Denial; it's a common symptom to experience after undergoing intense trauma and although a defence mechanism created by the conscious mind, it's not helpful in the slightest, nor emotionally healthy. Instead of facing ones true emotion, it simply allows for the brain to switch off from the pain it is suffering and as a result, drowns in fake feelings made up to protect us from what is really going on around us. In this instance, Aidan's return.

"It's not you. This isn't real." I gently whisper, too scared to increase my volume in fear of breaking down. "It can't be real."

Refusing to believe the severity of the situation and doing so by backing away from his warm touch, I stumble backwards, only to lose my footing on my seemingly unsteady legs. Thankfully, I'm caught between two strong arms and there's no denying their familiarity which leads me to believe had it not been for my blindfold still firmly held in place, I'd swear by it really being him.

"It's real, Amelia, I'm real." he ensures, voice running down my ear like soft silk, caressing my every being as it travels down to the very core of my stomach.

"Aidan." I whisper, breathlessly clinging onto him, partly because I'm still stuck in a position midway through falling and partly because I never want to let go.

He slowly steadies me on my feet and allows for his hands to further cup my cheeks, gently pealing away the blindfold as he goes. My vision becomes instantly blurred and I'm vaguely aware of a dark figure in front of me while smaller, quieter ones stand off to my right. I then hear the distant sounds of hushed chatter and blink a few times to rid the haze, hoping to find some clarity on the situation as I do so. Eventually it begins to work and as the veil is lifted from my line of sight, I gasp as I take in the magnificent view before me.

Stood in an elegant hall that can only be described as regally appropriate, I feel awfully out of place in my tiny red dress and suddenly wish I'd opted out for something far more conservative. In front of me are wall length windows offering up a delightful showing of the splendid gardens below; blues, yellows and reds all fighting to be seen in the many flower beds spread evenly across the aches of land. Indoors is no less breathtaking as above my head hangs elegant chandeliers, dazzling in crystals and screaming expense. Below them are various platforms, each one dripping with tasteful fairy lights that offer the entire space a rather relaxed atmosphere. Beside them, I notice a mix of off-white lilies adorning what appears to be a runway and to my right, unexpectedly, stands everyone I know, family included.

"What's going on? Why are you here? Why are they here?" I question, pointing a finger towards the large crowd of people, trying my best to wrap my head around the events surrounding the past five minutes.

To give credit where it's due, Aidan doesn't press for physical contact, probably sensing my slight apprehension in doing so and instead gestures for me to follow him around a large platform, offering us a sense of privacy.

"You're angry with me?" he questions, once in position and sounding slightly nervous in his enquiry but proceeding onwards nevertheless.

I barely have capability to think, let alone speak so when we end up just aimlessly staring at each other, I'm not surprised in the least. He looks scared, frightened even and as I come to realise my lack of answering his question is likely the cause of that, I open my mouth to speak, keen to offer him some reassurance.

"I'm not angry." I ensure, taking a small step closer. "I'm just confused." I then admit, bravely resting my hand to his beating heart, which may I say is rather rapidly hammering away in his rib cage.

Aidan very heavily sighs in response and takes hold of my hand, no doubt noticing the slight tremble it has now adopted. Further to his gentle caress, he pulls me flush against his solid frame, keeping me there with no further words uttered.

"I have a lot of explaining to do." he finally reveals, burying his nose firmly into my hard as rocks hair, courtesy of the gallon of hairspray used by Juliet. "But first just let me hold you. I've missed you."

His words offer me a sense of tranquility but my mind, paranoid as ever, does not allow for me to relax straight away.

"Aidan, how long are you back for?" I ask, muffled by my mouth being pressed into his suit jacket.

Wait? Why is he wearing a suit?

I quickly pull away and notice for the first time he's wearing a razor sharp, grey, three piece suit, similar to the one he's been wearing in my dream every night. His waistcoat consists of a beautiful cream colour, decorated with mint green swirls and gold outlines, the very thing making him look awfully dashing. Next to pull my attention is the detail of his perfectly groomed hair, neatly smoothed over to one side, unlike his usually messy look. It's waxed to precision and this only seems to confuse me further.

