by Kyra Lennon
Jayden nodded, still beaming.
James looked over at Radleigh and me. “Thank you. Thank you both for everything. I’ll take good care of him.”
“We know,” I said, softly.
“Thank you,” Radleigh added, giving him a small nod. “For wanting to do this. Thanks.”
I knew how much it took for him to say that. He’d softened in the time I’d known him, but he still wasn’t crazy about backing down, and he sure as hell didn’t want James to take Jayden away, but he knew that would be the easiest way for Jayden to cope. To be in a place that was familiar, with the man he’d grown up with as his father.
James placed Jayden on the floor. “Go give Radleigh and Leah a hug, then we’ll get going.”
Jayden ran to us, a totally different boy than the one who’d sullenly said hello to me earlier. He climbed up on the bed and Radleigh and I hugged him tight.
“See you tomorrow,” Radleigh kissed the top of his head the way I had done earlier.
“Yeah,” Jayden answered. “See you tomorrow.”
As he clambered back down, I smiled. “Have fun at the beach!”
“I will!”
After saying a final goodbye, James and Jayden left Radleigh and me alone.
“You did a good thing,” I told him, kissing his cheek.
“I know. But… is it wrong that I feel… I mean… he looked so happy when he left. Maybe he just doesn’t like me enough to want to live here.”
I shook my head, turning around so I was fully facing him. “He told me he likes it here, and that he likes all of us. But he’s scared, baby. He’s used to New York. He’s used to James and Harley and his life there. And now he doesn’t have his mum.”
Radleigh sighed, rubbing at his forehead. “It’s the right thing. We’ve got a lot of legal things to work through, but Jayden needs to go home, so James and I will deal with all of that when I’m out of here and can think straight again. But… we decided that we’ll let Jayden decide where he wants to be. If he changes his mind and wants to come here, he can.”
I had a sneaking suspicion that in a few years, after flying back and forth and getting to know us more, Jayden might actually want to live with us full time. But for now, while he was adjusting, Jayden was going to be exactly where he needed to be.
Chapter Twelve – Too Bad We Don’t Have a Karaoke Machine
To say the weeks leading up to the wedding flew by was an understatement. It was as if I blinked, and before I knew it, there was only one week left and my family had arrived in L.A in preparation. Also in preparation for the big day, Radleigh, Jessica and I had moved out of our house while the wedding organisers entered to put together the marquee for the big day. We had all manner of security in place to make sure nobody attempted to steal our stuff while we weren’t there – but it just wasn’t logical for us to be there amongst all the chaos. It would have been way too disruptive for Jessica, and way too stressful for Radleigh and me.
Radleigh was recovering well from his injury. He absolutely hated missing the last few weeks of the soccer season, but he didn’t have much choice since he could barely move for the first couple of weeks. By the week of the wedding, he was mobile and moving around a lot better, but he was still under strict instructions not to overdo anything.
And the sex thing? Yeah. He totally caved before I did.
In the time leading up to the wedding, I distanced myself from anything that had to do with Jen. Radleigh had had to speak to the police, and lawyers were involved. An intent to kill was established, and if found guilty of attempted murder, Jen would face life imprisonment. The shock of that never really left me. I recalled Bryce saying that Jen seemed like she didn’t mean to stab Radleigh, that the action happened in a moment of crazy, but her carrying the knife in her handbag suggested otherwise. A tiny part of me wanted to see her. To find out why. Why she threw away her freedom, and her entire life, to do something so awful. Was me not having Radleigh anymore really worth spending the rest of her life in jail? Maybe to her it was. Or maybe she never even thought about the consequences. I hoped she looked good in orange because she was going to be wearing it for a long time.
After everything she’d done to us, I should have been dancing around with glee at the idea of her rotting in jail for the rest of her life. I wasn’t. I wanted her to be punished, of course. I wanted her to suffer the way we had. But life? I’d kind of expected several years in jail plus many, many years of therapy.
But that was something to concern myself with after the biggest day of my life.
