It was tomorrow.

Her wedding was tomorrow and Skye was freaking the fuck out.

"Calm down," Lucy said with a laugh as she admired Skye's bride shoes. "Everything is ready. The rehearsals for tomorrow went great, everything is on track and as long as the cake gets here this evening, I can declare that everything is perfect."

"Shit," Skye mumbled. Stupid cake. In case it didn't come, did they really need cake? They could have a wedding without a cake, right?

"Don't worry. I'll handle it. I asked Tom to take care of it anyway." Lucy let out a swoon. "He's very capable, you know. And cooperating fine with me. Best man and maid of honor made in heaven."

It was cute, but Skye didn't really have time for her friend's crush right then. Her mom would be over any moment to spend the night with her while Lucy went to the hotel, and all she could think about was Sam. Was he as nervous as she was?

So she texted him. Help, I'm freaking out.

He texted back almost immediately. Help, Jerry wants me to go to sleep to make sure I'm well rested for tomorrow.

That got a snort out of her. It was seven thirty. Leave it to Jerry to be the only person panicking more than her.

"What are you doing? Are you texting Sam again?"

"Um, yes?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, but it was in good humor. "Starting with tomorrow night, you'll get sick of him."

As if! She couldn't wait to see him again. Kiss him, be with him. She never thought she'd miss him so much, but four days without him in all this mess had proven more difficult than she'd thought. Especially because she had no one to discuss the baby with. She'd sneaked in maybe five minutes with Kay at some point, because she was one of the few people who knew.

The doorbell rang, and Skye jumped so high, her butt left the couch. Who could it be at this hour? Surely something had gone terribly wrong.

"Oh, God, the look on your face." Lucy stood with a laugh. "Stop being so jittery."

"If it's a male stripper, I swear to God I'm murdering you, Lucy."

"I didn't invite anyone," she said, opening the door. "Um, hello. Can I help you?"

"Is Sam here?"

Skye jumped off the couch and strode to the door, her hands balling into fists, so by the time she reached Angie, she was ready to wack her.

"No, Sam's not here," Lucy was saying, obviously having no clue who the person in front of her was. "He's at the hotel..."

Angie's gaze focused on Skye and she smiled. "Hi, Skye."

"What the hell, Angie?" Skye grabbed her arm and pulled her inside just to make sure the rest of the building wouldn't hear them.

"What?" She asked with a laugh. "You did invite me, didn't you?"

"Oh, so you're a guest." Lucy headed back into the living room for the list.

"I did invite you," Skye said between her teeth. "Sam and I both did. And you never confirmed you would be coming."

Angie spread out her arms to show she was there, so what did it matter, and Skye felt like punching her in the face.

"Really? Just show up? Did you consider, for one single lousy second that I might want to include you in our wedding. That you might have some rehearsing to do? That you could be a bride's maid?"

The smile finally slipped off Angie's face. " I'm sorry, I really didn't--"

"Of course you didn't," Skye snapped. "Because other people's plans are of little importance to you, apparently. It's a matter of respect, Angie. You could've at least had the decency to call first!"

"Calm down, Skye," Lucy said returning and putting her hands on her shoulders. "So it's one extra guest. Not like we don't have space."

"Where's she supposed to sleep?" Skye shrieked.

"I'll take her with me." Lucy turned to Angie with a grin. "So you're the long lost bride's maid."

"I guess so," Angie answered with a small smile. "I'm really sorry, Skye. You're right. I should've let you know. But just made up my mind, really."

Skye fought not to groan, but before she could unleash her temper again, the door opened and her mom showed up.

"Hello, everyone!" she said, obviously thinking she'd walked in on an all-girl party.

Damn, Skye just wanted to go to sleep now. Where was Jerry when she needed him?

"This is our cue to go," Lucy said, picking up her luggage which was already packed and waiting by the door. "Have a great mother-daughter night together."

And before Skye could say another word, Lucy cleaned up the mess and was gone, leaving her with her smiling mother. Best maid of honor ever.

🎊

Angie's entire body burned with shame as she rode in the car with that strange, beautiful woman. Skye was completely right. Inside her head, she'd just show up at Sam's door and he'd be thrilled to see her, hug her, tell her how much he'd missed her. Never had she considered that they might have plans, that they might have wanted to know in advance if she was coming or not, that a surprise wouldn't be pleasant.

