Chapter 40
Chapter Forty
JASMINE
Sitting on the floor, with my back resting against the sofa behind me, I re-read through my notes.
“Are you okay with all of this, Terry?” I ask, looking up to where he’s sitting in the seat behind me.
“Of course I am. The most important thing to me, other than all your safety, is that you are happy, Jaz.” He places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a slight squeeze. “You are all important to me, not just because of my job. You have brought so much happiness to the guys’ lives.”
“They have to mine as well,” I point out, smiling.
“I know, honey, which is why I know how important this is to you all.” He leans forward and wraps an arm around my shoulders, hugging me. “You all deserve this, which is why I will do everything in my power to ensure you get it.”
I lean into his hold, resting my cheek against him.
“Thank you. You mean just as much to us as well.” I feel him kiss the top of my head and smile as I close my eyes and enjoy the feeling I always get around him.
The guys are my daddies; their love for me is unconditional and obviously also sexual. But Terry reminds me so much of my father before I lost him, from how he gives me little hugs now and again or makes me laugh when I need it. There is nothing sexual there, and there never will be, not like with the guys. But Terry always has a shoulder to lean on when I need one.
Like every time I think of my father, I feel my eyes welling up. I wish he could be here to walk me down the aisle. It's something I have thought about a few times recently, and it has made me miss him even more.
A knock on the door makes me blink back the tears.
“Yeah,” Terry calls out, sitting back in his seat. The door opens, and Layton sticks his head in.
“Hey, the girls have started arriving. Where do you want them?” he asks.
“Everything sorted on the top floor?” Terry asks. Layton nods and walks into the room a little more so he can close the door.
“Yeah, all cameras are off. I’ve told the team that everyone in the house wants some privacy for the time being. No one will question it with everything else that is going on.”
“Can you take them up there and let them know I will be there in a minute? I just need to talk to the guys about something first.” I stand a little wobbly after being cross-legged on the floor for so long. “Can you stay with them and make them aware of the no mobile rule for the time being?” I ask. Terry nods as he smiles at me.
“I’m on it. Go and see the guys and call me if they have any questions.”
I take him by surprise when I lean in and press a kiss on his cheek.
“They are all still in Christian’s office.”
“Thank you,” I whisper with a smile before leaving the room and heading to Christian's office, where I know the guys have been since they left the sitting room an hour ago.
As I approach the door, I can hear Jason talking. From the sounds of it, he is speaking to a wedding guest.
“No, there is nothing anyone can do now, but we appreciate the offer. Our main priority is keeping our fiancée safe, which unfortunately means postponing the wedding for the foreseeable future. We will be in touch as soon as we know the new date.” I have to remind myself that the wedding has not been cancelled, and we will be getting married on Sunday.
I have already called the registrar and explained the situation. They have agreed to all the changes and promise to keep everything under wraps. They are also filing the paperwork on Monday, as their boss will be away and we will have left for the honeymoon, so no one will know where we are by then, and it will all be too late. We will be married, and that’s all that matters.
Taking a deep breath, I walk in and smile when all four guys turn their attention to me. Jason quickly ends the call he was on, and Christian stands from his desk.
“Is everything okay, Shorty?” Maximus asks from the sofa where he is sitting with Sean; both have laptops in front of them with the list of wedding guests between them.
“I wanted to give you all an update before I go and see the girls.” I look at them all and smile, hoping to ease the worry on their faces. “I’m okay, I promise,” I add, hoping to reassure them. Jason takes my hand and guides me towards the seats around the sofa and coffee table.
“Have you managed to sort anything out?” Christian asks, holding the chair out for me. I nod as I sit and allow myself to breathe for a moment to calm my racing heart.
“Jazzy, if it's not possible, it's okay. We can come up with something else,” Jason says softly, placing a hand on my knee as he sits on the coffee table in front of me.
“It’s more than possible,” I answer, smiling. “The three of us haven’t stopped since you left, and I just need a second to breathe,” I laugh, closing my eyes and leaning back in the chair so my head rests against Christian's stomach. I feel his hands start rubbing my shoulders and open my eyes to find him looking down at me as his hands work their magic on my tight muscles.
“Take all the time you need, Sweetheart. We aren’t going anywhere.”
“You better not; Terry may track you down himself and kick your arse after this,” I joke, glad to see the first signs of a smile on his gorgeous face. I wink at him before looking forward to the others as his hands tighten on my shoulders playfully. When I finally pay attention to the others, I can see they have relaxed a little and even have slight smiles on their faces.
“So what's the plan, Princess?” Sean asks, sitting back in his chair.
“There's a lot to go through and not much time as the girls have started to arrive, so this will be quick.”
“Christians used to hearing you say things are quick,” Maximus winks as Sean and Jason roar, laughing.
“Fuck you, prick face,” Christian yells behind me as I cover my face and try not to laugh out loud. “You can pack it in as well, Sweetheart,” Christian warns, tickling me so I jump from the seat and sit between Maximus and Sean for protection.
