51. Chapter Fifty-One
Chapter Fifty-One
Aurora
W hen Leo pulls up to a set of large iron gates and winds his window down to put in a code, I slide over to the middle of the car and wedge myself between the front seats to get a better view out the windscreen.
The gates open, and Leo drives forward, following the long gravel driveway and after a little while, I finally see the house at the end.
"Wow," I breath, jaw dropping open as I stare at the house we're approaching. "It's like something you'd see in a movie."
The house is huge with a wide, circular patch of gravel outside, leading to a set of marble steps and a porch area that leads to the big double doors.
"Sophia had a very similar reaction when she first came here," Jaylen says, chuckling in the passenger seat.
"It's huge. It literally looks like it could be classed as a mansion. I mean, look at all the windows. There must be so many rooms."
"I know there's at least twelve," Jaylen adds.
I frown, confused as to how he wouldn't know the number of rooms considering he lives here, but also wondering why he's said such a specific number, but then as my eyes scan the length of the building again, I realise there's twelve windows facing us .
"You're not funny," I tell him, smacking his shoulder and shaking my head.
He gasps and turns to me looking offended.
"I can be funny."
"Sure, honey, whatever helps you sleep at night."
I struggle to hide my smile as he gapes at me.
As soon as Leo pulls the car to a stop, I hop out of the back seat, dragging my bag of clothes with me.
The large oak door at the top of the steps opens and Sophia walks out, her hands resting against her slightly swollen stomach.
She smiles at me and gestures with her arms to come over to her.
I look to Jaylen for some kind of guidance of what to do because I feel a little awkward walking into their home without him by my side.
"Go on. I'll be right behind you. Just gonna grab my stuff and call Dominic to make sure some things are sorted out," he says, winking at me. "She doesn't bite, I promise."
"Actually, she does," Kaleb calls out of his window as he parks his car up beside us.
Jaylen grimaces while I laugh.
Sophia passes me a glass of wine and sits next to me on the sofa with her glass of water while I glance over my shoulder at the doorway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Jaylen because I haven't seen him since we turned up .
"They're just busy planning things out," Sophia says. "He'll come and see you at some point, trust me. That man can't go longer than twenty minutes without thinking of you."
I laugh and take a sip of my wine as my cheeks heat at her comment.
"I'm just worried, that's all."
"I get it, but he'll be fine. He knows what he's doing. Plus, he has Kaleb and Leo helping him, and those two are some of the strongest, fiercest, and most calculated people I've ever met," she says, trying to ease my anxiety over the situation.
"I just don't know how they're going to find him, let alone kill him."
She grins at me, setting her glass down on the table in front of us.
"They're going to find him because they've got Miles searching every camera in London, tracking him and following the path he took to and from your apartment earlier. As for killing him, they're all slightly unhinged when they need to be."
I grimace at the thought, taking another sip from my glass.
"How do you feel about all of this anyway?" she asks, reaching her hand over to me and squeezing my leg. "It can't be easy knowing that they're on a mission to get rid of your ex."
I shrug, pulling my lower lip into my mouth as I contemplate whether I should tell her how I truly feel.
"Honestly, it makes me feel relieved. I know that probably makes me sound evil, but Danny's a monster.
Not only was he cruel to me, but he's cruel to others too.
He's uncontrollable, and impulsive. Even Killian knows what he's like.
If they weren't family, and if they didn't have so many rules and regulations you had to follow over there, I think Killian would've killed Danny a long time ago. "
She mulls over my words for a few moments and then nods .
"I understand that, and I don't think it makes you evil."
Silence fills the room as I continue to drink my wine and wait for Jaylen, but after a few minutes pass, I sigh.
"You wanna occupy your time here by helping me paint the nursery?"
My brows raise, surprised that she'd want me to help her with that, but I nod my head.
"Yeah, sure."
"Oh, thank God," she says, standing up from the sofa. "I've been wanting to get it started for the last week or two, but Kaleb has told me I have to wait until he can help me because he doesn't want me doing anything too strenuous."
