Hi friends :) This is a double update so make sure you're reading chapter 28 (this one) first! Enjoy

I have never seen my brother this nervous in my life. It's the morning of his wedding day, and as his best man, I'm responsible for keeping all his pre-wedding jitters in check.

"I'm going to fucking trip." He blurts anxiously for the fifth time since we sat down for breakfast.

I roll my eyes. "You're not going to trip, Rock. If anything, Talia should be the one worrying about that. She has to wear heels and a dress."

"Doesn't matter," he mumbles anxiously. He's got to be the most dramatic person I know.

We eat our breakfast at Rocky's favorite breakfast restaurant: The Pancake House. I swear the man could eat his weight in "dollar pancakes." I don't blame him; they're pretty fuckin' good.

"This whole 'can't see each other before the wedding' shit is stupid too. I mean, what if I see her on the aisle and suddenly she's extremely revolting, and I can't go through with it? Plus, she was the one who didn't want traditional. Well, that's as traditional as it gets!" He rambles, running a hand through his hair.

I stare at him blankly. "You honestly think you'll fall out of love with Tals in less than 24 hours?"

He groans. "Obviously not, Zayn, but hypotheticals are valuable worries, bro." He downs the last of his coffee with a sigh.

"You need to quit it with this irrational anxiety. You've always been the calm, cool, collected one, remember? There can only be one irrational sibling, and I proudly hold that title."

I guess it's normal for people to get anxious on their wedding day, but I never expected it of Rocky. He's been so sure of this since the moment he decided on proposing, now suddenly he's losing his mind? I guess it's true- love really does make you crazy.

"I just want to hold my girl, is that too much to fucking ask for?" He says grumpily. I chuckle at his aggravation, ignoring him.

We spend the rest of the breakfast devouring our pancakes and engaging in small talk. For the most part, Rocky keeps his ludicrous thoughts to himself.

Scarlett keeps texting me from back at the hotel, wondering when she should get to the venue. As the best man, I have to get ready with my brother and the rest of the wedding party, but Scarlett will be meeting me here eventually.

To say I was excited to see her was an understatement. I just saw her this morning, but I have yet to see her dress. All she told me was that I would love it, which is a no-brainer because anything she wears I'd love.

"If you miss her that much, just have her get ready with us," Rocky says from the passenger seat as we drive back to the venue. He must've seen me checking my phone for a text from her.

"Trust me, I offered. She doesn't want to impose."

Rocky rolls his eyes. "Where did you find such a polite and considerate woman? She's too good for you." Rocky jokes.

I flip him off but nod in agreement because he is absolutely right. I knew Scarlett was too good for me the moment she opened her mouth.

We pulled into the venue parking lot. It's an outdoor venue, its sole purpose for events like weddings and other celebratory events. There's a large building where the reception will be held. There are also two large rooms inside where Talia and Rocky's bridal parties will be getting ready.

The girl's room is right next door, and there's been music blaring since nine in the morning. The sound of Beyoncé's "Single Ladies" is piercing through the walls when we get back. Ironic.

Rocky groans at the song choice, pulling out his own speaker in retaliation. He turns on Jason Derulo's "Ridin' Solo." Why? I have no idea.

Rocky's groomsmen, Daniel and Lamar, are laughing, greeting us as they get up from the couches. Rocky's known Daniel since we were kids. He was our next-door neighbor throughout our school years, making us pretty close. He'll probably be at my wedding, too.

Lamar, I only met a year ago, but he's known Rocky since the start of his new job. They've been pretty close ever since, and Lamar's fiance just so happens to be best friends with Talia, so it worked perfectly.

"Is he still acting a fool?" Lamar asks.

"Yep," I sigh. "I tried. It's up to you two now. I need to finish my speech." I walk out of the room and outside, taking in my surroundings.

The ceremony will be beautiful, and based on what I've heard, it's everything Talia wanted. There are only five rows of chairs, adding up to about twenty guests. Most of which are Talia's, considering I'm virtually Rocky's only family.

There's a long white carpet leading from the stone patio outside the building all the way down to the flower arch and elevated stage where the two will read their vows and solidify their marriage with a kiss.

Not to be a sap, but I'm damn excited. I know that the night will be amazing, because it's Rocky and Talia, and celebrating them is a gift within itself. Also, Talia would never let her own wedding be anything less than perfect.

