After The One (The One Series Duet)

by Danielle Allen

  I swallowed my laugh and masked it as a cough.

  “I kept up with the show and I saw that you won. I felt like I owed it to you to let you have your fun just like I had mine. I went to Arizona for training camp and then I went back to New York and I waited for this thing with Winters to end. I was patient and backed off. I didn’t want to disrespect what you two had going on, but then I got hurt and a few weeks later, I heard you were marrying him.” He opened his arms wide and looked around as if he’d had some great epiphany. “It was a sign. I wouldn’t be able to be here if I hadn’t gotten hurt.”

  Wait, no… He doesn’t think… He’s not seriously…

  I frowned. “A sign of what?”

  “Right here and now. This opportunity. I want another chance. Zoe, I know I messed things up between us, but you and I both know what we had. We were good together. He’s not the one for you. I am. You and I—”

  I’ve heard enough.

  “Let me stop you right there,” I interrupted, putting my hands up in front of me. “Seeing as how I’m marrying Julian tomorrow and he quite literally is the one for me, there is no you and me.” I held up my hand, showing off the luminous diamond on my ring finger. “I’m completely happy where I am.”

  “Even with that whole Lillian thing going on? Listen, I’ve never had anything close to what we had. We were good together,” Tate argued earnestly.

  Just hearing Lillian’s name made me frustrated with Julian and that situation all over again. Hearing Tate lob Lillian at me like a relationship bomb felt like my past and my present colliding. My stomach twisted violently.

  I heard the shuttle as it pulled up to the curb. I looked over my shoulder and then back at the man I used to date. I had spent the summer months after college graduation and before law school wishing and hoping Tate would say those words. I hadn’t shed any tears, but I had kept telling myself he would realize he’d made a mistake. I had kept hoping he would at the very least apologize for the way he’d handled things. Looking better than ever and seemingly more mature, Tate Lewis stood in front of me saying words the twenty-two year old version of me had longed to hear.

  And I felt nothing.

  My disinterest must have been evident because he quickly continued. “When I was invited, I told myself I was just going to come to see if you were happy. I told myself that if you weren’t, it was the last of a series of signs that I needed to win you back. So when I saw Winters with this Lillian chick, I knew that was the sign I was looking for. I know I made a mistake letting you go, but I’m here now, owning up to it, because we were good together and we still could be.”

  “Tate.” I lifted my shoulders in confusion. “We may have been good together.” I backed away from him. “But Julian and I are great together. Have a good night.”

  I turned on my heel and made my way to the shuttle. As I stepped on the bottom step, I glanced over my shoulder. Tate was staring at me, his hands in his pockets and a look of regret in his eyes.

  “You said you were invited…” I called out to him. “Who invited you?”

  “Robert. Robert Brady.”

  Chapter 14

  “Happy New Year, Beautiful! I’m sorry I missed you. I wrapped up the conversation with Robert as soon as I could, but I guess it wasn’t soon enough. I’m going to try to call you again, but I just wanted to tell you that I love you and I can’t wait to make you my wife. I love you so much, Zoe,” Julian declared while Omar sang loudly in the background. I smiled as I listened to the voicemail for the third time.

  We had a text conversation after that message, but hearing his voice was something different. I melted a bit every time he spoke.

  “You should just make him tell you,” Koko pointed out, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat at the foot of my bed. “Don’t wait until the wedding if it’s bothering you.”

  “But that’s the thing…” I stared at the ceiling as my voice trailed off. I pulled my covers around me tighter. “He’s hiding something from me; I know that for a fact and that bothers me, but I trust him. It bothers me because I don’t ever want to think of Julian being deceitful. I don’t think he would ever do anything to hurt me—not intentionally. Whatever he’s hiding… I don’t know… I feel like he has his reasons, but he swore to tell me after I walk down the aisle. My main issue is Lillian.”

  “Okay, I pretty much set you and Julian up, so you know I love him,” Koko started. “But he knows the rules. You don’t fuck with someone we don’t fuck with. Period.”

  I laughed. “Right?! He knows the rules.”

  “No, but seriously…I would be bothered, too. This is about principle. Women like Lillian are the worst. Any woman who knowingly tries to fuck a man who is in a relationship is a bitch who deserves the bad karma she gets.” She rocked forward onto her knees and leaned forward so I could see her better. “And Lillian’s karma is watching a good man she used to have marry the love of his life.”

  “You’re right.” I eyed my best friend and sighed. “I hate that I even let Lillian get under my skin like this. It’s not like I think he cheated. No, correction, I know he didn’t cheat, but he is hiding something from me that he shared with Lillian. I don’t like that, and besides the fact that other people obviously know something is up with them, it bothers me that Lillian is even here. Anyone who openly tries to fuck my fiancé is not welcome at my wedding.”

  “That’s an etiquette rule,” Koko noted.

  “That’s right after not wearing a white dress.”

  “The rules are clearly stated. Don’t wear white, don’t try to fuck the groom, don’t RSVP no and then show up anyway.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Common knowledge.”

  “Common sense.”

  Koko’s rasping giggles triggered my laughter and we spent the next few minutes unable to catch our breath.

