Walking into the shop after two weeks was a strange feeling. Everything was still in the perfect place, the same place it was when I had left. Which was exactly how it should be. I unlocked the front door and turned the lights on running through the opening process as I rush up the stairs to drop my purse off and logging onto my computer. Clara would be here soon. I needed to get some emails done but I had to watch the floor until someone else was here to manage things. I let out a sigh of exhaustion as I watched carefully as everyone rushed to work. Usually no one comes in this early but you never know. I tugged at the dress I had purchased yesterday, my mother forced herself on me, spending the entire afternoon pestering me about why I wouldn't talk to anyone. I shook my head preparing myself for another day like that.

I didn't want to answer all the questions. I didn't want to talk about Andrew or Carter, or my trip in California. I wanted to put a sign on my chest that said leave me alone, so people would just mind their own business.

Clara was the first to come rushing into the shop. She burst through the doors as if she was late, but in reality she was fifteen minutes early. I shook my head, usually I would chuckle at this but I just wasn't in the mood. As soon as she was in the shop I turned to head back up the stairs towards my computer. I wanted to safety of my office. Most people left me alone in there.

Once I was in my soft office chair I clicked mindlessly on the computer until it came to life, the monitor whirring as it tried to figure out what it was supposed to do. It took a few minutes longer than normal and honestly it wasn't bothering me today. I wasn't in the mood to do anything, my mind dreaming of taking a shower for the rest of the day, or even a bubble bath. Something to keep my mind off of everything.

Or to keep me away from the questions I was going to have to answer eventually.

I knew Clara would be flustered that I'd left her alone downstairs without saying anything but it would be fine. She knew how to open the shop and I trusted her to take care of things as If it were me down there doing it myself.

Finally the computer screen came to life showing me the screensaver. Ironically, and I hadn't thought about this before, but the background was a sandy beach covered with blue water, some of the most blue water you could ever find.

It was California. I shook my head looking at the scene and I rushed to open up a browser. Anything that would cover it up. I would have to change it a little later today. My emails were the first thing that pulled up. I started searching through them looking for anything of importance that needed taken care of now.

There were a few bridal shows, a couple people responded to my job requests, and a couple of random brides asking questions about the alterations on their dresses. My mother would have to answer those ones. I hadn't been around to keep track of what was going on and needed to catch up before I could handle those again.

I sent them to her inbox so that she would see them when she came into work today. I carefully searched each email looking for anything that would mean I'd have to travel or take care of. My mother hadn't told me too much about what was going on, mostly because she didn't want to stress me out with work while I was on vacation.

Now that I think about it, I wish she would have so that I would have been able to focus on something else other than the horrible first half of my vacation. I tried to push the thoughts out of my head as I clicked on the first unread email, reading it quickly before typing my response.

I was able to hide away in my office for a few hours before there was a slight knock on the door. I let out a sigh before turning around.

"Come in," I muttered waiting for whoever was on the other side of the door to enter the room. Clara's long brown curls bounce around her shoulders as she plops down on the couch sitting against the wall. I shook my head turning back to my computer to continue looking at next years line of wedding dresses.

I hadn't realized how hard my job was going to be on me today. The thought of looking at wedding dresses after I'd just ended my engagement was killing me. I found myself wishing I did anything else at this moment. Maybe I would need a job change. I pinched my arm trying to get the bad thoughts out of my head. That would be the worst thing I'd ever do.

"Erin are you alright?" Clara questions as she stares at me. I can feel her brown eyes boring into my soul as she tries to break my wall that I had put up. It didn't matter how many times she hit it with a hammer, the pain I was feeling right now was too real to even begin to think about letting someone in. I needed a little bit of time to just be with myself. A little bit of time to figure out what I actually want in life.

As of right now I thought it was Carter, but I couldn't tell. I couldn't trust that he was going to be around forever or that he would do anything to prove his love to me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, knowing all to well that she wasn't going to take that answer. She knew me better than that and honestly it hurt me to say it. I hated that I kept doing this to myself. I needed to cry, I wanted to scream all of my emotions to her, but for some reason I was locking myself away.

