Chapter 7

"It's not that big of a deal." I insisted.

Today was Saturday, the day of Ryan's cousin's wedding, and after asking a rather excited Emily if she minded babysitting Abbie for the day, one quick phone call was all it took for my name to be added to the guest list.

"Not that big of a deal?" Emily repeated incredulously. I was currently finishing up my makeup while Emily sat on my bed, but as she replied, I turned around to face her with a shrug. "Okay, let's forget for a second that he's one of the most sought after guys on the planet right now; let's talk about the fact that you're going out on a date with the hottest guy I've ever laid eyes on."

"Nobody said anything about it being a date," I mumbled nervously, turning back around to conceal the heat that greeted my cheeks.

"Come on Zoe, I can see you blushing," she pushed, coming over to stand beside me. "Just talk to me."

I sighed. "Honestly," I started, looking up at her expectant face, "I don't know if I want it to be a date."

"But why?"

"Because he shouldn't have to be tied down to a girl like me," I admitted quietly. "Ryan's one of the nicest guys I've ever met, and even when he found out about Abbie, he just said that her dad was a dick for leaving and then went on as if nothing happened. I mean, I have a kid, and it's not like I've been dating much in the past few years, so why would he want to be with me?"

"Zoe," Emily started, placing her hands on my shoulders in comfort, forcing my eyes up to meet hers, "You're being too hard on yourself. I know you haven't had the best luck with guys in the past, but if Ryan, who's constantly surrounded with supermodels and gorgeous actresses, wants to get to know you, then you're obviously doing something right."

A small smile graced my face at her words. "That still doesn't mean it's a date," I pointed out, standing up to grab my handbag from the corner of my room.

"Well, you look pretty good for somebody whose not going on a date," Emily said, smiling at me in encouragement.

Taking a quick peek in the mirror hanging on my closet door, I smiled at my reflection. Not wanting to show up to the wedding in rags, I had pulled on a long sleeved peach dress from my closet that had two slits running down the majority of the arms. I hadn't worn it since I started university, but when I saw it hanging at the back of my closet earlier in the week, I knew it'd be perfect for today. On top of the dress, I'd curled my hair so that it rested loose against my shoulder, as well as thrown on a few pieces of jewelry and done my makeup.

"It's a wedding," I rolled my eyes, "I'm supposed to dress up a bit." However, her words suddenly threw my nerves into a frenzy. "Why? Do I look like I'm trying too hard?"

Emily shook her head. "Don't worry about it Zoe, you look great," she reassured me before her smile turned into a smirk, "And I'm sure Ryan will think so too."

A blush came across my cheeks again, however I didn't reply, simply giving my sister a shy smile before walking into the hallway towards Abbie's room. Standing in her doorway, I saw her playing with a handful of her toys next to her bed.

"Knock, knock," I said out loud as I brought my hand up against her door a few times, smiling down at her as her head popped up in my direction. "How's my little angel doing?"

"Hi momma," she smiled, holding up the doll in her hands as I walked over to her, "I'm dwessing Angie up for a wedding."

"Oh yeah," I asked curiously, "Who's getting married?"

"Billy and Molly," Abbie replied easily, pointing to two of her teddy bears that she had already dressed up. "I'll be at a wedding today too, like you."

I smiled down at her as my heart squeezed gently. I wish I could be taking Abbie today, but I didn't want Ryan's family to have to deal with another new face on top of mine, and on top of that, one of a three year old. "I'm sorry you can't come with me today," I stated, pulling her closer to me as I wrapped my arms around me. "Are you going to be okay staying with Aunty Emily today?"

I was reassured, as she pulled back slightly from my arms and nodded. "It's okay momma."

"Zoe, stop worrying, it's fine that you're going out today," Emily said, suddenly appearing in the doorway as she smiled at Abbie. "Plus, me and Abbie are going to have an awesome day today, right sweetie?"