Damn this to hell and back. But she'd been honest. She'd only decided to come thirty minutes before she'd brought a plane ticket and packed her bags.

"Don't worry," the woman said. "Skye's just really nervous and the fact that she hasn't seen Sam in a while is not helping."

"She's right though," Angie mumbled, then turned to look at this new creature. She really was gorgeous, from her strawberry blonde hair caught in a messy bun, to her porcelain skin and mysterious grey eyes. "I'm Angie, by the way."

"Lucy." She reached out one hand while keeping the other on the wheel. "And I know who you are. I have nightmares about that guest list."

"I hope not on my behalf."

"Not really. I made peace with you not coming. Now you just have to bunk up with me and be my trusty sidekick for the night."

"Fair enough." Angie chewed on her lower lip. The least she could do. Especially because she'd rather not run into Kay or Jessie while they had the chance to chew her out for her selfishness.

"So, you from Sam's side or a new friend of Skye's?" Lucy asked as she pulled into the parking lot of the hotel where the wedding would take place.

"Sam's friend," she answered automatically.

"Riiight." Lucy gave her a sideways glance as if she could read into that, but said nothing more. "Let's go see how the cake is doing."

Angie got out of the car too, her stomach rumbling. She hadn't eaten in a long time and the idea of cake was very appealing.

"We're not going to eat it," Lucy said, as if reading her mind. "But we do get a small sample. And then, if we don't like it, we get to throw it at the wall."

Angie giggled as she followed the other woman in. The hotel was already decorated for the wedding next day in shades of red and white, bouquets of roses and freesias filling the massive dining hall. In the middle of the round tables there was a polished dance floor, right in front of a stage already equipped with instruments.

"They got a band?" she asked as they continued towards the kitchens.

"They didn't have to. Not with a DJ and a lead singer in the family..."

"You're kidding," Angie said, trying to ignore the mention of Tom. "Kyle's band is playing?"

"Yes," Lucy said turning to her in mid-step, a large grin on her face. "And they're absolutely amazing."

Angie was sure. She'd actually heard them play what felt like a million years ago. It would be awesome to actually get to see them live. Her stomach twisted at the thought of seeing Kay again, at the chiding she was most likely to get.

Maybe they'd all be too distracted by the wedding to care much? Shit, should she call Kay and Jessie and ask them to meet? It wasn't very late.

"Come on, Angie!" Lucy exited the hall and Angie followed, happy for the distraction.

They'd entered a large kitchen filled with stainless steel appliances and surfaces. There was no sign of a cake or any food, to Angie's disappointed, but Lucy headed for the walk in refrigerator.

Angie's stomach rumbled and she hurries to catch up. Lucy opened the steel door and gasped.

"Yes!" She did a small fist pump. "It's here and it's perfect." She moved out of the doorway for Angie to see as well.

The cake was huge and white, at least three feet tall, with four tiers and a cascade of red roses on one side. Yes, it was beautiful and impressive, but this was Sam's wedding cake. It was boring.

"You haven't seen the best part yet," Lucy said as if there was more to it than white whipped cream and red sugar flowers.

She stepped inside and Angie followed. Lucy took out her phone and turned on the flashlight.

"See the details?" She pointed to the edge of the tiers.

Angie came closer and noted the sugar palm leaves and yellow Egyptian hieroglyphs which seemed to be made out of the finest sand. She shuddered at the thought of sand and the memories of how she collapsed in Egypt.

She also tries not to get too jealous over Lucy actually ordering a perfect cake. That should've been her job, but she wasn't there.

"Did you order it?" she asked, her teeth clattering.

"Yes," Lucy said, her fingers pointing to an Egyptian eagle design. "I thought it would be fitting since Sam proposed in Egypt."

"It is. It looks great. And red is Sam's favorite color, so good choice with the roses."

"I've had some help," she said with a grin. "Now where are those samples? I want to make sure it tastes as good as it looks."

