Indigo stood in the foyer of Tate's house with golf ball-sized butterflies swarming in her stomach. The block heel of her boot bounced on the wood floor, but it wasn't from the Motown Hits filling the comfortably conditioned air. She twisted the platinum engagement ring around her finger, chewing on her cheek like it was a stick of Big Red gum. She was reconsidering her decision; being there was a mistake. Just as she turned to advance to the front door, her sister descended from the stairs.

"You came!" Saxon reached the bottom step. Her excitement faltered upon realizing that she caught her sister trying to hightail it out of there. "Indigo."

The sweet assuring way her big sister spoke her name eased some tension and angst stirring within her.

"It'll be okay." Saxon read the frustration on her face. "It's like riding a bike. Y'all fought and y'all always make up."

Indigo gave her a wry smile. She was happy to have her big sister back and not all hopped up on hormones; being pushy and meddling like she was last year. True, she was still a little pushy, but it was to the max now that Frost was out of the woman and progressing nicely presently at home with his brother, sister, and sitter that allowed Saxon and Xavier a night without the kids.

"It wasn't a simple disagreement," Indigo said after letting out a breath. She remembered the day of the argument and the intimate events from the night before. It birthed a shiver through her body. "We haven't talked since. I guess he thought silence was best."

She wanted to talk about things; the things they disagreed about and the notion he had in his mind. After turning thirty, she didn't want to play games, dwell in the past, or have regret. She knew what she wanted, and she told him what it was, but he didn't feel the same way.

"So, after the..." Saxon saw if anyone was lurking around. She worked hard to get back in Indigo's circle of trust and wasn't about to get kicked out on a technicality. "... pregnancy, how long did ya'll sever communications?"

"Sever communications." Indigo snickered, thankful to have something humorous to take her mind off her nerves. "You sound more and more like Xavier every day."

"I take no offense from that. My man's smart." Saxon shrugged nonchalantly and hooked her arm with her sister's. "You just answer the question. How long did Tate freeze you out back then?"

"Three months." She resumed toying with her engagement ring, remembering the letter that greeted her all those years ago in college. "But I'm not the issue here. He didn't respond to my texts. He should be in my foyer, not the other way around."

"But would you have opened the door?" Saxon asked with a look that said she already knew the answer.

Indigo's mouth twisted as she pondered. "Undecided."

"Damn." She hissed. "Y'all two are aggravating as hell. It was a year ago. I'm going to play the eldest card and tell y'all to get over it." Indigo opened her mouth to speak, but Saxon shook her head and continued. "We're all getting older. You're getting married, having one of the biggest days of your life, and he's two seconds away from being a LA resident. We all need real friends, so don't throw away a great one because of a tiff. Y'all have been through worse, so just work it out and move on."

Indigo was going to tell her that the tiff she and Tate had was about something more than friendship because what they did that night before was something that friends rarely did. However, she didn't feel like sharing those details with her right now, or maybe ever.

So, instead, she playfully rolled her eyes and said. "Your Pollyanna ass annoys me when you're right."

"Now, I take offense to that." Saxon humorously slapped Indigo's arm. "We stan Polly in this family."

She nodded. "You're right. I can't stand your Polly ass."

"Whatever." Saxon laughed. "And you better stop cussing like a sailor before mama pops from around one of these corners."

"I ain't scared." She proclaimed. "I'll say fuck, shit, and damn anytime I please."

Some came from around the corner. Although it wasn't there mama both women went silent. Once the gray-haired woman disappeared into the living room, they both erupted in laughter.

Saxon led her out of the foyer and towards the festivities. "Now, let's go rip that Band-Aid off."

The humor dampened in Indigo as she advanced. It was better to get it over and done with like her sister said she was getting married; starting a new chapter. She couldn't carry this baggage along for the ride.

******

Familiar faces peeked at Indigo's awkward stumble into the living room; Rachel, with the mini ponytail, stopped pushing her overexposed c-cups in Mr. Garrison's face. Recently divorced Bryce stopped chugging down the beer to chuckle at Indigo. The Michaels from up the street towed their entire gang that comprised five children under the age of ten. Their ten-year-old, Taren, was showing River something on his phone. River shot a smile over to his Aunt then went back to gawking at the screen.

"If you keep it up, you're going to sprain that ankle again." Diego whistled in her ear, creating a curve on her glossy lips. "And you won't be able to blame me this time." He slipped a wineglass in her hand as he sidled by her.

