Soggy from the spring showers, Becca and Abigail passed by the front window and headed for the door to the pub. Abigail had returned to Three Creeks and was rebuilding friendships from before she had left town over twenty years ago. Becca was glad that her long lost friend had returned to the roost. Secretly she hoped something would develop between her and Kent. They both were kind people. And, then they could go out on group dates. She had been engaged for a day and was already planning couple’s events. Becca thought to herself, “Maybe Donovan’s idea wasn’t so crazy after all.”

Without giving it a second thought, Becca went to the edge of the bar where she knew she'd find Donovan sitting with Kent. She guessed from their postures that they were in the middle of an intense discussion about something they saw on the television.

“What can I get you, ladies?” Keane pressed his hands into the bar while waiting for their answer.

“Water is good enough for me,” Abigail said.

“Can I have an order of chips to go?” Becca set her bag on the seat beside her.

“Do you really want to eat chips?” Keane inquired, “Usually brides are trying to watch their weight. You know. So they can still fit in the dress on their wedding day.”

The four people on the other side of the bar fell silent. Not understanding their reaction, Keane asked, “What? I’m just repeating what I’ve heard other brides say.”

“Good point,” Becca replied. “Forget the chips. I think I’m going to head to the community center and hit the gym.” She returned the strap of the bag to her shoulder and said to Donovan, “I’ll call you when I get home.”

“I didn’t mean for you to leave?” Keane tried to apologize. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Becca waved his comment away. ”No harm, no foul,” Keane's reaction was exactly why she hated relationships. People set expectations that weren't fair. Like all of a sudden, she wasn't going to eat potato chips for a wedding that she had three weeks to plan.

She took out the beginning of her anger on the treadmill. When that didn't work, she lifted weights. All she needed was Keane's smart comment about her arms being flabby. After forty minutes of lifting dumbbells in every way imaginable, her arms were noodles, and her mind had numbed. She'd forego dinner, have a protein drink, and use her exhaustion to help her fall asleep.

As she stepped into the shower, Becca considered the virtue of the tiff with Keane. Thanks to the workout, she might get in some good REMs. Several times the night before, she disrupted her sleep when she woke in a sweat with the same question. What if she fell too deep in love with Donovan and couldn't recover from the breakup she feared was coming? She promised herself seventy-two hours. If she still felt this way after three days, she’d call off the wedding, or suggest they secretly elope and have alternate living arrangements.

Becca had just finished showering when she heard the familiar knock on the front door. One tap followed by a pause and three successive taps. It was the secret knock she and Donovan made when they were in elementary school. Was it irony or coincidence that he brought back the ritual three weekends before they were to get married.

“One minute,” she yelled across the house.

The click of the key turning in the lock was followed by the crack of the front door opening. She slid her top over her head and peeked into the hallway to make sure Donovan was alone.

He called out while making his way to the kitchen. “Hiding your key under the mat isn’t exactly what I’d call safe. It’s the first place a burglar would look.”

“You’re probably right. I’ll get one of those fake rocks.”

She rounded the corner to be greeted by Donovan holding up his gift of a to go box. The scent of freshly made chips wafted in her direction. “I brought you a little something.”

“Oh, thanks.” Becca took the container into the kitchen and placed it on the counter beside the fridge. She opened the door and took out a lite beer for Donovan and a pink Gatorade for herself. She snapped open the beer and handed it to him before making her way to the living room

Donovan pointed back at the chips. “Aren’t you going to eat them? They’re fresh.”

“Maybe later.”

Frowning, Donovan said, “You don’t think you’re fat. Do you?”

Becca shook her head. “No, I hike two times a week and play league sports for nine of the twelve months of the year. I’m too active to worry about what people think about my body type.” There was no reason for him to know her insecurities. Already things were changing between them. If they were to have had the conversation three days ago, her response would have been a resounding yes.

