The meeting with the wedding planner went fine. Jacob was demanding, asking a lot of the man and his team to pull off a wedding in less than three months now. Monday morning was the first morning in a while that my fiancé didn't have to wake me to see him off. I got ready together with him, he seemed to enjoy it. He was subtly smiling the entire time, his eyes warm and kind.

It was a cheerful morning.

I sat at the coffee table with a cup of tea and a bowl of strawberries while going through the invitation list. Jacob mailed me his list already, the man was efficient as always. I needed to write up mine and mail it to our wedding planner.

Things were moving fast now.

Jacob was paying a lot for this wedding but we barely had to do anything. It was stress-free and something my mother didn't quite understand. Her wedding was different. Planned by herself and her mother and sisters. Stressful and making everyone hate each other afterward due to the arguments.

I wanted none of that.

Nick and I needed to sit down and have some wine and watch a movie. It would help us fall back into our usual ways. I had no idea how things were going with Joy but he mentioned that things would be like they used to. I could only assume they would break things off.

It was mean of me but I wanted to know if they already broke up.

"You're going dress shopping with Elijah this afternoon, right?"

Jacob sat down on the couch and watched me type away at my list, adding names and going through my messages with my mom to make sure I didn't forget anyone.

"Yeah, we went through pictures of dresses I like and he made sure the woman at the store would only display my preferred dresses in our budget."

Jacob brushed his hand over my head, "Don't think about the money when selecting a dress, pick something you like."

That also sounded like an order but that was just who Jacob was. I tilted my head back and met his stormy gaze, smiling when he looked surprised to see me looking at him. He raised an eyebrow at me, chuckling when I made a kissy face.

"Love you."

He gave me a gentle pat on the head, "Love you too, sweetheart."

Focusing back on my list, my phone rang which surprised both Jacob and me. It wasn't even eight in the morning yet so it was either my parents or Nick. Answering the phone I smiled hearing Nick's grumbly voice. He wasn't quite awake yet.

"Morning, you have plans for today?" He asked.

Straight to the point which meant that he was occupied but decided to call me. We'd be okay.

"I have to go dress shopping at two, but I'll be free after that."

"You're making a guest list and going dress shopping, things are moving fast now."

That was true. Before we knew it I'd be married to Jacob Blackwood and start a family with him. He wanted his mini-me soon and I wanted him to have the family life he now longed for.

It made me happy that he actually wanted it and not just to benefit him professionally.

"Yes, we'll be married soon."

Nick chuckled, "And then I'll become an uncle. I need to prepare for this."

I laughed, confused at what he needed to prepare for, "I think the one who needs to prepare for that is me." I said shaking my head.

"I need to be emotionally ready for it, Nina. I need to have my life together to be a good uncle."

"You're good, Nick."

Nick had his life together more than I did. I sometimes had a job and when I did get asked to shop for a client I loved it but when I had nothing lined up I also quite loved my life. I wasn't bored. That might be because there was always something to do. I stared at Jacob who was sneakily trying to finish off my tea. I gave him a slap against the leg.

"Let's have dinner together," Nick suggested.

"Yeah, sure. Come over after work."

Jacob placed my empty cup on the table and got to his feet. He straightened his jacket and tie. Today he wore a black suit with a light grey shirt and a black tie. It was less dark and broody but for some reason, I rather liked him in his all-black suit. It made him look deliciously hot.

"Where are you going?" I asked my fiancé.

He spun around and faced me, "To the office." He said hesitantly.

I gestured to my cup, "Then you should get me a refill since you finished my tea."

He rolled his eyes at me but didn't ignore me. I smiled when Jacob grabbed the cup and moved to the kitchen to refill my cup. Smiling I focused back on my conversation with Nick.

"So are you coming over after work?" I asked.

"Jacob takes a lot from you, doesn't he?" I could hear the smile in his voice, "It's good that you speak your mind to him. I have a good feeling about you two which is kind of weird since I was so doubtful about him before."

"You don't have to worry about him. I have it handled."

He laughed, straight out laughed which sounded very loud and boyish. It made me grin from ear to ear. Jacob joined me in the living room again, placing the refilled cup beside my laptop.

"Anything else, princess?" He mocked me.

I grinned at him, not affected by his mocking tone at all, "I will rather be a queen, Jake."

He huffed, straightening his tie out of habit again, "You're so demanding."

I thought that about him all the time. It was the tone he used, it always sounded like he bossed me around as my demands sounded more giggly and cute. Yet I probably was quite demanding too. I reached for the cup and held it up to him.

"Thank you, Jake. You're so kind."

"Demanding and manipulative." He muttered, he then headed to the elevator, "See you tonight, sweetheart."

"I heard enough, I feel sorry for Jacob which means that this conversation should end now." I did hear a lot of movement in the background so I figured Nick had a lot to do and needed to focus again. I distracted him enough, "See you around seven."

"See you tonight."

Ending the call I placed my phone on the table again and glanced at my list. I wanted to have it finished and mailed to Elijah before ten AM. I needed to get back to work as well.

I found the perfect dress.

I didn't think it was possible in one go but when you had someone who was completely focused on giving Jacob and I the perfect wedding everything went smoothly. The woman at the shop had twelve dresses lined up which were all similar to the dresses in the pictures I looked up together with Elijah and his team.

The dress was a long mermaid dress with a v-neck made out of lace. Love sleeved which was see-through. The dress pooled around my feet with a small train behind it. It showed off my body without it being too much for a sophisticated wedding. It fitted with the classic theme we had.

I instantly fell in love with it.

The dress would be ready in four weeks, now all I could think about was me still fitting in my dress. I never really thought about keeping fit but it was on my mind now. I wanted my dress not to be so tight when I was getting married that I'd be afraid to eat or drink anything.