She rolls her eyes, and I laugh as I follow her out of the living room, and through to the foyer.
"Honestly, I thought he was annoying before I got pregnant, but I'd kill for him to going back to how he used to be because now he's unbearable."
"Who's unbearable?" Kaleb asks, walking into the foyer clad in black clothing with a gun in his waistband, another strapped to his leg, and a metal pole in his hand.
"Obviously I was talking about you," she says, smiling at him as he prowls towards her with a smirk on his face.
"I'd rather be unbearable than boring," he retorts, sweeping an arm around her waist and pulling her to his chest.
I glance away from them just as they start kissing, feeling slightly uncomfortable.
"Please, spare my woman's precious eyes from having to watch you two eat each other's faces," Jaylen says as he joins us in the foyer .
Kaleb and Sophia ignore him as they continue to make out like a pair of horny teenagers.
I turn to face Jaylen as he walks towards me with his usual charming smile lighting up his face.
He's dressed the same as Kaleb, a black long-sleeved T-shirt, black cargo pants, and black trainers.
He also has a gun tucked into his waistband, and another strapped to his thigh, along with a sheathed knife.
Slipping his hands into a pair of black gloves, he stretches his fingers out and then steps in front of me, placing his hands on my hips as he brushes his nose against mine.
"You okay?"
I nod, wrapping my arms around his body and resting my head against his chest, feeling the thump of his heart against my ear as I listen to it beating.
"This'll all be over soon, baby. I promise. Then we can go about living our normal lives and you can stop having to look over your shoulder all the time."
Sighing, I squeeze him tighter.
"As much as I'm loving this moment right now, we are gonna have to leave soon," he says, rubbing his hands along the sides of my body.
"I know," I huff. "I have to ring Chrissie as well. I'm sure Killian's informed her of everything already after speaking to your cousin, so she'll probably be worried."
He presses a kiss against my forehead and then releases his hold on me, sliding his hands up my arms and over my shoulders until they meet my jaw, and then he tips my head up.
My eyes connect with his and he smiles down at me .
"No need to look so worried, darling. We've got this. You'll see, we'll be back in no time."
His confidence does nothing to dull the fear and concern coursing through my body.
"Please, just promise me you'll be careful."
His thumbs caress my jaw while he nods and winks at me.
"I'll be completely fine. I'll have Kaleb by my side the whole time, and as much as we despise each other, we'll keep each other safe. We have to, otherwise we'll have to face Sophia's rath."
I laugh at him and my nerves ease slightly.
"Don't worry about us, okay? Relax and have some fun with Soph doing whatever it is you're gonna be doing. We'll be in constant contact with Leo, so I'm sure he'll keep you both updated with everything."
"Come on, King. Let's go so that we can get there just before nightfall," Kaleb says, walking past us towards the front door.
Jaylen leans down and peppers kisses across my face before brushing them against my lips.
"I'll be back," he whispers before he leans in and presses his lips firmly against mine. "I promise."
He pulls back, and I reluctantly let him go as fear spreads through me and my gut twists.
As I watch him walk towards the door, dread sweeps over me as I imagine him not walking back through it.
"Jaylen, wait," I call out, following after him.
He stops by the door and turns to face me.
When I reach him, I sling my arms over his shoulders, lift onto my toes and kiss him with an immense amount of power .
He groans against my mouth as he kisses me back, hungrily.
By the time we pull apart, we're both breathless and flushed, with lust swirling around in our eyes.
"I love you," I tell him, sinking my teeth into my cheek as I nervously await his reaction.
His eyes widen slightly, and a moment later, a smile splits across his face.
"I love you too, baby." He kisses me once more, and then he steps back, winking at me. "I'll show you exactly how much I do later."
Heat spreads across my skin as he turns around and walks out the door, closing it behind him while I stand frozen to the spot, staring at the wooden door, dumbfounded.
Did that really just happen?
"I can't decide whether that was cute or hot," Sophia says from somewhere behind me.
Okay, that definitely just happened.