The light tickles my eyelids as Zach’s hair tickles my nose. I lift my hand, brushing his hair out of my face, smoothing it down the back of his head. I wonder how we always end up like this. Every time we share a bed, he ends up with his head tucked under my chin and lying on my breast.

Looking at the clock, I notice it’s nine a.m. It was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a long time. While Zach’s breathing continues evenly, I examine what happened yesterday.

Mark left me at the altar. How do I feel about that? Why he left is the real question. Maybe after I get the reason, I’ll know how I feel. The reason I feel relief is another question that needs to be answered.

“Quit thinking. You’re doing it too loud,” Zach mumbles into my chest.

“Well, if you slept on the other side of the bed like you’re supposed to, you wouldn’t hear me.”

“This is the way I sleep with you. I’ve never heard any complaints before.” He lifts his face to mine, looking me in the eyes, almost too close.

“That was before you told me to quit thinking.” I reach up and tuck his hair behind his ear.

“Didn’t you cuddle after sex with Mark?” He asks.

“We never had sex, but we have slept in the same bed.” I scoot back up against the headboard so I’m sitting up.

Zach follows suit, and something flashes in his eyes. “Really?”

I blink. “Yeah. Is that a big deal or something?”

“No!” he says, a little too loudly. I look at him strangely, and he makes a waving motion with his fingers. “I’m just surprised, that’s all. You’ve been together two years and haven’t had sex.” He leans away from me, turning his head away, before looking at me out of the corner of his eye.

“I sleep on one side of the bed and he sleeps on the other. He told me that he couldn’t be that close to me because he would want to have sex and he wanted to wait until we were married. It would make it more special.” I shrug.

“Does he know you’re not a virgin?”

“What’s with all the questions?” I cross my arms, looking over at him.

“Does he?” he persists.

“Yes. He just doesn’t know who I lost it to.” I sit up some more and cross my legs, turning to sit facing him. He does the same.

A smirk crosses his face. “Good times.”

Rolling my eyes, I get off the bed. “Let’s get dressed. We have to meet Mom, Dad and Rafe at the house before we leave.”

I walk into the bathroom, take off my clothes, and walk straight into the shower. The cold water wakes me completely up, and I wash as it warms up. I rinse my body off and get out of the shower, and Zach is right behind me, stepping in to take his shower.

I dry off and smooth scented lotion over my body. The scent is one Mark likes, so I bought it to make him happy. I was never a fan of it, so I throw it in the trash after I finish using it. I’ll buy my scent of the week when we get to Atlantic City.

After I put on my underwear, I leave the bathroom, walking straight over to my luggage. Pulling out the outfit that I was going to wear on the plane for my honeymoon, I look at it. I place it back in the luggage and pull out a pair of black straight-leg jeans and a fuchsia off-the-shoulder blouse. I get dressed and add a pair of fuchsia stilettos to round off the outfit. Looking at my suitcase, I know that I’m going to have to repack before leaving.

Zach walks out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. My eyes roam down his sculpted chest to the V, where the towel blocks what’s hiding below. I shake my head, rolling my eyes, and sit down, turning on the television.

“I don’t have anything to wear until we get to your house,” he whines.

“Just put on what you wore yesterday. You can take another shower at my house, before getting dressed.” I reach down to the floor and throw his clothes at him.

He turns away from me as he drops his towel, his muscular cheeks flexing. I examine him with some appreciation while he gets dressed. He’s taller than me barefoot, even in my heels. He sticks his underwear in his pocket, deciding to go commando rather than wear the same underwear again.

I push everything back into my luggage and close it while Zach calls us an Uber before putting on his shoes. He grabs my luggage and my hand, and we go down to check out of the hotel.

The ride to my house is made in silence. My parents meet us at the door, and while Zach puts my luggage in my bedroom, my mom immediately asks, "Are you okay? Has it hit you yet?"

"Has what hit me yet?"

"That Mark left you at the altar. That he didn't want to marry you. Are you okay with this?"

"I'm fine, Mom. I'm still working through my feelings, but right now the reigning one is relief." I lean toward her. "Is that strange? Shouldn't I feel heartbroken or inconsolable or something?"

Her hand touches my arm, and she leads me into my office and sits beside me on the couch. "I'm going to tell you something, but I don't want you to get mad at me."

"Okay."

"I'm relieved too. I always thought that you were settling for him. Since he was happy with you the way you are, you fooled yourself into thinking you were in love with him. He was never the man for you. Do you remember when you told me that you were engaged?"

I nod.