"Forever, I'm back forever." he replies, determined as ever.

"Right. And why are you dressed like you're about to attend a wedding?" I ask, slowly cottoning on to what's happening but not quite jumping to conclusions, just in case.

"Because I'm marrying the love of my life in an hour, if she'll say yes." he confidently answers, but I know better than believe the arrogance in his tone.

He's just as nervous as I am, if not more and with the sudden realisation of why he's here hitting me with full force, I'm rendered a bag of nerves. The hair stylist, the body wax, the rather odd woman at the boutique insisting on measuring my every curve; it wasn't my best friends pampering Anna and I for our birthday, they were slowly getting me ready for my own wedding day. Even Kyle and Hayley were aware, offering me 'something new' in the form of a beautiful necklace and oh dear god, Sally's somethings blue. The rather detailed vibrator was a nice touch indeed and definitely not too obvious.

I'm going to kill them all.

"Aidan, I-"

He interrupts my train of thought by reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a small, navy blue velvet box. Next, he gracefully positions himself into a smooth lunge and presents the box to me, smiling like an idiot the entire time. His actions take me somewhat by surprise and although I'm more than happy for him to be asking me this, there are still a lot of unanswered questions that need to be addressed before we can proceed.

"Amelia-"

"Wait, Aidan. I don't understand. What about London? Your work?" I ask, frantically desperate for some clarification. "What about Sophie?" I add, not daring to look him in the eye when I say so.

"Forget about that, forget about everything and just come back to me." comes his very tempting, very alluring response.

"Aidan." I sigh, gently alerting him of how unreasonable he's being. "I can't just forget it. It's your life and I don't want you to give that up for me."

"I'm not giving up my life for you, Amelia. You are my life." he defends, pulling on my hand as to bring me down to his level.

I comply with little to no protest and don't bat an eyelid when I almost topple over in my four inch heels.

"I know you feel guilty about Sophie but don't. We haven't been together for a while now. I broke it off with her the day after Jess' birthday party." he admits, startling me beyond belief. "You told me you loved me that night and I realised I felt the same. I couldn't continue my relationship with Sophie knowing I still had a chance with you-"

"What?" I frantically ask, cutting him off as my voice increases in pitch slightly. "But that was before we-" I pause, offering my brain some thinking space. "That was before we slept together." I conclude, finally squeezing the words out.

Aidan nods his head in understanding, seemingly agreeing with me and even has the nerve to shoot me a smug smirk.

Cocky Aidan is back.

"Well why didn't you tell me?" I scold shoving at his chest. "I've been miserable thinking you'd marry her!" I admit, only further encouraging his smile.

Lord, give me strength.

"I couldn't tell you straight away. I didn't want you thinking I was jumping from one relationship to the other. The truth is, I never got over you, Amelia and asking Sophie to marry me was my way of kidding myself I did." he admits, seeming relieved as he does so. "I kept it a secret because I didn't want you or anyone else thinking I was making an impulsive decision based on being back here. I didn't want you blaming yourself."

"So instead you let me carry on sleeping with you, all awhile I thought you were engaged to another woman? That makes no sense." I insult, still not convinced by his actions.

"I know darling and truth be told, it wasn't supposed to happen like that, let alone going on as long as it did. But then I found out you almost-" he pauses, lost for words. "Almost died by accidentally overdosing and I realised how fragile the situation was. You never got over our breakup, not properly, and I couldn't expect you to start a new relationship with me when you weren't even in a loving relationship with yourself."

His reasoning, oddly enough, begins to make sense and while still unhappy with him for not being completely honest, I do appreciate his unwillingness to do so.