I sit down on one of the chairs with my notebook and a pen in hand. Talia's maid of honor is messing around with the decorations, ensuring everything is perfectly placed and looks nice.

We both ignore each other, too swept up in our own last minute details. I have my speech written in disjointed sentences right now, but nothing is put together. I want my speech to be heartfelt, but I've never been good at vulnerability. I want it to be special- a moment that Rocky and Talia will remember, but everytime I try to come up with the right thing to say, my mind goes blank.

After a solid five minutes of blankly staring at the pages, I call the one person I know will always help me make sense of my emotions.

She answers on the second ring. "Hi," she says softly.

I smile at the sound of her silky smooth voice. "Hi, baby. I need your help."

"What's wrong?" Scarlett asks, sounding worrisome.

"I can't figure out this speech. It's driving me crazy. I know what I want to say, I just can't put it together." I explain.

"Well, tell me what you want to say. Just speak from your heart. Act like I'm Rocky."

I guess that'll help. I shut my notebook and close my eyes for a second, wracking my brain for where to even begin. Once I find a good starting point, I just let it rip, saying everything I can think of and more.

Once I finally shut the hell up, Scarlett is silent for a moment. "Was it that bad?"

She giggles softly. "Not at all. I wrote down some of what you said. I'm texting it to you now. All you have to do now is write it in a cohesive way. Exactly what you said to me. You have a beautiful way with words, Z."

Sure enough, my phone dings and there's a long paragraph of everything she caught that I said. "Thank you, beautiful. I don't deserve you."

I mumbled the last part, but she heard it anyway. "No, I don't deserve you."

"Come see me?" I practically beg.

"You have to get ready, Z. I'll see you in a couple of hours. Focus on your brother." She denies.

"Fine," I answered grumpily. "But I'm ordering you an Uber as soon as you're ready." I don't even give her time to argue before hanging up and getting to work on my speech.

There are only thirty minutes before the wedding ceremony, and Scarlett is finally on her way.

Wedding guests are slowly starting to arrive, causing Rocky to panic as he greets the guests. He refused to stay in his room a second longer after finally pulling on his tux. I think he regrets that decision now because Talia's grandmother has been talking his ear off for ten minutes.

I help Hailey, the Maid of Honor, get everything situated for the ceremony. The two aren't religious, but Talia's mother insisted on having a priest officiate the wedding. Talia made sure that there wouldn't be a lot of religious terminologies, though.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and I know that my girl is here. I excuse myself from Hailey and rush to the parking lot when I see her.

She's walking towards the building, the Uber I sent for her driving off. She's wearing the most beautiful silk sage green dress that hugs her curves deliciously. She paired it with a tall pair of clear heels, giving her an extra couple of inches.

When she spots me, a breathtaking smile takes over her features. Only then do I realize that her usually wavy hair is pin-straight, falling just past her breasts. Fuck, she is absolutely gorgeous.

I rush towards her and kiss her roughly. When we break apart, her hands find mine, and she looks up at me with a smile. "You look handsome."

"You look fucking amazing," I rush out, kissing her forehead and then her lips again. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever fucking seen."

She blushes, looking down shyly. "Thank you, Zayn. You should wear a suit more often." She pulls on my bowtie, smirking.

"You like it, huh?"

She nods. "Mhm."

I pull her closer to me by the back of her neck, pressing her body to mine as we kiss one final time before heading in.

"How the fuck am I going to focus when you look like this?" I say it jokingly, but it's a serious question because damn, is my girl distracting.

"Oh, hush." She waves me off.

I make sure Scarlett knows where to sit and ensure that she's comfortable before I head back to Rocky. She's sat next to Rocky's buddies from work, and she seems to be making conversation just fine. I worry about her too damn much.

We all prepare to walk down the aisle, lining up in order. Hailey and I will be walking together first, after Rocky, of course.

Once Hailey comes rushing back from Talia's room and stands beside me, we're ready to get started. The pianist takes her seat and looks to Rocky for confirmation, who looks to Hailey with worried eyes. She nods with a reaffirming smile.

That one nod starts the entire ceremony. And what a beautiful ceremony it is. From Talia's entrance with her father to their heart-warming vows to the kiss that seals the deal, everyone is surrounded by their love and beauty, and it's endlessly contagious.

I stared at Scarlett the whole time.

Once the ceremony is over, I rush over to Scarlett, who compliments me far too much. I decided against telling her that her damn dress makes me want to take her to the bathroom stall.

