The “Something Old” - 2031 - Part 10
Jessica Pierce wasn’t sure what time it was, but she knew it was late—or early, depending on how one looked at it. The soft glow of the pool lights cast rippling patterns along the edge of the hot tub, the water gently bubbling around her as she leaned back against the curved seat, a journal propped in her hands. Her mother’s journal.
Again.
The irony of sitting in a hot tub, this early in the damn morning, wasn’t lost on her. The hot water did little to calm the cold pit in her stomach, though. She took another sip from the bottle of water beside her, her free hand absently reaching into the open bag of chips perched dangerously close to the edge of the tub.
It was 3:40 AM, and Jess wasn’t anywhere close to being tired.
She’d planned to finish this second book diary—well, technically this morning. The first journal had left her reeling, ending with her mom and Leo Azure—yes, that Leo Azure—getting engaged and with her mom trying to piece Leo back together after he’d been raped. Jess still couldn’t fully process that word. Couldn’t picture a man like Leo Azure—powerful, dangerous, untouchable—being violated like that.
Her mom’s words had painted a different picture. A man broken, gutted, and raw. A man who barely held himself together. Her mother had poured out her own helplessness into the pages, and Jess had felt it like a punch to the chest. Addie’s desperation to make Leo feel whole again, her fury at the world for letting it happen, her own guilt for not being able to stop it—Jess had read every word, her throat tight, her own stomach twisting like it was her pain too.
And then it had ended. With tears all over those pages - it just ended.
Just like that. The last page had been nothing but Addie writing about needing to try harder. That she wouldn’t let him go through this alone. That Leo wasn’t alone.
Jess had been so caught up in that version of her mother that opening the second journal had felt like whiplash. The entries practically glowed—full of laughter, travel, lavish parties, and, most of all, love. Leo’s name was everywhere, each mention drenched in warmth and admiration.
I’ve never been happier in my life.
That sentence stood out more than anything. Jess had skimmed it before, but now that she’d read the last book cover to cover, she couldn’t stop turning the words over in her head.
How had her mother gone from the aftermath of that trauma to this… bliss? What had changed? And more importantly—how had it ended? How had her mom gone from loving this man so deeply to… loving her dad and getting married only a year later to him.
Jess wiped her fingers on the edge of the towel folded beside her, her eyes scanning the next page. She was halfway through an entry about her mom and Leo sneaking away from some high-profile gala to spend time in the gardens when she heard footsteps. Her head snapped up just as Dorian’s sleepy voice cut through the night air.
“I was looking for you, weirdo.”
Jess smirked, closing the journal but keeping a finger wedged between the pages. “And here I thought you’d obviously check the hot tub first. Where else would I be at…” —she glanced at her phone— “3:47 AM?”
Dorian stepped closer, his bare feet quiet against the stone tiles. His sweatpants hung low on his hips, his shirt missing entirely, and Jess had to tear her gaze away from the way the pool lights played off his abs. Not the time, Jess.
Nope.
No sir.
“You’re seriously out here reading? You know normal people sleep at this hour.” His brow furrowed, but there was amusement in his voice.
“Yeah? Well, I never claimed to be normal.”
“Clearly.” He shook his head before his gaze softened. “The baby’s asleep, by the way. Just put her down again.”
Jess let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Good. She’s been fussing all day.” Her eyes flickered back to the journal, but before she could open it again, Dorian spoke.
“You’re not even going to invite me in?” He raised an eyebrow, his grin lazy.
Jess’s lips curled. “Why don’t you join me, sexy?”
His grin widened. “Thought you’d never ask.”
Jess’s laughed, “Really? Because you just begged me.”
He mocked offense “I would never beg.”
It only took a moment for him to shed his sweats, leaving them in a pile by the edge. Jess raised an eyebrow at the sight of him stripping down so casually, but any teasing remark died in her throat when he slid into the water. Her focus shifted as he crossed the space, his hands finding her waist under the water and pulling her closer.
The journal hit the ledge with a soft thud, forgotten.
The softest smile met her lips as she leaned her repositioned herself so she was straddling him, “If I recall, darling, I remember you begging just yesterday. How did it go? "Ohhh Jess. Oh fck. Oh Jess. Right there. Fckkkk.”
“Oh you want to rehash who was moaning soooo loud they woke the baby up? In the other room?”
Ignoring his words, Jess didn’t hesitate, leaning into him even more, her lips finding his as the tension from the night melted into something else entirely. The kiss deepened, her fingers tangling in his hair as his hands mapped the curves of her body. She wasn’t sure when he moved them to the seat or when her legs ended up wrapped around him… around him, but by the time she finally pulled away, her breathing was ragged, and his eyes were darker.
“You’re going to be the death of me, Jess.”
“You’ll survive.” Her voice was breathless.
The next hour blurred—heated whispers, stolen touches, water cascading down their skin as they tangled together under the stars.
When they finally emerged, Jess wrapped herself in a towel, her wet hair sticking to her back as they made their way back to their room - the journal in her hand. Dorian stretched out on the bed the minute they got back to the room, his eyes already fluttering shut. She let him, leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead before reclaiming the journal.
Her fingers traced the familiar cursive. The words felt heavier now, knowing what came before them. Knowing how hard her mother had fought to keep that happiness, to piece Leo back together.
Jess settled back in, the night stretching on as she read.
𝒟𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓂𝒷𝑒𝓇 𝟣𝟫𝟫𝟫
“… 𝐼’𝓋𝑒 𝓃𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇 𝒷𝑒𝑒𝓃 𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓅𝒾𝑒𝓇 𝒾𝓃 𝓂𝓎 𝓁𝒾𝒻𝑒”