after him, still battling her feelings. They had grown a lot closer with each passing moment they spent together, but a part of her was still trying to protect herself from Ashton. He seemed to truly care about her, but knowing everything she knew about his past, Kaylee had a hard time letting her guard down completely. She wondered if he might revert back to his playboy self at any moment, and that made her very cautious.
Another knock at her door brought her out of her thoughts. "Come in," she called, and was relieved to see Jenny enter her bedroom.
"Oh, thank God, Jenny. I need help," she whined.
'That's what I'm here for!" Jenny smiled at her. "Now, what can we do to make you beautiful for that young man who is so crazy about you?"
Kaylee smiled. "I don't think he's crazy about me, I think it's just the thrill of the chase." She walked into her closet, and came back out with a couple of clothes hangers in her hand. "First of all, which outfit do you like best, and then I might need you to help me with my hair."
Jenny looked through the hangers, carefully studying each one. "Well, I like this one." She held up a classy pair of black pants and a button down blouse. "But Ashton will like this one." She handed Kaylee a pair of Capri pants and a halter top, and put the other clothes back in the closet. "Go get changed and then we'll do your hair. You'll need to put it up if you're going to wear that shirt."
Fifteen minutes later, Kaylee and Jenny stood back from the mirror admiring their hard work. She was finally ready, thanks to Jenny. Both women went to the living room where they found Ashton waiting. Jenny laughed at the longing look in his eyes when he saw Kaylee.
"Wow, you look great." He stood up from the couch and went to kiss Kaylee's cheek. "Do I get the honor of having the two most beautiful women on my arms as we make our appearance?"
Kaylee laughed at his attempt at chivalry, and hooked her good arm through his. Jenny smiled and took his other arm. He led the two women out to the back yard, where the party was already in full swing. Once outside, Jenny grabbed Kaylee and pulled her to the side.
"I just wanted to tell you to have fun tonight, okay? I'm not going to stay long, so I won't cramp your style."
"Jenny! Don't leave any earlier than you want to. We invited you because we love you, and we want you here with us. You certainly don't cramp our style!" Kaylee scolded.
"Just the same..." Jenny told her, before she walked off with a smile, leaving Kaylee alone with Ashton.
He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowd to mingle with all their friends who had shown up. There were a lot of people they hadn't seen in a while, and it was nice to catch up with everyone. More than a few people eyed them, since they'd never seen Ashton and Kaylee together and not fighting like cats and dogs. The biggest shock was to see them holding hands, cuddling, and kissing.
Everyone wanted to know what was going on between them, and their standard answer was always to smile and say they were 'just friends'. No one believed it, seeing how they were looking at each other, but they also didn't know what to think. Kaylee and Ashton were having a great time catching all their friends off guard with their 'relationship'. They even heard some of their friends making bets on how long it would be until they exploded at each other.
Kaylee was having a great time until a familiar face caught her attention. She tugged on Ashton's arm and pointed in the woman's direction. "What the hell is Brittany doing here?"
Ashton craned his neck to see the woman Kaylee was talking about. He had heard all about how Brittany had dumped Noah, leaving him completely heartbroken in high school. Even Ashton had a bad feeling about the woman.
"Only one way to find out," he said, dragging Kaylee over to where Brittany and Noah stood.
"Hey guys, look who made it," Noah said proudly when Kaylee and Ashton walked up.
"Brittany," Kaylee said coldly in greeting.
"Hey, Kaylee. How's it going?" Brittany asked with fake enthusiasm.
Noah watched the exchange between the two, and quickly pulled his sister to the side. He had such a