We spend the reception wrapped up in each other, her hands all over me and mine all over her. We can't even help it at this point. My brain always finds some way to subconsciously touch her. The food is delicious, and the bar full of fruity drinks is keeping Scarlett very satisfied.

As the night goes on, everyone becomes slightly less sober and much more energetic. As the music comes to a halt, I anxiously swallow as I realize what time it is.

The announcer calls me up, handing me the mic, and I try to calm my nerves as I unfold the paper with my scribbled speech. Rocky and Talia look at me with confident smiles and happy eyes.

God, I better not fuck this up.

"So I'll be honest, I didn't even know what I was going to say this morning, and I'm still not sure if this is great, but here goes nothin'." That gets me a few muffled laughs. Good start, I guess.

"Now, most of you here haven't had the pleasure of knowing Rocky, but let me tell you, I've known him since birth, and you're not missing much." More laughter. Good sign. Rocky, however, is certainly not laughing.

After the laughter died down, I started again. "Nah, I wish that were the truth. Growing up, I thought having a big brother was lame, especially when your big brother liked to eat rocks in public settings. The older I got, though, the more I realized how damn lucky I am to have this man in my life."

"You see, Rocky isn't just my big brother. He's my best friend, my guardian angel, my therapist, and my emotional support human. He fills up so many roles in my life that needed filling, and I'm honestly surprised he hasn't begged for retirement at this point. We didn't have the childhood we deserved, and it made us a lot closer. Neither of us could've survived without the other, and that's why it's so surreal to be standing here with you all. I'm not surprised Rocky found someone as amazing as Talia. At first, I was scared Talia would corrupt him and steal away my best friend, but she only accompanied an already amazing dynamic. Talia loves to keep me in check, just like Rock, and if I'm ever acting a fool, I know the both of them are ready to hand me my ass on a platter."

I turned to face my brother now; my nerves were almost completely gone. "Rock, I've watched you transform as a man these last couple years, ensuring that you'd be the best boyfriend, and now husband, for Talia. I've watched you work so damn hard to better yourself for Tals, and you're both so perfect for one another that I can't imagine either of you with anyone else. Talia, you are the perfect fit for our very small family, and I'm so blessed to have you as my sister-in-law. I can't wait for all the crazy memories to come, and I love you both so much. Thank you for everything."

I wrap up my speech, and before I can even set down the mic, Rocky crushes me in a bear hug, Talia coming shortly after. We're in a full-on group hug now, laughing as we sway a little, trying to find our balance.

Once I finally head back to the table, Scarlett looks up at me, admiration clear in her eyes. "That was beautiful, Z."

She kisses my cheek softly, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes. I can tell something is wrong; I just don't know what.

We sit down, and she looks down, pinching her wrist like she does when she's anxious. I grab her hands to stop that and pull them into my lap. "What's wrong, Scar?"

She sighs, looking around and staring at the corner of the banquet hall. I turn to look too, but nothing is there.

"Do you remember that man? The creepy guy at the bar I told you about last week?" She asks.

I nod slowly, furrowing my brows. "Yeah, why?"

"I saw him here, in the corner, staring at me and then you while you gave your speech," I whip my head around and try to find any evidence of what she saw. "He's gone now."

"What? He was here? What did he look like?" My first thought is that she has a stalker, or maybe the alcohol mixed with her medication is giving her hallucinations. I know the second one isn't true, but it's better than imagining the worst.

She pauses, thinking. "He, um, was wearing the same navy blue hoodie he had on at the bar. He had the hood on, but I could see his eyes this time. They were dark but blue, I think, maybe green. He had a long overgrown beard, but I couldn't see any hair underneath the hood. He looked tall, too, a few inches shorter than you." She rushes out nervously.

I hold her hands tighter, trying to stop the overwhelming anxiety she's feeling. Long, overgrown beard, worn-out navy blue hoodie, blue eyes, tall. Fuck.

Fuck.

I kiss Scarlett on the forehead quickly and ask her to stay with Talia. I rush to the men's room and pull out my phone, dialing Adelaide's number as fast as possible.

She answers quickly. "I was going to call you,"

"Why?" I ask apprehensively.

She doesn't say anything for a while, silence bathing us. "Just say it."

"Your father has been released for nearly a month."

Those words alone are enough to make my blood freeze over.

My father was here.