I’m left with no choice but to follow her out. We have an appointment with my designer and I need to warn her about Nina … although, considering my mom’s penchant for embarrassing me in front of the cameras maybe I’ll let Nina introduce herself.
Right now my favorite time of the day is at night, or any time I can escape behind my closed bedroom door. It’s the only time when the cameras aren’t watching mine, or our, every move. The producers have even started asking us questions to incite a conversation or induce drama when we don’t need it. I’m starting to think this was a bad idea, but then I remember the bigger picture and the pay out at the end.
If Joey were to use a wedding planner or plan our wedding herself, she’d be stressed. Not that she isn’t now, but it would be more amplified because she’d worry about money. She doesn’t understand that I’d move Heaven and Earth to give her the wedding of her dreams.
It’s been almost two weeks since production started and, quite frankly, that’s nine days too long. I’ve heard them complain that we’re boring, mundane, and lacking the drama needed to bring in the viewers. On the inside I was smiling because that is the best way to be in my opinion. If they wanted the drama maybe they should’ve started when Jules was hanging around. There was plenty of it to go around.
Joey stirs in her sleep. Her head is rested on my chest with her arm draped across my stomach and I’m wide-awake, wondering how I got here. I’m not having cold feet or even second-guessing anything, I’m only having a hard time coming to grips with how everything changed. One drunken night and I signed my name on a contract that’s changing my life.
I used to think my life made sense until I met Joey, then what I thought I wanted went out the door. She makes everything seem so simple when my life was nothing but a complicated mess.
The house phone rings, jolting Joey in my arms. My hand runs smoothly down her arm, trying to lull her back to sleep. It’s too late for guests and honestly I’m surprised that security would call this late. I close my eyes once the ringing stops and try to get some shut-eye. Tomorrow … well, actually today, is going to be a long but fun day. We’re getting fitted for our tuxedos and Joey’s dad is arriving. I’m excited that he’ll be here before we leave for Hawaii even if he’ll be bored.
When the phone rings again I jump up out of bed and rush down the hall. It’s a good thing the cameramen are sleeping or they’d have a nice shot of me in my underwear right now.
“Hello,” I bark into the receiver, not worrying about the person on the other end.
“Hi, I’m looking for Joshua Wilson.”
“This is Joshua, who is this?”
“My name is Edna and I’m calling from Cedars-Sinai to let you know that Jules Maxwell is in labor and she’s asking for you.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, a new habit that I’ve picked up recently from being on set with my last film, and sigh. “I’m not the baby’s father,” I tell the nurse. “She needs to call someone else.”
“She did, Mr. Wilson, and no one has shown up.”
“I’m sorry, but I won’t be there either.” I hang up before she can try and talk me into doing something I don’t want to do. Being there for Jules is the last thing I want. It’s the last thing Joey and I need. We are only a few of weeks away from getting married and we should be focusing on us, not her.
“Hey,” Joey says as I come back into the bedroom. “Who was that?”
“A nurse from Cedars. Jules is in labor and she called to let me know.”
“Why?”
I crawl back into bed, but sit up against the headboard. My mind is racing a mile a minute and I know that sleep won’t be coming for me anytime soon.
“Because no one has shown up for her.”
“She’s alone?”
I shrug. “I didn’t ask.”
Joey snuggles into my side, making sure to keep the sheet up over her bare breasts.
“We should go, Josh.”
“No, we shouldn’t.”
“If the baby was yours, you’d be there. I would, too, even though I wouldn’t be welcome, but she wouldn’t be alone.”
Joey has a good heart. It doesn’t matter what people are saying about her, and in this case, I mean Jules and my mother, all she sees is that a woman is alone and going through something important and probably traumatic.
“Joey, if we go, she’ll think I’m there because I love her.”
She sits up and keeps a tight grip on the sheet, preventing me from seeing her breasts. Jules isn’t even here and she’s cock blocking me right now.
“I can imagine that having a baby is scary, but being alone or having to only depend on the hospital staff to help you is probably really freaking her out. Knowing that a friend is waiting for her in the waiting room will soothe her a little.”
“Joey,” I say, closing my eyes, “this isn’t a good idea.”
“Nothing concerning Jules is a good idea,” she replies, hopping off the bed. She disappears into her closet and when she comes out, she’s dressed in sweats and a T-shirt, and is in the process of piling her hair on top of her head.
“I’m going.”
“Joey,” I whine, throwing the covers off my legs. “This is a mistake.”
Cupping my face with her hands, she gazes into my eyes. I know she sees nothing but torment in them. “You’ll feel better knowing you were there, I promise. There was a time in your life when you loved her and I know she’s done a lot to ruin everything you guys had, but right now she’s scared and she called the one person she knows won’t come to her aid. She’s desperate, Josh, she has no one else.”
Deep down I know that Joey is right and if I hadn’t pushed for the paternity test I’d be at the hospital right now waiting for Jules to give birth. I kiss Joey and sidestep her to get dressed. When I come out, she’s in the kitchen talking to her mom.
“Morning, honey,” Ava says, handing me a travel mug of coffee.
“Thank you.”
