If you didn't see my post earlier this week:
I love you guys so much. Truly, so much. You're making my dreams come true. I never expected so much encouragement and feedback. Jesus has truly blessed me with you guys. Thank you for giving my story a chance when it had just a few reads and you had no idea what it was about. You guys are the real MVP.
____________________________________

Jean slipped on the light blue sundress she had settled on for the wedding. After trying on at least twenty dresses at the store, she finally settled on one so she wouldn't drive herself insane. Between factoring in the color of what Shawn would be wearing and not wanting to be too casual, but also not overdo it, she realized she was just nervous because Shawn was calling this a date.

Shawn had to be with Tyler early on, but he still insisted on picking her up and driving together, because even though he would be escorting another girl down the aisle, he still insisted that she was his date and they needed to do this right. She was excited, but she was also terrified. They were getting dangerously close to the line that separated them as friends and something more. As much as she tried to deny it, she knew that the crazy, impossible idea of Shawn somehow liking her may not be as impossible as she once thought.

With everything, the past couple weeks had not been easy. Things were finally settling down and it was the first time she felt like she could actually start to breathe again.

Brooke was more angry than Jean could have anticipated upon discovering that Donovan had taken a picture of Jean while she was at work. When Jean's shock of seeing the photo wore off and she realized that Donovan had, in fact, actually had deleted it, she found herself trying to calm Brooke down.

"He said he deleted it, and we were messing around," Jean said, mostly nervous for any retaliation on Donovan's end. "It was a super weird and creepy thing to do, but I think it's over."

"No," Brooke had said. "He's pulled crap like this before. He's getting suspended."

Jean didn't know how to feel about the whole ordeal, but hearing he had done something like this before made her feel less guilty about getting him suspended. He should have known better with how long he worked there. Regardless of the context, it was a shady thing for him to do.

"I'd fire him," Brooke said. "But unfortunately we need him."

Jackson tried to assure her it was fine. Donovan texted her right after the ordeal.

I said I deleted it. Really had to go to Brooke?

She deleted the message and put in out of her mind the best she could. However, he returned to work later that week and he acted like nothing had happened. She didn't know what his game was, but he seemed to have forgotten about the entire ordeal. Hopefully it was behind them.

Jean turned in the mirror, pushing her hair up under the roots. It felt nice to do her makeup the way she wanted to for once, not how Brooke suggested "men liked." She had given up on the false lashes after one week. It was too much torture.

Shawn knocked on the door as she finished putting her earrings in. For some reason, her heart started speeding up as she anticipated him. She opened her door and he stood with his suit jacket slung over shoulder.

"Wow," Jean said, feeling the heat rise to her face when she saw how utterly handsome he looked. She took a deep breath. "You look...really nice."

It was a hot day, and he had the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, showing off the muscles in his forearms. He also had on brown leather suspenders- making him look even more sophisticated and handsome.

Why did suspenders make her so weak?

Jasmine had described Shawn as basically a J Crew model before, and today he could certainly pass for one. This wasn't helping with her nerves- now she was just downright intimidated.

"You look beautiful," he said, smiling softly as he kept his eyes on hers.

Jean tried to remember how to speak. She cleared her throat. "Yeah, so this is what I thought you'd be wearing the first time we went to church."

Shawn smirked. "You won't see me this dressed up until the next wedding," Shawn smiled. The way he was looking at her was making her stomach flutter.. Knowing herself, she was going to turn into a blubbering nervous wreck. She turned away from him to walk to the kitchen.

She saw Shawn all the time, but now that they were calling it a date, she found herself freaking out inside. It was stupid; he was the same person he'd always been. They were no different. Today he just looked really, really good.

Shawn threw his jacket on the back of her couch and followed her inside. He leaned against the doorway of her kitchen as she got a glass of water. She nearly choked when she turned and saw he was watching her. She put the glass down on the counter and tried not to ring her hands nervously.

"Okay," Jean said, smiling at him. "We should probably get going." She went to walk past him in the doorway, trying to avoid his gaze, but he reached his hand out to gently stop her in her steps. She closed her eyes, her heart pounding when he touched her waist.

She knew she couldn't resist it any longer.

She didn't even know who moved first, but she turned towards him and before she could think, he had his lips pressed to hers.

