Today was a big day. Not for me, though. I was a bridesmaid and moral support.

Darien had been the lucky one out of my group of friends to get engaged. Mandy was still on the lookout for love after her relationship with Alex fell through (he'd been trying to multitask between girls). Kendal didn't have anyone, and Madison and her girlfriend were far from marriage.

The last eight months had been nothing but stressful for Darien, even with our help. All the thought, all the planning, all the coordination, we tried our best to lend her a hand.

To loosen some of the pressure off of Darien, Kendal had taken it upon herself to be the bride's stylist for the big day. Kendal had taken cosmetology in high school, so she practically leapt at the chance.

Darien's bedroom was huge, so we all managed to fit inside. Kendal had dragged Darien off into her bathroom, and we hadn't seen either one of them since.

During the first few hours, Madison, Amanda, and I all prepped ourselves, well, what we could anyway. Knowing Kendal she'd want to doll one of us up more.

Amanda had excused herself to go change into her dress. Madi and I changed in Darien's bedroom, having our backs turned to each other. Our dresses were a beautiful pale pink, and strapless. I wasn't exactly all for the no-straps idea, but I couldn't argue with Darien. It was her wedding, and what she wanted, she got.

Madison and I made sure each other's dress wasn't slipping down our bodies. Madi was lucky she didn't have to do much with her hair, being that she kept it in a pixie. I didn't want to do much with my hair on this occasion, so I left it in its natural straight form. The only major change to my appearance was that I dyed my hair blonde. I wanted change.

For a while now, change has been good in my life.

I fingered the necklace I was wearing around my neck. It was another reminder of what good change had come into my life in recent years.

Amanda came back, with her hair up in a messy bun. My eyes went to the still-closed bathroom door.

"Wonder when Kendal is going to release her," I joked. "She can't miss her wedding."

"If Darien isn't out within the next half hour, I say we break the door down and steal her," Madison suggested. "I get that Kendal wants Darien to look awesome, but seriously, this is getting ridiculous." Being that Madison was the maid of honor, I could see why she was impatient. She felt just as much pressure as Darien did. Sure, the rest of us chipped in on helping out, but Madi took on most of the workload.

"You know I can hear you!" Kendal snapped from the other side of the door. "And I'm almost done."

"Even if she wasn't, you aren't breaking down the door," Darien piped. "Can somebody get my dress? I might as well change in here once Kendal is done."

Madison was closest to Darien's white dress, so she hauled it to the bathroom door. We all saw a quick skinny arm snatch it and then close the door again.

"So you're positive that your dad isn't coming?" Amanda asked me out of the blue.

"Mandy, he can't just catch a flight down here whenever he wants to. It costs money," I told her. "Remember how long it took me to come back home?"

"Well, it wasn't just a money issue with you."

I cringed inwardly. She wasn't wrong, but I didn't want to be reminded of that fact.

"It's a shame he can't," Madison voiced. "He was such a sweetheart."

"Guys, it's not my wedding," I reminded them. "I don't see any reason why he'd want to fly down here for Darien's wedding. He's only met her a few times."

"Still, it would have been polite to ask." Madi shrugged.

"For the record, I did ask. He's got other priorities back home."

It was weird to refer to London as my home, because I was pretty sure that was where I was originally from. I'd only just discovered who my real father was almost two years ago. I'd unknowingly become close to him in my second stay in England.

Well, who would have thought that my father was John Watson, famed blogger?

To this day, even though it's been a few years, my association with him was still a bit strange. He'd never known I existed for twenty years, as my real mother had never told him about me. There was one man to thank for helping me find the truth, but unfortunately, he'd been dead for almost two years.

Though I could think of him without breaking down—it took a while to build that ability—the pain was still in my heart. We hadn't been close, but that didn't mean that I didn't miss him. London just wasn't the same without the world's only consulting detective staying at Baker Street.

A pair of snapping fingers brought me out of my thoughts.

"Did somebody say something?" I asked.

"I asked you how he was doing," Amanda explained.

"Who?"

Mandy groaned dramatically. "Your dad, Rachel."

"Last I talked to him, everything has been fine." I shrugged. If it had been up to me, I probably would have stayed in London. Of course, if I had done that, I would have left my friends behind and my boyfriend.

Just because my first relationship crashed and burned didn't mean that it would stop me. I'd felt that way originally until Amanda plotted with Darien to help me get back out into the dating world. I'd hated them for doing that to me without me knowing. Over time I'd let go of the hate, this current relationship wasn't a disaster.

After what seemed like forever, Kendal slipped out of the bathroom first, keeping the door mostly closed behind her. She was dressed in her bridesmaid attire as well, dolled up and everything.

"Is she ready?" Madison pressed. "As much as I love standing around, we've got to make sure we don't miss the limo, let alone the wedding."

"I'm dressed, chill out," Darien called. "Kendal, away from the door please."

Kendal stepped away as Darien came out of the bathroom.

Max was one lucky guy.

I knew we joked around with Kendal a lot about her skills when it came to this sort of thing, but she really did a nice job. There was no way Kendal could do anything more on Darien. The makeup blended in with her skin tone, her hair was done up nicely. And the dress. Don't get me started on the main attraction.

"I don't think Max is going to keep his hands off of you tonight," Amanda snickered. Darien's face flushed.

"I'll take that as high praise," Kendal said.

"Alright, guys. The limo awaits."

* * *

It was a shame that the late October weather was too chilly, otherwise I was sure Darien and Max would have had an outdoor wedding. Still, an indoor wedding was traditional and good too.

