It worked out great for her in the end. Trey is amazing. He compliments her personality perfectly and I’ve never seen her smile so bright.
Our wedding couldn’t have been more perfect.
Except when Bella puked during the ceremony. Right down the back of Naomi’s dress.
Looking back now, it’s hilarious. Especially considering that’s how she announced to Lennon that they were pregnant. At the time, it was chaos.
And the chaos continued, straight through the last few months as Jace and I remodeled our house, opened a new restaurant, and started talking about a family of our own. It’s been a busy time, and just when we thought things were about to slow down, we got the call about the reunion special this weekend, and here we are, at Lennon and Bella’s house.
They taped the show this afternoon. The rest of the cast ran off as soon as the camera’s stopped rolling. Most went back to the hotel to grab dinner and a drink before the premier of the new season.
Jace and I stayed behind to hang out with Lennon and Bella. Of all our castmates, we’ve stayed the closest. I thought it might be weird at first, having kissed Lennon, multiple times, but Bella doesn’t seem to have an issue with it. Not that we talk about it. Ever.
“No, I don’t have to pee,” Bella replies dramatically. “He just keeps using my bladder as a punching bag.”
“He doesn’t have a lot room to move around in there anymore,” Jace notes, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close. Not that we can get much closer. We’re already sharing a chair.
“Then he needs to come out. If he’s uncomfortable, maybe he’ll finally try to make his grand entrance,” she notes with an air of indifference.
“You’re going to be the most beautiful pregnant woman,” Jace whispers in my ear, but not quietly enough.
“What about me? Do I look that horrible?” Bella practically shrieks.
“You’re stunning,” Lennon says, swooping in to save Jace from Bella’s wrath. He slides his arm under her legs, lifting her with ease and sitting her down on his lap in the spot he’s taken from her. His eyes go wide for a moment before he whispers in her ear, and she begins bawling.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, jumping out of Jace’s lap and moving to her side.
While we were on the show, I felt like Bella and I had grown close. It wasn’t until after the cameras stopped rolling I realized exactly how close we had become. We talked every day on the phone. She came to visit me in Miami to help me get settled. I returned the favor when she moved in with Lennon. She and Naomi helped me plan the wedding, the two of them becoming friends in the process.
We’re basically an inseparable trio. Naomi moved to Miami after the wedding, Callen hot on her heels, and Bella used to visit at least once a month, flights only taking a few hours.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Lennon answers for her. “Her water just broke.”
“I’m not ready,” Bella cries.
“We’re ready,” Lennon says, cradling her face in his hands, wiping away her tears with his thumbs. “We’ve been ready. It’s time to meet our son.”
Bella’s smile is weak, and then she’s trying to jump off Lennon’s lap, which looks more like she’s falling forward, and she’s rattling off directions to anyone who’s listening. Lennon just grins as he watches her waddle into the kitchen, her cell phone up to her ear.
“What can we do?” Jace asks, standing beside me.
“The bag is in the nursery. I’ll get her in the car if you can grab that.”
Jace slaps Lennon on the back before pulling him in for a man hug and saying, “Congrats, man. I’m happy for you guys.”
And he is. There was a time when I wondered if they ever really could be friends. Outside the competition. After it was all said and done. Once all the footage was released and there were no secrets between the three of us.
The simple answer is yes. They’ve become great friends. The more complicated answer is still yes. It took some clearing of the air, especially after Jace watched the clips from the final week, but they still managed to stay close.
What brought them close in the beginning was their desire to get to know me. To win my affection. But the things they have in common are what strengthened their bond.
Jace and I follow them to the hospital, take up residency in the waiting room, and start sending texts to the rest of our circle, the Love or Lust season one cast. Bella’s parents show up shortly after, her mom pacing the length of the room, praying in hushed tones. The crowd continues to grow as more family members, as well as Lennon’s parents and grandparents, show up to show their support.
When Lennon finally comes back wearing blue scrubs, there’s a huge grin on his face.
“It’s a boy,” he jokes.
No one laughs as they anxiously await the reveal of the name of the newest addition to the family.