“I’ll call you as soon as we know something.” Joey kisses her mom and we make our way to the car. We’ll have enough time to get out of the garage and down the road before the production realizes the noise they can hear is Joey and I leaving.
“Barry is going to be pissed,” I say, turning out of our community and heading down the hill toward the hospital. At night Hollywood is gorgeous and I’ve always loved it. The nightlife is still bustling, creating a glow.
“It’s none of his business.”
“No, but Jules will see this as a missed opportunity to sell her story.”
Joey doesn’t say anything, but I suspect she’s rolling her eyes. She wants to see the good in everyone even when they don’t deserve it.
“I can guarantee you that People magazine will be there as soon as she delivers.”
“Josh …”
“Joey, I know you want to believe she’ll change after giving birth, but I doubt it. The baby will be an accessory until the novelty wears off and then it will be a burden. I know her better than most. She’s never going to change.”
We’re silent the rest of the way to the hospital and when we pull in I’m thankful that the media isn’t outside waiting. I’ve never come out and publicly denied Jules’ baby, but I haven’t admitted it either. Most people are going to assume I’m the father and while that bothers me, Blaze felt that doing damage to her professional career wasn’t a smart move on my part. As long as Joey and her parents know the truth, that’s all that matters.
Joey leads us to the desk and asks where we can find Jules.
“I’m sorry, we don’t have anyone registered by that name,” she tells us.
“Please try Juanita Madonno.”
The nurse starts typing again and Joey looks at me. With a shrug, I start walking toward the room number the nurse blurted out.
“Juanita? Is that her alias?”
“No, that’s her name. Jules is her stage name.”
“Is Joshua Wilson a stage name and I’m really m
arried to someone else?” she asks as we press the buzzer to be let into maternity.
“Nope, Joshua Wilson is who I am.”
“Phew,” she says, wiping her forehead. I laugh out loud and a nurse behind the desk glares at me. When we find Jules’ room, Joey tells me she’ll wait by the door.
I knock and step in. The second Jules sees me, her face lights up. She reaches for me, but I stay, standing against the wall.
“You came.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t want to, but Joey made me … she made us.”
“She’s here?” Her tone is snarky.
“Out in the hall.”
“Why? Why couldn’t you leave her at home?” Jules flops back on her bed and cries out, I’m assuming she’s having a contraction or whatever they are. “Why, Josh?”
“Because she’s my wife, Jules. And for whatever reason she wanted to be here for you when I wanted to go back to sleep. My wife thought you needed a friend.”
A nurse comes in to soothe Jules. I feel bad, but refuse to move from the wall. “Are you the father?”
“No, I’m not,” I say, sternly.
The nurse never makes eye contact with me. “It’s time, Jules.”
“Will you stay while I give birth? I need you, Josh.”
Shaking my head, I direct my gaze at the ground. “No, this is something I need to experience with my wife the first time. I’ll be out in the hall when you’re done.”
She starts crying, but it’s not enough to pull me toward her. I step outside and pull Joey to me. “This was a mistake.”
“I heard what she said.”
“I told you, Joey. She doesn’t care if we’re married. She’s delusional and can’t accept that I’m not part of her life anymore. Can we leave? Please.” Even though I told Jules I’d be out in the hall, I know that there is no part of me that wants to be here. I can’t be here, not anymore. The doormat I’ve been when it comes to Jules Maxwell has to stop and now seems to be as a good time as any.
“I’m sorry, I thought in her condition she’d want a friend.”
“She wants me and the feelings aren’t mutual. She’s never going to change.”
Joey wipes some tears, and for the life of me I can’t understand why she’s crying. Taking her under my arm, I escort her out of the hospital as fast as I can.
“You’re a good person, Joey, but I need you to develop some thicker skin for this world we’re in. Don’t take everyone at face value and don’t assume they’re not trying to stab you in the back,” I tell her as soon as we get in the car. I’ve been burnt by one too many snakes in this industry and I don’t want to see Joey go through the same thing.
“I just thought—”
“You know,” I say, taking her hand in mine. “With anyone else, they would’ve welcomed us being there for them, but not with her. She has tunnel vision when it comes to what she wants.”
With a sigh, Joey leans back in her seat. “I suppose I ought to watch for her trying to steal my husband,” she says, squeezing my hand.
“Not where I’m concerned.” I bring her hand up and kiss it. “As far as I’m concerned you’re the one for me and the only one I see in my life.”
She turns her head and smiles.
By the time we get home, the sun is almost peaking out over the horizon. “Let’s get some sleep before your dad arrives. Us guys have a busy day.”
“You’re trying on tuxedos.” She points out as she undresses down to nothing and crawls into bed.
“Mhm,” I say, palming my already growing erection. “And drinking, hitting the golf course, and planning my stag party.” I pull the covers back, causing her to giggle. Grabbing a hold of her ankles, I pull her to me before dropping my shorts onto the floor. “Look at that.” I palm my cock, rubbing it against her.
“What? I don’t feel anything.” She’s a little vixen teasing me like this.
“You will in a second, babe.” I plunge into her, making sure she feels every single inch of what I’m about to give to her.
