KIMBERLY

passed since we went to visit Jace's mom.

With the wedding coming up so soon, there were a lot of last-minute details that needed to be taken care of. So, for the last few days, I've been busy with dress fittings, cake-tasting, venue-inspecting...

It's safe to say that I'm completely over this wedding business already.

But the hardest part of it all was coming up with a fake, public date that Jace would appreciate. He already annoyingly set the standard high with his fake date by taking me to one of my all-time favorite restaurants.

In all honesty, I shouldn't be caring this much over whether or not my plans impressed him, but I wanted to do something nice for him.

Ugh, this feels weird.

I remember him mentioning something about liking astronomy, but I didn't know if I was remembering correctly.

I resorted to calling Savannah to find out more about his interests. To her enjoyment, she was the all-knowing source of information for both of us. An hour after the phone call, I had an excellent plan of action drawn up.

Now, I was in the building, making my way up to his office's floor.

As always, I was dressed to impress with my white, strapless, lace corset top and navy blue oversized suit jacket with the matching fitted pants. The thick brown belt tied the look together, as well as my white Louboutins.

I got off on his floor and went to greet Van, who was eyeing my outfit with a huge grin.

What's that about?

"What's up?"

"Nothing," she started rocking back and forth on her feet with that grin intact. "Jace's on a call right now."

"Business?"

"No, personal. A friend of ours."

Now, it was my turn to smile evilly.

Perfect.

Turning on my heel, I headed straight into his office and stopped at the sight before me, mouth dropping.

I wish I could say it was because he was naked or something with that infuriatingly glorious body of his, but no. It was much, much worse.

He and I were matching.

This was worse than the time Camelia and Ashton showed up with matching outfits to our Christmas Eve dinner because I was the victim of this disgusting scenario.

I, Kimberly Nyla Astor, did not match with anyone one in any setting. It was against my principles as an avid shopper and fashion-enthusiast.

I could see the headlines already and I wanted to die.

Jace's head snapped up to me, his hand holding up a phone to his ear. "Yeah, I'm still here."

Curiosity filled me, desperate to know who was on the other end. Savannah said friend, but to my knowledge, she was the sole holder of this title.

His eyes narrowed at me as I seductively moved closer to him. The corset top was doing wonders for my chest, as it should, so I could put a finger on where his mind was as I made my way over.

I was having way too much fun with this.

His dizzying eyes were on me, completely drowning out the words of his conversation. If it weren't for his moving lips, I wouldn't even be able to tell that he was still on the phone. My mind was focused on one thing and one thing only.

I brought my lips to his ear and whispered, "We have a date. I'll be waiting outside."

Dropping my purse to the floor in front of him, I bent over to pick it up. When I was about eye-level with his crotch, I looked up through my lashes and gave him a cheeky wink. Getting back up, I crossed the room hearing him say something with an urgent tone to his friend.

I couldn't help the laugh that bubbled out of me when I sat on Savannah's desk, waiting for my fiancé to come out. A few minutes passed before he decided to grace us with his presence with a completely unamused expression.

"Let's go," he briskly replied, walking to the elevator in a similar tone.

"No, no, no, no, no," I exclaimed at his retreating figure. "I am not matching with you. So, you better find something else to wear."

He turned on his heel, his expression stoic. "It's just clothes."

"How could my fiancé say something so evil?" I cried out, dramatically. "It's more than 'just clothes', it's self-expression," I retorted, crossing my arms.

"Okay," he entertained. "What's wrong with matching?"

"Matching means couple."

"I hate to break it to you," the jackass slowed his words as if he were speaking to a child. "But, we're getting married, Kimberly. Now, can we go?"

I scowled in reply, keeping my arms crossed as I walked to the elevator.

This was going to be a long day.

♕♕♕

"Where are the paparazzi?"

I turned to face Jace. "Wow, someone's a little self-absorbed."

He closed his eyes for ten seconds before flashing me a glare. "It's supposed to be a public thing, Kimberly."

"It's a two-part thing," I snapped. "The paps will be there on our way to the restaurant."

I didn't need to look at his face to know he was probably confused as to why I'd plan a 'date' that was longer than necessary. We could've done a simple meal and then continued on with the rest of our days, but a large part of me felt indebted to Jace.

And, like most feelings revolving around him, I hated it.

But I had a seemingly simple solution.

