The next week went by and was uneventful. Andrew wasn't exaggerating; he took me to work every single day, and at 3:30 every afternoon, he was waiting for me in the parking lot. I asked him how he was getting out of the office early every day, and he told me not to worry about it. I suspected he was skipping lunch every day so he could get out in time to pick me up.

It wasn't until the first week in May that things started happening again. In two days, I got three texts, all from different blocked numbers. But they said nothing threatening or overly suspicious. One said, "Hello," another said, "How are you?" and the last one I received said, "I miss you."

It was the last one that bothered me, and when I turned them over to Detective Sherman, he said he'd look into it, but there probably wouldn't be much he could do since the numbers were blocked.

I focused all my attention on getting ready for our trip and our wedding. I had so much vacation time saved up from all my years at DCS, and I was able to take three weeks off. So I only had a few more days of work to get through, and then Andrew could stop scheduling his entire day around me. I had gotten him to back off just a little bit and at least let me go wedding dress shopping alone.

So much had been going on, I hadn't even had time to find my perfect dress. I had been to look a couple times and saw a few dresses I liked, but I hadn't yet said "yes" to any of them. One reason I had been putting it off is that I didn't know who was going to come with me. My Aunt Rose couldn't get away from work since she's already taking off for the trip down to PCB, I didn't feel like I could ask Roberta since we weren't super close, and then there was Julia...I knew if I asked, she'd come with me, but I just didn't know if I wanted to go there with her yet. I hadn't even decided for sure if I wanted her to come to the wedding. I knew I needed to give her an answer soon, but I just wasn't ready. Andrew told me that the decision was mine to make and he would support me either way, which I appreciated, but it didn't make this any easier.

I wanted someone to tell me what to do. Because I don't forgive her... not yet. And I don't trust her. Do I want someone I am still so hurt by at the single most important event in my life to date? It just didn't feel right. But going alone to get my wedding dress? That felt even worse.

I sighed and picked up my phone.

When I pulled up in front of a bridal boutique on Friday afternoon, Julia's Civic sat in front of the store and she was standing on the sidewalk.

Did I make the right decision? Should I have just come alone?

But I didn't have time to think because I had to get out of the car, or she'd be wondering why I was just sitting there. I opened my door and hopped down, slinging my bag over my shoulder.

"Hey, Julia," I greeted her, giving her an awkward one-armed hug.

"Hey, Charlotte," she responded, leaning into me.

"Thanks for coming."

"No thanks necessary...I should be the one thanking you for even inviting me," she replied, bumping me with her hip.

"Even after everything, you're the only person I could imagine helping me pick out my wedding dress."

She smiled at me—a genuine smile that looked like the Julia I loved. My eyes softened and, right then, I started to forgive her. I didn't trust her yet—and maybe I never would—but today, forgiveness began to bloom.

"Come on," she said, looping her arm through mine. "Let's get your dress."

We walked through the doors and were greeted by a bridal consultant named Terri. "You must be Charlotte," she said, extending her hand to shake mine.

"Yes ma'am, nice to meet you."

"And who's this with you?" Terri asked, smiling at Julia.

Julia and I looked at each other, and neither of us spoke for a second. Terri's smile didn't wane as she waited for our response.

"This is my friend, Julia," I said. I didn't have the heart to say anything more or less.

Julia bit her lip and glanced at the ground.

"Ah!" Terri answered. "Bridesmaid?"

It was my turn to look at the floor. I should've expected this. I had opened my mouth to respond, but Julia spoke up first. 

"No, she and her fiancé are having a destination wedding, so it's just going to be the two of them. I'm just here to help her shop," she said, and if she was upset, she was doing a good job hiding it.

"Ooh, a beach wedding?" Terri asked, not missing a beat.

"Yes, and I want a dress that reflects that," I said, glancing at Julia with gratitude. She nodded, and we followed Terri back to the racks of dresses.

Two hours later, I had tried on at least twenty dresses, and I was getting frustrated. Strapless, halter, long, short, sleek, poofy, spaghetti straps...nothing I tried on was working. I was ready to give up when Terri emerged from the racks with a long, white, chiffon one-shoulder dress.

"Oh, that's beautiful," Julia whispered.

"Yes, it is," I agreed.

Terri beamed. "Let's try it on then."

When I caught the first glimpse of the dress, I clapped my hand over my mouth and locked eyes with Julia in the mirror, and her eyes were filled with tears. We both nodded.

I turned to Terri. "This is it. This is the dress."

Terri grinned. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. "Does this size feel right?"

I paused. "Well, for now. I'm pregnant, but I'm getting married on the 20th, so it's not like I'm going to gain too much weight in fifteen days."

Terri inspected the waist of the dress. "You have a little room in there. I think it will be fine."

After the dress was paid for and ordered (with rush shipping), Julia and I stepped outside. It was already dark outside and neither of us had eaten.

"Are you hungry?" I asked Julia as we stepped off the sidewalk.

"Starving," she admitted. "Want to go to Carrabba's?"

"That sounds amazing. Just get in the car with me and I'll drive over there."

"Okay," she said, checking her phone. But she stopped in her tracks, her face turning white. "Um, Char?"

"What?"

"Look at this text I just got..."

She held out her phone. It was a photo of us...in front of the bridal boutique.

"This douche is really pissing me off," Andrew said, pacing around the condo when Julia and I got back home.

"Same," Julia answered, crossing her arms over her chest. "At least you guys are going to Florida in a few days and getting away from this town for a while," she said, kicking her shoes off and pulling her legs underneath her.

I glanced at Andrew, and he looked at me. "Can I talk to you real quick, Charlotte?"

I nodded and stood up. "We'll be right back. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

We went into our bedroom and shut the door behind us. I threw myself onto the bed on my back. "Oh my God," I breathed. I felt Andrew's weight on the bed next to me.

"Charlotte, I know I said it was up to you, but I think—"

I cut him off. "You don't want her to come to Florida, do you?"

"No. Quite the opposite. I think she has to come with us."

I was taken aback. "Really?"

"Yes. We can't leave her in Nashville alone, Char. Not right now. Not when Covington has resurfaced."

I sat up and looked at him, feeling so much love for him I thought my heart would burst. I nodded, throwing my arms around his neck. "Thank you," I whispered in his ear.

He kissed me on the cheek, his lips barely brushing my skin. "I know you haven't forgiven her yet, and I know it's not the way you'd planned our wedding to be, but this is the right thing to do."

"You're right...let's tell her," I said, standing up and opening the bedroom door. We walked out and I sat down on the couch near Julia.

"We want you to come to Florida with us," I blurted.

"Seriously?" she asked in disbelief.

"Yes, seriously," Andrew answered. "You don't need to be alone right now."

"Wow. Thank you guys; I would've hated to miss that, you know," she said, nudging me with her knee.

"Me too," I said truthfully.

I looked between Julia and Andrew and despite the reason for it, having them both with me again felt really, really good.