Any fear she had melted instantly when she kissed him.
She moved her hands up to his face, pulling him closer. He made her head spin, making her forget that she was ever hesitant about giving into him in the first place. He pressed her back to the doorframe, and then laughed softly against her lips. He pulled back and looked at her, brushing the side of her face softly with the back of his hand as her eyes slowly opened.

"Yeah, we should probably get going," he said softly, kissing her forehead and grabbing her hand, pulling her towards the front door. She didn't know how her legs worked anymore, but she managed to follow behind him out the door.

In the hallway, she didn't know why he stopped walking. He just looked at her with raised eyebrows, and she remembered that she needed to lock the door. When she fumbled with the key, Shawn took it from her and went to lock it himself. "You're such a mess," Shawn whispered teasingly, looking up at her and winking before putting her key in his pocket. He grabbed her hand again.

"Shawn, wait," Jean said, stopping and pulling him back around.

"What?"

She didn't know what to say. She could only smile, and he couldn't help but smile back at her. They were both about to be dangerously giddy, and he sighed, giving into her again and pulling her into his arms. He lifted her from her feet and she couldn't help but laugh. He started to laugh too, but it didn't stop him from kissing her over and over again.

"Okay, enough!" Shawn said, laughing in mock exasperation as he pulled away. "Id kiss you all day, but Zeiler will literally murder us both if we don't get going."

When they were almost out the building when Jean looked at Shawn and noticed something.

"Shawn, your suit jacket. It's on my couch," Jean said.

Shawn groaned deeply, laughing at himself. "You planned this!" he yelled, turning around and walking back to the apartment. He came out, his jacket slung back over his shoulder. He shook his head at her as he locked her apartment door again.

She leaned against the wall, feeling dizzy with excitement and joy. He fumbled with the lock and looked at her down the hall.

"We'd be halfway there by now if you didn't look so darn cute," Shawn said, checking the door and walking towards her.

"Me?" She laughed, but before she could argue, he used his arm to scoop her up in his stride and kiss her one last time before setting her back down. She sighed dramatically, mocking his exasperation,
and they finally made it out of the building.

"Thank god that's finally over," Jean said as Shawn got into the driver's seat.

"What, the first kiss?" Shawn said, looking over his shoulder as he backed out of her parking lot. He paused just long enough to wink at her. "We have a lot of lost time to make up for."

This sent a shiver through her, and she moved the console so she could sit close to him. He wrapped his arm around her. She wondered why she was ever nervous in the first place.

Nothing else mattered. Life didn't get better than this.

****

The venue was beautiful; it was a country club and the ceremony was set to be outside. They walked into the building where the reception was to be held holding hands, and Jean didn't know how something so simple could make her feel so euphoric. Shawn led her up to the room where Zeiler was, and a room full of bridesmaids turned and smiled at them. Zeiler was getting her hair curled and she put her hand over her heart when she saw them standing there.

"You two look so good," she said, waving her hands at her face. "And look, you're holding hands! Finally!"

"Careful, she's crying over everything," the girl who was curling her hair said with a smile.

"No, you two just look really good," she said, holding out her arms to give Jean a hug.

Shawn shook his head at his cousin and leaned down to give her a hug. "I need to get to my crew." He grabbed Jean's hand and squeezed it. "You okay here?" He whispered in her ear.

"Yes," she said back. "I'm good. Go to your crew."

He squeezed her hand once more, stopping to say hello to the other girls in the room before leaving. She couldn't help but watch him until he disappeared.

"Oh my gosh," one of the girls said, grabbing onto Jean's hand and looking at her. "You're Jean? You two are so cute."

Jean felt herself blush and she looked at all the girls who now had their attention on her. She didn't know how they knew about her. "Thanks. Did you see the video?" Might as well address the elephant in the room.

"Well, of course," the girl said with a laugh. "But I've also heard a lot about you. I'm Faith, one of Shawn and Zeiler's many cousins." She quickly motioned something with her hands and Jean saw she was using sign language. Another girl with short blonde hair looked to Jean and smiled, signing back to her.

"This is my sister, Taylor. Taylor this is Jean." Faith said, signing as if it was nothing. Taylor smiled at Jean and signed something with her hands. Jean waved back.

"She said it's nice to meet you," Faith said.

"It's nice to meet you too," Jean said, and Faith was already signing it as she said it. It was an impressive skill.