Every few months, the kids from the cancer center I funded—the ones who were supposed to be in elementary school if they didn't have to deal with all the crap life threw at them—would go on a field trip with their doctor's approval.

A lot of the nurses joined them as chaperones to make sure everything went smoothly, and I would occasionally join them too.

They were due for a field trip soon, so I decided to take Jace's interest in astronomy and combine it with an unforgettable experience for the kids. I rented out an entire planetarium, so all of us would be able to enjoy it without worrying about overworking the kids' immune systems with too many people.

Jace's shock deepened when we entered the planetarium. His head turned to me with a curious glint in his eyes, as if he was questioning whether it was really me or an alien who took over my body.

Rolling my eyes for the millionth time since I met him, I snarkily snapped. "Stop looking at me like that."

"What are all these kids doing here?" he questioned, finally looking away. "Did you crash a school field trip?"

"How evil do you think I am?" I asked, not bothering for a response. "They're kids from Vivas Cancer Center. I rented the place out for them."

"If this is about my mo—"

I stopped him from continuing, already knowing what he was going to say. "It's not. I don't know how well you know of me, but Vivas is the research center I help fund. I take the kids out every few months as a morale boost. I just happened to think that it would be nice to kill two birds with one stone."

"Oh, right," he nodded, lips pursed. "It slipped my mind... I apologize."

"It's fine," I replied. "Just know that I'm not the type of person to pity someone or treat them differently for something out of their control."

"Why don't you tell the press about this stuff?" he asked the age-old question. "It'll clean up your reputation real quick."

"First of all, the kids deserve better than that. I'm here because I want to be here, not because I want to use them to make me look better. Second of all, you think the press is gonna want to cover this?" I couldn't help the incredulous laugh that slipped out. "They thrive on capturing me at my worst, Jace. This"—I waved my hands at our surroundings—"means nothing to them."

"Good point."

"I always have good points," I replied in a sing-song tone, going further into the planetarium. This was getting too personal for my liking. After the Brazil trip, I realized that I needed to separate my emotional feelings from the physical feelings when it comes to Jace.

It was the only way to make this work.

"Would it kill you to have a regular response?" I could hear the glare in his tone.

I turned back with a smile. "I give what I get."

♕♕♕

The kids absolutely enjoyed the planetarium, and—what I can tell from the corner of my eye—Jace seemed to have a great time with the kids.

It was a complete one-eighty from how he normally acted around me because there wasn't a single instance when he wasn't smiling.

God, it was such a beautiful smile.

I didn't realize just how much Jace loved astronomy until I saw the way his eyes lit up when he was teaching the kids all about the stars. I saw him in a different light, a happier light. It reminded me of how he was with his mom.

Since his mom was the one who told him stories about the constellations, I assumed passing the knowledge reminded him of his younger days.

I wonder what he was like as a kid.

Stop wondering.

Shut up and stop arguing with yourself.

We were now sitting in an upscale Italian restaurant, and his neutral face made a reappearance. vLike, the last few hours were just a fever dream.

There was a certain appeal to his aloof nature, but that stupid smile was completely tattooed into my brain. I couldn't see him without imagining that smile again and hoping—begging, in all honesty—that I could see it again.

The waitress came up to our table, eyeing my fiancé like she wished he was on the menu.

Anger and jealousy surged through me and I had to mentally stop myself from getting her fired. Subtly, I flashed my ring, sending a glare up to make sure she got the hint.

"Hello! What can I get started for you today?" she asked, a flirty tone in her voice.

So, the bitch didn't get the memo. I can't believe we're already dealing with another Sascha.

For fuck's sake, calm yourself, Kim.

"Hello. For appetizers, we'll get the calamari. And, I'd like the Pappardelle Bolognese for myself," I answered with such sweetness, dentists would be scared of me.

"And for you?" She turned to Jace, the way she inclined her body towards his didn't escape my attention.

I'm about to fight a bitch.

Calm the fuck down.

"I'll have the Shrimp Fra Diavolo," he responded curtly, completely unbothered by the way she was practically throwing herself at him.

My warnings from Brazil still had their hold on him. It was bad how much I liked that.

"Excellent choice, anything to drink?" The way she emphasized the last word was an instant sign that she knew who I was and was judging me for it. I would be bothered by it if Dad wasn't the biggest instigator.

"No," Jace replied.

