Connected: Part 4 of the On The Edge Series

Chapter 45

"Ready?" Tim whispered.

"Ready," I agreed.

"Song selection one, the aisle song," he murmured as he hit a button on his phone, and Here Comes the Sun played. "How'd I do?"

"It's absolutely perfect," I smiled. "I love you, Timmy," I whispered as James and Viv ducked through the curtain to the aisle.

"She's going to cry," Jackson warned Timmy.

"I'm not going to cry," I weakly protested.

"I'm already crying," Tess said as she dabbed delicately at her eyes to avoid ruining her makeup. "I have like a dozen tissues hidden in my bouquet; I've got your back," she added before she slipped through the curtain.

"Look at me," Timmy gently spoke. He inspected my face and pulled a handkerchief from his pocket. "Look up," I followed as he directed, feeling the tears pool at the edges of my eyes as he dabbed them dry. "Happy tears?"

"Very happy?" My voice cracked as I spoke. "What if I can't make it down the aisle?"

"You weigh like ten pounds; I'll carry you," Timmy smiled.

"Okay, I've got this." I sucked in a deep breath. "Wait," I called out.

Timmy stopped dead, and a hand shot to my waist to ensure I didn't wobble off my heels.

"I got you something," I added.

"Geez, Lil, you nearly gave me a heart attack," Tim clutched his chest like his heart had just started to painfully beat again.

I pulled a watch that I had wrapped around my bouquet and handed it to him.

"Aw, it's beautiful, Lil," Tim said as he looked over the face of the watch.

"Billy helped me pick it out. We had it engraved."

Tim flipped the watch over and read the inscription aloud. "World's Third Greatest Dad," he laughed. "Somehow, I don't think you needed to tell me that Billy helped," he added.

"Thank you, Timmy. I wouldn't be here without you, and I know I wouldn't be able to make it down that aisle without you," I stammered as tears pooled in my eyes again.

"One thing..." Tim pulled me in for a tight hug; he let his forehead rest on mine as he pulled away. "Sisters," he smiled.

"Sisters," I agreed as a small laugh crossed my lips.

As Tim pulled the curtain aside, I focused on not tripping in my heels. Tim's hands steadied me until we were safely past the fabric. I looked up to see the faces of my family staring at me with tears in their eyes. The attention on me sent a surge of panic through me.

"You're okay," Timmy reminded me as I dug my fingers into his arm.

And then I saw him. He was there, just ten yards away. The moment my eyes met his, my feet floated to him. There was no one else in the world; it was just Billy. It was always just Billy. The separation was too much. As I was drawn to him, he was equally drawn to me. He met Timmy and me at least a yard into the aisle.

"Hi," I whispered up to him as I grasped his arm.

"Hey, beautiful," he breathed into my ear.

"Hi," I said again, pulling a smile to his face.

"Lead the way, heartbreaker," he whispered down to me.

I walked the rest of the way between Billy and Timmy.

"Brandon?" I was confused as I stood before him.

"It's amazing what you can do on the internet these days," Billy noted.