Not that I wasn’t still nervous something might still go wrong. Sure, Jen was in jail, but there were plenty of other mishaps that could occur. However, it was the night before the wedding, and I was in the penthouse suite of one of the best hotels in Los Angeles with my bridesmaids – all except Kayla, and Jessica and Grace, who were being watched by Mitch and Deanna, along with Jamie and Jayden. My mum was at Mitch and Deanna’s too, since she said she would have felt a little out of place amongst us “youngsters”. Radleigh, Bryce, and most of the team, plus my brother and my dad, had gone out for drinks. Quiet drinks, since the last time they went out on the town, Radleigh ended up in hospital.
“Leah,” Bree said, snapping her fingers in front of my face. “Will you please relax? You’re getting married tomorrow and you look more like someone who’s going to the dentist, not to her own wedding.”
With a small laugh, I reached for my glass of champagne and took a sip. “I’m sorry. Hard to stop worrying.”
The five of us were sprawled out across the living area on the enormous plush sofas in the room, all of us with champagne glasses in our hands. We’d had spa treatments earlier, and we’d had dinner delivered to us, so we were in our bath robes, and most of us were completely chilled out.
“What was the last thing Radleigh said to you when you left the house?” Freya asked, with a soft smile that made me smile too.
We’d stood in the doorway of Mitch and Deanna’s house, with Freya waiting just outside to take me to the hotel. Radleigh had pulled me close to him and said, “No more worrying. No more stress. Relax with your friends, and tomorrow… tomorrow you’re going to make me the happiest man in the world.”
With a sappy sigh, I said, “I know. I’m trying to stay calm, but… after everything that’s happened… I won’t relax until I see Radleigh waiting for me as I walk down the aisle.”
Bree let out a little squeal of excitement. “He’s going to freak out when he sees you! You’re going to look so beautiful.”
Since her miscarriage, Bree had been quieter and less bouncy than before. It had hit her and Jude hard, but slowly she was finding her way back to herself. She’d grown up so much in the time I’d known her. The essence of her would always be full of life and enthusiasm, but she had calmed down a lot since she’d started working.
Except when she was talking about weddings. Or make-up.
Across the room, Chrissie smiled. “I can’t wait to see your dress.”
“I can’t wait to wear it!”
“It’s stunning.” Izzy grinned. “Bree’s right. Radleigh’s going to be so happy when you walk towards him tomorrow.”
I nodded, and out of nowhere, tears filled my eyes. I tried to blink them away before anyone saw, but there was no hiding anything from my best friends. Bree, who was sitting closest to me, wrapped an arm around my shoulders and held me tight.
“You guys have been through a lot lately, huh?” she said, gently.
“Yeah.” I brushed the tears away from my cheeks and let out a small laugh. “Sorry. It’s just… I can’t believe we’ve got this far. I can’t believe how lucky I am to be sitting here with all of you the night before my wedding, knowing I have the best people in the whole world around me. I never thought…” I shook my head. “I always wanted more than the small town I grew up in, but this? God, I thought maybe I’d end up in London, married to someone I loved, but you know, someone fairly ordinary. Not some
one famous. Not here.”
Bree gave my shoulders a squeeze. “None of it’s been easy, though.”
“Not for any of us.” I rested my head on her shoulder.
“You’d think we’d known each other our whole lives with all that’s happened in the last couple of years,” Freya said. Her lips pulled into a tight smile and Izzy took her hand.
“I still don’t know what I’m doing here,” Izzy said with a chuckle. “I swear, one minute I was at home, going to college like a normal person my age, and then this cute football star swept into my life and turned everything upside down. Now I’m here. I can’t thank you enough for letting me be a part of your lives, and a part of your wedding.”
“We love you,” Bree told her. “We just wish you were here more often.”
Izzy’s cheeks coloured and she lowered her head, making me laugh.
“If anyone doesn’t fit here, it’s me,” Chrissie said, laughing. “All of you with your exciting lives, and I’m a boring housewife from the UK!”