Taylor was trying to clasp a necklace around her neck and threw her hands down in defeat. She signed something with her hands to Faith and Faith laughed.

"She said 'Help me.'" Faith said. She went behind her sister to help her clasp the necklace.

Two other friends of Zeiler's introduced themselves as Isabelle and Tina, and Isabelle complimented Jean's hair and asked if she would help her curl the back of her own. Jean was relieved that everyone was so friendly and she was grateful to be of help since she was already ready.

Tina yelled in frustration as she tried to apply some fake lashes to her eyelid. Jean couldn't help but be reminded of the dressing room at her work, but she put the thought out of her mind. She was going to enjoy this day, and nothing was going to ruin it.

Jean felt comfortable with the girls and they talked about trivial things. After about an hour, Zeiler's mom came to help Zeiler put on her wedding dress. Zeiler's shoulder-length brown hair was curled in an elegant style, half pinned back on the side of her face. She had small white flowers pinned into her curls. She looked absolutely stunning; she truly was a person deserving of the best.

Zeiler's mom asked for everyone to gather around and for everyone to lay their hands on Zeiler so they could pray over her. Jean had never done this before, but she put her hand on her shoulder.

Zeiler's mom prayed over her, and she mentioned the leukemia Shawn had just told her about. Her mom started to get emotional, but she powered through the prayer and prayed over Tyler and her marriage. Jean heard the others girls start to sniffle as well, the click of the camera as the photographer photographed them, and Jean couldn't help but feel like she was part of something so important. She still couldn't believe she was being welcomed as she was.

Jean left to go find a seat before the ceremony began. The partly cloudy sky made for a beautiful setting. The temperature was a bit warm, but the fans they made with the schedule of events were in great use. Jean remembered making these with Zeiler a few weeks before.

Jean read hers again and saw Shawn was walking down the aisle with Taylor. When the ceremony began, Scottie walked down the aisle with Isabelle. She looked down the aisle to see Shawn waiting in line, and he saw him motion something in sign language to Taylor. She bit her lip to suppress her smile; was there anything he couldn't do?

He walked down the aisle, and he had a huge smile on his face. When he got closer to Jean, he looked at her and made a face. She winked and watched as they passed.

She stood when the music changed and Zeiler began to walk down the aisle. She looked absolutely radiant, smiling from ear to ear. As she got closer, Jean saw that she had tears in her eyes. When she turned to watch her walk up to Tyler, he saw that he was wiping his eyes too.

To think that these people were strangers to her a few months ago, and now they were her best friends. She was so grateful for the timing; she got to be part of the best day of their lives and see it firsthand. The fact that she as even invited was a surprise to her, but how welcoming everyone was made her feel like she was apart of her family. It wasn't something she had experienced much.

The ceremony was short but sweet. She recognized the pastor leading the service as the pastor from their church. He read some beautiful scripture and talked about Jesus's mention of love. What he was saying was so passionate and beautiful, Jean had to use the fan to dry her eyes before her emotions became noticeable.

Jean thought it was sweet that he seemed to personally know them, making jokes and told stories from experiences. At one point, he gave them a letter that he told them to open it on their ten year anniversary. She had never been to a wedding where the ceremony was so personal; it was as if they were family.

When the ceremony was over, Shawn came and found her in the crowd, which she was grateful for as she didn't know anyone outside the bridal party. He slipped an arm around her and kissed her on top of the head.

"I didn't know you knew sign language," Jean said, smiling up at Shawn. "Is there anything you can't do?"

Shawn leaned down closer to Jean. "I know like five key phrases, which is actually kinda sad considering I grew up with a deaf cousin." He looked up over her head and slipped his hand in hers. "Come with me, I want you to meet my parents."

Jean felt her stomach leap, and her ears started ringing as she fell in step beside Shawn. "Wait, really?" She didn't know why she didn't foresee this happening, of course they would be there. It was his cousin's wedding. It just seemed more serious now that they had crossed over that line of friendship.

"Of course," Shawn said. "We need to tell them that we kiss now."

"What?"

"Relax," Shawn said, his mouth curving into a smile. "I'm messing with you. Don't overthink this."

Jean saw a dark-haired woman look in their direction and smile. As she approached them, Jean knew instantly it was Shawn's mother. She looked just like him. She looked beautiful and her smile made her much less intimidating.