"I love every bone in your body, Amelia and as much as I want to grow old with you, we both know more than anyone how unpredictable this world can be. I needed to know that should anything happen to me, you had the strength to carry on." he explains, taking things slow for my sake. "You were only just gaining your independence back and I didn't want to swoop in and make you depend on me again. So I pretended I wasn't yours to keep, even if it broke my heart every time you cried and killed me to walk away. Now, I realise I could've done all that without getting involved with you romantically, and honestly that was the plan, but I just couldn't keep my hands off of you." he sighs, although sounds far from annoyed with how things turned out in the end. "I'm sorry I left but I did have to go back to England to sort though some issues. I needed to pack all my belongings away and I owed it to Sophie to explain a few things but I promise I was on the phone to Anna everyday asking about you."

Both of us are on our knees, clutching onto each other as if our very lives depend on it and at the hands of his revelation, the waterworks begin.

"I know I lied but I believed I was doing the right thing. I still do. Look at you, not only do you look gorgeous but you seem happy and not just because I'm back. I knew not telling you would work out for the best and I don't regret a single thing. You weren't ready before but now you are and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you, watching you become the amazing woman you're destined to be. I needed you to be happy for you, Amelia, not for me."

His compliments have me blushing like crazy and randomly remembering my earlier discovery of Aidan's birthday present to me, I momentarily throw myself at him, thankful for everything he's done and is still doing.

"The blog!" I yell, burying my face in his shoulder again. "Thank you!"

I cling to his suit jacket and cry a little harder, unable to wrap my head around the last ten minutes. My tremors and sobs soon grab his attention and instead of trying to shh me, he merely holds onto me tighter, loving me.

"I'll let you cry for now but after tonight, there'll be no more tears. I'm going to marry you and we'll do nothing but smile from here on out." he instructs, or rather demands.

"You're so sure of yourself, I haven't said yes yet!" I argue, lightly pinching his bicep; its rapid bulge doing unimaginable things to my body. "You haven't even asked." I then laugh, accepting his thorough explanation for what it is.

The gods honest truth.

Simply put, I understand why he'd want me to resolve my own issues before attempting to build the bridges of our relationship and I love him all the more for it.

"Well, our entire family are here and our friends. You're not going to embarrass me by saying no, are you?" he chuckles, daring me to even try with his intense, hazel gaze. "If it helps, I asked your Dad for permission at Kyle and Hayley's leaving party. He caught us kissing in the kitchen and demanded to know my intentions, so I asked him there and then if I could marry you." he further elaborates, putting my slight nerves to rest, whilst shocking me with the knowledge my Dad's has had this entire time.

It explains why he was so accepting of mine and Aidan's secret relationship in the first place.

"And your Mom, I asked her at the grave." he adds, sporting a vibrant blush all of a sudden.

"You did?" I ask, shocked at his thoughtful gesture.

His insistence to talk with my Mother alone back in New York now makes sense and had I only known then what he was saying, I would have saved myself a lot of hurt.

"Yes, so will you? Will you marry me, darling?" he smiles, resting his forehead to mine, fanning my cheek with a shaky breath. "Tonight?"

"Yes." I whisper, without so much as thinking it through. "I'll marry you. Tonight." I add, giggling like a small child who's Christmases have all come at once.

Aidan barely waits a second before presenting me with the ring, my ring, and I eagerly watch as he slips the recognisable piece of jewellery on my marriage finger, enjoying the little dance it does under the venues lighting. He then lifts me up with little to no effort, forcing me to wrap my legs around his hips and spins me around whilst cheerfully laughing.

"She said yes!" he yells, before slamming his lips to mine, taking them hostage with his brutal kiss.

The entire place erupts with loud applause and had I not been so caught up with Aidan, I'd be embarrassed by our sudden audience.

"I'm never letting you go ever again." I whisper to him, allowing my body to slide down his as our embrace comes to an end.

"Actually, you'll have to. We have approximately fifty minutes to get you ready." states Anna, certainly not messing around as she saunters on over in her beautiful, black dress. "And you made her cry dickhead, I thought I said no tears." she scolds, aiming her telling off at Aidan who slowly backs away, laughing at her attempts to fix my makeup.