A smile grew on Abbie's face as she stood up and ran over to Emily. "EEEEEHHH!" she squealed in excitement. I stood up smiling, feeling immensely glad that I had two people in my life that I could always make me smile.

"Well, it looks like she's going to be in good hands," I said, nodding to Abbie as I sent a silent thank you to Emily for taking care of her for the day.

"You look pwetty momma," Abbie suddenly said, and as I looked at the grin on her face, I smiled.

"Thanks baby girl," I replied, and as the words slipped out of my mouth, the doorbell rang, sounding throughout the house.

"And soon somebody else will be telling her the same thing," Emily stated cheekily, winking at me as she quickly headed downstairs, Abbie still in her arms.

Glancing at the clock on Abbie's bedside table, I saw that it was already twelve 'o'clock, the time that Ryan mentioned he'd be picking me up. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I let it out as I slowly made my way downstairs, double-checking my handbag first to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything.

Walking down the stairs, I could hear Emily and Ryan talking in the entryway, and when I rounded the corner, my eyes immediately latched onto Ryan. To say he didn't look amazing would be an outright lie. He had on a pair of maroon dress pants that matched his tie, a white dress shirt, and grey jacket buttoned up to top it off.

I could feel Ryan's eyes on me as my own made their way down his body, but my train of thought was interrupted as Emily suddenly spoke up.

"Well, I hope you guys have fun today," she said, a smirk on her face as her eyes flickered between the two of us. "And Ryan, you better make sure she comes home with a smile on her face."

"I'll try," he replied, shooting a smile my way as Emily nodded in approval before stepping back into the living room, leaving Ryan and I to ourselves.

"Hey," I mumbled, not knowing what else to say as I broke the silence that had surrounded us.

"Hey," he repeated, smiling down at me as he took a step closer to me. "In case it wasn't already obvious, you look absolutely stunning."

I smiled shyly, feeling my nerves start to act up and my palms start to sweat as, unsurprisingly, a blush appeared on my cheeks. "Thanks, and you look pretty good too."

His smile widened at my compliment. "Thanks," he accepted, before nodding to the door behind him. "So, are you all good to head out? The ceremony starts at three and it's just over a two hour drive."

Nodding, I tried to push my growing nerves down as an apprehensive smile blossomed on my face. "Yeah, let's go."

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I didn't realize how long this car journey would truly be, but as I sat in the passengers seat of Ryan's car, which happened to be one of the nicest cars I'd ever laid eyes on, I found myself continuously glancing at the clock on the center console, my anxiety about the day growing as each minute passed.

"So," I started nervously, speaking for the first time in over half an hour as Ryan turned down the radio to listen, "Exactly how many people are going to be there today?"

Turning his head to me briefly, he kept his eyes on the road as he shot me a reassuring smile. "I think there's about a hundred or so," he replied. "Our family is relatively big, but considering he has quite a few friends, and then adding in his fiancée's friends and family, the venue will probably be pretty packed."

His reply didn't help my nerves in the slightest. "And how many people know that you'll be coming?"

"Well my family obviously," he teased, smirking my way before continuing, "And then most of Mark's friends know that he's my cousin, but I'm guessing that most of the bride's side doesn't know."

"And in case you were wondering, I'm pretty sure Mark's the only one that knows I'm bringing somebody," he added as an afterthought.

"Great," I muttered under my breath, ducking my head as I nervously played with the hem of my dress.

"Hey," Ryan stated, surprising me as he reached over the center console and intertwined one of his hands with mine, "Don't be nervous. My family isn't going to care that you're coming, and I promise you'll have fun."

I sent a smile his way, squeezing his hand in comfort as my nerves started to settle. "Thanks."

The rest of the trip went without much of a hitch. About an hour onto the highway Ryan turned off on one of the exits to stop at a convenience store, picking up a boatload of snacks for the remainder of the ride. As the radio played quietly in the background, Ryan told me a little bit about his family that would be there today. His dad was an accountant while his mother stayed at home most of the time, and both of them volunteered a lot in their community. His little brother Dean, on the other hand, was in his senior year of high school and was the captain of the varsity basketball team.

