Book 2: Chapter 61

**Chapter 61**

This house was magnificent! There was no telling where it began or where it ended. It seemed like every house in Sunbury had that spiral-like staircase. I couldn't be too mad since it was lovely, but it was beginning to be a bit much after seeing it a bunch already. Still, walking up them wasn't any less fun than the other million times I've done this. Though, it wasn't the best part for me.

The room we were staying in was great as well. There was so much space with a balcony that called my name. Immediately, I went over to take in the scenery of the backyard. The sun shone bright and there was a nice lake we could swim in as well. It was peaceful and beat going to that stupid luncheon with everyone else. Getting to have a break from all this wedding stuff was just what we both needed. I'm in love with it.

Jay stepped on the balcony with me, a smile covering his face. He looked happy that I was happy to be here. He went out of his way to get permission from his parents. Of course, I was going to bask in the glory that is their parent's second home. Plus, it's been a while since we've done anything with just us. It was perfect to get reacquainted with one another. Jay thought of everything.

"This house is amazing!" I gush looking all around me.

Jay chuckled. "I figured you might like it," he sighed. "Even though we're not far, a mini vacation seemed perfect for the weekend."

Agreeing, I looked at him with a soft smile. "Anything is better than what we experienced these last few days."

Sensing my sensitivity, Jay decided to switch gears so weren't sad on our break. "In exciting news, I got a surprise for you," he smirked.

"A surprise? I like the sound of that." I turned towards him.

Laughing, he went back inside prompting me to change into a swimsuit. We were going to do some swimming of some kind. With the lake right there that was a no-brainer. However, that wasn't the surprise. Once we got ready, Jay led me to a small hut out back. When he opened the door, my mouth fell open. This was not what I expected but would be fun either way.

Looking at him in excitement, I ran over to the jet skis ready to take them around the lake. They were so pretty and thrilling! I'm no pro but that didn't stop me from wanting to ride them any less. It should be fine considering we were the only ones here. Not the surprise I was expecting and yet I was still over the moon.

"No way, we have to ride them like now!" I yelled at him.

Jay laughed getting ready to take them out. "Relax, let's get them out first," he loved how excited I was.

Not wasting any time, Jay pulled them out one by one to get them on the lake. Once he did, we both hopped on gearing ready to take flight. It's been so long since I've rode a jet ski but those old skills don't just disappear. It's more challenging than it looks. Once we spent some time on them it got a lot easier. Eventually, we were zooming all around that lake laughing with one another. It's the most fun I've had in a long time. Or it was just a chaotic week that made it all the more fun.

Still, we spent a couple of hours outside riding the jet ski and swimming around before getting hungry. So, we called our swimming off heading to take a shower. Of course, we did this together procrastinating a bit as it's easy to get distracted by Jay. His gorgeous, sculpted body with those striking blue eyes does me in every time. Especially those eyes. They're so mesmerizing to look at. It makes me wonder how I was able to have someone like him love me the way that he does. It was crazy to think about but here we are.

Our next destination was the grocery store. Instead of going out to eat, I thought it would be better to cook something instead. There was also a dessert that I wanted to make as well. It's been a while since Jay helped me make anything. Since we were staying in this big house with that grand kitchen, I thought it'd be perfect for us to do. Jay didn't see any issues with it either as we shopped around for everything we needed.

"You may want to double up with your ingredients," he says as he puts two of everything in the cart.

I looked at him confused. "Okay, but why if you don't mind me asking? We're only two people," I laugh.

He smirked at me not wanting to give too much away. "Just trust me, gorgeous."

The nickname was flattering but it always made me blush. "Gorgeous, that's your favorite thing to call me," I cooed almost embarrassed.

"Just calling it like I see it," he winked.

If we weren't in a store right now, the things I'd do to him would be unimaginable. Unfortunately, we were out in public plus I wanted to get this shopping over and done with. Coming to the grocery was never something I've been fond of. The lines were always long and don't even get me started on the rude people. Including the workers! Thankfully, with Jay being so pleasing to the eye, it made the transaction go a lot smoother. I didn't appreciate the cashier trying to flirt with him but Jay would never do it back. She's just lucky I didn't want her to lose her job.

That aside, we made it back to the house where we would put everything away before I made us some lunch. Afterwards, we explored around the house some more as Jay hasn't exactly been here either. There was so much to see and do that we didn't know what to try first. The home gym caught Jay's eyes and he couldn't wait to try it tomorrow morning. I was more interested in the theater as it reminded me of when I went to the one at the Hadid home.