Donovan went back for the chips. He opened the container and popped a chip in his mouth. He brought the chips with him to the living room and set them on the coffee table. “Clearly it bothered you. Why didn’t you say something?”

She sat on her couch and curled her feet under her legs. “You are absolutely correct. I should have told your friend that my body is not his concern.”

He sat across from her in the chair her parents bought her as a present for buying the house. She reserved the chair for quiet reading times, movie marathons, and the nights when she strained her back doing something crazy like diving for a ball that was out of her reach. Donovan’s legs were so long the chair was almost too small for him.

“I need to know. What are you thinking?” Donovan leaned forward in the chair.

“It’s just six months.”

His brow wrinkled. “That’s just cold feet talking.”

“No,” she argued, “it’s my sense of independence feeling stifled. Before this week I tried to look nice because I wanted to be attractive. Now I have to worry about what people think. I don’t like it.”

“I didn’t say you were fat.” 

“When someone hints that another person is fat and you don’t disagree, your silence is a vote of agreement. So, I have to be very careful about what I eat for six months.”

The wrinkle in Donovan’s brow deepened. “When did you get so needy?”

He was the one who put her in the position of being on display for people to make comments. And, he called her needy? Becca stood and made her way to the door. On the way there she declared, “You need to go home so I can get a good night’s sleep,” and then quickly added, “Nobody wants a bride with dark circles under her eyes.” There was some truth to the last part of her statement.

Either he didn’t get the hint or didn’t care. Donovan closed the door. “Why are you arguing with me?”

Becca had a list of reasons. The first of which being she didn’t have a good feeling about them getting married. Six months was a long time to be unhappy.

Donovan never gave her a chance to speak. His face brightened as though he figured out the answer to a question where the answer had been slightly out of reach. “I get it.” He wagged his finger at her. “If I break up, it’ll be my fault; and then you don’t have to feel bad about me losing the money.” His smile widened, “Nice try. Okay, I’ll give you your space.” He circled around and opened the door. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

Instead of relieving her concerns, Donovan added one more item to her list of concerns. The way things were right now if they had a disagreement, he went to his house, and she stayed in hers. What would it be like when they were under the same roof? All. The. Time.

Becca hadn’t made it to the kitchen with the chips when she heard the front door open. Donovan rushed into the room. “We can’t end it like that.”

“Like what?”

“The way we went about making this happen isn’t the most conventional, but I have this feeling. This is it. You are my last girlfriend, Becca.”

She didn’t think it was appropriate to remind him that technically they were never boyfriend and girlfriend. They hadn’t been on a date nor had they partook in the other boyfriend girlfriend benefits. No cuddling on the couch while watching a movie, or holding hands while walking through the store. Other than them planning a wedding that was to take place in three weeks there was nothing to indicate they were an official couple. 

Donovan took the chips from her hand and set them on the counter. With her hands free, he held the both of them to form a visible link. “You are my best friend. I know that you watch American Ninja Warriors on Sundays. And, I know, without you telling me, that you scheduled the wedding five days after your special week so you won’t look bloated.” Becca’s hand instinctively went to her abdomen. He took the hand back and held it gently. “You know the right thing to say when I second guess myself. I could have tricked anyone into marrying me. But I came to you with the truth. And, you accepted me.” His eyes bore into hers. “This is our happily ever after, Becca. I’m not promising it’ll be easy, but I know we can do this.”

Becca had no response. She looked for a rebuttal and found nothing.

“Are you with me?”

She nodded her yes.

He pulled her in for a hug. “Good, then no more talk about just six months. We take life one day at a time, and the worst thing that can happen is we end up having a happy life together.” He kissed her on the forehead and gave her hand one last squeeze before offering his parting words, “I’ll call you in the morning.”

The door closed, and Becca stood in her kitchen in utter shock. Her stomach twisted in knots while her heart fluttered. Donovan said three words she’d never thought would come out of his mouth, “Happily ever after.”