I glanced at my plate of toast and fruit with a grimace. I really needed to eat. Ryan ordered room service for me that was delivered at eight this morning. He knew me so well that he knew when I would wake up even in another country. 

But when I woke up to an empty bed and a cryptic note from Ryan that said he was going out for a few hours, I couldn't eat. Ever since we landed in London he's been a little...off. But I couldn't really blame him, could I? 

On a positive note, I was just entering the fourth month of my pregnancy and I was starting to put on some weight. My baby bump was more than obvious and my husband seemed to love it. 

I couldn't count the number of times he looked at me with pride and love in his eyes. There was a welcoming sensation of possessiveness that came off of him when he kissed me now or touched my belly. Some people might not like that kind of thing. But for me, I never really had a real relationship before Ryan. Trust didn't come easy to me, and I had spent most of my life as a 'free spirit'. I finally felt complete with Ryan—like I found the missing half of myself that I had always been looking for. 

He cried when I told him that I was pregnant. Even though we were 'trying', hearing the actual news could have gone either way. If he didn't take it well...I didn't know what I would have done. But that didn't happen and now we were happier than ever. 

But there was still something that had been bothering him lately. I knew that coming to London would stir up some feelings after Everly passed away. He was always so open with me about her. He would tell me stories about him and Jackson growing up. But lately that wasn't the case. 

I push the fruit around my plate with my fork. My right leg was shaking nervously under the table while I waited for Harper to hang up the phone. 

"Yeah. Meet us here at the hotel in an hour. I love you, too." 

"The boys okay?" The question popped out of my mouth before she even sat her phone down. 

My best friend nodded. "Yep. Jackson said they were on the way back now. Why were you so worried?" 

 "I don't know, Harp. Ryan's been off lately." 

Harper took a sip of her espresso and brushed her long blonde hair out of her face. "Well it's the first time he's been in London since Everly passed away. And Jackson texted me that he found Ryan at the cemetery." 

"The cemetery?" I frowned at that. "He told me he was running errands. Why wouldn't he just tell me that? And why not ask me to go with him?" 

Why, why, why...

Jesus. I was going to drive myself crazy with theses questions.

I never used to be the paranoid type. I was never the nagging wife type, either. But deep down I could feel that there was something more going on with Ryan. There was something that was eating at him—a heavy guilt that lit up his eyes when I mentioned Everly. 

"D, you need to relax and stop freaking out. You're in your fourth month of your pregnancy. No added stress, remember?" 

Frustrated with myself and no longer hungry, I pushed my plate away from me. It slid against my bottle of water and nearly knocked it over.

I exhaled a heavy breath and sucked my teeth. "Yeah, I know, Harp. It's just hard not to worry." I rested my hands on my baby bump. "He's just never been like this." 

"Want me to talk to him?"

"Oh, I don't think—"

"Sorry about that dears," Gwen interjected when she rejoined us at the table. "I had to use the loo then I wanted to hurry and phone Noah before JJ gets back." 

I shared a sympathetic glance with Gwen. "Is he still not on board with you an Noah dating?" 

Gwen took a sip of her drink. "No! He still thinks I'm barmy. I just don't understand why it's that hard to accept." 

"I think he's just trying to protect you," Harper said. "You know how he is with the people he loves." 

"Yes, but I'm a grown woman—and I can shag anyone I fancy." 

I tried and failed to stifle a laugh. "Gwen, are you sure this thing with Noah is what you want? He's so...young." 

Gwen swallowed a bite of her food. "Darling, there is nothing wrong with dating a younger man. To be perfectly frank, he keeps me young. That boy can go all night without—"

"Whoa!"
"TMI..."

Gwen waved away our disgust. "I'm just saying, I'm sure about what I want and I'm not ashamed of it. The boy's a stallion." 

"Well, there ya go," Harper chuckled.

I had to admit, I thought it was a little odd myself when the news of the stripper-turned-Gwen's boyfriend made its way to me.

Harper had texted me that night before the rehearsal dinner. She explained how Jackson walked in on them—and she explained his reaction. A part of me understood where he was coming from, but then again, who were we to tell Gwen how to live. 

Harper also warned me that Ryan's reaction was probably going to be similar to Jackson's. She said it was up to me if I wanted to give him a heads up or not.

I chose not.

I only had a twenty minute window to decide and I couldn't chose one way or the other. So I let him find out on his own. 