“Pay attention, I don’t have much time!” I point out again, spinning my attention to Maximus and holding up a finger to stop him as he opens his mouth to no doubt insult his brother again. “Stop it.” He makes a show of rolling his eyes and shutting his mouth. “Thank you,” I sigh, rolling my eyes whilst trying not to smirk.
“Okay, so the main thing is that the registrar will be here Sunday at one PM. They understand the situation and aren’t putting it on their work calendars or contacting anyone via their system. Nothing will go on until twenty-four hours later when we will already be out of the country.” I glance around at the guys and see they are all paying attention.
“The main details you need to know is that the only security team members who will be in the know are Terry and Layton. Everyone else will be told that we are devastated about cancelling the wedding and will be going away Saturday morning to get away for a while. They are also being fed false details on where we are flying from and where we are going. The hope is that if any of them are giving away our secrets, someone will try something on Friday night to prevent us from leaving, and we will be ready for it, deal with everything and are still okay to go ahead with Sunday’s plans.” I look to Jason before continuing. “That does include Gordon, but we agreed that if you want him there, we will sort it so he is kept in the loop.”
“Don’t worry about him, Jazzy. Yes, he is a friend, but he was invited because I felt I had to. My relationship with him isn’t like it was with Calvin. So, if he has a problem with being kept out of the loop, I will deal with him when we return from the honeymoon.” He offers me a smile, and I relax before turning to Sean, who is already smiling at me.
“Same goes for me, Princess. If Mykela doesn’t like it, I will deal with her when we return.”
“Thank you,” I smile at each of them before taking a deep breath and carrying on.
“As you can imagine, keeping it quiet while the girls and I sort everything will be hard, so the cameras have been turned off,” I explain. “Security has been told that we have shut it off for now. They will be told that we require our privacy at the moment. Terry and Layton will still be able to access them, though.”
“Makes sense,” Christian nods, looking slightly impressed.
“Just to be clear, this includes all cameras, not just on the top floor where the girls will be staying, but the whole house,” I continue. “They are all off when security is on site. We don’t want to risk people seeing things they shouldn’t and getting suspicious.”
“Jazzy, that’s a lot of areas without coverage. What if something happens when the cameras are off?” Jason asks. But I just smirk at him.
“This is why Terry is going to be moving into my room until we leave for our honeymoon,” I announce proudly. “That way, we are protected from the inside and out.”
“Who will be guarding outside?” Christian asks. But again, I have it covered.
“Calvin and Drew are on their way around. He already has the low down, and they will pick eight people they trust from their team. The eight will make two teams, and they will be doing twelve-hour shifts. These people will not be inside; they will keep the outside covered. Basically, everyone will think we are on lockdown until further notice and on skeleton staff.”
The guys all stare at me for a moment, obviously shocked that we have organised so much in less than an hour.
“Terry’s on the ball; I’ll give him that,” Jason laughs as I lean forward and slap his leg.
“Hey, most of this was me! He’s just helping me put the plans into place!” I yell, slapping his leg again for emphasis.
“Seriously?” I hear more than one voice say in unison.
“Yes, seriously! When will you learn? I’m the brains of this family!” I protest, sitting back, folding my arms over my chest as I stick my bottom lip out.
“You're right, Sweetheart. You really are the brains of this family most of the time,” Christian smiles at me.
“Better,” I sigh, trying not to smile. Sean nudges me with his shoulder and winks, knowing it gets me every time. Git.
“So, is there anything else we need to be made aware of?” Christian asks.
“Not at the moment; I will have more for you later when I’ve had a chance to put things in place.” I chew on my lips and decide to voice something I’ve been thinking about.
“I want your honest opinion on something,” I say, looking at Christian more than the others.
“I’m always honest with you, Sweetheart.” The four of us all share a look before laughing, knowing that he's been anything but recently. “Hey, lesson learnt, okay!” he protests, looking slightly hurt.
“You’re right; we’re sorry,” I say, standing and sitting on his knee to put my arms around his neck and kiss him on the cheek.
“What did you want to talk to me about?” he continues ignoring his brothers as he wraps his arms around my waist.
“I’ve been thinking about asking Terry to walk me down the aisle.” I’m not even surprised when Christian's eyes bulge from his head as his jaw drops.
“Do you mind me asking why, Jazzy?”
I turn to Jason and smile.
“I’ve been thinking about it for a while,” I admit. “There have been times he has been so supportive and cares about us so much.”
“He’s like a father figure,” Sean adds. I nod, smiling at him.
“You guys are my daddies and are the best Daddies a girl could ever ask for. But Terry, he …” I try to think of a way to word it without upsetting Christian, but as always, he knows how my mind works. He cups my cheek and turns my head so I’m looking at him. He smiles as his eyes are nothing but loving.
“He reminds you of your father. It’s okay, Sweetheart, you can say it,” he says softly, as he runs his knuckles over my cheek. I nod as tears fill my eyes. “If you want to ask him, I think you should.”