The best part was the bar that they had! It was equipped with so much. The glasses were gorgeous and very elegant. The wine, oh there was so much wine and all different kinds. Not only were there things as simple as wine but there were also hard alcohol that one may like as well. If you didn't want any of that, there were also appliances to help craft your drink if you were any good. They had to spend a hefty penny on this house.

I looked at Jay with excitement on my face. "We have to make some drinks!" I yell.

Jay laughed, happy to see me so excited. "Definitely but maybe a little later," he suggested.

To which I pout. "Oh come on, it's not like we have anywhere to be."

Scratching the back of his neck, he sighed. "I wanted to keep it a surprise but I know these last few days have been hard for you," he says walking up to me. "So I thought I'd ask my parents to use their house for the weekend and invite over your friends to help cheer you up."

There was always something being planned in that big head of his. This was going to be perfect! I haven't seen the girls since the drama unfolded. They still had to be at the luncheon today but would be here in time for dinner. No wonder he wanted to double up on everything. We were expecting guests!

Loving the idea, I drag him to the kitchen to help me get started. The dinner was going to be nice, but what I wanted to make was a delicious cheesecake. It took more effort than the lemon, but would be well worth it once it was done. Even the strawberry purée would be good. Jay is also a lot of help as he loves baking with me. It's been a year since we've done that so it was fun getting to try it again.

It took a few hours but eventually, I got down the purée as Jay took the cake out of the oven. Finishing the purée, I smile at him trying to get a better idea of the situation.

"Who exactly is coming?" I wondered.

He walked over to me with a shrug. "All your friends plus Kameron," he says. "Then Ashton, Jules, and Wolf."

My lips purse. "Kameron...I'm shocked," I say, even though I shouldn't be.

Jay laughed. "I figured you guys were cool now." He shrugged.

I nod. "For better or worse," my eye rolls. "I like her I just don't like that she's trying to make me a model," I whine.

It's true. Kameron was great and very sweet to take me to her photo shoot. But she's going to keep pushing for me to do this and I don't want to. My goal is to own my bakery with Kira and make delicious sweet treats with delectable coffee. Was that too much to ask for? According to Kameron, it was too little. However, the bakery would take up a lot of my time. Adding modeling to that would be too much work. The pictures came out spectacular even if your eyes are immediately drawn to Kameron.

Laughing, Jay walked over to me engulfing me in his arms. "You'd be perfect for it but I rather you focus on your dream," he leaves a kiss on my forehead.

I smiled, snuggling up into him until we heard the sound of the doorbell. With everything done, I couldn't wait to spend time relaxing with some close friends. It's what we both needed to get over the terrible week we had. Being in the presence of people who don't look at us any differently was a nice change of pace.

Opening the door, in came the boys Ashton, Jules, and Wolf. They were as chirpy as always immediately greeting both Jay and me. I don’t know how but I became so close with these 3 in particular. They were Jay’s friends but always welcomed me with open arms. There was also the point of them not judging Jay’s and my decisions. It wasn’t necessarily the right choice but we were happy and they supported us.

“Autumn!!” Wolf smiles scooping me up in the process.

I laugh hugging him back. “Hey Wolf, guys,” I tried to say hi to all of them. Wolf kind of held me hostage.

Not for long though as the girls trailed right behind them. It was so exciting to see them after such a brutal week. We haven’t had the time to talk about what happened and where we’d be going from there. I’d be fine with never talking about it again as it was not only heartbreaking but embarrassing. As long as my girls were still with me that’s what I’ll focus on.

Jumping into their arms, I squeezed them all so tightly. It took them by surprise but eventually, they embraced me back. We were all still a part of the wedding which would make things awkward. So, it was nice getting away from all that even just for a weekend.

Bradyn in particular was happy to see me. Our relationship has changed so much over this last year. We grew closer and it helped that our love interests were best friends. Not to say we weren’t always close because we were. However, it felt our friendship truly cemented itself this year and I couldn’t have asked for better.

“I was so worried about you,” she whined. “It’s good to see you’re okay.”

Smiling, I squeeze her once more. “I’m just glad to still have you guys as friends,” I say. “Losing you guys too would have been such a disaster.”

My words were true, but Kameron didn’t want to hear any of that. I kind of agreed with her. “That’s sweet and all but can we focus on being lit instead of this other bullshit?”

Laughing, she did have a point. This was supposed to be fun not some sob fest. Jay went through all the trouble of making sure this happened. We weren’t going to waste another moment of sadness. Besides, the food I made would just get cold the longer we stood here and exchanged greetings.

It was time to make the most of this night and that’s exactly what we did. The food was demolished and we tried our best to make drinks at the bar. They weren’t that great, to be honest, but we still drank them anyway. Overall, it was a good start to the weekend with great company. There wasn’t anything more I could’ve asked for. Jay has done it again.