Nick and I settled on the couch with a cup of tea. Mrs. Quake already went home but that didn't mean we couldn't have a delicious hot drink together. Before I got engaged to Jacob Blackwood I didn't have a housekeeper around to make life easier for me. It still felt a little awkward to let the woman take care of me but it was her job and I had to remind myself of that.

"You okay?" Nick asked, eying me warily.

He was probably afraid I would break down now that we were alone. But I honestly wasn't too concerned about that video being out there. Nick made sure I didn't watch it but I was so curious. I wanted to know if Jacob enjoyed it.

Did he like it more than when he slept with me?

I wanted to know. I knew it could ruin our relationship but how could I not watch it when it was out there for everyone to see?

I'd be the idiot who stayed oblivious because she was head over heels for a man who barely cared. It wasn't like that between us but it was how the people around us would view us as a couple. I could still remember the smug looking face of that woman in the bathroom. I grabbed my phone which made Nick shift beside me. He was ready to steal my phone and hold it hostage until Jacob got here. I found the picture Mrs. Quake took of us and sighed.

"This now looks like it had been taken ten years ago."

Nick glanced at the picture, then took the phone from me to observe it a bit closer, "It's cute. Didn't know Jacob could look genuinely happy." He handed me my phone back, "You should upload it to make a statement. You can't deny how happy you two look. Let Fenna and everyone else know that you two are still strong together."

"Won't people call me out on it?"

"Probably but won't it be a slap in the face? Fenna tried to ruin your relationship with that video but that photo lets her know that her plan didn't work."

I did want to show that woman that her plan didn't work. She deserved to know that the wedding was still on and that she was just a little hurdle Jacob and I would move past. Nick handed me my phone back without me asking for it. He probably noticed the determined look in my eyes. He got to his feet and took my cup from me.

"More tea?"

"Please!" I smiled at him.

Before I could change my mind I uploaded the picture and put my phone away. I was tempted to look up the video but maybe I really shouldn't. I went upstairs to quickly change clothes. I couldn't sit in my fancy dress forever. I wanted to be as comfy as possible. Ten minutes later I found myself on my living room couch again, sipping tea and talking to Nick about everything else besides the sex tape of my future husband. When Jacob walked in he looked concerned, so out of sorts that it was almost comical.

"Nina." Jacob approached me with quick steps.

I quickly handed my cup to Nick because I had a feeling Jacob would reach for me to calm himself down and the last thing I wanted to do was spill tea all over the nice comfy couch. Jacob stood before me and without warning grabbed my hands and pulled me up. I was right about him needing to be close to me. He wrapped his arms around me tightly, hugging me as if this was the last time we would see each other. That was not what I wanted.

"It's alright," I reassured him.

"It's not." He pulled out of the hug and cupped my face, "We knew this would happen, we prepared for it but that doesn't make it alright."

"At least he's aware," Nick muttered.

I rolled my eyes when I noticed the guys were glaring at each other. Nick definitely didn't like Jacob but he tolerated him for my sake. Jacob knew Nick didn't like him but was aware that my brother did in fact like Lucas quite a lot. Dare I say the man disliked that thought?

With Jacob Blackwood, you just never knew. He didn't wear his heart on his sleeve.

"That's enough, you two." I said quietly, "I need you two to be civil around each other. Nick is my beloved brother." I told Jacob firmly, "And Jacob is going to be my husband." I reminded Nick, "So we will be around each other quite a lot." I gestured between them, "So none of this please, it's tiring."

"Fine," Nick muttered.

Jacob smiled at me which I didn't expect and without warning, he pulled me in again. He was being so affectionate right now not even caring that Nick was also in the room. He kissed my hair a few times. I was definitely concerned about our future. There was no need to be, I wasn't going anywhere. I wrapped my arms around his waist, enjoying his warmth which flowed into me. He smelled nice too. It was so nice to be in his arms when he was being so gentle.

"You guys make me sick." The gleam in Nick's eyes didn't confirm his annoyance at all, "I need something stronger than tea if you guys are going to be like that the entire time."

Jacob pulled out of the hug and wrapped his arm around my waist to keep me close, "I need something stronger too. Bourbon?" He asked Nick and then looked at me.

"I'm good," I told him.

"Bourbon sounds good." Nick let him know.

Jacob kissed my hair once more and strolled to the dining room to assess his liquor stash. Nick and I shared a look. My brother finally showed me the grin he had been hiding. Maybe he'd warm up to Jacob now that he knew my future husband wasn't a total dick.

"I suppose I can back off just a little." Nick shrugged.

"Just a little." I smiled.

Jacob returned with two crystal tumblers filled with golden liquid, handing Nick his and then taking a seat beside me. I made more room by scooting over to my brother. It was kind of awkward sitting between these two, but I kept that to myself as I sat up as straight as a board.

"Would you relax?" Jacob chuckled quietly.

"I am relaxed," I told him even though that was not true.

"You are not." A chuckle slipped into Nick's voice.