Indigo firmly wrenched her fingers around the neck of the glass, "Don't worry, I have a list of things to blame on you."

"Like what?" He swiveled his body in front of her, blocking off her sight of the house's well-lit open floor plan. He wore a grin that brought her eyes to his immaculately edged goatee and the shine in his playful coffee eyes.

Indigo held up her forearm displaying a vertical scar, "The eight stitches I had to get 'cause you pushed me down the dune."

He laughed, ducking his head down, and her eyes caught sight of blonde hair. Was that Tate? Indigo's heart picked up and the humor that flowed through her body tapered down, giving birth to a dull ache in her chest.

Diego held the bottle to his chest, "But who falls off their sled and slices their arm."

"Indigo." The gruffy voice made Indigo whip her head around.

"Tate." Indigo breathed out. Her eyes wandered over his tan complexion, the stubble blanketed around his strong jawline, and the Sienna gems that were his eyes. "You cut your hair." Her hand flew up to the brunette curls no longer brushing against the shoulder of his gray sports coat, but then she quickly thought against it and let her hand hover in the space between them.

Tate bit down on his lip as his eyes caught the gleam of the diamond on her ring finger. "You're engaged." He drew his eyes to hers and the glimmer that once hung in them wasn't there. He twisted his mouth to the side as he gently nodded.

Indigo knew that gesture well... and it wasn't a good one.

"Yeah." Indigo dropped her hand back by her side. "He popped the question." She nudged Diego with her elbow as she smiled over at him.

"It's time I stop being a player." He wrapped his arm around Indigo's shoulder and cleaved her to his body.

Tate clenched his jaw and slid his hand in the pocket of his jeans, "I see."

"Babe." A chipper voice called. Indigo's caught sight of a leggy blonde in a blush pink halter dress strutting their way. She pounced next to Tate's side and leaned over her, slapped her hands on her shoulders. "I love your friends!"

She smiled a million watts in Indigo's direction. "Hi!" Her pale gray eyes fell on the rock on Indigo's finger. "You're getting married." She squealed. Diego rubbed his face looking oddly at the woman and Indigo nodded with a half-smile. "I just love, love." She leaned her head on Tate's shoulder and his hand rested easily on her waist, "Don't you, babe."

"Always have." His eyes stayed firmly planted on Indigo. "Love, love."

A slow burn quaked through Indigo's dermis as he whispered the four-letter pet name he used to call her when they dated. She chewed on her cheek as all the words evaded her mind.

"I didn't catch your name." Indigo heard Diego say to the blonde.

"Abigail." The young woman held out her petite hand and Diego shook it. "Abigail Seguin."

"Nice to meet you," Diego replied and gestured next to him. "This is Indigo."

The utterance of her name drew her out of her thoughts. The girl's smile was beautiful; friendly and bright, so Indigo pulled her mouth up in one that equally matched.

"Howdy." Indigo shook her head at her country vernacular. "I'm the..." She paused, holding out her hand to the woman, not sure what she was to him anymore... She wanted to ask him if the title still held. Could you still be friends with something after going months without talking? She went with something Saxon said earlier. "...childhood friend."

Abigail's fingers closed around Indigo's hand with a gentle squeeze, "It's a pleasure. I've heard so much about you..." She released Indigo's hand. "It feels like we're friends."

"Really?" Indigo shot the word to Tate.

Tate knew it was a question, and he darted his eyes away from her, then changed the subject. "So... when's the wedding?" He plastered on a smile as he turned to Diego.

"Two weeks," Diego answered. He rose the beer bottle to his full lips, then stopped. His eyebrows bunched together and Indigo knew he was pondering about something. "How do you feel about being one of my groomsmen?"

Tate's hand tightened around the bottle of his ginger beer, and Indigo's jaw fell.

"I mean..." Diego weakly shrugged, taking in their surprised faces. "We've been friends since college... went to law school together. I think that fits all the criteria. I know it's late, but a bronze tux is easy to find."

Indigo gawked at Diego and shook her head at Tate.

Tate chuckled and raked his hand through his hair. "I'd love that." He pounded fist with Diego and flashed Indigo a smile while Abigail was happy for reasons unknown to either of them.

Indigo deadpanned staring off into the lively living quarters with only three words going through her mind—what the hell. 

Should Tate be one of Diego's groomsmen?