After The One (The One Series Duet)

by Danielle Allen

  “Good to see you too, dude.” Bryce looked over at me and smiled before planting a kiss on my cheek. “Zoe, you look great.”

  “Thank you. You too,” I replied, taking in the way his blue shirt brought out his blue eyes. “Koko mentioned you two spoke…”

  “Unfortunately, she asked me to leave.” He shook his head as he ran his hand through his blonde hair. Although he smiled nonchalantly, I saw the sadness in his eyes. “But I have to interview you two lovebirds at eleven so I’m going to try again.”

  As I peeked over his shoulder at Koko and saw the longing in her sidelong glances, I nodded. “Go get her. You two belong together.”

  Julian looked at his watch. “And you have two hours before you have to interview us.” He gestured with his head. “Don’t come back until you get your girl.”

  Bryce’s eyes lit up as he laughed us off.

  Julian shifted so he was behind me. He wrapped his arms around me and I let the back of my head rest against his chest. As an upbeat pop song about love played, we watched as Bryce walked across the small area to Koko as she pretended to be enthralled in Omar’s story.

  When Bryce approached Koko, she whipped around and put her hands on her hips. Omar, Keisha, James, and Lenny had all taken a step back, but they were still openly spectating.

  “Uh oh…this doesn’t look good,” Julian whispered in my ear.

  I shook my head. “No, if she didn’t want to be bothered, she would’ve walked off. She would’ve left when she saw him over here with us. Oh oh oh oh oh look!”

  Bryce and Koko were having a stare off until finally he pulled her into him and kissed her. Knowing my best friend as well as I did, I saw the exact moment when she let her guard back down. She wrapped her arms around him and they went at it.

  “Finally!” I turned around and looked up at the love of my life. Happiness radiated from me, not just for me, but for my friends as well. I reached up and touched his chiseled jaw. “I love you.”

  He kissed the tip of my nose. “And I love you.”

  Over the next couple of hours, we danced, we ate and we had a good time. We were filmed a few times, but only actually interrupted for an interview once. We alternated between spending time on the dance floor and spending time in the VIP area.

  We were in the midst of a toast when a security guard approached us to let us know was time to get set for the interview. Julian and I headed up to the room where I’d overheard him talking to Lillian.

  The floor-to-ceiling glass windows provided picturesque views of the golf course and the recessed floor lights illuminated the room. I’d only seen a small section of the room from my spot in the hallway, but being all the way in the room, I was able to take in the beauty of it all.

  “Wow, this room is beautiful,” I murmured as I walked in. I saw the love seat against the glass and a stationary camera set up in front of it. “Have you been here before?”

  “Yeah, I had my one-on-one interview in here.”

  Hmmm…not exactly the answer I was hoping for.

  “What was that like?” I whispered, glancing over at the camera crew setting up and adjusting the lights.

  “It was good.” He smiled fondly. “But it’s usually good when I’m talking about you.”

  I smacked his ass. “Usually?!”

  Robert Brady walked in with Koko and Bryce on his heels and called Julian over to talk. Koko touched up my makeup, and five minutes before eleven o’clock, we were set up and ready to answer questions.

  Bryce took his seat in an oversized chair that was situated beside the camera across from the beautiful sofa where Julian and I sat. While someone set up the shot and someone else adjusted the lighting, another person held up the boom mic. There were two people sitting behind monitors, presumably watching the video feed. The female had on headphones and the male was signaling to the producer. Robert counted down from five; the closer he got to one, the more flushed I felt myself getting.

  It wasn’t that I was embarrassed. I was proud of the woman I’d developed into and of the way I’d portrayed myself on television. I was proud to be Julian’s fiancé and I was proud to have him as mine. I knew part of our relationship was open to the public due to the nature of how we’d met, but I wanted our marriage, our relationship as husband and wife to be different, to be sacred, to be ours.

  After announcing the special and eliminating the word ‘dude’ from his vocabulary, Bryce turned on the charm and gave his introductory speech before directing his questions to us.

