After checking into a deluxe waterfront suite at the Jashita Hotel in Tulum, I freshen up, change and hurry downstairs to Liam and Kora’s rehearsal dinner. Logan, the best man, went downstairs earlier to participate in the rehearsal. Our suite is large and spacious and has everything you could ever want – even a private terrace with an outside shower! I peel off my travel clothes and wrap myself in the hotel-provided robe made of the finest Italian linen. The view of the Caribbean from the terrace is breathtaking. We are steps from the whitest beach I’ve ever walked on. Before I start getting ready, I spend a good half an hour lounging in the Mayan hammock on the terrace, listening to the waves calmly crashing into the sand.

Makeup and hair are a little bit of a challenge here. The humidity in the air makes my face a little too shiny and makes my makeup run a little. My hair, which is typically razor straight and fine, has suddenly found some body and decided to curl up in all directions, looking unruly and completely out of control. After I take care of these problems, I pull out the dress that I got exactly for this trip. It cost $250, on sale – way too much – but I wanted to look perfect both nights.

The dress is a Draper James original, Reece Witherspoon’s new clothing company. It’s the color of a Louisiana lilac, powder blue, and it’s a gorgeous striped and printed organza with silk lining. It’s sleeveless with a delicate slit down the front and comes with a thin white belt, which perfectly cinches the waistline. The way it flares out a little bit at the hips perfectly complements my figure and hides all the flaws. After putting together my whole look, I glance at myself in the mirror one last time. I look good. Put together. Classy. Sophisticated. With a touch of fun.

The rehearsal dinner is held downstairs on the patio. A soft Caribbean breeze from the ocean caresses the guests with kisses, and I thank God that I decided to use hairspray in my hair before I left.

I see Logan across the patio, chatting with his brother. He waves me over. He is dressed in a sharp linen suit with light brown loafers and no socks. The drink he’s holding in his hand is almost empty, and his demeanor is relaxed.

“What a beautiful party,” I say coming over to them, and giving Liam a brief hug. “Thank you very much for inviting me.”

“Thank you for coming. Did you get a drink?” he asks.

“No, not yet.”

Just as I say that, a waiter appears as if out nowhere and offers me the dinner’s signature cocktail – watermelon vodka martini. It’s smooth and refreshing and puts me in an even more vacation mood.

“How do you like you room?” Kora asks, giving me a brief hug.

“Oh my God, it’s amazing!” I gush. She laughs.

“I know, right?”

The rehearsal dinner apparently went really well, and Kora hardly seems nervous at all about tomorrow.

“Honestly, I don’t know how you’re holding up,” I say as the guys move away from us, chatting about golf. “I’d be such a wreck.”

“I don’t know,” Kora shrugs. She’s wearing a bright blue wrap dress, which brings out her eyes. “I think that I’ve been waiting for this so long that I’m just super happy that it’s finally happening.”

“Have you been getting any sleep?”

“A lot, actually. I don’t know if you know, but Logan’s paying for this whole thing, and he insisted on hiring us a wedding planner. She has been a lifesaver. She knows exactly what to do and how to do it. She presents me with just a few choices and I pick one. She’s really a relief. If we didn’t have her…this whole thing would take over my life for a year.”

I smile. I had no idea that Logan was paying for this – very generous indeed. Especially for someone who doesn’t seem to be particularly keen on the whole idea of marriage.

“I’m so glad that everything’s working out,” I say, and can’t help but give her a hug. For some reason, I feel a strange connection to Kora. We don’t really have anything in common, and yet I feel like she’s a kindred spirit. Someone who I just get innately, regardless of how long we have known each other for.

For dinner, all the guests are served with their own freshly-caught lobster on a bed of rice and spices, and we’re treated to a slideshow of the bride and groom and their families and friends through the years. Logan appears in a number of these pictures – there’s the freckled six-year-old, the smart-mouthed eleven-year-old, the cocky seventeen-year-old. There are pictures of Logan’s mom and dad, Liam and their three sisters, who I’ve only met briefly during cocktails, because they were too busy running after their husbands and kids. I don’t mind. This is only our third date.

After the slideshow, while I’m still digging into my lightly buttered and utterly delicious lobster, Logan gets up and gives another touching and eloquent speech. This time, he talks about how much Liam means to him and how he would not be the person that he is today were it not for his brother. Most of the women in the audience tear up, including me.

“Are you okay?” he asks afterwards, as he sits down next to me.

“Yes,” I nod, wiping a tear. I hate when I get this sentimental, but words make a big impact on me. “That was just so sweet, what you said.”

Logan smiles and puts his arm around me, giving me a brief squeeze.

“No, you’re the one who’s sweet,” he says.

Waiters come around with the dessert: cheesecake served with an assortment of local fruit – mangos, pineapple, star fruit, and bananas. The combination of tart and sweetness sends shivers down my spine, and I finish two whole slices before I’m able to stop myself.

Logan’s phone beeps. When he looks at it, he gets a concerned look on his face. He excuses himself and goes out onto the patio.

As I contemplate whether or not I should go get yet another slice of that wonderful cheesecake, I catch Sadie talking and laughing somewhere in the background. She looks just as stunning as the last time I saw her. She’s dressed in an incredibly short satin dress, with delicate straps. It looks like lingerie, and it doesn’t look like she’s even wearing a bra. Despite that, her breasts are perfectly framed and erect. Why does she have to be Logan’s ex? I think to myself. Of all people, why does the mother of his future child have to be so perfect?

If whether or not I had another slice of the cheesecake was a question before, it’s not anymore. I feel crappy about myself, and I only know of one way to drown that sorrow.

Kora catches my arm right before I get to the dessert table.

“Hey, come here. I have to tell you something,” she whispers under her breath. I follow her to a dark corner of the room, away from everyone.

“I just heard from Dolly that Sadie’s had a miscarriage,” she says with excitement. “I’m sorry, I know it’s terrible that I’m so excited, but I just really didn’t like that woman and couldn’t imagine her being the mother of my niece or nephew.”

“She had a miscarriage?” I ask slowly, trying to grasp what that really means.

“Yes.”

“Are you sure?”

“She told Dolly herself. I think she’s going to tell Logan tonight.”

“Oh wow,” I mumble.

“C’mon, aren’t you excited? Please smile or something, so I don’t feel like such a horrible person.”

I smile. It’s genuine. I am actually happy.

“Okay, good,” Kora gives me a brief hug.

“How is she feeling?”

“Who? Sadie?”

I nod.

“Fine, I guess. I mean she looks like she’s having fun.”

We both glance in her general direction. She’s draped around an older gentleman and laughing at every single thing he says as if he’s the funniest comedian on earth.

“Yeah, she does seem fine,” I say. Kora takes a step back, staring at me.

“Where the hell did Dolly find you?” she asks.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean you are way, way, too good for Logan. I love him to death. But you’re way too good for him.”

“I am not,” I say, shyly.

“Let me tell you this, unless he has changed tremendously in the month that you’ve known each other, you need to be careful. Logan likes the ladies. He has never had a serious relationship in his whole life, for crying out loud.”

“I don’t think you’re being very nice,” I say, suddenly feeling very protective of Logan.

“I’m sure that he’ll agree with me,” Kora says, crossing her arms across her chest. “Wouldn’t you Logan?”

I turn and see him standing directly behind me.

“Agree with you on what?” Logan wraps his hands around my waist.

“I was just telling your girl, Avery, here that she’s too good for you.”

“And I was trying to convince her that I’m not,” I say looking up at him.

“Oh no,” he shakes his head definitively. “You’re definitely too good for me.”

He kisses me on the cheek.

“See?” Kora says and walks away.