"Are you sure?" She paused for a moment, her hand reaching forward as if she was going to touch me but thought twice about it. I shook my head once again, my neck sore from the amount of times I've done that in the last few days.

"Yes," I turned once again to look at her, pulling my eyes away from the stunning mermaid dress that sat on my computer screen.

"Talk to me Erin, we've all been so worried about you. Your mother said you didn't even talk to her yesterday or today when you left for work," I shrugged my shoulders letting out yet another heavy sigh.

"I don't know what to say," I knew this was a cop out. There were so many things on my mind that I wanted to just scream at her, I wanted to scream at a wall, at Andrew, at Carter, I needed to talk so badly but everything felt like it was stuck. I couldn't figure out how to say anything the right way and the more I thought about it the more complicated things got.

"Well, let's figure it out, first off how are you feeling. One single word, I don't need the whole story up front, let's start on one thing at a time, let's work through this," I appreciated what Clara was doing but it didn't feel like something we should do at work. My eyes begin to tear up as I look back at the dress on the computer screen.

"Next years dresses are going to be stunning," I mumbled clicking to the next one, turning the computer screen so that she could see. It was a lot of lace, and unique cuts that hadn't been popular in a little while but seemed to be making a comeback.

"That must be hard for you," Clara responded with as she removed herself from the couch. She crouched down next to me to look at the dresses with me. Her hand gently on my shoulder as she did so. We clicked through the images not speaking as we did so.

This was comforting to me. I felt like I was tackling things head on without having to talk, but I wasn't alone. Even though I still felt lonely on the inside I knew I wasn't alone and this mattered.

"I really like this one," She stops me pointing at an A-line dress. A style that we hadn't seen in almost twenty years. I nodded my head looking at the dress, taking in the beautiful details so I wouldn't have to think about everything else going on in my life.

These dresses, though they still hurt me, were helping me heal at the same time.

Clara took her seat back on the couch as she thought over the dresses we had just looked at. She tapped her finger on her lips as she mulled over everything. I rolled my eyes working on placing an order for the dresses we were interested in carrying in our shop.

"I really miss David," Clara popped off, pulling her phone out of her pocket. She must be checking to see if he had texted her...he must have. Her fingers fly across her keyboard as she responds to what I assume is a text message. From what I've seen they've been talking since we landed. It was so strange to me that that was only forty-eight hours ago. That two days ago I was with the man that I had always dreamed of being with.

"I know you do," I muttered, what did she expect me to say? I felt bad for her, she met him later on in the trip, and though she wasn't looking for someone, she did and he was perfect for her as far as I could see. Obviously I didn't know him as well but there was a chance she would be happy living with him. Maybe Clara would pack up and move to California, leaving most of the stuff I love in another state. A shot of pain echoes through my heart at the thought of Clara leaving me.

"I know you miss Carter," She was bold, she always has been. Nothing held her back. In this moment I wished she would have. I was just starting to feel slightly better. My mind hadn't traveled back to Carter in a little over an hour and that was good. We were making progress but she had delayed that yet again.

"Thanks for reminding me," I tried my best to tease her but unfortunately my words came out harsher than I had meant them to. I shook my head for what felt like the eight millionth time this week. "Sorry," I mumbled, realizing that I didn't meant to hurt her but my words might have.

Now it was her turn to shake her head as she stares at me. A small smile forming on her lips as she pondered what just happened.

"No that is amazing of you to attempt to joke with me," Clara chuckled lightly. I loved that she was keeping the situation light. She always knew how to make me feel better and right now it seemed to help. Maybe I wouldn't be completely fine at the end of this, but I would be better.

We sat in an awkward silence for a moment, neither of us sure what to think about it. Finally Clara jumped up from the couch. Her hand held out towards me.

"You've cooped yourself up here long enough, come down stairs with me and lets enjoy the shop together. You can answer emails at home when you are trying to avoid the thoughts that are running through your mind," She was right. I could answer them at home, wherever that was though.