The sweet smell of salt water fills the air. The waves rush to the shore while birds fly above trying to find their breakfast. I’m the only one on the beach, but that will change once the guests at the resort start waking up. The employees will be out, setting up umbrellas for shade, kids will be splashing in the sea, and surfers, boats, and people who plan to swim will be frolicking in the water.
Last night I had to kiss Josh good-bye. I’ve had to do it before, but this time it was different. He’d be going to a suite with Rob while I went to one with my parents. We won’t see each other until later this evening when I walk down the wooden dock that will be laid out for me. I teased him and asked why he didn’t want to stay the night with his mother and step father, or even his father and brand new step mom.
Nina wasted no time informing Josh’s dad about our new house in the hills, the reality show, and our destination wedding. And like her, he showed up, but did one better than her and brought Josh’s shiny new step mom. By shiny I mean very plastic and very young. It took about twenty minutes of her touching his arm before I had enough of her and gave them directions to the nearest hotel. Of course that wasn’t good enough for his father and he demanded one of the rooms be made up for them.
Demanded.
I told him I’d get right on it. The rooms are still bare and as long as his parents are in town they’ll remain that way. What really sucks is that they con Josh out of money. I don’t like it, but it’s not my place to say anything. I know what’s his is mine and all that, but it doesn’t seem right. I’m not the one earning what he’s spending on their hotel rooms. The one thing he did do, which I laughed about for hours, is offer them a suite to share at a fairly nice hotel, or separate rooms at a cheaper one. Shockingly they took the cheaper one.
Behind me, the cameraman is filming. Every now and again he gets up and walks around to get me face on. He’s asking questions, trying to get me to open up about today and how I feel.
“It’s funny,” I tell him. “Josh and I have been married eight months, you would think any nerves I have would be gone.”
“But they’re not?”
“No. I think they’re stronger than ever because now I know what to expect. Before I had no expectations. I thought the man I matched with wouldn’t haven’t anything in common with me or he’d be someone I never thought I’d see myself with.”
“You mean ugly?”
“No, I didn’t say that.” I keep my gaze focused on the ocean. You have to be careful what you say, or how you react around the camera because the smallest things get blown out of proportion. Blaze PR has me on all the social media sites, and while I do have access and can post, I rarely respond to anything. People can be intrusive and because you’re a public persona they feel you have to answer every question they throw at you. Ask me what I ate for breakfast and I’ll tell you. Ask me what Josh wears to bed or how many times we have sex and I’ll ignore you.
“Are you excited for today?”
“I am.”
The theme is mermaid with aqua blues, seashells, and sand candles. We figured if we were getting married at the beach it might as well be beach themed. The wooden dock or aisle was my mother’s idea so I could wear heels. Nina’s idea was to ask the wedding guests to bring money as gifts. I have no doubt in my mind that if we did that we would never see the checks. Aside from a few suggestions from her, everything has been what Josh and I want, with input from my mom.
My toes dig into the sand, wiggling their way deeper and deeper until my ankles are covered. I thought it would be cold this early in the morning, but it’s not. I like being out here this early by myself. It gives me time to think even with the camera pointed at me.
My mom, Rebekah, Nina, and I will have breakfast together before going to the spa where my day starts with a massage, followed by a mani/pedi treatment, and finally hair and nails. My hair is going to be curled and off to the side with a seashell barrette I found at a mall kios
k. It was a lucky find and as soon as I saw it I knew I needed it for today.
I had hoped Millie would come to the wedding, but being very pregnant and flying over the Pacific Ocean is highly frowned upon. Cole and her are still married, which means they’ll likely get the house on our one-year anniversary, but they’re not together. They live in separate states and Cole comes to visit her.
She took my advice and started looking into his mother and found that she’s a dirty crook. Their relationship is different. For the longest time Millie wanted him back and when he finally pulled his head out of his ass, her feelings had long changed because of the resentment she’s been harboring. I feel bad for her. In a way her relationship is as twisted as Jules wanted mine and Josh’s to be.
Out of all of us I thought for sure Millie and Cole would be the ones to make it. I pretty much knew Gary and Amanda would end, and as far as Josh and I, I had hope.
Turns out that hope is all I needed.
My legs feel wobbly and my steps tentative. I hate heels, but they’re an evil necessity for this dress.
My dress …
I fell in love with the first one from the bridal boutique in Alabama, but when I met with the designer and she showed a sample of a champagne-colored gown similar to the one I had chosen, that’s when I knew Jules had done me a favor. I’m still Cinderella, but the beadwork I have is now smooth, soft silk that shimmers in the light. I can run my hands over my bodice and not be afraid to pull or rip something. Josh and I can dance and he’ll be able to touch me without snagging a bead or getting one caught on his cufflink.
Each step I take closer to my dad, brings back memories from the show, except now I can see. I’m not blindfolded. This time I’ll see him standing at the end of the wooden aisle way, standing proud and looking dapper in his tux. His smile is bright and happy. I have no doubt he was like this before, but I don’t have the proof. Now I do.
“Are you ready?”
I nod, probably too eagerly but I don’t care. It feels like I’m marrying Josh for the first time.
Twisted Reality (Blind Reality #2) Page 18