The first person that Florence locked eyes with was someone she had been thinking about for the entire journey, because of course Cole would be standing outside the church talking to her Father looking dashing in a navy blue suit, of course he would because she wasn't already unhinged.

They maintained eye contact for longer than was proper for someone who was going to get married today, Amberly snorting brought her out of her reverie and back into what was real life, real life was her getting married even though she felt like she was coming over with a fever.

Cole excused himself before she could approach them both, which of course was the polite thing to do, she was getting married and he was only a spectator.

It was terrible how she wished he was more than that at this moment.

Her Father turned to her with such love pooling in his eyes that she felt like breaking down, just breaking down and telling him that she didn't know whether she wanted this anymore, and just like the time she had sprained her ankle he would hold her hand and drive her home, safe and sound, protected by a bubble of unconditional love.

"My sweet girl, I promised myself I wouldn't blubber but..." he reached into his pocket for his handkerchief and wiped at his eyes.

"I'm so, so proud of you Florence there's no point in me trying to articulate how happy I am to see the woman you've become, how love has shaped and changed you"

"Thank you Daddy" she whispered, and fiercely hugged him with one arm trying to say more than just those three words, to convey all her gratitude towards him for helping her to fix herself, for never ever giving up or losing hope in her.

She turned around to see Cooper smiling at them, wistfully.

"We going to do this honey? I know a bride should always be fashionably late but we're bordering on extremely late"

"Of course"

She composed herself, that was what today would be all about composure and smiling to the camera because anything else just wouldn't do, she chastised herself for thinking so sardonically she could have done a whole lot worse, a whole lot worse than marrying someone she loved who loved her back.

Then again, she could have done a whole lot better at loving him back.

And the sick feeling returned, she could see her whole life before her eyes, slightly begrudging and polite she would be the epitome of a perfect wife, doing all she could to try and pretend everything was okay because it would be her job, since when had she become sure a tiresome coward?

This wasn't fair on Andrew, it absolutely wasn't fair, he had no idea that he was signing up for resentment and cold smiles and the slow decaying of their relationship because he had no idea of her true nature, she would destroy any vestige of what happiness could be like with her incessant wanting for more when she'd quite literally been handed all the ingredients to happiness in her hands.

She could hear the familiar tune of the wedding march as she looped her arm through her Father's almost robotically, she seemed to have accepted her fate, this wasn't everything she had ever wanted, but it was most of it.

Florence reached up and pulled down her veil and almost in slow motion it fell over her eyes blurring the world with white lace, she felt like she was somehow living in a world made of silk and lace, so perfectly white and fragile, each piece of fabric stitched in a certain way.

And then the doors were open and she was looking into the church where over four hundred people were congregated on the pews all craning their necks around to see the radiant bride, even through her veil Florence was sure to keep a careful smile on her face just in case the light caught her face and they all realised that today was turning out to be a nightmare.

But you love Andrew.

She did love him, she loved him in a way that she could understand which was the main problem, she only felt love for him, not devastation, or annoyance, or passion or anything that made her feel like if it was a choice between throwing herself in front of a gunman to save him she would do it.

He still felt like a close friend, a best friend who she did love but not enough to spend an entire life with him.

And suddenly everyone wasn't fixed her slowly marching towards the front of the church, they were all staring at a newcomer, Cooper had gone silent beside her.

Because Sam Franco had strode into the hall, looking like he was intent on finding someone, someone who as soon as she laid eyes on him began to fall backwards and would have hit the floor if Florence hadn't run to her and hoisted her up under her shoulders.

Admittedly, weddings were usually events full of drama but as Sam and Florence picked up Cooper and gently carried her to the sofa, leaving behind a sobbing Amberly being comforted by Cole and hundreds of wedding guests looking bewildered, Florence had to admit that this kind of drama was probably best avoided in a town like Phillipson.

The wedding was put on hold, Florence had found a hassled looking Andrew and told him that she needed around an hour to make sure Cooper was okay, he in turn had nodded looking concerned and then told the priest, he was still in the hall now apologising in his usual charming way.

All her attentions were fixed on Cooper who lay on the sofa blinking her eyelids at Sam like he was a mirage conjured up before her very eyes.

"Oh my God... it's actually you"

If this was a romantic movie this would be the moment where they embraced and the fireworks went off, and then Amberly would come skipping in and the three of them would live happily ever after.

Instead there was a stony silence as they all assessed the fact that a bride, a bridesmaid and Amberly's Father were now all sitting in the same room.

Cooper spoke first, spinning on Florence so hard that it was a wonder that her neck didn't snap.

"This was you wasn't it?"

She had to nod.

Cooper edged as far away from Sam as humanly possible.

"I don't know what Florence has told you Sam but I really don't want to see you right now... so if you could just leave..."

"No" Sam shook his head vehemently "I'm not going to let you tell me to leave again, I was an idiot for leaving the last time you told me to and I've regretted it ever since I love you Cooper"

Florence's heart melted, the fact that he could just outright say it, there and then made her understand that this was the true meaning of love, coming back even when you were pushed away.

It made her realise simultaneously that this wedding wasn't something she could go through with.

Cooper began to dissolve before their very eyes, she shook with sobs that had been held back for months.

"Don't say that"

"Don't say what!"

"Don't say that you love me because..."

And at that very moment Cole decided to enter the room with Amberly grasping his hand looking decidedly cheerful.

The change in Sam was evident, his back straightened and his eyes narrowed as Amberly ran over to her Mother.

