"Is that your dress?" Ty asks, looking it over.

I nod, doing a little twirl to show off Jenny's design. "Isn't it perfect?"

His hands land on my waist as he pulls me in close. I want to relax under his touch but I can't. It's hard to let someone else in. It doesn't take a genius to figure out it's because of Shawn and my still apparent feelings for him. His fingers run over the fabric around my back. "Yeah, it is." He decides as he leans in to kiss me.

I take a step back, surprising him. "Sorry I-" I check the time on my phone, "I have to get to Jenny." I offer him an assuring smile and kiss him quickly before grabbing my things. "I'll see you in a few hours." He waves goodbye to me, not at all getting upset over my pulling away from him. Maybe he can't tell, or he does and doesn't care. Either way things are over when we land.

    I set Jenny's gift down on the table for presents, and my mom calls for me. "Livia! What took you so long?" Mom questions my whereabouts. She grabs my arm and rushes me to Jenny's room.

    I groan, "Traffic, sorry."

    She leads me through the venue and opens the door of the bride's room. Jenny is sitting in the chair, her white robe on and curlers in her hair. She looks at me through the vanity mirror she's sitting in front of. "Livia, thank God." Becca grabs my hand and pulls me inside the room.

    Mom leaves us to make sure the flowers are placed in their designated spots. "She's been great, your mom. I couldn't have pulled this wedding off without her." Jenny says in a grateful tone.

    "I get it, she's good at what she does." Getting her to help me with my wedding without taking it over will be a task all in itself. Then again, we have a while before we have to worry about that. "What can I do to help?"

Jenny points to her hair, "Can you roll up the hair in the back?"

I nod, standing behind her and reaching for her comb. I put up the rest of her hair as Bee begins to do her makeup. 

    She's absolutely stunning. I already knew she was the next top model, but It's more than makeup. She's radiating with happiness, feeling eager to spend the rest of her life with Jake. "Are you crying?" Jenny asks, both of them turning to me.

            "Sweetie, it's okay. Don't cry." Uncontrollable tears begin to pour down my face. Becca crosses the space to wipe them away.

              Afterwards her arms wrap around me in a hug. "I'm just so happy for you." I blubber. Jenny joins us in our hug, her dress swaying in the process. "No Jen, I don't want to ruin your makeup." I pull them away at arm's length.

              "Oh please." She waves me off.

               I take a step back, "I'm going to go clean myself up. When I come back I'll be ready to get my makeup done." Bee nods in agreement as I open the door and step out into the hallway.

               On my way to the bathroom, I turn a corner and run into someone, "Oh! Sorry." Both Hunter and I say in unison. "Hey, stranger." I had almost forgotten he was supposed to be here today. "It's a little early isn't it?" The wedding isn't for a couple more hours.

            Hunter smiles, "I wanted to get here early to see if Jake needed anything. I was on my way there now."

           I look behind him, trying to see if Seth is here with him. "Where's Seth?"

           "He's parking the car. Should be in any minute." Hunter stares at me for a while, I think it's because I've been crying. "Hey are you okay?" His words only confirm it.

           I laugh awkwardly, "Yeah, it's the wedding, it's made me emotional or something. I was headed to the bathroom to clean up."

            Hunter grabs my shoulders and meets my eyes, "Livia, we could all stand to be emotional sometimes. It's what keeps us humane." Hunter let's his hands slide off of me and back down to his side's. "Say hi to Bee and Jenny for me?"

            I nod, offering him a reassuring smile. He walks off around the corner so I continue going to the bathroom.

            Once I'm inside, I wash my face and use the towels to dry. By the time I'm done, I feel confident enough to go back out there.

             I open the door and walk out, passing the entrance doors at the same time Seth walks in. His suit is the same as Hunters. Black and white with a royal blue tie. Jenny's colors and in turn, Jake's. Seth stops in front of me, taking my whole look in. We haven't seen each other in months. Since even before Shawn and I broke up. He told the school on Shawn, ratted us out like we were criminals.

            Hunter showed the entire town what Dean did to you. I remind myself. If I can take the high road with Hunter, then I can at least be civil with Seth. "Hi." He finally says to me.

