I zip Kat's dress and take one last look around the apartment. We have everything. It's go time.

Downstairs, the limo is waiting. Flutters are building in my stomach. My sister is getting married. I'm walking her down the aisle. I'm standing with her at the altar. I'm giving the speech.

It's a big fucking deal.

Her dress doesn't have a train. A good thing, because it's raining.

It's April. Of course it's raining.

I close my eyes and listen to the drops pound against the aluminum roof.

"You okay?" she asks.

"Yep. You?"

She nods. "I feel like I'm going to throw up."

"Glad you skipped lunch?"

"Very glad."

"You look beautiful. Really beautiful." I fight my desire to cry. Plenty of time for that later.

Instead, I check my purse for my speech and my extra copy of Kat's vows. I'm under strict orders not to read them, so I zip my purse, toss it on the bench seat, and rest my head on Kat's shoulder.

She plays with her engagement ring.

"You should put that on your right hand," I say. "Don't want to upstage the wedding ring."

She switches the rock to her right ring finger. Her eyes stay on the sparkly gem. "Is this really happening?"

"It is."

"Are you sure I'm not dreaming?"

I smile. "Positive."

"I'm really young to get married. Mom and Dad would be freaking if they were here."

"They were like twenty-three. Barely a year older than you are now."

"Yeah."

"You love him, right?"

"Like I love breathing."

"I've never seen two happier people." I squeeze her. "Do you really doubt your decision, even for a minute?"

"No." She takes a deep breath, her expression softening. She looks down at her dress. "It feels like I'm dreaming."

I pinch the back of her neck.

She yelps.

"You're not dreaming."

"You're a brat."

"Love you too."

The car stops for a solid three minutes. That was fast. I collect my purse, smooth my dress. This is happening and I'm ready.

The limo door opens. There's a smiling woman in a black pantsuit, holding a pink and white bouquet with a big pink bow.

She's one of the wedding planners. She introduces herself as Shelby Something—I'm too nervous to catch the last name—and hands us each a bottle of water.

I chug half of mine, but my throat still feels dry. There's no way I'm calming my nerves today. Might as well enjoy the ride.

Shelby presses her earpiece to her head and speaks into the receiver. "Okay. Get everyone seated." She offers Kat her hand. "We're ready for you."

Kat look at me as if to ask "is this really happening?" I nod.

She takes Shelby's hand and steps onto the curb. The rain is still pounding, but it doesn't seem to bother either of them. Shelby hands Kat the bouquet and helps me out of the limo.

"You're walking your sister down the aisle?" she asks.

I nod.

"How sweet." She leads us through the back entrance then points to the ceremony site, about five hundred feet away. There's a pink tarp tied to the blooming cherry blossom trees. The few dozen guests are seated in plastic folding chairs. Half of them are holding pink umbrellas.

"You'll get a little wet," Shelby says. "But we have a portable wooden walkway on the grass. Your dresses are safe."

We move closer, until we're about two hundred feet away.

There's a small guesthouse shielding us from view. We come to the corner. The next step is onto that walkway. Then it's one long path down the aisle.

Kat holds the bouquet to her chest.

I sling my arm with hers. "You got this?"

She nods.

It's pouring too hard for me to hear anything.

Shelby taps us on the shoulder, and then it's our turn.

Kat is really getting married.

I squeeze her as we make our way down the slippery wooden path. The world becomes a blur.

The cool colors of the rain. The soft pink of the petals blowing in the wind. And Kat standing across from Blake, both of them so happy they could die.

I'm too nervous to hear a word the officiant says, but I can feel all the love between my sister and the man who is about to become her husband. The way they stare at each other, with so much honesty, so much vulnerability.

When they read their vows, I start bawling. I don't even try to blame the rain. I used to think this kind of thing was cheesy bullshit, but it's so sweet, so beautiful.

He slides the ring onto her finger. "I do."

And then it's her turn, and her smile is so wide I almost worry her cheeks are going to break off.

She slides the ring onto his finger. "I do."

And then they're kissing. It's like a fairytale. I can see the magic swirling around them. I can see that everything in the world is exactly where it needs to be.

It's a tender moment, one that would usually be theirs alone.

But they're sharing it with the world.

That's love. You share it with the world.

A tear rolls down my cheek. I do nothing to stem it. My sister is married, and she's happy, and no matter what happens—

She's gonna be okay.

* * *

The next ten minutes are a blur. I pose for a few dozen pictures, then wait as the photographer focuses solely on the bride and groom.

For a few minutes, I watch Kat and Blake pose. They both look so happy, so natural, so free.

Maybe she's right, and I have to tell Nick how I feel, no matter the results. It's possible he'll hate me for interfering with Shepard. It's possible I'm about to lose any chance we have at any kind of relationship—

But it's a risk I'm willing to take.

I step under the now empty altar and look up at the transparent pink tarp. The rain is down to a drizzle. It makes tiny drops on the tarp, that same pitter-patter, only softer.

I pull my phone from my purse and call Nick.

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Voicemail.

"Hey Nick. It's Lizzy. I'm at the wedding. It was beautiful. Reception starts in forty-five minutes, but that's not why I'm calling. It's because I have something to say."

I take a deep breath, willing my thoughts to straighten.

They do.

"I talked to Shepard. He made me a deal, to leave your company alone if I ended our relationship. I thought it would make you happy. It did. But it made me miserable. Nick... I don't want to say this over the phone. I'll come over after the reception. I have to see you. Please, even if you hate me for getting involved." I dig my hand into my phone. "Let me know where you'll be tonight. The reception ends around seven. I can get anywhere in the city by seven-thirty."

I end the call and hug the phone to my chest. My heart is racing. My breath is totally uneven.

Whatever happens, I have to tell him today.