"Hello there," she said, hugging Shawn. He was about a foot taller than her. A man walked up, handsome as well, and walked into the conversation. He put his hand on his mom's back, and Jean knew it was Shawn's father. It wasn't hard to see where Shawn got his looks from. Both of them looked friendly, and Jean found herself starting to fidget with her hands before Shawn caught one in his to stop her. He knew she was nervous.

"This is Jean," Shawn said, smiling down at her. "Jean, this is my mom and dad."

"Nice to meet you," Jean said with a smile, reaching forward to shake both of their hands.

"Shawn has mentioned you a lot," his mom said. "We're so happy we finally get to put a face to the name. I'm Lynette, and this is my husband Gregory."

She wondered if they knew about the video. She decided that she wouldn't ask to find out this time.

"Let's find our table," Gregory said. "You're sitting with us, Jean. You'll get your food sooner."

Shawn squeezed her hand. He had to have known that she would be nervous sitting at a table with his parents without him there, but he was worth it, and she was thankful to not be forced to sit with complete strangers with no context.

"I'll come get you as soon as I'm able, but I need to go get these pictures before Zeiler kills me." he said close to her ear. She nodded her head at him as he smiled reassuringly.

Jean sat down next to Lynette in the reception hall and she smiled warmly at her. His mom did have a calming presence about her too, and Jean found herself more relaxed.

"So, Guinevere?" Lynette said. "That's a unique name. Is it in the family?"

Jean felt a pang of panic go through her as she didn't have a clue what his mom was referring to. Lynette must have sensed her confusion because she nodded towards the table. Jean looked down to see a name card on the table, with her name printed in beautiful calligraphy.

Miss Jeanette Guinevere Arthur.

Jean couldn't help the enormous laugh that escaped from her. She covered her mouth, trying to stifle the rest of them. Lynette chuckled to herself as she waited for Jean to explain her outburst.

"I'm sorry," Jean said, picking up the name card. "That's not my middle name. I think your son had something to do with this."

Lynette looked intrigued. "Oh, do tell."

Jean explained to her the joke of how Shawn didn't know her middle name, but always confidently called her by the wrong name. She went through the list, and Lynette laughed loudly herself.

"That sounds like Shawn," she said, clapping her hands. "I promise not to tell him, but would you mind telling me what your actual middle name is?"

Jean smiled. "Elizabeth."

Lynette smiled and closed her eyes. "Elizabeth," she said softly. "If I had had a daughter, that was going to be her name."

"Yeah?"

"Yes," she said. "Elizabeth was in the Bible. God performed a miracle within her and gave her a child in her old age." She smiled. "It reminds me of God's faithfulness."

The story was familiar. "I think I just read that story," Jean said, thinking back to what she had read. "Shawn gave me his bible, and I've started reading it. I thought her name was Sarah?"

Lynette smiled. "Sarah also had a baby in her old age, but she was a different woman. She came long before Elizabeth." Her eyes narrowed a bit as she processed what she just said. "Wait...are you reading straight through from the beginning?"

Jean bit her lip. "Are you not supposed to?"

Lynette laughed. "No, you can, but if you're unfamiliar with the Bible, I would start in Matthew. Otherwise you're gonna get to Leviticus and get scared away."

Jean didn't know what any of that meant. "Why Matthew?"

"It's the start of New Testament. Where Jesus is introduced," she smiled at Jean. "Goodness, we should do a bible study."

Jean laughed. She wasn't sure of everything she was saying, but she knew that she was definitely off to a phenomenal start with Shawn's mom. Relief spread through her.

The lights went dim and a loud voice came over the speakers. Music started playing and everyone drew their attention to the doorway, and they began to introduce the wedding party.

When they called Shawn and Taylor's name, she laughed as they came dancing in together with some dance that they had obviously rehearsed. He took his seat behind the head table, and he made eye contact with Jean from across the floor.

They looked at each other for a few moments, neither of them breaking eye contact.

They were both smiling as excitement began to fill her. Today he had chosen her. He had the world at his fingertips, his smile and charm could win over any person he wanted, but he picked her.

Even though she didn't understand it all, somehow he was finding a way to chip away at the darkness that had covered her for her entire life.

The end

Jk guys it's not over lol