That wasn't the only thing he found out that night...

"You knew, didn't you? You knew that Gwen was—that she was...."

"Having sex," I finished for him. 

Ryan's face twisted with disgust and his body shivered. "Don't say that. For the love of God, don't say that." 

I tugged my brush through my hair. "Well that's what it is." I turned on the little chair in front of my vanity mirror to look at the man I loved. "We do it all the time." 

He continued to pace back and forth in front of out large bed, unfazed by my words.

"I just don't get how Jackson could have let this happen. In his own house!" Ryan ran his hands through his blonde hair before rubbing them over his face. "Christ. I have to do something. I have to put a stop to this!" 

He finally turned and met my gaze. "Why didn't you tell me? A little heads up would have been nice, you know?"

I sighed as I got up from the chair and walked up to him. When I stopped in front of him, I tried to get a sense of his emotions. I couldn't. There was just too much in his eyes to know how exactly how he felt. 

I reached out and brushed his hair out of his face. Because I knew it relaxed him when I did that.

"I didn't know until Harper texted me. There wasn't time. Besides, I didn't really know how to tell you." 

"You can tell me anything, Dani. You know that." 

The way he said that made my eyes water a little and my chest tightened. He was right. I remembered one night in particular at the beginning of our relationship. But that wasn't what we were talking about right now. 

"I know," I ended up saying softly. "I'm sorry, babe. But don't do anything rash, okay? Gwen seems really happy with this guy." 

"That's what worries me," he mumbled. "What if he hurts her? Or what if he's playing her or something..."

"We can't know that. We can only trust that she knows what she's doing and be there for her."

"I'm always there for her." 

"Supportively," I pressed.

His lips formed a hard line. "Supportively," he mumbled. 

I smiled up at him. "Good boy. Now, enough about Gwen and her new beau." I pressed my lips against his. "Why don't you join me in the shower?" 

He softened against me instantly, kissing me and wrapping his arms around my waist. 

"How about a bath?" he breathed the question against my lips. "I want to hold you." 

"Earth to D? Are you still with us?" 

I blinked rapidly and looked from Gwen to Harper. "Sorry. What did you say?" 

Gwen laughed and shook her head at me. "Are you feeling alright, dear?"

"Yeah," Harper added, "you've been really spacy lately." 

I reached for my plate and ate some of the toast. "I'm fine. Just the hormones." 

Gwen reached out towards my belly with her hand. She paused just inches away. "May I?" 

"Of course." 

She placed her hand on my belly and smiled wider than I had ever seen. "Amazing. This is going to be my little great niece or nephew." 

She pulled her hand back and started fanning herself. "Don't mind me. I just love babies." She cast a devilish look at me. "You know, I could tell you stories about Ryan as a child and show you videos that would make him just die!" 

"That I have to see," I replied immediately. 

Harper agreed. "Same here. I'm assuming Jackson is in some of them? I have to see videos of him. I'm dying to know if he had the same snarky I'm-the-man attitude." 

"Talking about me?" 

The three of us looked up at the sound of Jackson's voice. 

"Not everything is about you, JJ," Gwen answered with a grin. 

Jackson snorted and sat down next to Harper and kissed her on the cheek. "Perhaps you're right." 

Ryan relaxed beside me and draped his arm around my shoulders. He kissed me softly before pulling back and stroking my cheek. "You look beautiful today." 

I smiled. "You say that every day." 

"It bears repeating." 

"What time are we leaving tomorrow?" Jackson asked, breaking the connection between Ryan and me. 

"First thing in the morning," he answered. 

Gwen cleared her throat. "I have to stop by my flat first. I forgot something." 

When she winked at Harper and me, Ryan knew something was up. 

"What? What do you have to get?" 

"Oh, don't you worry. It's just something I want to show these lovely ladies." 

The look on Ryan and Jackson's face made it obvious that they knew she was up to something. The men looked at us suspiciously, but we didn't give in and tell them that she wanted to get some home movies.

Ryan raised a brow at me. "What have you ladies been talking about?"

Gwen answered before I could.

"Stallions. We were talking about stallions."

***

Happy release day!
I'm so excited to get Ryan and Danielle's book started. While I finish up Tangled in Tinsel I will be releasing a new chapter of Falling Into Place a few times a week. Thanks again for all of your patience and support!

xoxo