Now that Angie could get behind. Eating cake right then sounded heavenly. So she backed out of the fridge and watched Lucy heading for a room just off the kitchen. Angie's stomach rumbled some more so she returned her attention towards the cake. How noticeable could it be if she tasted just a bit of the icing? All that white foam couldn't be designed to perfection and it looked delicious.

She bent over, careful not to touch any of the important details on the cake and reached out her finger.

"What are you doing?"

She jumped and turned around just to hit against something. Before she could process anything, her vision disappeared as something sticky filled her face and she crouched to avoid falling over. The sound of shattered china reverberated off the walls of the cavernous kitchen.

"Not sure if this is funny or tragic."

Gentle thumbs removed what turned out to be cake from her eyelids and she found herself staring at her own spooked reflection in blue mirror lenses. Her heart jumped into her throat, blocking all potential words there.

Tom. Right in front of her. His face, shirt and hands also filled with cake.

"Don't ruin the big cake," he mumbled. He tilted his head since she wasn't actually saying anything. "You okay there?"

"I was just hungry," she blurted out.

An amused smile lifted the corners of his mouth and her heart plunged into her stomach and began to flutter. Without asking for permission, he took her hand and stood, pulling him after her.

"Why am I not surprised?" he said, letting go as soon as they were both vertical.

She had no idea what to say to that as fear grabbed on to her and she did her best not to look. It was impossible. Her eyes took in every inch of him, hungry after so long without it. He looked rested, well, amazing. He still smelled like him. He'd touched her face, held her hand.

"Well, that ended poorly." Lucy joined them, watching the destroyed cake mournfully. "What happened?"

"I turned around and rammed into him," Angie aid, because the less she heard his voice, the better.

"You two know each other, right?" Lucy asked with brilliant deduction skills.

"Yeah. From a long time a go, in a galaxy far ar away," 

She snickered and Angie wanted to roll her eyes at her obvious attempts at flirting. Except this time, there was no trace of snide or cruelty on Tom's face. He liked it. Then again, he was single and perfectly allowed to flirt with other women.

Angie gritted her teeth so hard, her jaw hurt. Yes, he was perfectly allowed to flirt with someone else, but that didn't mean he had to do it in front of her.

"When did you come in?" he asked, turning to her and wiping his cream-filled hands on his already cake-filled t-shirt. "Ugh, this thing is filled with syrup."

"It needs to be sweet," Lucy cooed from behind him.

No, it didn't. Tom hated being sticky. Angie had learned that when they'd decided to try chocolate syrup in the bedroom once. The disgusted look on his face showed that hadn't changed. He shook his hands, but there was no getting rid of it. Then, to Angie's shock, he pulled his t-shirt over his head and wiped his chest with it.

Angie's jaw dropped. Behind him, Lucy looked just as gobsmacked, her eyes roaming shamelessly over his body.

"Yuck, yuck, yuck," he mumbled, wiping himself.

Angie tried to be the bigger person, not stare at him, but she couldn't help herself. It had been so long. And, as usual, he looked amazing, his skin tanned, his muscles just visible enough to make her drool, but hidden enough not to be bulging.

"Oh my, it's so beautiful," Lucy said all of a sudden.

Tom froze and turned to her just as she reached out her hand to touch his back. He spun on the spot, raising one hand, and bringing the vine tattoo on his back in full view.

"I'm very touchy about that," he said, a slight apology in his tone.

Angie took in the vivid colors and it was hard for her not to reach out as well. Of course he was touchy, because behind the work of art were scars which could not be hidden from touch. She loved them, used to sit on his back and run her fingers down the intricate design. Lean on him and kiss him behind the ear.

The memories made her shudder and she looked away, biting hard on her lower lip.

"I should go get washed up. See you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Lucy said, her voice filled with excitement. "Don't forget to practice tonight."

"Practice?" he asked with a huff and a smirk.

"Would you like me to come over and help?" she retorted, a sensual smile curving her full lips.

"Depends what kind of help you have in mind..."

"I'm right here!" Angie said a second before she realized she should've pretended she wasn't and just walked away.

Lucy laughed, while Tom's face stayed unreadable. But fortunately he gave them a small wave and walked away, not giving Angie any more reasons to want to scream. Why did she want to scream anyway? Was he over her? She wished she could see his eyes, but, as luck would have it, he was back to shutting her out.