  “You two will be the first in The One’s history to make it down the aisle,” Bryce started, his trademark smile in place. “How do you feel?”

  Julian’s arm tightened around my shoulders as his finger made languid lines up and down my upper arm. “I’m ready for Zoe to be my wife already.”

  “And I’m ready to be his wife,” I agreed with absolute certainty. “I’m happy and incredibly blessed.”

  Bryce nodded. “As the only couple to make it to this point, tell the viewers how you knew this was real and that you wanted to vow to be together forever.”

  Just thinking about being with Julian for the rest of my life gave me butterflies. “Marriage takes love, trust, loyalty, and hard work and there is no one I love or trust more. There’s no one who I feel is more loyal. And I know that no matter what happens, no matter what ups and downs may take place, Julian and I work well together. There’s seriously no one who works harder than this man right here.” I looked over at him to find that he was already looking at me. Under his gaze, my voice became lighter, softer, as if I were under his spell. “I love him with everything in me.”

  “And I love her the same,” Julian responded. His voice was husky as his grey eyes bore into me. “Everything I’ve worked for in my life, every decision I’ve made, every song I’ve written, every beat I’ve arranged, every move I’ve made was for Zoe. She is the one. She’s always been the one. She’ll always be the one.”

  Bryce cleared his throat. “Wow. Ladies and gentlemen, I can actually feel the heat coming from the loveseat.”

  Hearing Bryce’s voice broke the spell and Julian and I both laughed hard.

  The rest of the interview was as laidback and relaxed as it could be. Knowing Bryce wasn’t looking to generate drama, Julian and I were able to get through the interview easily. We were ourselves without giving too much of ourselves.

  Bryce ended the conversation and the director yelled, “Cut!”

  The flurry of activity that happened after filming stopped caught me off guard.

  “I forgot how hectic it can be,” I murmured to Julian as our microphones were unclipped from our clothes.

  Once the assistant in control of sound walked away, Julian kissed me tenderly. “That was the last sit down we have to have, my love.”

  I smiled against his lips.

  “Julian, I need to speak with you for a second please,” Robert announced, gesturing to a back room.

  Julian didn’t immediately respond. Instead, he kissed me again which made me giggle to myself. “We’ll be right there.”

  “Privately,” he added.

  I rolled my eyes. “I’ll go check on our friends anyway.”

  “No, whatever he has to say to me, he can say to you.”

  Grabbing his face between my hands, I pecked his lips. “You’re amazing, you know that? But it’s okay. Just hurry back.”

  “Ok Beautiful.” He turned his head, kissing the palm of my hand. “And what’s the final verdict on us kissing at midnight?”

  I made a face. “I don’t know…it’s a slippery slope. If we kiss at midnight, technically, we’re also seeing each other on our wedding day, but at the same time, it’s New Year’s Eve, so we should kiss at midnight…”

  He lowered his voice. “How about I kiss you now…and then again blindfolded at midnight?” His words rolled off his tongue as slowly as his fingers skimmed over my skin.

  I giggled. “How about you kiss me now and then I head b
ack to the villa? We shouldn’t see each other on our wedding day.” My eyes dropped down to his lips. “No matter how good your lips taste.”

  Julian’s sexy little smirk made my stomach flutter. He licked his lips and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Not kissing you at midnight once is fine if I get to kiss you every day for the rest of my life.”

  My heart stopped for a second before accelerating. “God Julian…” I let my eyes flutter closed. “Your words feed my spirit.”

  “And yours, my soul,” he whispered in response.

  I felt his lips hovering above mine and his warm breath on my skin. Everyone around us disappeared. It was just me and him.

  Just me and—

  “Julian,” Robert barked. “I need to speak with you.”

  Our bubble burst and my eyes flew open. The annoyance was evident on Julian’s face.

  “I said I’d be right there,” Julian growled.

  “Hey.” I ran my finger along his jawline. “This time tomorrow, we’re done with the show.” I kissed him. “Find me before midnight or the next time you’ll see me is when I’m walking down the aisle.”

  He grabbed me and kissed me long and hard. “I’ll find you before midnight.”

