I looked at myself in my hotel room mirror and smoothed out the front of my suit jacket once more, earning a chuckle from Aiden.

"You look great, man. Seriously. I would marry you if I were into guys."

"Me too, Loverboy. Blondie is lucky. You're quite a catch."

Laughing, I faced the guys. "Thank you. Now I'm definitely less worried about Sky changing her mind and deciding not to do it."

Aiden slapped my shoulder. "I've been there, man. You'll be okay. Sky loves you. There's nothing to worry about. Right, Jim?"

Jim scratched his head. "Well, I don't know. Imagine a hot rock star like me appearing there out of nowhere to whisk Blondie away. After all, she's just a girl."

"So is your girlfriend," I said to Jim, who laughed, giving me a half-hug.

"Liam, you and Sky could light up half of Paris with your chemistry. Better worry about performing well in bed tonight, cause that's something your girl isn't gonna forget."

"Agreed," said Aiden. "But don't worry; we have faith in you."

A timid knock on the door didn't let me answer.  I opened it and saw my grandmother.

"We'll be outside," said Jim. "Holler if you need booze or tissues."

I resisted the urge to flip the guy off as he and Aiden left my room, laughing.

"Come on in," I said to my grandma.

Her eyes glossed over at the sight of me.

"So handsome," she said, smiling. I let her hug me tightly and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you. I hope Sky thinks so, too."

My grandmother laughed. "Boy, the poor thing is shaking with nerves. She's going to run into your arms before you're officially married. That girl loves you with all of that big heart of hers, Liam. I'm so happy for the two of you. You two are a beautiful couple, and a marriage based on love is the biggest blessing a person could ask for."

"Thank you. I'm happy you're here, you know?"

"And I am even happier you let me be a part of your life," my grandmother replied, pinching my cheeks. "Now, let's go. I have to walk you there, am I right?"

I inhaled deeply and left the room, followed by my grandma, whose proud grin didn't slip off her face for a second.

Sky and I were getting married in a beautiful hotel in downtown Paris, close to the Opera Theater. The hall where the ceremony would take place was spectacular, but my frazzled nerves made it hard to focus on the gilded details of the interior or the breathtaking view of the city from the windows. Victim of nervous anticipation, my heart was going a thousand miles per hour.

As I took the first step toward the officiant, accompanied by my grandmother, who gave my arm a reassuring squeeze, I could only think about Sky.

She would be my wife in a matter of minutes, and I had never wanted anything more than to share my life with the girl whose love saved me and gave my life a new meaning.

Every girl dreams about her wedding day. I wasn't an exception.

What I surely didn't know was that I would get married in a beautiful hotel in Paris to the best guy I was lucky to know, love, and call mine.

I was dressed and ready. The delicate white lace of my wedding dress hugged my figure, clinging to my every curve. I hoped Liam would love it.

Clutching the bouquet in my sweaty hands, I looked at myself in the mirror once more.

"You're breathtakingly beautiful, Sky," Ellie whispered, adjusting the train of my dress. "Now, remember what you told me when I got married, and don't you dare cry because your makeup is beautiful, and it would be a shame to ruin it."

"Thank you for everything," I said to my best friend.

Ellie kissed my cheek and winked at me. "Let's get you married. Your dad is waiting."

I glanced at my mom and Aunt Sam. Both of them had tears in their eyes but tried not to cry for my sake.

My dad's eyes glistened with unshed tears when he saw me in my wedding dress. He hugged me tightly, and for a while, we stood in silence, holding each other.

"The only thing that makes it better is that you're getting married to a great guy," my dad finally said.

"The best one there is."

Dad chuckled. "What can I say? He proved he cares about you, and we see how happy you are. I couldn't ask for more."

"He also likes you a lot, you know?"

Dad smiled. "Yeah. We talk about basketball. That's a solid reason to bond."

Dad was only half-kidding. After the financial fiasco my parents found themselves in, they made drastic decisions. Moving to a bigger city and selling our old house to buy a smaller one was one of them. Changing jobs was another one.

Dad managed to become a coach of a small local basketball team, and Mom started to teach in a different college, earning more money. My parents looked happy, and they could finally do what they dreamed of. Traveling to Paris to my wedding was one of those dreams that came true.

"Ready?" my dad asked.

I nodded, trying to keep calm as we neared the hall where the ceremony would take place.

Everyone was already there, waiting for me. Dad and I paused at the entrance. The notes of the wedding march reached my ears through the door that opened in a second. Timidly, I made a step forward, looking at my feet.

And then, my eyes sought Liam's. He was standing next to the officiant, handsome and shy. I could barely hold back the tears when Liam wiped at his eyes, looking at me.

