The growing crowd before me is a wonderful yet crazy mix of strange and familiar faces. A few uncles and cousins I've seen in passing gatherings back when Logan was alive, to people from Blake's family which stand out because of the similarities in physical appearance.

Blake's grandfather is an easy spot – not just from the same shade of hair colour but the fact he's positioned in the middle of a crowd with relatives from either side. His facial expressions are vibrant along with his use of tone which continues to keep his audience of onlookers satisfied.

"He's been a heartthrob since the moment he was born. I remember the cheeky grin that made woman swoon on the spot. It's never changed and so I was shocked when Angela announced their engagement." The man skilfully has the crowd chuckling.

The subtle touch of my mother's hand on my shoulder has me jumping to attention. I tilt my head to the side and wait for her to explain re-say her previous comment. She gives me an odd glance which makes their onlooking gaze of my grandmother and aunty intimidating.

"Ava, who did you have in mind?" she asks.

"I'm sorry, I missed your comment. It's just so loud in here." I softly smile.

"Your aunt was curious about who you picked for your bridesmaids," she replies.

I adjust my gaze to my aunt and tug on the brightest smile I can foster. "I've got a collection of girls in mind, Nora included. I just want to ask them together and with a gift. However, I haven't worked out a fun way and Nora just arrived from Sydney," I answer.

"Aw, I'm sure she'll be thrilled to be in your bridal party!"

"I'm very excited to have her! It's been a while since we've hung out, so it's giving us another excuse to catch up."

"Yes." She laughs. "Nora has been so busy with her University studies."

I slip out of the conversation when it slips to University – something I can't relate to. Even if Blake and I never dated, there's no way I'd have gone to University. I just hate that people think I ruined my life because I never attended or that I'm not smart enough for their intellect conversations.

"Enough about that crap. I want to know when there will be more grandbabies," my grandmother interjects. "I'm not getting any younger, in fact, I'm old. Time waits for nobody and neither do I."

Her bluntness has me chocking on a fit of laughter. Even though I don't get to see her very often, she never fails to make me laugh or at least smile. I also assume that's where I get my bluntness from. She's never bothered to dance around the obvious but strike when the iron is hot.

"You, Blake and the rest of the world, or so it seems," I laugh. "Otherwise, I'm not too sure. We've been busy with everything, it's slipped my mind."

The lie makes me feel uneasy but it's the best answer I can give. Blake has never been into planning these things. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if I end up pregnant now since that seems to be the pattern with us.

My aunt makes some more comments about babies but I find myself tuning out. While they chat, I scan the open room in hopes of catching a glimpse of Blake's physic. As my eyes wander over the crowd, I come up empty.

"How's the wedding planning coming along?" One of my mother's friend's questions as she joins our small group.

"It's uh, it's coming along." I nod. "Mum and Blake's mother, Angela, have been a blessing! I honestly couldn't do all of this without them."

Mum wraps her arm around my shoulder and then kisses the side of my head. I lean against her side and inhale another deep breath.

'I can do this, I can do this' is the four words I keep chanting to myself.

"Speaking of weddings and parties, I need to circulate! I think I see Nora , I should really say hi to her." I politely smile as I slip through their grasps.

I cross the function room which is an outdoor space with clear blinds on one side to enclose the space. Towards the far end, there are no blinds which enable the guests to filter outside to another court area with music. Beyond the courtyard, there are rows of plants.

The greenery is beautiful and calming – not the style of venue I pictured Blake entertaining his engagement party. I thought he'd want something more sophisticated, perhaps with waiters walking around dishing up expensive champagne.

I stand towards the side of the courtyard and take a deep breath. My eyes flutter closed and I enjoy the feeling of the afternoon breeze circulating around my body and through the strands of hair floating in the wind.

"Hey Ava, are you okay?"

I crack one eye open to see Nora standing beside me with a look of concern. She's my only female cousin and we were the best of friends until her family moved to Sydney when she was eleven. The last time we were standing in the same room, it was Logan's funeral and she was asking the same question.

However, Kyle was there to answer for me. He let me hide in my inner bubble, avoiding the world and the people around me. Instead, he's inside impressing my family with his smooth talking skills. And where is Blake?

"Just tired from the last couple of days," I explain. "So much planning and preparing for the wedding, then having to come in here and set up the last couple of things. I'll be thankful when this is all over."

"I can't imagine the stress!" She shakes her head.

"Depending on where you get married, Angela and my mother are perfect wedding planners." I chuckle.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind." She softly smiles. "Oh! And congratulations on the engagement. I was coming over here to say that, but I got distracted."

"Thank you, Nora."

"Now let's see the ring I've heard so much about!"

"What have they been saying about it?" I nervously laugh.

"Don't worry, I promise it is all good things! I also heard you gave Blake an engagement ring too? In the beginning, I think people were nervous you two eloped without the family." I hold my hand out for Nora to inspect the ring. Her eyes go wide and she fondly coos.

"Trust me, I would never elope! Even though the thought of this many people staring at me has me wanting to puke, I'm excited to have everyone there for us." I grin.

"I'm so excited for you and gasping!" she explains. "I can't believe how much time has passed. I remember when we were talking about how boys are icky and now you're getting married."

"Boys are still icky." I laugh. "And I can't believe it either."

The sight of Blake walking outside has my heart rate inclining. Nora looks over her shoulder and smiles as Blake wanders over to us. London chases after him with a cheery smile plastered on her face.