As we passed the city limit of Bakersfield, my nerves suddenly made a reappearance. I knew absolutely nobody except for Ryan, and even with his reassurance, I still couldn't shake the feeling that this was a bad idea.

"So," I cleared my throat, "Is the wedding at a church or...?"

He shook his head as we hit a red light. "Neither of their families are super religious, so they rented out a venue and got the minister to officiate there," he replied. "I think the wedding is in one part of the venue and then the reception is in another part."

I nodded my head. "Okay," I mumbled.

By the time we pulled up to the venue I was wringing my hands nervously. According to Ryan the ceremony started at three, and with it being two thirty now, a few guests were pondering around the front of the venue in the fresh air.

I hadn't even realized that Ryan had parked the car, let alone gotten out and walked all the way around to my side until my door opened, making me jump in my seat.

"Are you ready?" Ryan asked, offering me a hand as he held the car door open for me.

Taking a deep breath, I unclasped my seatbelt. "Yeah," I replied, trying to sound confident as I accepted his hand and climbed out of the car.

It was obvious that my confidence was forced as my voice shook slightly and Ryan looked down at me with an encouraging smile on his face. "I know you agreed to coming, but if at any point you feel uncomfortable or want to leave just tell me and we'll head home early. I really don't mind."

I squeezed his hand that was still in mine as we slowly made our way across the parking lot. "I agreed to come Ryan," I replied quietly, "I think I can survive a few hours."

I was well aware of the eyes on us as we headed into the venue, but was surprised when Ryan suddenly pulled me to a stop, turning me slightly to face him. "Still," he started, "I know this isn't exactly an ideal situation."

"I'm used to a couple of stares Ryan, I'm a young mother for Christ sakes," I reminded him.

He smiled down at me softly, but as he opened his mouth to reply someone else's voice overpowered his own.

"Ryan, there you are!" a middle-aged woman said as she walked towards the two of us, "I was afraid there'd be too much traffic and you wouldn't get here in time."

Looking her way, I noticed the similarities between her and Ryan. Although hers was greying slightly, they had the same colour of hair and their eyes were the same shade of green. It was obvious that the woman stopping beside us was his mother.

"Hey mom," Ryan greeted with a wide smile, confirming my thoughts as he moved away from me slightly to wrap his arms around her in a hug. "And nope, we left just after twelve and the highways weren't that bad," he continued, stepping back beside me. "Mom, this is Zoe. Zoe, this is my mom."

"Nice to meet you Mrs. Adams," I said, smiling nervously as I reached my hand out to shake hers.

His mom let loose a cheery laugh as she completely ignored my outstretched hand and wrapped me up in a quick hug. Although I was surprised, I returned the quick hug and felt my nerves slowly start to dissipate, realizing that his family was a lot nicer than I anticipated. "Oh call me Sophie dear," she suggested, pulling back to smile at the two of us. "And Ryan, couldn't you have told me you were bringing a date?"

"It's not a date," he shook his head, although I could see the outline of a smile still gracing his face as I glanced his way.

His mom's eyes suddenly travelled to our hands, which were still intertwined. The two of us quickly pulled our hands away, a blush rising on my face as his mom shot us both a secretive grin. "Sure," she said sarcastically, obviously not believing a word her son had said. "Anyways, your dad and brother are already in there saving us seats, so we'll just have to make room for you sweet pea."

She walked off ahead of us, and as the two of us followed I really got to see how beautiful the venue looked. The room where the ceremony was being held was absolutely breathtaking. There were two sections of chair that lined either side of the room with small bouquets of sunflowers and white roses hanging at the end of each row. There were drapes hung strategically around the room, giving the perfect amount of light to the room, as well as small candles burning in lanterns up at the front of the room. Light yellow petals covered the aisle that led up to a beautiful vine-covered arch with fairy lights strung elegantly around it.

"Wow, this is gorgeous," I voiced, my eyes wandering around the room.