“He will probably turn me down anyway,” I giggle nervously. I feel a hand on my knee and turn to find Jason smiling at me.
“You don’t know if you don’t ask.”
I know he's right, and when I look at the twins, I find them smiling.
“I think you should ask him,” Sean says.
“Me too. You might give the old man a heart attack, but I think you will be surprised by his reaction.”
“You do remember he is only four years older than me, right?” Christian sighs, shaking his head at Maximus.
“Yep, your time on this Earth is ticking, old man,” Maximus winks as I lean into Christian.
“Stop it; no one is old or dying soon!” I protest. After the last few weeks, it’s not a topic I find funny in the slightest.
“Thank you, Sweetheart,” Christian praises as he kisses the top of my head. “So, do you want to ask him?” he asks. I think about it for a second and realise I already know the answer.
“Yeah, I do. Can you call him in?”
Christian smiles as he pats my leg to stand and get to his desk. He picks up the main phone and presses Terry's extension.
“Hey, can you come here a minute?” I don’t hear what Terry replies, and Christian doesn’t bother saying anymore before ending the call. “He's on his way,” he says, standing back behind me as I sit in the chair he just vacated. He places his hands on my shoulders and rubs them again.
“That feels so nice,” I sigh, leaning my head to the side and closing my eyes for a moment.
“Say the word, Baby, and I will massage any part of your body you want.” He leans down and kisses my exposed neck. “Play your cards right, and the four of us will join forces and not stop until you are a wet, floppy mess.” Opening my eyes, I find the other three smiling at me, already planning all the ways they will pleasure me.
A knock sounds from the door, making me groan as the others laugh.
“Later,” Christian whispers into my ear before calling for Terry to enter.
“You rang?” he announces as he enters the room.
“Yeah, come here a moment. Jasmine wants to talk to you about something,” Christian explains. Terry walks over to join us whilst frowning.
“What's up? Have you thought of an issue?”
“No,” I answer, shaking my head. My mouth is suddenly dry, and I’m nervous about asking. Christian gives my shoulder a quick squeeze, and I know I need to ask; otherwise, I will always regret it.
“I was wondering if you would walk me down the aisle on Sunday.”
Terry’s eyes widen at the same time as his jaw drops. Suddenly, I’m very aware that it’s probably the weirdest request for me to make.
“You don’t have to,” I blurt out. “I know it’s probably something you only want to do for your daughter, but-” I get tongue-tied, and a squeeze of Christian’s hands on my shoulders stops me mid-rant.
“You want me to walk down the aisle?” Terry asks, his eyes still as wide as saucers. I nod as my eyes fill with tears. “Why me and not Layton?”
“Because Layton is my friend, and I love the annoying git dearly, but you are our family and someone who is always there whenever I need them, no matter what’s going on. You are more of a father to me than my dad ever had the chance to be, and it feels right to ask you.” The tears are overflowing now, and I’m terrified I made a mistake asking him, but it also feels right. Terry smiles as he squats down before me and takes my hands.
“Honey, you are so special to me, like a daughter.” He reaches up and wipes the tears from my cheeks. “I am so proud of you, and it has been a pleasure to watch you become the strong, powerful woman we all knew you could be. I can’t think of any greater honour than walking you down the aisle.” The moment I see his eyes filling with tears as he smiles at me lovingly, the dam breaks, and I burst into tears as I throw my arms around his neck. Terry laughs as he hugs me back.
“I take it you’re okay with this?” Terry asks, looking over my shoulder as I pull away. I turn to see Christian smiling at him.
“More than okay,” he answers, walking around the chair and holding out his hand. Terry stands and takes it before pulling him in for a hug. Jason steps up to them as Christian steps back and embraces Terry before the twins come forward and hug him, too.
“Okay, I’m leaving before you all make me fucking cry. Some of us are meant to be big scary security guards,” he laughs, taking a deep breath as the rest of us laugh.
“The three girls are upstairs waiting for you. I wouldn’t make them wait much longer; they may come looking for you,” he winks at me before stepping towards the door. “I’m going to an emergency security meeting. Do you want to come as well?” He asks, looking to Christian, who nods before turning to the others.
“You okay to carry on making your way through the guest list?”
“We’ve got it. Go and sort this out, and then we can work out what’s left to do,” Jason answers.
“Thank you,” I smile at them before rushing around and kissing each of them. “If you want me, I will be with the girls in the spare rooms on the top floor,” I call, rushing from the room as they tell me to contact them if I need anything.
As I make my way upstairs, I smile, thinking how much happier I am than when I left to see the dresses this morning. Even on the way there, the visit from the police was playing on my mind, and something still felt off. But for the next few days, I don’t have to go anywhere or see anyone I don’t want to. I can just plan what will be the happiest day of our lives. I will ensure it is, and I know the girls waiting for me will help me make my dreams a reality and have my back like they always do.