“Not true,” Freya said. “First of all, you’re not boring, and second… let’s not forget the part you played in Leah and Radleigh’s love story.”
“She’s right.” I straightened up and took another drink. “If it weren’t for you, Radleigh and I might never have got together.”
It was the trip to the Florida Aquarium that Radleigh invited himself to when Josh and Chrissie were visiting that made me start to see him differently, and I smiled again as I remembered how he’d given me a Florida Snowman as a gift before he left us. Okay, the fallout afterwards wasn’t pretty. In fact, the aftermath made me suffer in ways I never knew were possible. But it was Chrissie’s encouragement that made me go to London where I knew Radleigh would be. Where we finally told each other how we felt.
“What kind of sister-in-law would I be if I didn’t give you a shove in the right direction? Besides, it was pretty clear to me he was in love with you. You just needed to go and find that out for yourself.”
My heart swelled in my chest, and some of the worry I’d carried with me was stripped away. Radleigh and I weren’t without our problems; we still had plenty of challenges ahead of us, but whose life is totally plain-sailing? What mattered was knowing we had each other, and the most fantastic support system we could ask for.
“Okay,” Bree said, standing up and heading for the sound system that sat between two of the enormous windows overlooking the city. “I think we need to get this party started. Who’s up for dancing?”
“In our bathrobes?” Izzy raised an eyebrow.
Bree shrugged. “Who can see us up here? Think of this as the bachelorette party – round two.”
“Too bad we don’t have a karaoke machine.” Freya winked.
“Ha! Don’t encourage her!”
Bree turned to us, hand on her hip. “Are you forgetting where we are and how much this place costs? Bet we could get them to find us one.”
Izzy threw her head back, laughing. “What world am I in? And who actually demands a karaoke machine in a hotel room?”
“You ain’t seen nothing!” Freya laughed. “This is not the most extravagant request.”
Izzy’s eyes almost bulged out of her head, and I said, “Enough with the diva behaviour. We’re supposed to be having a quiet evening, remember?”
Bree rolled her eyes but smiled. “Okay. But… we can put some music on, right?”
I nodded, and Bree turned the stereo on. When a cheesy song from the nineties began to play, she laughed out loud and started dancing, shaking her ass back and forth. “Who’s with me?”
The rest of us exchanged a look. Knowing we couldn’t resist, we all got up from where we sat and joined her. We must have looked ridiculous, dancing around in our nightclothes, but none of us cared. For that brief moment in time, whatever had happened over the past few months was forgotten. I was amongst some of my favourite people in the world and, oh yeah, I was getting married in the morning.
Chapter Thirteen – Something Old, Something New
Holy. Shit.
As my eyes fluttered open, two things entered my head simultaneously. Firstly, judging by the thudding in my head, I’d had more to drink than I’d intended. Secondly…
It was my wedding day.
I blinked a few times to wake myself up, and as my vision cleared, I chuckled. I’d crashed out on a sofa at some point, and Chrissie had done the same. Bree was sprawled on the floor with her bathrobe covering her head and the top half of her body. I could see her breathing, so I knew she was okay. Freya was propped up against the sofa Chrissie was sleeping on – it looked severely uncomfortable and she was going to be sore when she woke up. Izzy was curled up in a ball next to the stereo, using her bathrobe as a blanket.
How we were going to get up, ready and be presentable by one p.m., I had no clue.
The clock on the wall told me it was six-thirty. We had to be back at my house for nine, because that was where everyone would be getting ready. We’d discussed us getting ready at the hotel, but it would be pretty much impossible for me to get into my house without the press getting a shot of me in my wedding dress, so we – all my bridesmaids and page boys, and my mum and Deanna – were all coming to my place to get ready. My hair stylist and the photographer were arriving at nine-thirty, and Bree would be working on make-up until we were all ready.
It was going to be a nightmare. Especially if my friends felt as fuzzy as me.
I hadn’t thought to bring any painkillers as none of us were supposed to drink much. I wasn’t hungover exactly, but I felt groggier than I’d intended. In lieu of tablets, I decided to drag myself off the sofa and head for the kitchen area to brew some coffee. God knows, we would all need it.