  “You better,” I murmured playfully as we started to pull away.

  “Goddammit, Julian!” Robert roared.

  Julian and Robert exchanged heated words as I scampered out of the room and down the stairway.

  Twenty-two minutes until midnight. I hope Julian gets done with Robert soon. I love—

  “Hello Zoe,” Pepper the Producer uttered oddly, interrupting my thoughts.

  “Hello,” I responded slowly. My eyes danced from her to the cameraman and back to her. “What’s going on?”

  “I just had a quick question. Can we get you on camera for a minute?”

  I glanced up the steps and although I couldn’t see anything, I knew Julian was going to be a while longer. “Sure,” I answered, stretching the word out. “But I only have a minute.”

  Pepper gave me a sly smile. “I only have one question.” She signaled for the camera to start rolling. Her assistant handed her a notepad as she counted down from three. “What are your thoughts regarding Julian sowing his wild oats behind your back?”

  Although I had a great poker face, my lip curled in disgust. “What?”

  “With Lillian,” Pepper clarified with a huge smile.

  My face fell and it felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. “What?”

  “Julian and Lillian have been seen hooking up all over the villas. Do you feel like now that he’s gotten it out of his system, he will be a faithful husband?” Pepper cocked her head to the side and looked at me innocently.

  Shock hit me in the gut and my emotions were whirling. The surprise question and insinuation were both ruthless and ridiculous.

  Julian would never cheat on me. I don’t know what he’s hiding, but he assured me he would tell me tomorrow…but what if tomorrow is too late? What if I marry him and then he tells me he’s been fucking Lillian—no, no, no. Julian would never do that to me. He wouldn’t…keep anything from me…right? Well he is currently doing that now...but he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. He wouldn’t. This is just Pepper the Producer’s way to get to me so she can get a reaction. They just want to start some unnecessary drama for a storyline.

  I swallowed the bile that had risen in my throat. My heart thumped against my chest as the seed of doubt rattled around inside my head.

  Seriously, what is it that he’s not telling me?

  I glanced at the camera and then back at Pepper. “I don’t entertain rumors and lies. Julian will be an amazing husband. I look forward to spending my life with him. If you’ll excuse me, I have to somewhere I need to be.”

  I walked by the cameraman and down the corridor toward the ballroom. The sound of music, fun, sloppy hookups, and good times vibrated out of the ballroom. Pulling out my phone, I looked at the time.

  Seventeen minutes until the New Year.

  Seventeen minutes until my wedding day.

  I stood at the doorway of the ballroom and hesitated.

  I’m not going to let anyone or anything distract me from what I already know. I know what kind of man Julian is. I know what I feel for him. I know what—is that Lillian?

  Although they had similar features and even the same haircut, I knew the woman I was staring at wasn’t Leah. I’d seen Leah earlier in the night and she was wearing a pink slip dress. The woman staring directly at me was wearing a sexy white mini dress. She lifted her drink in the air as she turned her attention back toward the camera that was focused on her.

  I sucked in a sharp breath. My blood was boiling. I tried to shake it off, but her smug smile enraged me.

  What is this bitch even doing here? Not just here in this room, but here this weekend. And why was Julian with her?

  I felt myself shaking as I pulled out my phone to send a text to my friends. Instead of returning to the party, I headed toward the exit. As soon as I opened the door, I tried flagging down the Riviera Villa Resort shuttle service, but between my impossibly high heels and the distance from the front door to the shuttle stop, I wasn’t going to make it.

  “Shit!” I cursed loudly. The security guard near the shuttle stop turned my way.

  I get blindsided by a question on camera about Julian possibly hooking up with Lillian and then a few seconds later I see Lillian. As mad as I want to be at Lillian, Julian is the one I’m really mad at. Lillian is an opportunist and a little bitch for going after my very taken man, but Julian is the one who should’ve shut that shit down. Instead he’s keeping something from me. And as much as I love and trust him, I shouldn’t even have to worry about any of this bullshit on a regular day, but definitely not on my wedding day. I’m pregnant with his baby for goodness sake! What the hell? This is great. I sighed as I made my way down the well-lit path. Just great.

