My best friend was getting married the following day.

Ellie's wedding would be the first I went to. We sat on the bed in the bridal suite, both a bit nervous, both feeling intimidated by the unknown.

"You have no doubts, right?" I asked Ellie for the sake of it.

Ellie laughed. "Doubts? God, no. I can't imagine anyone else I would want to spend my life with. Is that weird?"

"It's not," I said, looking at my friend's beautiful and delicate wedding dress on the hanger. Ellie would look stunning in it, and I would make sure she had pictures of every moment of her special day. Aiden and Ellie deserved to be happy after the crazy ride their relationship had been. "You are madly in love with each other. That's what really matters."

I meant what I'd said. Mom always told me every couple had their challenges, but what mattered was how they overcame them and how strong their feelings were. She referred to my dad - they met in college, and he was her first everything. My friend and her soon-to-be husband were an example of love that conquered all. I had never doubted they'd make it.

Ellie hugged me tightly. "I know. And I'm so happy to have you to share my wedding day with. I don't know how I would've made it without you and your support. You've been promoted to my sister, Skylar. I'm so damn excited to have you near me to share many more happy moments with you."

I kissed Ellie's cheek. "After your honeymoon, although I guess you'll need another month to recover from the one you'll spend traveling with your guy."

"I know it's crazy, but the trip to Italy is Jimmy's gift, and the South of France was Aiden's idea. We both worked hard; I think thirty days for ourselves is what we need before the craziness begins."

"I know." I grinned. "Don't worry; I'll water Toughie."

Ellie and I burst out laughing. Toughie was a cactus I'd given her shortly after she returned from her trip home, which turned out to be a disaster full of soul-wrenching events. Toughie had to bloom, but there were no flowers yet. The guy who sold it to me must have lied.

"So," Ellie said, "the manager of the restaurant said everything was ready, Jimmy will personally supervise the music-"

"Ellie, it's gonna be alright." I smiled, hugging her. "Your wedding will be perfect. You don't have to worry so much. Your only task is to enjoy your day and your almost-husband."

"I know, but it's not easy. We'll talk when your time comes." Ellie winked at me, biting her lip.

"I have no idea when that will be, if ever." I rolled my eyes. "For now, you're my priority. Let's go over that to-do list of yours. As your maid of honor, I have to make sure you don't have anything to worry about."

***

Ellie was a nervous wreck the following day. I had to remind her not to cry and let the stylist do her job, all the while I took photos of Ellie and the girls.

When everything was ready, all of us walked out of Ellie's bridal suite. My aunt Sam and Ellie's mom Louise were ahead of us, while Lucy and I stayed behind, making sure Ellie wouldn't faint.

We strolled out of the hotel and headed to the beach where the ceremony would take place. As soon as we approached the wooden walkway, the guys from Jim's band started to play their guitars. Lucy and I walked along the petal-covered path first, taking seats next to our respective boyfriends.

Liam looked incredible in his dark gray suit. As soon as I plopped down on a seat next to him, he took my hand in his and squeezed it gently. Then, we focused on our friends. Aiden stood next to the wedding official, shifting on his feet and biting his lip. Then, as soon as Ellie started walking toward him, his eyes lit up and filled with tears.

"Don't cry," Liam whispered in my ear and pressed his lips to my cheek.

I pinched his thigh lightly, and he laughed, kissing me again.

We watched our friends stand next to each other and then say their vows. As a witness, I had to sign a document together with Jim.

He tipped his chin up when it was time. We got up from our chairs and approached Aiden and Ellie.

"Sign, Blondie." Jimmy grinned, handing me a pen. "You'll be the next, mark my words."

I rolled my eyes at him and plastered my signature on the page. Jim did the same, smiling at Aiden, who couldn't tear his eyes away from his wife.

Our friends were married now. Confetti and flower petals rained down on them as they walked along the walkway, grinning and holding hands.

"Congratulations!" I hugged Ellie and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Liam hugged Aiden first, saying something that made him laugh.

The newlyweds went to take pictures with a photographer while all of us headed to the restaurant.

Half an hour later, Jim played a song for Ellie and Aiden's first dance. Liam and I stood to the side of the dance floor, watching them.

"It's beautiful," I whispered, listening to the lyrics.

Liam chuckled. "O'Brien can be an ass, but he does care about his friends. He's been there for Aiden during the worst times."

"But they made it," I whispered.

Liam hugged me to him. "Yeah. I guess if you love someone for real, you make it work."

The last notes of the song faded, and it was time for the wedding banquette. There was too much food and drinks. As the evening settled in, everyone was relaxed and content, having drinks and chatting.

I talked to Lucy and Alex while Liam exchanged some words with the band guys and Jim. My eyes swept over the crowd of guests, and I caught sight of Ellie and Aiden sneaking out of the garden, holding hands. Those two were ready for their wedding night.

Taking advantage of everyone being entertained, I grabbed my camera and left the banquette area, too, descending the stairs to the beach.

The few instants before the sun sank into the sea were magical. Shades of orange and red tinted the sky, and my shutter clicked, immortalizing the sunset and the seascape in front of my eyes.

And then, I felt his presence behind me.

"Liam," I said, smiling when I saw him stand facing the sea with the sleeves of his white button-down rolled up, and his hair not so perfectly styled anymore.

"They looked so happy, you know?" Liam said. "And it makes me happy, too."

"They deserve it," I answered, taking a small step toward the guy who had my heart.

"So do we, Sky. We don't have any excuses now. It's time we thought about us, don't you agree?"

I smiled through the tears that welled up in my eyes all of a sudden. "You're right."