"Well Mark's fiancée hired one of the best wedding planners they could afford," he informed me as his mom came to a stop in front of us, heading into a row of chairs where two other men were currently seated.

That must be his dad and little brother.

"Brad, this is Zoe. She came with Ryan," his mom gushed as she sat down beside her husband, gesturing to the two of us as we took our seats beside her.

His dad's eyes latched onto me, and unlike his wife, he held out a hand to me. "Nice to meet you Zoe," he greeted smiling at me as I shook his hand before looking proudly at Ryan. "You didn't tell me you were bringing your girlfriend son."

"Yeah, and what are you doing with a guy like Ryan?" his little brother butted in, smirking at his older brother.

"She's not my girlfriend you little shit," Ryan replied teasingly as he reached over to punch his brother in the arm. "Zoe's just a friend."

"Okay, okay you two, none of that today," his mom said, breaking up the quarrel between her sons before it really got started. "Sorry about them Zoe."

I laughed lightly. "Don't worry about it."

As Ryan caught up with his family, I sat there comfortably as I observed the four of them. Sitting there made it seem like Ryan was just a normal guy, not a star-studded actor or a Hollywood hotshot, and when he tried to include me in as much of the conversation as he could, I felt at ease, wondering why I was so worried about today in the first place.

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The ceremony was breathtakingly captivating.

I had always been a fan of weddings growing up, so when the conversations around us slowly simmered down, and the music started to play, my interests were sparked. Standing up along with the rest of the guests, I glanced to the front of the church to see the groom, Ryan's cousin, standing up there nervously as the wedding party slowly started to proceed down the aisle.

When the bride finally started to process down the aisle on the arm of her father, I smiled softly; looking back up to the front to see that Ryan's cousin's nerves had disappeared. He was smiling proudly at the woman he loved, not ashamed to be up there in front of everybody waiting to say 'I do'.

The couple wrote their own vows, including cute personal promises that I could only smile at, and by the time he wrapped her up in his arms to give her their first kiss as husband and wife, I felt tears building up in my eyes at the magic of it all.

When it was all over and the bridal party went off to take pictures, the rest of us headed towards the ballroom where the reception was taking place. Keeping to the theme that the couple had chosen, the room was decorated in a rustic-yet stylish fall fashion, putting me in awe with the effort they had put into the decorations.

"Do you want something to drink?" Ryan asked as we headed towards the table we were seated at.

I looked up at him as I placed my handbag on a chair. "Umm... if they have any lemonade that'd be nice," I responded, not really in the mood for anything stronger.

He nodded, making sure I was good to stick with his family for a few minutes before he headed over to the bar.

"So Zoe," Ryan's mom started as I sat down with them, "When did you meet our son?"

"Oh, well I umm, actually bumped into him at this café in LA, but I didn't know who he was at the time," I admitted shyly as his mom smiled at me. "And then when I got a job there we just saw each other often and we became friends."

I saw his mom nod in acceptance before continuing. "So you work at this café then?" she asked sweetly, seeming genuinely curious about me.

"Yeah," I nodded, "I work there part-time and then I'm finishing up my last year at UCLA."

"Oh, what are you studying?"

"Journalism."

Dean, his little brother, laughed at my reply. "So you're studying journalism and you're friends with my brother?" he asked, obviously seeing the humour in the situation.

I shrugged, holding back a smirk. "I see it as a funny coincidence."

The rest of his family laughed as well, Dean smirking at me. "Well if you ever need any embarrassing stories about Ryan, just let me know."

I grinned, shaking my head in amusement as Ryan reappeared, placing both our drinks on the table before shoving his brother sideways, taking a seat in the free seat between the two of us. "Don't listen to anything this little twerp tells you," Ryan grinned, "Most of it isn't even true anyways."

"Well it's a good thing he didn't let anything slip yet, eh?" I asked, smirking slightly before picking up the lemonade he'd placed in front of me. "And thanks for the drink."

He shrugged, "No problem."