  “Happy New Year, Zoe.”

  The deep timber of his voice stopped me in my tracks and I regretted the decision to stop immediately. There didn’t seem to be anyone else out since the party was going well. I was only two feet away from the shuttle stop and the security guard if anything unpleasant or inappropriate happened. Although…under regular circumstances, I wouldn’t have acknowledged a man calling my name in the middle of the night unless it was Julian. But…his voice was familiar.

  I turned slowly. Pursing my lips, I put a hand on my hip. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m here for you,” Tate responded, slowing to a stop a few feet away from me.

  With tall, broad shoulders and a rich cocoa complexion, Tate Lewis was dressed in a black button-up shirt and a pair of dark burgundy pants. He looked good—really good—but as frustrated as I was with Julian, I wasn’t interested in anything Tate had to offer.

  “You definitely weren’t on the guest list. Why are you here?” I repeated firmly.

  The booming sound of his laugh sparked a sense of familiarity. “You’ve always had a smart mouth. I miss that.”

  I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest. “Tate, I don’t know why you’re here. Honestly, I don’t know how you were even able to get on the property because this is a private event.”

  “Zoe, will you listen to me please?”

  I looked behind me to see if the shuttle was on its way back. When I didn’t see it, I sighed. “You have five minutes.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hooking up with that groupie when I went to the NFL draft. I’m sorry for ending things with you for what I thought was something better. I’m sorry for how I treated you. You didn’t deserve that. Please accept my apology.”

  I stared at him. His brown eyes and long dark lashes implored me, begging me to accept his apology.

  “Apology accepted.”

  His shoulders relaxed and he let out a sigh. Tucking his hands in his pockets and dipping his head a bit, he smiled. “I’ve never stopped loving you, Zoe.” He took a st
ep forward and I immediately took a step back. He stopped advancing forward and lifted his hands in surrender. “I wanted to come here to ask for a second chance.”

  “What?” I screeched, my voice echoing into the silent night. I shook my head and took another step back. “No. No.”

  “I know it seems like this is out of the blue, but it’s not. I got to New York and I had my fun, but it got old quick. I thought I needed to see what else was out there and there’s a lot out there for professional ballers. Sex is sex, but love is love.”

  I rolled my eyes and pursed my lips. “I could’ve told you that,” I muttered under my breath.

  Tate continued, “I made a mistake. I realized that when—”

  “When you got hurt this season?” I interjected.

  He paused. “No. I realized I made a mistake two years ago. We didn’t make it to the playoffs that year and I flew back to California at the end of January. I’d been thinking about you and when I came across that book of Pablo Neruda poetry that I never read, I felt like it was a sign. It was at my parents’ house and I was reading it and I couldn’t stop thinking about you. Do you remember what you wrote in the inscription?”

  Yes.

  “No,” I lied flatly.

  “In search of my Neruda.”

  I looked behind me when I heard the shuttle turning onto the road. When I turned back to face him, I sighed. I dropped the attitude as I saw the sincerity in his eyes and the hope in his features. I’d forgiven Tate a long time ago, even though he wasn’t sorry and didn’t apologize, so I wasn’t irritated by him in general. My attitude had more to do with his unwelcome attendance at my wedding weekend and his blatant disrespect for my relationship.

  “You have one more minute.”

  He nodded. “You changed your number, you blocked me on social media, and your dad wouldn’t even help me get in touch.” He smirked and I felt the corners of my lips starting to pull upward.

  My dad loved him some Tate, I thought ruefully. I wonder if he knows he’s here. Wait did my dad…no, no. Dad wouldn’t have invited him. He wouldn’t do that.

  Tate took a small step forward. “I wanted to reach out then, I wanted to apologize and see if you would just…I don’t know, get dinner with me, get coffee with me, anything. I was asking around about you while I was in town and found out you were going on The One. I swear to God, I didn’t believe it. I was like ‘no, I’m talking about Zoe Jordan.’”