After lunch we went to his cottage and I had to keep my cool at the fenced-in property Jackson parked in front. Ivy crawled along the ten feet walls as an iron gate opened in a long circular driveaway. The residence stood gigantic in front of me, a double story, grey stone wall mansion with balconies and a dark painted roof. A chimney was visible on the left corner of the roof.

"Home Sweet Home," Jackson said. It was so wrong how some people have all the money in the world where others have to work their legs off to make ends meet.

He stopped in front of one of the four wooden garage doors and climbed out.

"What the fuck," I mouthed as I took a deep breath and opened my door and climbed out.

We passed manicured hedges that led into a vast garden with beautiful statues, and slipped through a gray gate.

My eyes flickered everywhere to take in this magnificent property. We walked out onto an outdoor swimming pool area with a stonework patio to entertain guests. It was right next to what Jackson called a cottage. It wasn't a cottage, it was like a second house on the property.

Right past the pruned trees, the outline of a tennis court was visible.

"You live here?"

"Yes, is there a problem?"

"No, it's a bit posh, wouldn't you say?"

He chuckled at my attempt at a slantly British accent.

"I get now why you want to become a doctor."

"I told you it wasn't the reason." He opened his glass door and we walked into an open entryway with a crown moulding ceiling.

Expensive hardwood flooring and a red wall gave off a warm ambience. Dark brown leather couches with fitting wooden furniture and a big screen TV, made up the lounge and right next to it, an open plan granite and cherry wood kitchen.

"Sit." Jackson rushed down a hallway that could only lead to his room.

I plunged down on the sofa. Beautiful sleep stones covered the other walls. Designer pieces hung against the red wall and in the corners, artistic sculptures found their spots.

Rich brown blinds covered the high widows. The place was really spacious and I couldn't imagine that it was nice living here all by yourself.

The bonus was that it was close to the swimming pool and entertainment area.

I had to pinch myself to make sure this wasn't a dream.

***

We watched Netflix, kissed the crap out of each other to such an extent that Jackson had to take a cold shower, and we took an afternoon nap. We sneaked back to the front around six and went for dinner at an Italian restaurant and watched a movie.

Then around nine that evening he dropped me off. I didn't want this weekend to end and it was hard to say goodnight to him, which took like an hour of me, sitting on his lip, kissing the crap out of him.

"I'll text you the details of the wedding as soon as I get them."

I laughed. "You are the worst best man ever, Jackson."

"No, I'm not. We are not like bridesmaids that have to know everything. But I'll ask just for you, okay?"

"Okay." My lips brushed his again and then I managed to find the strength to pull myself from him and walked to the door.

He honked once and I waved. My lips slightly pulsed at the amount of times I kissed Jackson today. That boy was going out of his way to make me crazy for him.

***

The next week started off slow. On Monday we had a huge meeting around the children's foundation that Ivy held once a year. It went with an entire day filled with fun, like a county fair. It was fun if you were a pedestrian but not so much fun working the entire day. She went all out and invited a lot of rich people to donate.

Em believed that she was trying to buy her way into heaven for her flamboyant lifestyle by holding this fundraiser for unprivileged kids. Ivy loved kids, it was as simple as that. Em had the tendency to look way too deep into certain things.

The big day was happening in two months. It felt as if it was right around the corner. To imagine that Jackson wouldn't even be in my life at that time was scary. He would've gotten what he wanted and skipped toward the next lily pad that waited for him.

Don't lose your heart, Cass.

On Tuesday I got the details of the wedding. Em lent me a beautiful black number that had a very revealing cleavage without sleeves. The inside of the fabric was soft while the outside was covered in lace and it showcased my figure the way it clung to my body. It reached the middle of my thigh which was normally a bit too short for my taste. Em shoved a pair of black stilettos in my hands and my lips shut tight.

"I knew you would falter at the shoes. It's a beautiful number and I don't get the opportunity to wear it anywhere. Please, give her the night to remember."

I laughed at Em's goofiness. She spoke about her clothes as if they were human.

"Fine, I'll try my best."

"Oh, I doubt that you have to try that hard with Jackson."

More laughter escaped both our lips and I sighed. "I'm way over my head with this guy, Em."

She just stared at me.

"I keep reminding myself that it's only a game to him and that he will move on the second he gets what he wants."

"You don't know that. You might just be the one that is going to let him calm a bit down, Cass."

"You don't know that!" I threw her own words back at her.

"Are you yourself?"

"He doesn't allow me to be anyone else," I said and sighed again. I didn't want to think about four weeks from now. I just wanted to enjoy it.

"I think the best is to wait and see, okay?"

I nodded. "Thanks for this? You have no idea how much time you are saving me by going to hunt down the perfect dress."

"If you take your hair up, or curl it and let it loose, maybe take up a couple of strands, you'll look stunning."

"Thanks, Em."

By Wednesday, the time really started to fly and before I knew it, I was on my way to the airport to meet Jackson.

I found him at the little coffee shop we had arranged to meet. The five days not seeing him helped a bit to take that distance. I plopped down on the chair diagonally from his and put my luggage right next to the chair. When my gaze flickered to Jackson who stared at me with a slant expression.

"What?"

"Don't I get a hello kiss, at least."

I chuckled and bent closer to him. My lips brushed his soft ones, and my stomach fluttered. I hated this feeling, but loved it at the same time. I wanted to fall head over heels and it was so hard to keep on reminding myself what this was. When the kiss broke I opened my eyes and looked at him. "Hello, Jacky-boy, how was your week?"

"Fun, slept late every morning and played a lot of golf with the guys. You?"

"Work, always work. It's so unfair."

He chuckled.

We had a coffee and then it was off to catch our flight. My nerves were strung tight, meeting his parents. I knew if the circumstances were different, I wouldn't even be on this plane, but then again he could have asked for that extra week. I offered him an extra week. He was either extremely time set or... I didn't want to think about the other possibility. Because that would own up to how much I really wanted him to like me as much as I liked him. Whatever the reason, I was grateful to be his plus one at this wedding. If only my nerves could jump on board and relax.

Another chapter. It feels like a filler one, but there are quite a few mentions that are important. Let me know what you think. Thanks for reading. Don't forget to vote, share and comment. Thanks for reading.