Great, they were now teaming up against me.

From the corner of my eye, I kept a close watch on Jacob. I watched him drink his bourbon or whatever, making sure he got a good amount in him before I brought up the subject of his sex tape. He needed to be a little bit more relaxed when we talked about his little affair with his ex-assistant.

I was about to start the dreaded conversation when the elevator doors slid open to the penthouse and mom and dad barged in. Well, mom barged in and dad more or less trailed behind her. He looked more relaxed. He knew we would be alright.

"Nina, are you okay?" Without warning, mom pulled me up and hugged me tightly.

"I'm okay." I let her know, turning slightly to look at my future husband, "It's not my sex tape out there." I said loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Mom pulled out of the hug and placed her hands tightly on my shoulders, squeezing them a little bit too tight as she scolded me, "Is it really the right time, Nina?" She whispered.

I pulled away from her just as forcefully and held up my hands, "I'm just saying. I'm not the one who had an indecent relationship with someone and let the whole world know it as well. So I'm okay."

It wasn't even me who she was worried about, the way she held onto me told me enough. She wanted me to make this relationship with Jacob work and it was working. We were okay because we were honest with each other. But she didn't get that. She wanted me to keep quiet because she thought Jacob was the type of guy who wanted a docile wife.

She was so wrong.

I turned to look at my future husband and titled my head to the side, "Are you okay?"

Jacob's lips tugged to a small smile, "I'm okay."

Taking his tumbler from him I sipped the strong liquid, feeling it burn my throat and stomach. It warmed me up from the inside out and it felt amazing. I felt as relaxed as Jacob and Nick looked. Jacob's smile turned to a full grin as he grabbed my hand and pulled me back down, making me sit on the couch pressed against his side.

I smiled at my mom as I noticed just how confused she looked. He wasn't who she thought he was. Jacob amazed me despite being sometimes a heartless jerk but that was just his years of working to the top and isolating himself from the rest of the world. Not wanting to show weakness ever. Jacob impressed Nick and my brother did not like the guy one bit.

There was more to him than people thought there was.

"So what's it like?" I whispered to Jacob.

Nick snorted, finishing his drink and getting to his feet. He turned to mom who looked ready to make another argument. The lawyer in her never shut up. Nick threw his arm around mom's shoulders, handing me his empty tumbler and then pulling the woman away from us.

"It's time to go, mom, I'm sure the happy couple wants some privacy.

"But-"

"We should give them some privacy." Dad agreed, he then winked at me when mom huffed and let Nick drag her away from us, "Good night you two, things will blow over eventually. You have a great team backing you up, this will be one of the first hardships you'll deal with which will help you two grow stronger. Trust me."

Dad was always positive about everything. He didn't meddle he only gave his advice when things got tough but in a way that you didn't want to roll your eyes at him or sigh your soul out. Jacob handed me his empty tumbler as well and followed dad to the elevator to see my family off. I walked to the kitchen to wash the tumblers and put them away. Jacob and I met up in the living room, he had his hands shoved in the pockets of his nice slacks, his eyes wandering me from head to toe.

"You look good in yoga pants."

"Everyone looks good in yoga pants."

He shook his head at me, "Not entirely true, but I suppose I can give you that one."

"Because we're not going to talk about the video."

The smug look faded and I faced the very serious Jacob. The Jacob Blackwood which made his competition tremble in their fancy leather shoes. I wasn't going to lie, seeing him like that did weird things to me. I felt weak to my knees and the tingle I felt between my legs I couldn't hide either. There was something seriously wrong with me. This was not the time to get turned on by a man who was about to give me orders without feeling guilty about it.

"Do not look at that video." He said very carefully, his eyes turning a stormy cold color.

"Everyone else is watching that video yet I can't watch it, why is that, Jacob?" I was stabbing myself with a knife and twisting the handle but I couldn't stop, it was like my body had a mind of its own, "You enjoyed yourself a bit too much with her?"

He glanced down, a tired sigh leaving his lips. I gulped, the ache in my heart only getting more prominent. I couldn't get jealous not when we weren't together then. I was with Lucas then and he had every right to fuck whoever he wanted. Sure his choice was questionable but we couldn't change anything about that now. Now, all we could do was move forward.

It was easy to say those things but it was another thing to believe it.

"It's not that." He closed the distance between us and placed his hand on my cheek, making sure I looked him in the eyes. His grey eyes were smoldering, taking my breath away at how intense his stare was, "I don't want you to see me with her." He lowered his voice, "There is only you now, Nina. I promise."

It was just a line, a line which men like him would feed to women like me, but he got me. I melted right then and there. I placed my hands on his chest and leaned up, pressing my lips against his. He let me kiss him, letting me lead it. When it got more heated, when I couldn't keep my hands off him he cupped my face and deepened the kiss. The kiss was hot and wet and so needy. It distracted us both from the drama that happened all around us. We focused only on us and it felt even better now. In a way, I felt a deeper connection to him.

We would get through this together.