"Hey, you can't call me a dickhead, I'll be your brother in an hour." he defends, suddenly shooting forward and wrapping her up into a side hug. "Thanks for everything Anna, I couldn't have done this without you." he adds, kissing the top of her hair in a brotherly way.

"Oh god, now I'm crying. You really are a dickhead." she splutters, on the verge of tears herself.

I don't get to hear his reaction to that as next to steal me away is Jess and Chloe, the pair certainly taking their bridesmaids duty seriously.

My gosh, this is actually happening. I'm marrying Aidan. Tonight.

~~~~

Getting ready takes less time than anticipated, especially when taking into considering the non stop visitors I've had from the moment I stepped foot in the dressing room, provided by the hotel. It's a generous sized space with just as much class as the main room, only this one centres around full length mirrors and a champagne tower. I declined the first glass, wanting to have a clear head for the remainder of the afternoon and instead, settled for a respectable orange juice. My dress, an off the shoulder, ivory lace beauty, is jaw-droppingly magnificent hanging in front of me, decorated with elegant pearls and adorned with flecks of gold stitched into the full length skirt. I'd cried when I first saw it and to say Anna got it perfect is an understatement. My bridesmaids; Anna, Jess and Chloe are all in mint green, floor length dresses, matching the men and my two flower girls, Emily and April are in cream and gold gowns, looking ever the cutie pies.

"My god, you're truly beautiful, Amelia." sobs Hannah, seeing me in my dress for the first time, having insisted on tagging along as 'the mother of the bride'.

I honestly don't mind in the slightest. She's more than earned that title.

"You look like a princess!" yells Emily, making April's grin widen that little bit more.

The pair have talked nonstop about finally becoming sisters by law and I must say, seeing their joy only increases my own. Truth be told, I've considered Aidan's family my own for quite some time now but finally making it official feels special. It feels right even.

"A pretty princess." adds April, melting my heart some more.

"You two are the real princesses here. You'll steal the show hands down." I smile, bending slightly to kiss them both on the cheek.

Interrupting us from our moment is the sound of the dressing room door opening, followed by the soft sounds of violins playing in the background; their stings bringing literal music to my ears.

"Are we ready?" comes a voice I recognise to be my Dad's, followed by the tell tale signs of Ethan being in his arms. "I don't mean to rush you ladies but I have a very anxious groom to be pacing the floor in anticipation."

He comes into full view and abruptly stops when his gaze lands on me, the sudden moisture in his eyes nearly sending me over the edge.

"Wow. Sweetheart, you look breathtaking." he reveals, already setting me off.

"Right, no more tears until after the photographs. Hannah, take Ethan, girls lets get into position and Dad, for the love of god do not make her cry anymore!" instructs Anna, sounding ever so bossy in her demands.

Dad offers me a subtle wink but willingly obliges to her every request by handing over Ethan to Hannah, lovingly kissing his wife on the cheek as he goes. We're then momentarily left in the room by ourselves for a few short minutes and it appears he chooses now to begin his 'Dad speech'.

"These are for you." he nervously states, slowly walking over to me, dressed in his own smart suit. "They were your Moms. I bought her them for her eighteenth birthday." he chokes, slightly welling up.

He holds out a pair of delicate, clear crystal earnings, the very things looking awfully elegant. I instantly feel tears sting the backs of my eyes but quick to demolish them is Dad wrapping his arms around my lace covered waist, squeezing me into a hug.

"I have another pair that I bought her for Christmas which I'll give to Anna on her special day." he explains, pinning his own suit covered body to mine. "She's with you today, you know that, right? Your Mom would be so proud of you. Both of you." he continues, quickly catching a tear as it rolls down my cheek. "Come on now, Anna will kill me if she sees you've been crying again. I think it's time we make you Mrs. Amelia Richards." he grins, tugging on my arm and pulling me out towards where I know my future husband is waiting for me.

He quickly helps loop the earrings in place and whispers a quiet, "something old," before presenting me with a bracelet I know I've seen previously and utters out another hushed, "and something borrowed."