"I don't have a home," I mumbled as I jumped out of the seat taking her hand.

"Shut up! You always have a home with your mother and I," She snarled as she dragged me down the stairs towards the shop. I chuckled lightly for the first time since seeing Carter. My body felt like a weight lifted off of it but still the pain was emanating from every muscle.

The rest of the day had gone by slowly, the shop was so well ran while we were gone that there wasn't much to do. Things were clean, the dresses were organized and put where they should be, paperwork was caught up, and all the alterations were done. Clara had gone home a little early leaving me to the shop alone.

I wasn't sure what to do with the alone time since I was saving my emails until I absolutely needed them.

Deciding to check on the dates of the older dresses that had been purchased but not picked up. I would go through them and pull aside the ones that were getting close to their date, or were passed their date. Tomorrow morning I would call the brides who had missed their date, asking why the dress hadn't been picked up as they've purchased it.

My heart was beating fast as I realized going through these dresses I was going to have to deal with my very own dress. The dress I purchased a little while ago and was planning on using for my very own wedding to Andrew this autumn, but that wasn't going to happen now, so the dress would need to go back on the rack to wait for another day. Another wedding, and another man to come along. Whether that was Carter or not I would never know.

I fiddled with the clothes the best I could to organize them. Cursing to myself as a few of them were a month or so over their dates. We needed to make sure we checked these more often. We needed to follow up with these brides to make sure they were alright, and getting the treatment they deserved. I shook my head as I pushed passed the white material until I found my very own dress.

My heart dropped as soon as I held it in my hands. The long sleeves were gently pinned to the waist of the skirt. The neckline a unique piece as well as the dresses I had ordered earlier. My heart was beating so slow I had to stop and check to make sure it was still working at all.

This dress had made me so happy and I wasn't sure I was ever going to wear it. Maybe the day would never come for me. I would forever be the bridal shop owner that never married herself.

"It looks beautiful," A voice startled me. I hadn't realized anyone was behind me. This was a voice that I recognized all too well. One that would know their way around the shop all too well. One that I hadn't expected to be behind me in this very moment but was both terrifying and heart warming at the same time.

How had this happened. I spun around on my heel using the dress to cover myself as If it would protect me from whatever danger I would see when I had looked at the man standing on the other side of the room. I should have changed the code on the door. We hadn't had any issues in the few years the code has been the same but I should probably change it now.

I look the man up and down as my heart stops dead in my chest. I wasn't sure what to feel, what to think. But all I knew was Carter was standing right in front of me. His body shaking as he stares at me. He looked like he wanted to run across the room and wrap me in his arms but he was too scared too. His hands shoved in his jacket pockets as he slowly walks towards me. His steps were very careful and cautious. Like he didn't want to make the wrong move right now.

"Hello," He muttered, his voice was soft and though his body showed how nervous he was his voice didn't show the same message. I shook my head hanging the dress back on the rack as I closed the distance between the two of us. I wanted to kiss him. To hold him, to never let him go. But something told me I needed to wait and see what he had to say.

"How did you get here?" I questioned, wanting to smack myself for asking such a silly thing. Of course he flew here, but the better question was why.

"I told you I wasn't going to lose you this time. I told you I'm committed. I'm moving, I'm coming here to be with you," He must have been joking. His voice was steady though and the atmosphere in the room told me he was telling the truth. He was holding himself to the commitments he had told me he would. I let out a gasp as he took a few more steps towards me.

Pinching my arm I expected to wake up from this dream and he would be gone. I took the last step towards him as I waited for him to speak.

But Carter didn't speak. He stared at me for a moment, grabbing both my hands in his as he bent down. The same position Andrew had gotten in at Christmas. My heart stopped as I watched him pull the tiny black box out of his pocket. This was insane. We weren't even officially together but Carter had flown across the country to propose?

"Erin Rose, I'm so sorry it took me so long but, will you marry me?"