Everything went off without a hitch. The turnout was pretty good, considering Darien's family and Max's were pretty huge. The majority of the people attending were more towards family than friends.

The ceremony was beautiful. Some people were in tears, I wasn't one of them. True, I did pay attention to what was being said and all, but my focus had been on one of the groomsmen, particularly the best man Max had chosen.

The said man was Bayley Redding. It was amazing how one person could turn my life around more. My biological father had been the first, Bayley had been the second.

Once the wedding was over, everyone slowly made their way to the reception. Before the wedding party arrived, we were held hostage by a photographer for about an hour, snapping pictures. He'd picked a good time, just as the sun was setting. Once the bridesmaids and groomsmen were done for pictures, we watched as the newlyweds did a few more takes.

By the time the sun was halfway set, we headed inside for the reception to begin.

The place Madison had found was massive, which was good, considering how many people had attended. The wedding party was introduced a pair at a time, finally with the bride and groom bringing up the rear. The bride and groom shared their first dance while everyone else looked on.

My heart melted looking at the way Darien and Max looked at each other. I wondered if that was how my dad looked at his girlfriend. I wouldn't know, as I wasn't around them. I'd Skyped with them often, sure, but I never actually met his girlfriend in person. Hmm, that would be a good excuse to go back to London, to officially meet her.

It wasn't before long that the wedding party joined in. Madison shipped Bayley off to me so we could be together. Though having my friends' approval wouldn't have made or broke my relationship with Bayley, it was good to know we had their support.

"I never got to tell you how beautiful you look," Bayley told me.

I smiled sheepishly. "You don't look bad yourself," I teased.

I had quite a catch with Bayley. A substitute teacher only two years older than me. Eyes that prevented me from getting mad at him, being the ocean-blue that they were. His hair was a similar shade to my dad's, a sandy blond, only Bayley wasn't graying.

Oh, and I forgot to mention the most important thing: Bayley was a born Brit, like me. The only major difference was that I didn't have the accent. He'd lived in America for a few years and knew Max more than Darien. I guess you could say Max was in on the getting-me-to-date-again plan too.

"I can see this being ours in a few years," Bay murmured.

"Or are you thinking sooner?" I raised an eyebrow. "I mean, we're already living together." In our defense, we'd been together for over a year. It wouldn't seem so out there to think about marriage. I was twenty-three currently, and it seemed most people around my age were either talking about being engaged, married, and starting a family.

"Do you want to get married sooner?"

I shook my head. "I'm wondering if you're thinking about it coming sooner."

"I'd ask your parents first."

"We're of legal age to where you don't have to do that." I laughed.

"I'm old-fashioned, Rach."

Bayley and I took off from the dance floor to prepare for dinner. I'd never been to a wedding, let alone been part of the wedding party. As we sat at the table assigned to us, I wondered when I'd be at a special table like this again wearing the white dress.

In all honesty, weddings were only a big deal to the bride and groom. I knew I'd get a different perspective once it was my turn.

For the rest of the night, it was eating, drinking, talking, and dancing. Darien and Max went around the room, visiting each table dutifully. I mostly remained at the wedding party table with Bayley, Amanda, and Madison. Kendal had wandered off.

Madison was glued to her phone. Being a nosy girl, I peeked over her shoulder. I scowled, realizing she was on Twitter. I had no problem with the social media site; I just had an issue as to what Madi was looking at.

Madi noticed I was breathing down her neck, but she didn't look up from her phone. "You can look away if it bothers you that much."

"I can't believe you're still convinced." I shook my head in dismay.

"You aren't?"

"Madi, I saw what happened. I was there." I swallowed, feeling my heart race. I took a deep breath so I didn't take a terrible trip down memory lane. "You can't come back from something like that."

"He could." Madi met my eyes. "If anyone could, it would be him."

I shook my head again. "I can't believe Kendal roped you into this. He couldn't have faked his death."

"It's not just her and me that believe, Rachel."

A little riled, I slunk away. Suddenly I didn't feel like celebrating anymore.

Bay noticed my attitude. "What's bothering you?" He almost had to shout over the music.

"I think I want to leave," I said curtly. "I'll tell you when we get home."

Bay nodded once before guiding me away from the table. Darien and Max caught us just as we were slipping away. Bayley made the excuse that I wasn't feeling well so we could escape suspicion. Thankfully, the newlyweds were too caught up in the festivities to think something was off.

* * *

"You can't let little things get to you, Rach," Bay told me through the bathroom as I laid in bed.

"But it wasn't a little thing, Bayley, that's the problem," I retorted calmly. The mattress squeaked as I shifted. "You may think it's no big deal, but it is for me."

"I'm trying to not sound ignorant." Bay shut the bathroom light off before joining me in bed. He laid on his side, watching me with tired eyes. "I want to understand, but you won't help."

"If you were in my place, all those Facebook pages and Tweets would bother you too. Why do people insist that he's not dead?" I groaned. "I can understand them in believing he was real, because I'm on their side with that. But they're going too far with him being alive."

"I think you need to let it go."

I sighed heavily. "This is why I don't do social media."

"Yet you looked at Madison's phone and saw what she was reading."

"I should have known better."

Bay pulled me into his arms. "It's the past, and it's done and over with. Let's focus on the here and now."

Even as I tried to settle down, my mind was a live wire. I needed to erase their hopes out of my head before I joined them. I'd been given hope before and had it demolished. This instance would be no different if I decided to believe.

My mind was already made up. The reality was Sherlock Holmes was dead and never coming back.