"Mama" she nestled into Cooper's stiff form.

Cole looked horrified.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't know you were in here..." he trailed off catching Florence's eye.

Sam seemed to be trying to speak.

"Is she yours... are you two?" he gestured between Cooper and Cole.

Florence couldn't help it, she just couldn't a laugh escaped her before she could control herself, her dream had been that Cole was the Father of Amberly and seeing Sam's crestfallen expression couldn't even break her out of her belly aching laughter, it felt so good to just throw her head back and laugh at the utter craziness of the situation.

"No" she spluttered "Absolutely not, that baby is not Cole's"

They were all staring as her like she was off her rocker, which she probably was.

Something dawned on Sam, he seemed to be taking in Amberly's appearance, joining the dots and realising that she had his blonde curls, and his dimples when she smiled.

"She's mine" it was more of a statement then a question.

Florence decided that this was definitely the time to leave the three of them alone, she tugged at Cole's arm and practically dragged him out of the room, still trying to contain her laughter as she shut the door even though nothing was particularly funny, the laughter stopped as she closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer up to the heavens that everything was going to work out for her friend, which judging by the sobs and Sam's soft voice from the other side of the door, would be answered, Cooper was going to be okay.

Hopefully, she would one day thank Florence for what she had done.

Cole looked like he'd seen all he could today.

"You might want to go and see your stylist" he gestured to her hair which had unraveled from its neat bun.

"I don't think I need to see her"

Florence slumped to the ground in her two thousand pound dress and gently unhooked the tiara from her hair, if there had been some makeup wipes handy she would have started scrubbing at her face too, there was no point in having bridal makeup and hair if you weren't planning on getting married.

Cole sat down beside her, cautiously.

 "You going to explain that statement, or?"

"Well there's no point in me fixing my hair or even wearing my dress because today is not the day Cole, I'm not getting married"

The words seemed to carry a heavy weight in the air around them, words were funny like that, they could make or break.

"And does anyone else know that, or is it just me?" Cole seemed to be forcing himself to sound detached.

"Just you, but they'll all know soon" she shrugged "At least they'll all get a free lunch out of it, that's funny I wanted my wedding day to be memorable and I guess it will, It will be remembered as the wedding day that almost happened"

Cole nodded.

She got to her feet.

"Well I have an wedding to break off so I guess I'll see you around then"

He got up beside her, not looking at her.

"I guess so"

Breaking off a wedding wasn't exactly an easy feat, but Florence was surprised at her Mother's reaction, she'd expected tears and protests but instead received a tight hug and a knowing look, that was the thing about Mum's they knew before you knew.

Her Dad seemed flabbergasted when she told him, but once he'd sat down for half an hour and spoke softly with her Mother he seemed to get it.

Cooper was the next one she found, hand in hand with Sam, Amberly distributing her weight equally between the two of them in the middle, she hardly blinked when Florence told her that there wasn't going to be a wedding after all, just winked at Florence in a told you so way, she took that to mean that she was forgiven for inviting Sam, it made her heart glow to see her friend so happy.

Slowly, the news spread, hushed voices whispered from one table to another, some people shot her judgmental looks wondering why the bride had decided to abruptly cancel her wedding but others gave her knowing looks, perhaps they understood that things weren't black and white, you couldn't just love people for the sake of loving, marry someone because it was expected.

The one person Florence hadn't found yet, was Andrew.

It was only when she strayed outside letting the wind blow on her face freed from her veil that she saw him sitting under a birch tree his head in his hands, she crept over to join him like she would be batted away, she wouldn't have blamed him if he was angry at her, even furious at her.

"Can I sit down?"

He nodded still not lifting his head.

"Andrew I'm so sorry, I've been looking for you this whole time and I want you to know that I'm not cancelling our wedding because of anything you've done, your amazing and I truly do love you but just not in a way that I'd be able to picture us being together forever, that might sound to you like I'm a terrible person which I probably am but truly I never meant to hurt you, I'm so so sorry"

Some of those words sounded meaner when said aloud than she'd intended.

"I agree"

She couldn't have been more shocked if he'd said that he wanted to go and live in the Arctic.

"We're just not right for each other Florence, I pushed this whole relationship from the very beginning and I've clung on too hard ever since, we just aren't destined, everything about us just seems off, we skirt around the hard subjects to avoid hurting each other because we were such good friends before we were anything else, its like were on fast forward, some kind of race to complete this perfect idea of a life when nothing about us is right, so in a way you've saved us, we both deserve to be happy but just not with each other"

And that, in a nutshell was why she had accepted Andrew's proposal, he was perfect and going to make someone an amazing husband one day, he just wasn't her perfect.

But she did know someone who was.

And that was how she Andrew, Sam, Cooper, Amberly, her Mother and her Father all ended up at a diner at midnight eating cheeseburgers on the day that should have been her wedding day. It hadn't been a fairy tale ending to their story because there was no such thing as happy ending, but looking around at the people she loved all on one table Florence realised that sometimes you had to make your own happy ending.

Andrew nudged her gently, it felt weird to think now that she had been moments away from marrying him, they were better off like this, already they had begun to relax with each other not tied down by anything but friendship.

"Go to him, me and you might not have been right, but you two are it's as plain as day"

He didn't even look resentful, Florence didn't need any encouragement as she scraped back her stool and kissed him on the cheek goodbye, waving at the rest of them.

This was the her true dawning.