Now that I was standing next to Liam, I ran my fingertips across his jaw, smiling when he wrapped me in his arms.

I gazed into his eyes that shone with the same feeling I was full of.

"I love you," I said. My voice didn't waver, and there were no doubts. My love for Liam was as real as the beauty surrounding us.

He gripped my face between his palms and crashed his lips to mine, kissing me as if he was starving, hugging me so tightly I could feel his heat through the fabric of my long dress.

"I love you so much," I repeated against his lips, and couldn't help kissing him again, and then some more.

With Liam's arms around me, I watched the sun disappear behind the horizon. Then, we walked back into the garden, holding hands. I only let go of him to hand my camera bag on the back of the chair.

Jim was singing a slow song, and several couples, my aunt Sam and her fiance included, swayed on the dancefloor.

"Let's show them how it's done, girlfriend." Liam winked at me.

I accepted his hand and let him lead me closer to the speakers. Then, we danced the way we always did - showing our skills, but also our feelings.

They stopped being secret the moment Liam kissed me in front of everyone, tangling his fingers in my hair, and devouring my mouth.

Jim whistled into the microphone and yelled, "You grew some, secret lover girl."

Embarrassed, I hid my face in the crook of Liam's neck, laughing at Jim and his absence of a filter.

My aunt walked up to us in a moment, laughing as she hugged me and then Liam.

"So, you caught Ellie's bouquet, and now we get to know you're officially a couple. Should we get ready for another wedding?" aunt Sam asked, squinting at me.

"Aunt Sam!" I gasped. "It wasn't hard to catch Ellie's flowers, and we've just started dating."

Liam coughed into his fist, making my aunt boom with laughter.

"Michael and I are going to call it a night. Tim can sleep in our suite; it's a two-bedroom one. I guess you need some time for your future wedding planning."

Liam chuckled, kissing me. "It's very generous of you, but I don't want to be a bother."

Sam groaned. "Please. The boy knows me well, and our room is next to yours. Go be young for a while."

We accepted Sam's offer. Tim left with my aunt, and we stayed to have some drinks with the rest of the guests and headed to our hotel room in an hour.

"Come here, sweetheart," Liam called me as soon as we were inside.

I kicked off my high heels and padded to him, inhaling his scent when he enclosed me in an embrace and caressed my bare back with his hands.

"I love you," I said again, kissing his neck.

Not wasting a second, Liam slid his hands down my body and pressed me to him, making me feel how hard he was for me.

"Take off my clothes," I whispered, desperate for his touch and affection.

My thin dress landed on the floor, followed by my underwear. I got rid of Liam's clothes and couldn't help admiring his beautiful body lit by the moonlight seeping through the clerestory window.

He was finally mine, and I was his. As if the realization hit us both at the same time, we took a step toward one another. Our bodies collided, and so did our lips.

We kissed with desire and passion, holding each other in the dark room and then lying on the bed, our limbs tangled, and our hearts racing.

The way Liam made love to me was even more passionate than usual. He took his sweet time kissing every inch of my body, and I didn't forget to kiss and caress his until we were about to explode from our hands and lips alone.

We loved each other all night, crying out each other's names and letting go, restarting the caresses and whispering sweet nothings and dirty words in each other's ears.

We were finally, openly together.

***

"How are we going to do it?" I asked Liam as we left out hotel room in the morning and headed out to have breakfast with Ellie and Aiden in the garden.

Liam kissed my lips and smiled, lacing his fingers with mine. "Just hold my hand, and they will know."

I gripped his hand tighter. "Okay."

We weren't the first ones. Ellie sat on Aiden's lap, giggling as he kissed her neck.

"Hey there, newlyweds," Liam yelled, breaking them apart. "One night wasn't enough, huh?"

Aiden chuckled, pressing Ellie to him. "No, it wasn't. And look who's talking."

Ellie's eyes darted to our joined hands, and she giggled, covering her mouth with her palms. "Husband, you owe me that purse."

Aiden mock-frowned and pecked her cheek. "Might as well go and buy it later today."

Liam and I glanced at each other, lost.

"You're a damn good actress, Skylar, but no Oscar for you."

I stared at Ellie. "Wait..."

Ellie and Aiden laughed. "Sit down, you two," Aiden said. "We know, and we knew."

"Since when?" asked Liam. "I'm just curious."

Ellie shrugged. "January. We knew when you picked us up at the airport."

I blushed. "How?"

"Let's see," my friend grinned and made herself comfortable on Aiden's lap, who could barely hold in the laughter. "You, Liam, called her sweetheart when we were waiting for the elevator. And your hand was on Sky's waist every time you thought we weren't looking. Then, the cinema and the moans of the two of you. Oh, and the camping trip. You two meeting at night sneaking out of the tents. I mean, we did that too, but we weren't hiding."

Aiden grinned. "Sorry, buddy. I saw you two kiss near our office at lunch break a month ago. You started to eat out of the office way too often and called in sick. I guessed the sick days were sex days. But hey, no judgment. We are happy for you. We did make a bet about when you would make it public, and Ellie won. I said you would wait till the end of the honeymoon, and Ellie said it would happen at our wedding cause you were losing patience, and Sky was stubborn."

Ellie shrugged. "Sorry. I really wanted that purse."

Laughing, I hid my face in the fabric of Liam's tee. "Oh, my God. Can we please forget all of it?"

Both Aiden and Ellie said, "Never."

And then, Liam kissed me, giving our friends a show, and finished his assault of my mouth with a tender peck on my forehead.

"I love her," he said to Aiden and Ellie, but his eyes didn't leave mine.

I touched my nose to Liam's. "And I love him."