Her hand touches my arm and squeezes a little. "You weren't excited. It was like you were stating a fact, not announcing that you were about to marry the love of your life. You've always had an analytical mind, but when something really excites you, your whole demeanour changes. It's like a beyond-happy type thing. That's how I've always known when something truly made you happy."

"Oh. Why didn't you say anything when I announced my engagement or introduced Mark to you?"

"You've always had a mind of your own. I can offer suggestions at times, but if I flat-out tell you not to do something, you will dig in your heels harder to make your vision happen. I was just hoping that it wouldn't go this far. I'm glad he's gone—now you can be with the real love of your life." She leans forward and kisses me on the cheek. "Let's go in and eat breakfast before it gets cold. We also left your father standing in the foyer."

As she speaks, I feel something continue to unravel inside me. I lean forward and hug my mom, smiling. She always knows just what to say.

Mom puts breakfast on the table, and we sit down to eat.

"One thing I can say, sis, I've never been left at the altar," Rafe jokes.

"At least I've been proposed to, and for that matter had a long-term boyfriend." I tap my chin. "Tell me, how long was the longest relationship you’ve had? Oh right, Samantha Stone, your senior year. One month."

Everyone laughs.

"I choose not to be in a long-term relationship until I find the right girl," Rafe says.

"That's your problem—you're looking for a girl. You need to be looking for a woman," I say, effectively ending the joking session.

I look around the table at my family. We've always been close-knit, and since Zach’s parents started traveling for work again when he turned ten years old, he’s part of our tight-knit circle. My mom and dad offered to take him while they were gone, since we couldn’t stand to be away from each other for so long. They immediately said yes, since they would rather he be with us than with a formal nanny or a family member.

I've always loved his parents, because whenever they come back from a trip, they always bring me the best clothes. One time, when we were in high school, they went to France. When they came back, one of the pieces they brought me was this gorgeous tank top. It was in a white chiffon material, with ruffles around the neck.

I wore it to school, and all the girls went crazy looking for one like it. It was months before someone found one, and by that time, they were available in stores. I have always been fashion-forward because of them.

"Really, sis, I am sorry about how things turned out yesterday. He was a fool for leaving you like he did. He'll never find anyone as awesome as you."

"Thanks. I'm relieved that it happened. Is that weird?" I ask the table in general.

Everyone shakes their heads.

"It's not weird. It just tells us that he did the right thing walking away from you. It saved you both a lot of heartache in the future." My dad reaches across the table and touches my hand.

I feel Zach's hand rubbing my back, and I lean in to him a little bit.

"Thanks. I don't know what I would have done if I didn't have all of you here with me." I rub Zach's leg. "When do you go back to work, Rafe?"

"The doctor said it'll be another couple of months. He said the accident took a lot out of me and I have to build myself back up. I'm on disability, so I'm good. I'm also staying with Mom and Dad until I'm completely back on my feet."

"Do you need any help?" I ask.

"No, I'm good," he says.

I nod.

We spend the remainder of breakfast discussing our trip and how long everyone will be in town. I go upstairs and pack my clothes, and Zach adds the clothes that he's taking to the pile. He changes his clothes, and we take an Uber to the airport after saying goodbye to my parents and brother. I promise to visit them the weekend after we get back.

The flight to Atlantic City is smooth and only takes about an hour. First class is great! The seats are larger and more comfortable. I don’t have the weird, smelly guy on the other side of me, trying to have a conversation. The snack is a lot better too. Instead of peanuts or pretzels, we get a choice of cheese knots or fresh fruit. I get the fresh fruit and Zack gets the cheese knots.

We check into our hotel and decide that we want food. We end up at the hotel buffet, and fill our plates with steak, shrimp, crab and veggies. The steak is tender, and the seafood is amazing.

"I don't want to keep dragging this up, but are you sure you’re okay with him leaving you like that?" Zach reaches across the table and links my fingers with his.

"I am. You know, it wasn't even my wedding. The only thing I really had a say in was you and the color that you were wearing. That should have been a sign for me. My wedding would have been completely different."

"How would you have done it differently?" He puts a fry in his mouth as I explain the white slip dress that I would want to wear, the princess-cut diamond ring I fell in love with while shopping for rings with Mark. We finish our meal, and he says, "Why don't we do it here? The only difference is that your family won't be here."

"Who will I marry? My fiancé left me at the altar."

"You can marry me,” Zach says, “I’m loads better than Mark.”

“What makes you say that?” I sit back and cross my arms.

“Well, for one, I would actually show up to our wedding,” he jokes. I pout playfully. “Too soon? I’m sorry.” The amusement in his eyes belies his apology.

“Thanks. Now I need to drink myself stupid. You in?”

“All the way.”