"I would ask how your night went, but I think this explains it."

Lanie's voice drew my intention as I walked out of my bathroom carrying some body wash and other essentials. She was standing by the bed holding up the dress she lent me with a frown and an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, about that," I said as I set the bottles down on my bed,"we got a little...carried away last night."

"I can see that."

"Jackson said he'll reimburse you for the dress," I said with a smile. He had given me some cash early this morning to give to her for the dress. That was before he got the phone call about his mom.

Lanie seemed surprised by my statement and looked from the dress to me one more time before she threw it on the bed. "You know what? Don't worry about it. Consider it an early wedding gift from me to you."

Now, I was the one who was shocked. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I mean, clearly you definitely got the money's worth for it."

She was right about that. When I looked back at her, her smile faded and she ID'ed my suitcase that was laying open on the couch.

"Why are you packing? We're supposed to be here for a few more days."

Well, I guess Lanie was going to be the first one I had to have this uncomfortable conversation with. Ryan was next. "Jackson got a phone call from his mom's doctor. She's very sick and may not have a lot of time left. He's going to fly to London today to be with her."

Lanie knew me better than anyone. She didn't even need me to say it. Hell, even if I didn't have my suitcase out, she would have known. "When is your flight?"

"I'm not sure yet. I need to talk to Ryan. Obviously he has to go with me. Otherwise..."

"He's going to know what's going on between you and Jackson. Speaking of, how does he feel about you going? Did he ask you to go?"

Damn, Lanie was not only psychic about things, but she was very inquisitive. I'm surprised she didn't become a reporter. "I insisted that I go with him."

I could tell by her expression that she had a million questions for me. More importantly, she had a million warnings for me. I knew she was going to say that this was a bad idea. She would say that this could lead to an emotional connection between Jackson and I. She would say that I was putting myself at risk of falling in love with him. She wouldn't be wrong by saying that. But right now, none of those things mattered.

I kept seeing Jackson's heart-wrenching expression when he told me about his mom. Even if we weren't involved and didn't have this confusing connection between us, even if he was just a friend, you don't leave a friend alone in these types of situations.

"Lanie, he can't go through this alone. He needs both me and Ryan there with him."

She let out a long breath before she walked up to me and pulled me into a tight hug. There was a knock at the door and she pulled out of the embrace.

"Expecting someone?" She asked.

"Yeah. That would be Ryan. I sent him a text and asked him to come over here so I can fill him in on what's going on." I started walking towards the door and then a thought occurred to me. I turned around quickly and lowered my voice when I told Lanie, "I'm going to tell Ryan that Jackson was here seeing you when he got the call and I just happened to be here too."

"Okay, good idea," she said before walking to her room.

I hesitated before I reached for the door handle and opened it to let Ryan inside.

"Hey, Anne. Is everything okay? Your text message was kind of cryptic."

He walked towards the couch and took a seat, which probably wasn't a bad idea. I shut the door before I joined him. "Jackson was over here this morning visiting Lanie and something happened."

Ryan's eyes darkened and I immediately regretted my choice of words. "Did he do something?"

"No, no. I'm sorry. That came out wrong. How well do you know his mom?"

Ryan frowned with confusion. "Well, I used to spend summers in London with him when we were young. She was always really sweet and nice to me. We got close over the years. I haven't seen her much lately but we talk on the phone to check on each other."

I placed my hand softly on his knee as I met his stare and started to explain this difficult situation. "Apparently, she has been really sick with cancer."

Ryan got to his feet immediately. "What! Cancer?"

I stood in front of him and tried to keep my voice level. "Yes. Jackson got a call from her doctor when he was here and I guess the medicine they were trying wasn't working and she doesn't have much time left. He's getting ready to get on a plane today to go to London."

