that both she and her husband have money. Other than that, she keeps things very simple with small stud diamond earrings.
"Think of my ring but instead of the pear-shaped diamond, it's more of an emerald-cut and slightly smaller but not by much."
I frown. "How does that one work out? How can he afford something like that when he didn't have a well-paying job when we were first together?"
"But he had parents who were well paid and not to mention that he had grandparents who loved him deeply as he was the only grandchild. They only wanted to see him happy and seeing him with you made him happy. Plus, you can get expensive looking rings for less money than what mines are."
"That . . . that's true. It explains why his gran gave him money to renovate the first home they had in New York when they moved there."
"It does," she agrees.
"Thank you, Jade."
"Anytime." I hear the happiness in her voice and I can't help but smile. "Tomorrow morning, meet me at the café and we'll go over the plans for the party. I'll also go over dealing with the persistent photographers."
I laugh and walk in the direction of my bedroom with my phone in one hand. "I'll mark it in my calendar so I can just leave from my house instead of going to the office."
"If that's the case, I'll pick you up, then."
I close the blind at the window in my bedroom. "You don't have to."
"Nonsense. I can and I will. We can have a good chat and talk about anything you wish to talk about. Nothing is off limits."
"Thank you, again, Jade."
"Tomorrow morning," she iterates. "I'll pick you up around ten o'clock. I need my beauty sleep and we won't be in a rush."
"You don't know where I stay," I remind, about to tell her my address.
"I know your boyfriend, though. I'll get it from him."
"Very true," I approve.
"Goodnight, Kaylee."
"Night."