Ryan's dad suddenly swept him up in a conversation about his latest movie, and as time went on and the room slowly started to fill up, I got more and more comfortable sitting there with his family. His aunt and uncle, as well as one of his cousins joined our table a little while after, and minus the awkward introduction, everything went swimmingly.

"And for the first time, I'd like everyone to give a warm hand as I announce the wonderful Mr. and Mrs. Mark Adams!" the announcer pronounced about an hour after the ceremony as the two made their way happily into the room, cheers erupting all around.

"Thank you so much for coming and celebrating this special day with us," Mark said, talking into a microphone as him and his new wife stood happily at the front of the room. "We appreciate each and every one of you, and without you guys, me and my beautiful wife here might not be where we are right now."

"Now, we know you guys are all getting antsy, so we're officially opening buffet table, and you're all welcome to eat whenever you'd like," his wife said, making a lot of the guests cheer as they stepped down, making a bee-line to the food themselves.

Table by table, guests slowly started to line up behind the couple, eager for food as the smell wafted its way throughout the entire room. An hour or so later when most of the food was finished and everybody was up and socializing, Ryan's cousin appeared behind us.

Ryan jumped slightly at the sound of his cousin's voice, but as he turned around to see Mark, and not another star struck fan, he relaxed. "Hey sorry, I thought it was another group of people wanting a picture or something," Ryan said. It was true, quite a few people that were friends with the bride, who had no idea he'd be in attendance, had come up to him over the last hour requesting an autograph or a photo.

"Congratulations man; never thought I'd see the day you finally settled down."

"Thanks," Mark smiled, glancing back to look at his wife who was talking with other friends across the room, "And neither did I, but I just couldn't let her get away from me."

I smiled at the love and devotion in his voice. "That's so sweet," I gushed, before ducking my head embarrassedly as the two guys looked down at me with identical smiles on their faces.

"And I'm guessing this is the girl you told me about," Mark grinned, winking quickly at his cousin. "I'm Mark by the way, but I'm sure this lug already told you that."

"Zoe," I greeted, shaking his hand nervously.

"Well it's nice to meet you Zoe, but I actually have to get back to my wife, so I'll see you guys later," Mark stated, saying goodbye quickly before heading across the room.

After another couple minutes passed, slowly but surely guests started to surround the dance floor, where the two of us were standing, as Mark and his wife made their way over as well.

"Please, could we have everybody gather around as the Mr. and Mrs. have their first dance as husband and wife," the announcer said as the pair stepped onto the dance floor.

I stood on the side next to Ryan, a soft smile on my face as I watched the couple slowly start to sway to 'I Don't Dance' by Lee Brice. It was as if the two of them were in their own little world as they danced, whispering in each other's ears and smiling at one another as the song came to an end.

The song switched to another slow song as the pair continued to dance, but as other couples slowly started to trickle onto the dance floor, the slow songs continued.

"That's so cute," I said quietly, nodding to an elderly man who pulled his wife onto the dance floor, looking as though they were still just as in love as they were when the two of them were married.

Ryan obviously heard me, and before I knew it, a smirk grew on his face and his hand intertwined with my own, pulling me out of the crowd and onto the dance floor.

My eyes widened as I was dragged into his arms. "What are you doing?" I asked incredulously, looking at all the people standing around watching us.

"I'm just enjoying myself," he smiled down at me, wrapping his arms loosely around my waist.

"You know I can't really dance," I admitted shyly, a blush rising to my face as I brought my hands up to rest around his neck.

"Then follow my lead," he smirked as we slowly started to sway to the rhythm of the music.

I wouldn't say dancing with Ryan was awkward, in fact, it felt kind of nice to be able to let go and enjoy myself. Song after song, as couples slowly started to trickle off the floor in exchange for others, we stayed together, getting more and more comfortable as the time went on. It felt as though the two of us were dancing for the rest of the night. Sure, we'd take breaks now and then to refuel or grab a drink of water, but it didn't take long for us to return to the dance floor.