"Come on," Lucy said. "You must be tired. And you're full of cake."

Angie grumbled to herself, but followed. Her appetite was gone and what annoyed her most was that she was still thinking about Tom, analyzing every tiny thing about him, about their interaction. She shouldn't care. They weren't together anymore.

She paid no attention as she followed Lucy to a comfortable hotel room and slumped on the bed, her mind still focused on the forbidden subject.

"Hey, listen," Lucy said. "Was there anything between you and Tom?"

Angie turned to her and she fortunately stopped herself before her jaw dropped. Lucy had unceremoniously taken her t-shirt off and was now slipping off her jeans. Her body was lean and toned, with a tiny waist and generous chest. There was no trace of cellulite or stretch marks anywhere, even if her ass was round enough for them. She looked amazing, much better than Angie ever had.

"What?" she hardly managed to let out.

"I can read the room, Angie."

Read what exactly? There had been nothing but surprise and awkwardness and Tom actually flirting with Lucy and not her. Not that she blamed him, really.

"We used to go out," she finally said. "But we broke up like a million years ago."

Lucy didn't look convinced as she put on a fluffy hotel robe, but she apparently decided to let it slide. "The thing is, I really like him, so I don't want there to be any drama."

Angie waved her hand airily. "There will be no drama. Go ahead and date him if you want to."

Lucy let out a short laugh. "You know, that actually needs his approval as well. But thanks, you're cool." And with that, she turned away and headed for the bathroom.

The first thing Angie felt was the pleasure of the compliment. Yes, she could be very cool. But the meaning of her actual words then came crashing down, smothering her. What if Tom wanted to date her? What if they'd hook up at the wedding and she'd have to see that, live with the fact that she gave them her blessing?

It was so easy to picture them together, to imagine Tom kissing her, running her hands all over that gorgeous body. And the thought hurt more than Angie thought anything ever could.

We used to go out. What the hell had that been? They'd lived together. She'd searched India for him. He'd taken eight bullets for her and saved her life more times than she cared to count. Used to go out didn't even begin to cover it. Not the time they spent together, how happy they were, how he was everything to her.

She groaned and sunk her face in her hands. What had she done?

🎊

Tom swallowed down the pill without even bothering with water. His heart raced and his palms were sweaty. Come on, come on, kick in already.

The anxiety hurt his chest. Or maybe it was something else. Why was he overreacting anyway? It wasn't like he hadn't half-expected Angie to show up like the drama queen she was. The almighty force of the universe, running by her own parallel schedule. 

But seeing her, touching her... It hurt on some level. Because he expected her to be a little shaken, unhappy, not look as beautiful as ever, her snark and fire still in place. When he'd touched her cheek to wipe the cake out of her eyes, it awakened a part of him which he thought was gone.

He'd wanted to touch more of her, be there alone with her forever just to look, assess, take in what had changed.

He needed to talk to Skye. But disturbing her on the night before her wedding seemed like a very selfish, horrible thing to do. Sam would kill him. Sarah? It was an option, but the more he thought about it, the more he decided against it.

Instead, he sat on his bed, closed his eyes and just breathed. Why was he freaking out? So Angie was here. Not like there was any chance he'd never see her again. If she'd skipped this wedding, she'd have been there for Kyle's anyway. So yes, they would continue to bump into each other for a while. So he needed closure, to function normally around her.

Except... His eyes sprung open. Why? Why get closure when she had no idea what she wanted? When he had no idea where they were? This was a perfect opportunity to test that, to see if she was so sure she'd done the right thing, that running away justified the heartache.

Of course, this meant taking another leap of faith. Let his feelings for her pour out again in hope that she'd respond. That her broken heart would give in and she'd admit she still loved him. Either way, he'd have his answer.

"Breathe," he whispered, closing his eyes again.

He wasn't sure if the pill was finally doing its thing or this was all about his resolve, but he managed to calm his ass down. 

Yep, he could do this. Treat Angie like he felt he should, no overthinking involved. No pretense, no hidden intentions. Just let it all out there and make her decide for once.

Then he'd finally have his answer and go from there.

But right now, the love of his life was back, and he'd be damned if he didn't enjoy her.