  “I know we already talked about it, but let me just say that the fact that Robert invited Lillian is typical reality show bullshit, but the fact that he invited Tate is fucked up.”

  “Right?!” I shook my head. “Even though I can’t stand her, Lillian I get, but why dig through my past? Why contact Tate? That’s so…underhanded.”

  “At least you got the apology you were looking for a million years ago.”

  I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess…way too late for it to make a difference, but sure.”

  Koko was quiet for a minute. “I’m so happy for you. Tate did you a favor. You are exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

  “And I’m happy you and Bryce made up. I know you two were playing it pretty cool except for that kiss in VIP, but I’m surprised he isn’t here.”

  She put her hands to her face. “He is. But I told him to make himself comfortable because I needed to check on you.”

  “Oh no…I’m sorry! I didn’t know. You two just made up and had to keep it under wraps at the party. Go consummate the make-up with Bryce! I’m fine.”

  “Well there’s another reason I came up here, besides checking on you…”

  I rolled onto my side. “What’s that?”

  “So while you left us at the party, we talked about getting everyone together for a pre-wedding surprise for you. We have the morning and early afternoon free and you can’t see Julian anyway, so would you like to venture off the property for some pre-wedding fun?”

  I gave her a look. “Doing what?” My tone was as suspicious as my mind. “The last time you surprised me, I was entered as a contestant on The One.”

  “And look how that turned out!”

  Our laughter was interrupted by my phone vibrating against the mattress beside me. Grabbing it, I looked at Koko. “It’s Julian.”

  “Okay, you answer it. Talk to him, then set your alarm for eight o’clock.”

  “Okay, thanks for the talk. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Zoe. Talk to him. I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation.”

  I had an idea.

  “Wait!” I called out to Koko just as I answered the pho
ne, “Hello?”

  “My almost wife,” Julian breathed into the phone.

  My face split into a smile instantly. “Hello, almost husband.” I glanced at Koko who rolled her eyes dramatically. “I need you to tell Koko what is going on with you and Lillian. Knowing she knows will put me at ease. She’s right here.”

  Julian was quiet for a moment. “Put her on the phone.”

  I handed Koko the phone and watched her facial expression. She stared at me blankly while Julian told her whatever it was he was telling her.

  “Okay. Here’s Zoe,” Koko said simply. She handed me the phone. “You should still marry him.”

  With that, she turned and walked out the room with no indication as to what was going on.

  Dammit Koko!

  “Hello?” I spoke into the phone softly.

  “Zoe.”

  The longing sound of my name on his drunken lips did something to me. My body was firmly on the bed as my heart soared. “Hi.” I bit my lip. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m lying in bed, wishing you were next to me.”

  “That sounds nice.” I longed for the same thing. “Everything okay over there? I told Omar to not let you get too drunk.”

  “Yeah, I just needed to hear your voice before bed. I wanted to know you’re okay. How’s our poem?”

  “Hmmm,” I hummed softly as my heart fluttered. I put my hand on my belly. “I’m okay, my love, and our poem is great. I was just…” My sentence trailed off.

  “You were just what?”

  “Worrying for no reason,” I said, reminding myself that I knew him and I trusted him. “I’m okay.”

  “You’re not getting cold feet are you?”

  “About you? No. Not at all.” I hesitated for a second. “Are you?”

  “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.” He was quiet. “This is about Lillian?”

  Now that he’d told Koko, I felt better about it. But I didn’t want to keep my feelings from him and I didn’t want to carry any negativity into our wedding day. “I understand there will be times when you have a secret project you can’t tell me about for legal reasons just like I can’t discuss specifics about cases I work on for legal reasons. But not only is Lillian your ex, she wants you back. It’s not that I don’t trust you. That’s not it at all. I just…her presence makes me feel disrespected.”

  “I understand and I don’t ever want you to feel disrespected. This situation is unique and you don’t have to worry about this happening again.” He paused. “Did telling Koko ease any of your doubts at all? Because if not…if I have to tell you, I will.” His voice sounded resigned.

  “No, wait.” I took a deep breath. “Don’t tell me what it is. Just tell me why I have to wait until after we’re married. Because if you wait until our reception to say something like, ‘I just found out Lillian has a two year old and it’s mine,’ I will kill you.”

  Julian started laughing and I continued, “Julian Evan Winters, I’m serious. It’ll go from The One: Wedding Special to The One Time That Bride Killed The Groom At The Reception: Special Victims Unit.”

  Julian’s deep, rumbling chuckle soothed me and erased the last of my worries. Something about his laugh made me feel at ease, like we were back at home with no microphones, no cameras, and none of the Lillians or Leahs of the world.

  The sound of his laugh spread through me and I bit my lip as the smile stretched across my face.

  “I swear it’s nothing like that at all,” Julian assured me. “I guarantee it won’t make you sad or mad. I can’t tell you yet, but it will not upset you. I swear.”

  “Okay.” I breathed, feeling lighter. I curled up into a ball. “Okay.”

  “Are you okay now?” Julian asked.

  “I’m more than okay.” I nuzzled my head into my pillow. “I don’t know how you do it, but you make everything better.”

