I wake up next to him and realize that I still managed to slip on a semi sexy nightgown. I text Dawn and ask if I had actually heard her and Aaron kissing on the couch last night. She confirms that I'm very much sane before shooting down the thought I was having, not even giving me a chance to type it out and send it to her. "Josh," I whisper, pushing him and he snorts as he startles awake. 

"Uhn?"

"Look at this," I tell my half asleep fiancé, shoving my cell phone into his hands. He fumbles a couple times, dropping it on his face once and I smirk. "Damn phone ninja bullshit," he grumbles to himself. He reads it, eyes wide as he bolts upright in bed beside me, wide awake now. "They are together? Really?" he excitedly asks, pointing to the screen with his eyes locked on mine. I giggle at his joy for them.

"Yeah, they started dating yesterday," I confirm. He jumps out of bed in his blue fuzzy pj pants, darting toward the door and doubles back to give me my cell with a kiss. I hear his feet rapidly pound down the stairs, Demitryus laughing at his dad's excitement. 

~*~2 weeks later, March 23~*~
"Where's Beth? Any word on my mom? Aaron and Dawn? Bernie and his family? Scottie? Ty? Shaun, Colleen and their kids? My aunt Grace? Kari?" I ramble to Kitshanya, Kailey and Kiasha nervously. 

"Stop doing that to your dress!" Kailey scolds me, batting my hands away from one of the embroidered on butterflies on my wedding dress. "Sit down and I'll check," she barters, pushing me into an oversized chair. My skirt piece settles at chest height and I try to shove it down lower so I can breathe, listening to her talk to everyone on the phone. This is the first time I meet his grandparents and I'm more nervous about that than my memorized vows, praying they like me. I hope they don't hate me with just one glance, Josh's reassurance did little to calm my nerves and it just how I've always been, but the wedding isn't helping matters, either. 

"What about his family?" I ask, glancing around the room. Dawn quickly enters the room, hugging me.

"It's nerves, it's all going to be fine and his whole family is going to love you."

"And mine him?" I question, knowing she'll understand me. 

"If they don't, fuck 'em!" she exclaims, applying eyeliner to my eyes. "Ma, though?" I demand, Beth rapidly closing the door behind her. 

"Ma will love him more than she could imagine, which she already does, girl," Beth informs me, applying lip liner as Dawn paints my nails with a scarlet red to match my lip gloss. 

"Ya sure?" I ask, not moving my lips. 

"Yes!" Dawn laughs.

"He's more nervous than you are-pacing, freaking out and muttering to himself. You were meant for each other, Owl," she reminds me. If you know the Winnie the Pooh characters, you should be able to understand the reasons for the nicknames for each other. Dawn is Tigger, Aaron has become Pooh, I'm Owl and Beth has always been Eeyore. 

"Totally destined," Beth agrees. 

"Yeah?" I question. 

"No doubt," they concur, all 5 of the other women in the room. 
I'm standing just inside the room with the door shut, shaking nervously and look at my five best friends for the reassurance I receive from them.

I hear Nick trying to coax Josh to the alter. "Come on, you have 5 minutes before it starts.""I can't."

"Here, talk to your almost wife," Nick teases him, knocking on the door I'm right behind. 

"Yeah?" I reply through the door. 

"Baby, I don't think I can stand up there in front of our families and do this," he admits, his voice cracking. 

"I have butterflies myself, but I KNOW we can do this, Josh."

"How?"

"After everything we've been through, it's the one thing left to do," I rationalize for him. I hear him take a deep breath.

"You're right, meet you at the alter, mami."

"I love you," I remind him. "I love you, too."