I could tell Ryan's head was spinning right now and I didn't blame him. From stories Jackson has told me, it seemed Ryan and his mom got along well. When Ryan didn't say anything, I added, "I know that we have a lot going on and we have both of our extended families here right now. But I told Jackson that you and I would fly to London with him. I really don't think he should be alone if she passes away, Ryan. I know you guys have been estranged lately, but he doesn't have any family over there. No support system. He's going to need you there."

Ryan started pacing back and forth and ran his hands over his face. I know this was a lot for him to process, and if the history between him and Jackson's mom was what I thought it was, he's probably upset about her unfortunate diagnosis.

I remained quiet as I let him workout whatever was going on in his brain. I knew it was a lot to think about. I mean, I've never been out of the country myself. Now I'm about to fly to London because I'm worried about the man that I'm screwing on a regular basis. Not to mention, I'm standing in front of my future husband, lying to make this happen.

Ryan turned towards me and let out a long breath. "Yeah, let's go. We should he there for him." He frowned as he asked, "Are you sure you want to go? I mean, you can stay here if you want."

Shit. He was right. I should have known he was going to ask me that. "I definitely don't want to stay here with both of our extended families without you. Besides, Jackson is going to be upset if this goes badly. He can use as much support as we can provide."

Ryan nodded and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Yeah, you're right. I know how close he is with his mom and if something happens to her, he's not going to take it well."

"What should we tell our parents?" I asked him. I already knew my parents were going to see it as another attempt to back out if this wedding. It didn't matter that Ryan was going with me. It was almost like, the closer the wedding got, the more insensitive they became.

"I'll handle our parents. Go to Jackson and tell him we're going with him." He pulled out his wallet and handed me his credit card. "Get our tickets and use my card. I'll let you know as soon as I talk to them."

"What time should I book the flight?" I asked as he started walking towards the door.

He stopped and turned before he left. "Its eleven now. Lets try for early afternoon. Try to find the quickest flight. Don't worry about the price. First class tickets."

I stood there and couldn't help the feeling of relief and surprise. Why couldn't I be in love with Ryan? A girl really would be lucky to end up with him. "Ry, you really are a good guy."

He gave me a smile. "Don't tell anyone," he joked before he left the room.

I quickly got dressed and started walking to Jackson's room. I knew using the spare key he gave me would be stupid, so I knocked on the door lightly.

When Jackson opened the door, there was a flicker of surprise on his face before he turned and walked back inside. When he didn't didn't say a word, I entered the room, shutting and locking the door behind me.

"I spoke to Ryan," I said as Jackson went back to putting clothes in his duffel bag.

"And?" He walked into the living room and came back with his laptop and a notebook.

"And he and I are going with you to London."

When he didn't say anything and kept his eyes averted, I walked over to him. "Jackson, look at me."

It took him a minute before his eyes finally met mine. "Are you sure about this? Do you really think this is a good idea, Harper?"

Harper. I've grown so used to Princess, it was weird when he said my name. I know what he was worried about. He was worried about the same thing Lanie was worried about. I tried to convince myself that I wasn't worried. But I knew it was a lost cause. "Maybe it is a good idea, maybe it isn't. With everything going on I don't want to put more of a strain on it or make you uncomfortable. If you want me to stay here, I will and Ryan can go with you."

He held my stare and didn't respond. It was almost like he was having some mental argument with himself.

Even though every instinct in my body told me not to, I reached my hand out and cupped the side of his face. His eyes closed as I stroked his cheek. "Answer me, Jackson. Do you want me to come with you, or do you want me to stay here?"

With a curse, he opened his eyes and crushed his lips against mine. He buried his hand in my hair as he kissed me. It wasn't like our usual kisses. This one was rough, carnal. Filled with a desperate need. He pulled back from me and his eyes searched mine. "Please come with me," he begged quietly.

I pulled him into a hug and felt him relax against me. "Of course, I'll go with you," I promised. He squeezed me tighter against him and that little voice inside my head was screaming that this wasn't a smart idea.

Oh, well. I never listen to it anyway...