As soon as Blake's close enough, he's shaking hands with Nora.

"Hey, I'm Blake and this is." He swoops London off the floor and holds her in his arms. "This is little miss cheeky. I think that's your name right?"

London proceeds to laugh while saying, "Noo."

"It must be cheeky monkey then," he replies with confidence.

"Nooo," she shouts.

Blake gasps with shock and then proceeds to tickle her sides. London fidgets in his arms while screaming with laughter.

"Then what is your name?"

"It's London." She grins.

"This is Nora and she's the friend who's coming to stay at our house," Blake explains.

"What about Uncle Ben?" She pouts.

"Uncle Ben is living with Mummy."

"Oh." The sadness instantly fades.

"Is it okay if Nora stays with us for a while?" I ask London.

London peeks towards Nora with a skeptical look which has the three of us chuckling. She slowly nods her head and then buries it in Blake's shoulder.

"Why are you being shy?" Blake pokes her arm. "I've never seen you like this!"

London muffles a reply into Blake's shoulder which earns another poke from Blake. Nora lightly chats about how cute London is until Blake grabs my hand and smiles. It's the kind of stomach-knotting smile which has my knees going weak.

"She's a little cutie pie and she knows it! She's won over so many people with those baby blue eyes."

"Soak it up, kiddo!" Nora chuckles.

"I hate to bail on this conversation, but I must wisky my fiancée away for the moment. It was nice to meet you and I'm sure I'll see you around our house soon enough," he jokes.

"No worries! And thank you for letting me stay with you."

"Of course and I'm so excited! We'll have so much time to catch up."

True to his words, Blake whisks me back inside and across the dancefloor. I happily follow Blake until I notice the man standing to the side of the room with a microphone. Out of instinct, I immediately stop walking, so Blake tugs on my hand.

We turn to face the crowd and my heart feels like it's about to explode out of my chest.

"I hate you," I say with a pleasant smile.

"I'm doing the talking, I just want you to stand beside me," he explains.

"Can I please slither into the crowd?"

"No." He chuckles.

Blake passes London over who instantly buries her face into the side of my neck. If only I could do the same thing and look adorable, I would. He takes the microphone and then wraps his free arm around my waist. I assume it's meant to be a sign of comfort but it feels like he's trying to make sure I don't run away.

Before Blake has a chance to speak into the microphone, it squeaks and so everyone turns to look at us. My cheeks flush bright red despite the fact I'm just required to stand here.

"If you don't know me already, it means I've been a terrible host." He chuckles which seems to get the same response from the gathering of people. "For all the confused faces, I'm the man she's about to marry."

"That might be debatable after this," I whisper.

Blake squeezes my side and continues with his speech. I rest my head against his chest and smile; the same smile I've been forcing all day. I think my cheeks are beginning to hurt now.

"Family are the people you surround yourself with and that's something Ava has taught me over the years. Years, wow, I never thought I'd be saying that. We've been through a lot and so it's nice to be sharing this happy moment with our family. Thank you for all the love and support – especially to our parents who've helped greatly with everything," he says.

Blake moves to the side, breaking us apart. He looks down at me and my breath gets caught in my throat.

"Ava, I love you and I can't wait until the moment I get to call you my wife."

"I love you too." I blush.

He tugs me to his side and by crowd demand, he kisses me.

"Please continue to enjoy yourself and of course, keep drinking! There's a large bar tab that isn't refundable." The crowd laughs.

"Everybody raise your glasses," Thomas shouts. "To Blake and Ava."

"To Blake and Ava," the crowd roars with excitement.

Blake passes the microphone to one of the staff members and then leads me away from the spotlight. I see Angela and Thomas which makes me smile – actually smile – because they are a nice familiar face.

"Hey Lo, its grandma," Angela says.

London instantly looks up and smiles. I pass her across and cling to Blake's hand.

"Will you be okay with grandma?" Blake asks.

"Yes." She confidently nods.

"Where are we going?" I question.

"It's a surprise so I'm not going to tell you."

"I'm just going to say this once – you're mean for throwing me up there without warning. So unless this surprise includes food, I'm going to be disappointed."

Blake shakes his head and process to lead me outside. We walk past the courtyard and onto the crunchy green grass. He leads me down the first row of plants and we continue walking until we reach the end.

There's a beautiful view of a lake which captures my breath. With the sun setting in the background, the fleeting rays of sunlight looks magical bouncing across the surface.

"I'm sorry about before, I just figured it would be easier if you didn't know about it," he explains. "You can't worry about something if you don't know it's happening."

"I still hate you." I poke my elbow into his side. "So, what's the surprise?"

"Just a simple dance beside this beautiful lake and under the setting sun," he explains.

"No food then?" I pout.

"We can get you food afterward." He chuckles.

Blake wraps his arms around my waist and I rest my head against his chest. We slowly dance to the faint sound of the music playing from the courtyard. It's a fast song and the lyrics don't compliment this moment but it still feels nice.

"I just wanted a moment without the noise and attention. It's been awhile since we've been alone."

"It's nice." I sigh. "Perhaps better than food."

"Did I just hear you properly?"

"Shut up, I'm not saying it again."

Blake laughs and then kisses my head.

As we sway back and forth, I glance towards the setting sun and smile. The sun is finally setting and soon enough, it'll rise again.

Nora was a last minute add, as all of my characters are, but do you think she's here to cause some drama?