          "Hey." The only thing I can think to do next, is point him in the right direction. "Jake's room is down the hallway and to the left."

           Seth pushes his hair back and takes my directions. "Thanks. We should catch up."

          "Of course." I say but I highly doubt we'll have another conversation today. For right now we're good at politely avoiding each other. Only talking when we have to. But I hope one day we can grow out of that, and become real friends again.

         I wait until Seth has a head start before going back to Jenny's room. When I do they light up, "Come on." Bee announces, "Let's get some concealer."

            The ceremony was truly inspiring. Jenny and Jake wrote their vows and it was all about love and friendship. How they would be together forever and they were just getting started.

            Everyone gave them a standing ovation, clapping and whistling at the newly weds. Jenny and Jake hold hands as they lead us to the reception.                           Throughout the night, Shawn and I keep making eye contact with each other. For a second our fingers brushed when I handed him a drink for the toast.

Mostly it's just been stolen glances and I wish I could be closer to him. "Livia." Ty grabs my attention, placing his hand on the small of my back. "Are you okay? You've barely spoken a word to me since we got here." I relax under his touch, he can tell I'm not all here. He knows I'm really here with someone else.

I feel Shawn's eyes on me and quickly glance away from Ty. God, what is wrong with me? "Yeah I'm good. I'm sorry I'm just...distracted." By the wedding, by Ty, but mostly by Shawn. "I need to freshen up." His hand slips away from my body as I leave.

I walk into the bathroom and check under the other stalls, I'm all alone. The mirror shows how flushed I've become. I wasn't meant for a life of lies yet I bring them upon myself. I need Shawn, and I don't think I can wait until we get back to New York.

The door creaks behind me. I look at who it is through the mirror. "Shawn." I announce as I turn around to face him. I lean against the sink and rest my hands on the counter. "You can't be in here."

He doesn't say anything.

     I watch in silence as he grabs the chair and drags it to block the door. I know what he's going to do next, and I won't be able to stop him. "God, I've missed you." Shawn crosses the room to me, his hand instantly cupping my face. I lean in and allow myself to be pulled to him.

Our lips touch and I want to sigh in relief. My whole body is activated by the greediness in his movement. He wants all of me.

In all of the rushed kisses and roaming hands, I bite his bottom lip softly. Shawn responds by running his hand down my body. My long dress is no match for his fingers as they slide up my leg. My head falls back at the feeling of his light touch. I moan softly, quietly even. I never thought I would feel his hands on me again. I thought I could accept that but I was wrong.

I'll never be able to truly leave him. "Shawn." I sneak my hands under his suit jacket, and remove it to become a decoration on the floor. His white dress shirt is form fitting but it slides off of his body so easily.

Shawn uses his other hand to pull down the strap of my dress. The hand on my thigh moves up to touch the hem of my panties. I gasp and my breath becomes shaky. He leans in to whisper in my ear, "I want to show you how much I've missed you." His sweet words barely leave his lips before his fingers move the fabric of my panties over. The tension is almost too much. Like a cliffhanger, I'm just waiting to see what happens next. His thumb presses against me and moves in small circles.He's slow at first but watches my reaction as his pace quickens. It doesn't stop there. I hold his gaze as he lowers onto his knees and spreads my legs. My breathing stops as he softly peppers the inside of my thighs with kisses. He grabs me tighter and brushes his lips against me through my panties. "And I've missed you." I gasp when he quickly moves the fabric to the side and begins to slowly lick around my clit. My fingers run to grasp his hair. My head leans back as I attempt to moan quietly.

My toes curl and my back arches, which seems to encourage him even more and he slowly starts to slide his  fingers inside of me, one first, and then two. "Fuck Shawn." He groans as I say his name, but not once does he stop. He starts to move his fingers faster inside of me, pulsing in and out. I feel the pit of my stomach erupt in that familiar euphoric feeling.

"I'm gonna cum." Shawn stops moving his tongue around me and looks up.

"Look at me." I lift my head and look him in his green eyes and crumble around him. As my orgasm hits me my body shakes and my eyes roll back. Shawn continues to pump his fingers in me until I ride out my high. No one could ever match the way he knows my body. Certainly not Ty.

