The Kings IV I

7

Fred

"And e-mails?"

Meredith tilted her head over. "Do those not come through on your phone?"

"I was on my honeymoon, I wasn't exactly worried about my e-mail inbox."

I rolled my sleeves up and looked over at her, making her look down at the folder in her hands. "I marked the really important ones. I answered a lot of them myself."

"Thank you," I said. She stopped at her desk and I walked into my office, my eyes wide.

"Someone's got an attitude on her," I said, sitting down in my chair.

Jo poured himself a cup of coffee. "She's pissed off 'cause you're married and she isn't."

"That's her man's fault," I said.

"You trying to say something?" He asked, turning around to face me.

"Not at all," I muttered, logging into my computer.

"Sorry, but not all of us can be as perfect as you when it comes to the whole movie-worthy wedding planning."

"That's Alexis's job, dumbass," I deadpanned, looking up at him.

"I am a royal screw up, man," he said, sitting on my desk, "she deserves a fairytale wedding. There's no way around me fucking that up."

"You're living in fear," I said.

"You're damn right I am," he confidently responded, nodding.

"That's the pit of all despair, my friend."

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "I want to set a date. I don't want to be the douchebag that kept her waiting."

"Then don't," I said, "it's really that simple."

"It really is not," he said, watching as I stood up.

"Okay, well, you know what, Jo? I'll say what everyone's thinking. You need to give her some kind of something. Lena deserves it. What she doesn't deserve is another failed attempt."

"Don't say that shit to me," he said, his eyebrows in a deep furrow.

"I'm saying what you need to know," I said, "Jackson-"

"Don't say his name, and I swear to God, if you compare me to him..."

He trailed off, his hands resting on his hips.

"I'll tell you the same thing I would've told him. You shouldn't have proposed if you weren't ready to give her what she deserves."

"I was fucking ready, Fred," he said, "you weren't there."

"Uh, yeah, we were both there."

He rubbed his forehead. "I didn't propose then."

I looked up from my desk, my eyebrows knitted together.

He rubbed his hands down his face, shaking his head. "It was a fucking Tuesday, Fred. We were in the bedroom."

"I don't want you to continue, really," I muttered.

"I don't even know what time it was," he said, shaking his head, "I didn't even have a fucking ring. But I knew. I knew I needed her."

I froze, looking over at him. Josiah King was infamous for never needing a single soul. I'd never heard him say he needed anyone.

"If I wasn't ready, I wouldn't have done it then. I would've at least had a plan, Fred. A ring."

I let out a sigh, looking over at him. "I think you're trying to convince yourself rather than me."