  “You make me better.”

  There was a tremble in my chest as I fell more deeply in love with him.

  “God, Julian. I love you.”

  “I love you, too. And I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

  “I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. Lenny chipped her nail so in the morning we’re going back to the spa so she can get that taken care of and then the ladies and I are headed off site, I’m assuming for brunch. Then we’re coming back to the resort so we can get dressed and I can marry the man of my dreams.”

  “Say that again.”

  “I’m going to marry the man of my dreams,” I repeated, amusement in my voice.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  We talked for a few minutes longer before we said goodnight. I fell asleep happy and when I woke up hours later, I had a grin on my face. After a long hot shower, I slipped on the white dress my friends had gotten me. I looked at myself in the mirror and admired the way the sheer lace top looked against my skin. The short satin skirt was a flirty length that showed off my legs. I felt elegant and beautiful.

  We’re probably going to one of those tea parties Keisha was talking about or a day party if Lenny or Koko had anything to do with planning it. I put my hand on my belly and turned to the side. Whatever it is, I’d rather be overdressed than underdressed.

  “Bride-to-be!” Keisha yelled from somewhere downstairs. “We’re leaving in ten minutes.”

  Deciding to try out my own version of my wedding hairstyle, I pinned my hair to one side. Instead of having my hair completely pinned up, I allowed my hair to just hang loose and free—not only because I preferred my hair down and flowing, but because I wouldn’t have been surprised if a penis tiara or some other bachelorette crown found its way onto my head over the course of the day.

  I lined my eyes with black eyeliner and after glossing my lips, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. I was going to have makeup on during the wedding so I wanted my skin to breathe and went with a natural look.

  After slipping into sexy five-inch stiletto heels and a black cardigan, I was ready to go. I spun around slowly, pleased with my appearance.

  I made my way downstairs and stopped in my tracks as soon as I saw them.

  “You guys look great!” I cried as my eyes swept over them.

  Koko, Keisha, and Lenny each had on a different black lace dress. All of the dresses were short, but they each had different cuts and styles that showcased their bodies.

  “You look beautiful,” Lenny complimented me.

  “If you look this good in this white dress, imagine what you’re going to look like later in your gown. You are so beautiful, Zoe. You’re glowing,” Keisha added.

  Koko’s eyes watered. “You’re getting married today,” she murmured before running over to me and hugging me tight.

  “Don’t cry or you’re going to make me cry,” I mumbled, careful not to get her flowing blue-streaked locks stuck to my lip gloss as we embraced. “Wearing this makes me feel bridal.”

  “You look bridal,” Koko wailed.

  I hugged Keisha and Lenny next and then shrugged my shoulders. “Are you going to tell me where we’re headed now?” I lifted my black clutch. “I only have my wallet and my phone in here. I hope we’re eating wherever we go. I’m starving!”

  Lenny looked a little panicked. “We’re still going to get my nail fixed at the spa before heading out right?”

  Keisha put her hand on Lenny’s shoulder. “Yes. Don’t worry.” She looked down at the cracked nail. “How did you do that anyway? We’ve had our nails done for less than twenty-four hours.”

  Lenny’s eyes lit up. “You would not believe the position James put me in—”

  “You know what?” I interrupted with a laugh. “I can’t hear any wild sex stories without something in my stomach.” I patted my belly. “Both of us are starving so hold that thought.”

  They laughed.

  “Okay while you do that, I’m going to call Omar and have him make sure Julian isn’t near any of the windows so we can get out of here as soon as possible,” Keisha offered.


  Koko nodded. “Perfect.”

  I grabbed a banana, a protein bar, and a bottle of water then followed my best friends out of the villa to Koko’s car. We heard all about Lenny’s wild night which had included once at the party on the golf course, once back at the villa in her room, and then again in the outdoor hot tub.

  “Yeah, I won’t be using that anymore,” Keisha quipped as Lenny got out of the car.

  She flashed us her middle finger with a laugh before disappearing into the spa.

  The rest of us waited in the car. Keisha informed us that although Scott was really cute, Omar was sexy and he challenged her. They’d gotten into an argument about something she couldn’t even remember, and she’d realized how sexy it was that he challenged her and wasn’t intimidated by her.

  Koko let us know what we already knew—she and Bryce were in love. She also told us what we didn’t already know—Bryce hadn’t left our villa until an hour before we were supposed to wake up.

  “Well, I knew,” Keisha spoke up as we watched Lenny walk back to the car, staring at her fixed nail. “The walls are thin.”

  “What?” Koko whipped her head around with a huge grin as she gripped the steering wheel. “We don’t mind an audience, but we were quiet!”

  “Yeah…maybe…but I know I woke up to the sound of the headboard hitting the wall.”

  Koko laughed. “Well after talking things through until we fell asleep, I needed some action before he left. Unfortunately, at the wedding, we’re still going to have to act like we’re not together so…” She made a face.

  “All done!” Lenny announced as she climbed into the backseat.

  “What do you think would happen if you and Bryce went to your bosses and came out as a couple?” I wondered aloud.

  “Oh! Are you going to do that?” Lenny asked as Koko pulled off toward the resort exit.