A loud knocking on the door stops us from moving further. I jump down and fix my dress. "Someone's in here!"

"Livia." Ty's voice roughly. I stall, not sure what to do.

Shawn is breathing heavily, just as flustered as I am. One look at us and we'll be caught. It doesn't matter though, I'm not going to try and hide this from him. I wanted to end things in New York, but maybe it's best that he knows the truth now.

I walk over to the door and move the chair back over. Shawn puts his shirt and jacket on quickly before I open the door.

Ty sees me first, his eyes looking me up and down. Then he notices Shawn behind me. "You're fucking him?" Ty announces with a rough edge.

"Can we talk? Please?" I want to tell him everything so he isn't wondering why.

"No way." Ty sneers at us, "You two deserve each other."

    "Ty!" I call as loudly as I can without drawing attention to ourselves. Ty doesn't stop but I follow him out, "Ty wait please I-"

    He whips around, "What? You want to tell me you're sorry and you still want to be friends?" Ty scoffs, "Fuck that and fuck you. I'm leaving and I don't want to see either of you again."

    Ty gets in his rental car and drives off with a screech in his tires. I wrap my arms around my torso and try my best not to cry. I'm not sad our relationship is over, I just feel like shit. I couldn't say no to Shawn. I never could and he got hurt because of me. "He'll be okay." Shawn promises me as he walks outside to me.

    I turn to him, "Is this what you wanted? For him to catch us and leave?" I wouldn't put it past him.

    Shawn sighs, his hands coming up to grab my face. "I wouldn't do that, Livia. This worked out the way it was supposed to."

    I take in a deep, shaky breath. This isn't fair to him. "I'm a cheater, Shawn. It's what I do."

    "No." He seldom replies. Shawn kisses my forehead and leans his against mine. My eyes flutter close as I feel his soft contact. "You're just meant for me. He didn't deserve you, Livia."

    "What's going on out here?" The two of us separate and turn to Bee. "They're ready for the toasts."

    My eyes flicker to Shawn one more time as I walk away from him. Becca and I walk back inside, she grabs my arm and stops me at the door. "I broke up something, I'm not stupid." When I don't respond right away she reiterates, "I'm not stupid, Livia. What's going on?"

    "Ty caught Shawn and I in the bathroom together and walked out. He's going home and we're over." Now she knows the truth.

    Becca gasps, "Wait really?" I nod. "Wow. Okay we're talking later but for right now we need to get back to Jenny and Jake." Bee grabs my hand and we walk down the corridor, and back to the party.

    Shawn comes back in during my toast. I talk about all of the ways Jenny and Jake are right for each other. How they hate just to be apart, and deserve nothing less than each other. I tell the guests that they've overcome every hardship head on. Then I added how wonderful they are as parents. "They truly make a good team. A match made in heaven." I finish off and everyone begins to clap. Jenny is beaming and seeing her on the happiest day of her life has been the best experience. We've all hit a milestone as friends. I'm not going to fuck this up for her.

    Shawn and I spend the rest of the wedding on opposite ends. I talk to Jenny, and Becca, and eat the catered food. A few hours pass and it starts to get late. Jenny announces the ending of her party and huddles the girls to throw her bouquet.

    Cheri catches it, squealing in victory over the other single woman. "Goodnight everybody!" Jenny and Jake wave as they drive off to their honeymoon.

    Somehow I become the last one here. Becca and Luke go off to take Noelle home. They're going to babysit and house sit for Jenny and Jake until they come back. "It's cold out here." Shawn's voice startles me.

    I pull myself together, "It's summer." Almost anyway.

    Shawn holds his hand out, I take it, standing up. "Dance with me."

    I laugh at his request. "There's no music."

    "We don't need it." He keeps his hand in mine and grabs my waist with his other. I lean into his touch, allowing myself to be this close to him. The smell of sandalwood and linen fills my nose. I love the way he smells. The clothes that I have lost his smell months ago.

    Without the music, we begin to sway.

After a while my eyes flutter close and I can hear the imaginary music. We're dancing alongside Jenny and Jake at their wedding. Soon Becca and Luke join in and eventually, Hunter and Seth. It's all of us together again, no qualms, no drama, just my friends on a happy day.