"You look like you need some tea." Mrs. Quake told me when I got home.

"I need a nap." I admitted to her, "That was emotionally draining. Now I understand what Nick means whenever he tells me his emotional battery is drained."

"Sit down, I'll get you tea and something to snack on." She flashed me a stern look when I wanted to protest, "It's my job to take care of you two. Trust me when I say that Mr. Blackwood pays me way too much to be here."

I could believe that.

Jacob wasn't a greedy jerk, he took good care of those around him he felt close to. Considering his relationship with his mother it also didn't surprise me that he saw Mrs. Quake as a mother figure. She took care of him in a way his mother never took care of him.

Speaking of his mother I knew she wasn't on his list. He didn't want her to be there.

I couldn't blame him since his mother was just a selfish person in general. Our wedding was supposed to be about us. Us getting married and celebrating our union. We couldn't use family drama on that day.

I did, however, wanted to talk to Jacob about his best man.

He didn't have one yet. I knew he had a rather large social network. There were a lot of people he could ask and would jump at the opportunity. But I didn't want some random guy to share this moment with him. It needed to be someone he was close to.

Joshua seemed like the better option.

As for my maid of honor, I didn't have one either. My social network wasn't as big as Jacob's. My only option was to ask Joy but I doubted she wanted to do it. She didn't hate Jacob but she was supportive of Lucas so she probably didn't want anything to do with the wedding.

I could always ask Nick to be my man of honor.

We were close and he knew me better than anyone. He'd help to give me the perfect day. Like my brother he wanted me to be happy. He'd accept it without hesitation, I assumed.

Nick came over around seven-thirty. Jacob had been home for an hour but he wasn't around. He greeted me, went straight to our bedroom to freshen up and then locked himself in his home office. I didn't have the talk with him yet. When Nick came over I left that conversation on the back burner, I'd talk to Jacob about it when we were in bed.

He'd call me manipulative if he knew.

Jacob joined Nick and me for dinner. He looked worn out, whatever he had to deal with drained him completely. I had a feeling he'd fall asleep the minute his head hit the pillow.

"Busy day?" Nick asked, watching Jacob with concern as well.

Jacob met his gaze, "Yeah, that woman made life difficult for me. She's going to regret challenging me like this." He mumbled.

I gave his hand a squeeze, "Trust me, she won't get away with this."

He smiled, "I'm making sure of it."

I then pulled away and focused on Nick, "That reminds me, I need a maid of honor. I doubt Joy would be up for the position so would you take over instead?"

Nick frowned, "How did that remind you of your wedding?"

Shrugging I focused back on dinner, enjoying the pasta which was kind of spicy topped with cheese, "Loyalty."

He chuckled, "You're such a weird one, Nina. But yeah, sure I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Jacob eyed my brother suspiciously, "Is Joy going to be your plus one?" He asked straight out.

I didn't even dare to ask that question but Jacob just went for it. When it came to my brother he never talked around in circles. He spoke his mind and didn't do it subtly either. He was honest and I felt like Nick appreciated that more. These two were growing closer as well and I loved it.

Nick reached for his glass of wine, "No, we're not dating anymore." He said quietly, he didn't look upset though but I could hear it in his voice, "That didn't work out considering our situation."

"It would never work out." I gave Jacob a kick underneath the table, he was being a little too cruel with his honesty right now but Nick didn't seem to mind it, "She'd always be hesitant because her loyalty lies with Lucas and we all know how Lucas feels about Nina and me."

"You're right." Nick agreed, finishing his drink and reaching for the bottle to refill his glass, "We'd always argue about joining social gatherings at your place. It would strain our relationship. It was better to end it now before it became too serious."

I got up and grabbed the empty wine bottle, "Nick, let's drink wine and watch a movie. You can use the guest room. We don't mind."

"We really don't." Jacob agreed, "I'll give you two some privacy."

I pointed at my fiancé before he could leave the dining room, "Oh, before you go. Think about asking Joshua to be your best man. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

Jacob smirked at me, "Already asked, sweetheart."

I didn't expect that their relationship was definitely a lot better than Jacob let me believe. The younger male came over because he was concerned about us. He was also respectful and seemed to know about his brother's schedule. It meant the brothers communicated. They were definitely closer than they let on.

"Good."

I walked into the kitchen to grab a new bottle of wine and felt like hugging my brother when he started to clear the dining table, helping me clean up. I put the glasses and bottle of wine in the living room and then helped my brother. We cleaned up and then settled on the couch. Nick settled for a series about a cult. It wasn't exactly good but we couldn't stop watching. It was a thriller which was okay when we didn't really feel like talking. We just drank wine and relaxed together.

"I hate it but I really like your stupid fiancé." He sounded like a pouty child.

I threw my head back and laughed, nearly spilling wine all over myself, "I know, Nick."

"I don't want to like the man. He's so calculating."

"In a good way." I smiled, sipping my wine again without spilling it.

Nick threw his arm over the back of the couch and let me lean into him, he sipped his wine ignoring my reaction completely, "You need to wake me tomorrow because I'm going to be so drunk after this."

He'd probably hit the snooze button every time his alarm went off so I didn't mind waking him up. The thing was I'd probably sleep in too. Thank God we had Jacob. He'd wake us up ruthlessly. It wouldn't be fun but at least Nick would make it to the office.

"You need it."

He didn't respond to that either which told me that he agreed. He just didn't want to voice it. Guys wanted to be strong when it came to breakups and moving on. I was just there for him, the moral support he needed. I'd always be there for him, marrying Jacob wouldn't change a thing.