As I waited for the coffee machine to do its thing, I sat down on a stool around the kitchen island because I couldn’t handle being on my feet just yet.
The butterflies in my stomach began to stir.
God. This was actually going to happen. After struggles and fights and mistakes. After loss and heartache and pain. We’d made it.
“Morning.” Freya’s voice was a little weak as she shuffled into the kitchen, bleary eyed and rubbing her neck. She eased herself onto the stool next to mine. “I should have slept on the floor, not against the couch. I need another massage.”
I chuckled. “I think we could all use a spa treatment today.”
Turning her head towards me, a small grin spread across her face until she was beaming at me. “Happy wedding day!”
Smiling back at her, I said, “Thank you. I was just about to go and throw up.”
“Hangover or nerves?”
“Nerves.” I drew in a deep breath as the reality of marrying Radleigh washed over me again. “I know I don’t need to be worried about anything, but like I said last night, with everything that’s happened over the last few months, I can’t help being a little apprehensive.”
Freya took my hand and squeezed it gently. “Today is going to be perfect, Leah. It’s going to be everything you want it to be. And we’re all going to be around you. Everyone you love is going to be there to watch you marry the man of your dreams.”
Before I could answer, I heard my phone beeping and vibrating across the table where I’d left it before I crashed out. My heart clenched. What if it was Deanna, saying something was wrong with Jessica? What if something had happened to Radleigh? Trying to keep my composure, I wandered over to the table, my body shaking the whole way. The sound of the vibrating had woken the rest of my friends, but I didn’t acknowledge them. I couldn’t until I’d read the message.
I picked up my phone, and when my eyes fell on the message, my heart rate lowered and my body ceased trembling.
I can’t wait to marry you. I love you x
Smiling, I hugged my phone to me, wishing Radleigh was with me so I could hug him for real. Six hours to go.
I can’t wait to be your wife. I love you too xx
Blowing out a breath, I looked up at my friend
s and grinned. “Morning, ladies. Let’s get this show on the road!”
Although we were all a little worse for wear, we managed to get ourselves showered, dressed and mildly caffeinated by eight thirty, and back at my house by ten to nine. Well on time. My home looked chaotic out front. There were the what felt like permanent paparazzi outside the gates, waiting to get a look at the wedding party, and five burly security guys guarding the gates, trying to restrict their view. Camera flashes went off as our car drove onto the property, but the blackened out windows meant they wouldn’t get a lucky shot. The car drove as close to the door as it could possibly get – which wasn’t too close since there were many other cars and vans already in the driveway - and we bundled out quickly, heads down until we’d got through the door.
Further chaos greeted us inside, as staff that wouldn’t normally have been there, plus caterers and all manner of other wedding day helpers milled about, getting everything ready. Before I could become overwhelmed with the scene, my mum and Deanna rushed from the kitchen. After they both hugged each and every one of us, they hurried us up the stairs to my room, away from the crazy.
Once inside, we all burst out laughing at the insanity we’d just battled through.
“Oh my God,” Bree said. “That will all have stopped by one, right?”
“I bloody hope so,” I replied. “I don’t want people running up and down the aisle while we’re saying our vows!”
“It’s going to be fine,” Deanna said, with a warm smile. “Everything is almost done and in place.”
“The marquee looks beautiful,” my mum said, and I thought I saw a tear in her eye.
“Too early for tears, Mum,” I told her, giving her another hug.
Since she’d been in L.A, for the first time in maybe forever, I felt like she wasn’t silently judging me for the decisions I’d made. She was blown away by my house, and the area we lived in. It was unimaginable to someone from smalltown Cornwall, UK, that this kind of luxury existed. While she would probably never understand how I coped with the pressure of being in this world, it felt like she had started to understand why this was the right choice for me. My dad had gotten on board a lot faster – almost immediately – but Mum had had a much harder time dealing with it all. She’d finally accepted my decision now though, and that meant more to me than I could possibly explain.