              The music is so addicting that everyone else dances beside us. Jenny and Jake In the center. Shawn twirls me and I laugh. I've never been so happy, so free to be myself with Shawn.

             All good things must come to an end and slowly the music dies down. My eyes open and the only people left are Shawn and I. I'm still happy though, just to be in his arms. Soon his voice fills my ears, flooding my head with his words. "We should get you home."

           Shawn adjusts the coat on me, making sure I'm covered from the wind and guides me to his car. He opens the door for me and waits for me to get inside before closing it. We quickly begin to drive to my parents. I don't want to think about Ty being there, or what he could've said to my parents. I just want to enjoy the last few minutes I have left with Shawn. "About what happened...in the bathroom." I say, attempting to apologize for allowing it to happen. For being so weak against him.

           "Don't say you're sorry. What happened it's- it's all I can think about." There are so many possibilities for what that could mean.

            I turn to face him. "I can't stop thinking about it either. It's on replay in my head. The rush alone it was-"

           "Amazing." He finishes. "I've been so far away from you, all I wanted was to be able to touch you again." There's a desperate edge to his voice. A sharpness that tells me he means every word.

          I grab his hand, wanting him close to me in every sense. What we did isn't about sex or just getting off. It was desire, human instinct, lust mixed with love. Desperation to a whole other level. There will never truly be a last time with us.

          Only when we pull up to my house do I let him go. There's nothing left for us to say so we opt for silence. He waits until I'm inside my house to drive away, but I never wanted him to leave.

          My mom calls for me. "Livia." Walking towards me, from the kitchen. "Ty was gone before we got home did something happen?"

          "Yeah." I say, "We broke up so he went home."

          Mom gives me a confused look, "I don't understand, everything seems great."

           "He's not the one I want to be with."

          She takes one look at Shawn's suit jacket and scoffs, "Shawn Morgan? Are you kidding me, Livia?" I walk away from her and up the stairs. Her voice follows me. "He's about to be your boss and you want to date him again? Anyone can see this isn't going to end well."

            "Just one more time mom! That's all we need." I get in my room and close the door. All of Ty's stuff is gone so I begin to change.

             I'm not just going to stay here. I want to take a risk, I want to be with him. So I quietly make my way back down the stairs, and close the door before running. I used to run from here to Shawn's house when I came back to get my shit together. It worked, and now I can get to Shawn's house in less than ten minutes.

             By the time I get here, his car is in the driveway and the lights are still on. I catch my breath on his porch, composing myself before knocking on his door. He opens it, surprised to see that I've come back. "Livia."

            "I want to be with you and I don't care what it takes. The last thing I want is for us to go back to New York, and pretend that what we have isn't real." I can't believe I'm professing my undying love for him on his front porch right now. I might as well finish what I started. "I can't be a stranger to you again."

            Shawn pulls me in, pressing his lips against me out in the open. I wrap my arms around him, his strong arms hold me close. I've never wanted to be anywhere else in the entire world.

           When we finally pull apart, our breaths are heavy and one. "I love you, Shawn."

            "I love you, Livia." His thumb rubs slowly against my cheek. "Let's get inside."

           We step inside, he takes my jacket off and hangs it up. Matthew begins to cry from upstairs. "He woke up, I'll go get him."

            This feels like a different version of my dream. A chance to start over with a different perspective. I hold my hand up to stop Shawn. "Can I get him?"

            Shawn looks shocked for a second. Then he nods his head and let's me go upstairs. Matthew is in his crib, wet tears stream down his face. I shush him as I pick him up. "It's okay." I hold him close to me, his head rests on my chest as I pat his back.

            I sit down in the rocking chair by his crib and sway. Matthew calms down and falls asleep on me. I let him sleep on me, he seems too comfortable to move. "You're good with him." Shawn whispers in the doorway. "We could never replace Katherine, but at least he'll always be loved." Matthew and I have something in common, he could never replace the baby I lost, and I could never be his real mom. That doesn't mean I can't get to know him, or even try to take care of him.

          I look down at the