"A bottle of Pinot Noir," I responded at the same time, shooting him a look.

"Of course." With that, she was off to get our food.

An awkward silence settled over the table that I was itching to break.

"So," I trailed off.

"Yes."

I took a sip of my water, wishing it was stronger so I could deal with him. "The kids seemed to like you. I don't think I've ever seen you or them smile so much."

"I don't have beef with children, if that's what you're implying."

Something much stronger.

"Good to know you don't fight children in your freetime," I responded sweetly.

To my surprise, he snorted out a laugh. "Am I some sort of monster to you?"

"No," I admitted. "But, you seem to be convinced that I am."

For some reason, it bothered me. It bothered me how he thought the worst of me when we were in the room with his mom. Or, when I brought him here with the kids.

I was so used to people thinking of me negatively, and I didn't care.

But, for a reason unbeknownst to me, I did care now.

He took a long sip of water, not making eye contact. "I don't think you're a monster, Kimberly. Extremely fucked up? Yeah, but aren't we all?"

My eyebrows scrunched together at his words.

Was that a compliment or an insult?

"Both," he replied, reading the expression on my face.

The waitress came back with our food and thankfully a bottle of Pinot Noir. I didn't waste a second before pouring myself a glass and swishing it, admiring the red wine that would soon fill me up.

Wine was more of an acquired taste, especially red wine, but it was enough to get the job done classily. Wine was the only thing Dad approved of me drinking in public, but I obviously kept a bottle of something much stronger in case he started talking.

"What?" I asked, seeing his expression at my sudden love affair with the glass.

"Do you ever get tired of drinking?"

"Personal." It was one word, but it held power. It reminded us that we had a contract in place and I was not about to let him find out more than I needed him to.

"Fine." His tone suggested the complete opposite.

"Who were you on the phone with back at the office?"

His eyes darkened, reminding him of the other events that took place, but they quickly cleared up. "Personal."

"Fine," I repeated in the same tone.

He put his glass down, running a hand through his hair. Images from the club in Brazil flashed through my head. "A good childhood friend of mine, Emre Osman."

"Turkish?"

"Yeah." He didn't indicate any surprise by how I identified his friend's ethnicity, but I guess he was used to being shocked by me or something. "He was supposed to be my Best Man, but he was called to urgent business in Valdonia. He was calling to say there's a chance he'd make it to the reception."

"You have other friends?" He rolled his eyes at my feigned shock. "I give props to Savannah for lasting this long, but I'm now finding out that there's one you've known for longer?"

"You and Emre would get along quite well. You're both pains-in-the-ass." He resorted to pinching the bridge of his nose again.

"But, we're pains-in-your-ass." I scrunch my face teasingly, knowing it's going to get on his nerves. "I want to meet him now. Who knows? Maybe we'll come up with exciting ways to torture you."

"You already torture me more than you know," he mumbled.

There was a double-entendre to his words, but I didn't want to think about it further. There was no point in complicating this again.

"The wedding's only a few days away," he stated, changing the subject. "Are you ready?"

"If you're asking if I'm going to leave you at the altar, the answer is no." I scarfed down another bite of my pasta, distracting myself from the topic at hand. "But never say never."

He let out an exasperated sigh, shaking his head. "That smart mouth of yours will be the death of me. You know that?"

"Wait till we're married," I snorted unattractively, eliciting a laugh out of him.

"Let me guess," he replied with a teasing edge. "You have a gravestone ready for me."

His joke was exactly that: a fucking joke. But, the word gravestone brought back memories that I had no urge to share with him. He must've noticed my shift in behavior because he looked at me with those worried eyes I was trying to avoid.

Despite this, I put on the fake smile I was so used to and responded, "Who knows? Maybe I'll take you to the cemetery for a preview. See if you like the area and whatnot."

The worry didn't fully leave his eyes, but he looked more relaxed compared to the tense stature of just a few seconds ago.

"Don't even think about leaving me at the altar," he shifted back to the previous topic. "Because I'll find you and marry you right then and there. I promised to play the role of a loving husband and I always keep my promises, Kimberly."

"I'm holding you to that." I saluted my wine glass in his direction.

"You wouldn't be you if you didn't."

***

someone stop me. i'm on a roll, man.

anyway, i hope y'all enjoyed this chapter. as always, let me know what you think.

love, zia.