As the end of the night was upon us, I felt my heart beating a little faster as we danced. Ryan's eyes didn't stray from my own, and even though my mind was telling me that I shouldn't be enjoying this as much as I was, my heart was not protesting one bit. We were so close together that there was barely an inch of space between the two of us, and as I rested my head on his shoulder, I felt as if this was where I wanted to stay for the rest of the night.

That wasn't possible however, as time was working against us.

When the hands on the clock passed nine, I knew that the experience was ending when Ryan pulled away from me and nodded to where his parents were chatting with some of his relatives. "We should say goodbye to them before we head out," he suggested and I nodded in agreement, following him off the dance floor.

"Oh, are you guys finally done then?" his mom asked as we approached the table, a small but satisfied smile resting on her face.

"Yeah," Ryan replied, ignoring the look that his mom was sending him as he continued, "But me and Zoe actually have to get going if we're going to make it home tonight."

"I thought you were only leaving tomorrow morning?"

Ryan shook his head. "Sorry, but Zoe's got to be back tonight," he explained, yet I felt a little bad that I was taking Ryan away from his family, forcing him to drive home early.

"Oh okay," his mom said, taking the explanation, the smile never left her face. "It was nice to meet you dear, and hopefully we'll get to see you again."

"It was nice to meet you guys too," I replied, smiling as I spoke to his mom and dad.

"Where did Dean get to?" Ryan asked curiously.

"You looking for me bro?" Dean said, suddenly appearing next to him. "You guys leaving?"

Ryan nodded, throwing his arm around his little brother in a loose headlock. Dean honestly looked pretty similar to Ryan, with the obvious differences of height and muscle mass, and looking at the two of them, it made me grateful that I had a sister to lean on.

"Yeah, we're heading out. Text me when you start missing me," Ryan told Dean teasingly.

"Come see one of my games soon if you're not too busy with you're big Hollywood career," Dean threw back, but the love and bond between the brothers was obvious.

"I'll try," Ryan replied, and once I threw out a quick goodbye to his brother, he led me out to the parking lot.

The drive home seemed to take less time than the drive there, but that might have been the wave of exhaustion that suddenly washed over me. Sitting in the passengers seat, I was looking out the window and into the sky, admiring the clear night and the shining stars, but gradually everything went black.

"Zoe. Zoe," I heard quietly, my name being repeated as I tried to remember where I was. Opening my eyes, I saw that Ryan was crouched beside me, having already parked outside my house, now shaking my shoulder gently to awaken me. "Hey sleepyhead."

"Sorry about falling asleep," I apologized, slowly stretching out in my seat.

He shook his head. "Don't worry about it," he replied. "It's almost midnight so it's not a surprise you fell asleep, plus, we were dancing for a while tonight."

"Yeah," I smiled softly as Ryan helped me out of the car. "Thanks for inviting me tonight, I had a lot of fun, and your family's really nice."

"Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he smiled down at me. I saw a sign of something flick through his gaze, but before I could figure out what that was, it was gone. "I guess I'll see you later in the week."

I nodded. "Definitely. Have a good night Ryan."

"Goodnight."

We parted ways, me heading up the driveway as he stood outside his car, watching me until I was safely inside my house, waving one last time to him before closing the door behind me.

The lights were off throughout the house, and assuming Emily had already gone to bed, I headed upstairs as well, knowing that she'd be up early tomorrow wanting to know how my night had gone.

I changed out of my dress quickly, taking off my makeup, and by the time my head hit the pillow I was already falling asleep.

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I basically wrote this whole chapter over the last two days, but hopefully you guys like this chapter that's basically full of Zoe-Ryan moments. The picture at the top of the chapter is of both of their outfits, which I thought you guys would want to see.

Also, as promised, I put together a playlist for this chapter of Behind the Scenes, and it can be found by clicking the external link! I hope you guys like it :)

Hope you guys are having a wonderful day, and can any of you guess what's up next for this story?

Until next time xx