I wasn't aware of anything and anyone around me except for him as I walked down the aisle. Through the moisture clouding my vision, I saw dad hug Liam before he kissed my cheek and nudged me forward gently.

The officiant began the ceremony. In no time, Tim was next to us with our rings. Both of us hugged and kissed him before he went back to his seat.

Liam put the ring on my finger and pressed my hand to his mouth, kissing it. The fact that he said "I do," before the officiant finished asking the question, and I did the same, wasn't much of a surprise but did make our guests laugh.

Ellie and Aiden signed the form after us, smiling at the two of us and our impatience.

And then, Liam took my face between his palms and kissed me with such passion I gasped for air.

"I'm the luckiest guy on Earth, sweetheart," he whispered, wiping the wetness off my cheeks. "And I'm too overwhelmed to say everything I want to, but I need you to know I will love you with everything I have, the way you deserve to be loved."

"I'm the lucky one," I whispered, hugging Liam to me. "You are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I love you, baby."

"Kiss again for another picture," shouted Aunt Sam.

"You don't have to ask me twice," Liam replied, pressing his lips to mine before rose petals and confetti rained down on the two of us.

***

Liam and I swayed in the middle of the banquette hall. I couldn't tear my eyes away from him, and not only because of how good he looked in his suit.

It was the same invisible pull that had been present between us since the day we met. No matter how hard we tried to resist it, it was stronger than the circumstances and our stubbornness.

Liam made me believe that what they said was true— some people were meant to be, and one special person could love us in spite of our flaws and imperfections, simply love us for who we were.

All eyes were on us as we moved to the melody of our first dance as a married couple. And we could only look at each other.

"I can't wait to take this dress off you," Liam whispered in my ear. "This is torture, baby. I can't focus when you look like that."

I let my fingertips caress the back of Liam's neck. "Like what?"

"Like my dream. Like the most beautiful girl I've ever seen."

"Who is all yours."

Liam kissed my lips, running his warm hand over my back. "All mine. Only mine."

When the melody faded, our family and friends hugged and congratulated us on our marriage once again.

The banquette was filled with jokes and laughter. Ellie, Aiden, and Jim had lots of fun teasing each other. Jim's girl joined the three of them.

I still marveled at the fact Jim ended up falling in love with someone I knew. They seemed different if you hadn't seen them together, but it you had, the complicity between them was obvious.

Darren and Claire were another example of how seemingly different people could be good for each other.

Liam and I smiled, looking at their two babies.

"Do you want to have one with me?" Liam asked, pressing a kiss to the skin below my ear.

"I do, but a bit later. I want you all to myself at first."

"Does my girl want an orange?"

"I want more than one," I said, kissing Liam's lips.

"Get a room, Lovergirl," Jim shouted across the hall, making our friends laugh.

"We have one," Liam shouted back. "We're just waiting for everyone to get drunk enough not to see us sneaking out of here."

Ellie and Aiden were the ones to laugh the most. After all, they did just that when they got married.

We went on joking and eating, and then, it was time for dances.

I danced with my dad while Liam did it first with my mom and then with his grandmother, who showered us with affection every chance she got.

Our friends and family were having fun, and so were we. Claire was the one to catch my bouquet, and Ollie teased Darren about being the first to have kids and the last to get married.

By the time we had to cut our beautiful, two-tier cake, the crowd was loud and more than slightly buzzed.

"Eat the cake and go make love, Skylar," Ellie whispered, nudging my ribs. "I want one of those cute blue-eyed godbabies to spoil them rotten."

"Maybe they would be hazel-eyed like their dad, Elizabeth," I said, throwing a glance full of longing in Liam's direction.

"Either way, go love your husband," said Ellie.

"Good idea," I heard Liam say as he drew his arms around my waist. "Let me feed you some cake, and then you'll be all mine."

Ellie winked at the two of us and went to where Aiden was talking to Jim and his girlfriend.

Liam kept his promise. As soon as the last bit of cake we'd shared disappeared from our plate, he took my hand in his and all but dragged me out of the hall and toward the elevators.

"It wasn't discreet." I giggled, hugging Liam as soon as the elevator door closed.

"I was impatient. Still am, so come here."

Liam's mouth covered mine. We devoured each other's lips and caressed each other through our clothes during the short ride to our floor.

Liam carried me over the threshold as soon as he'd unlocked the door to our suite and kissed me once again.

Standing next to the window, we took a moment to let out eyes soak in the beauty of the Parisian night.

And then, nothing mattered other than our gentle caresses and greedy kisses.

Liam took my lacy dress off me, and I helped him get rid of his suit.

We undressed each other completely once we were in bed. The warmth of Liam's skin and the love in his gaze intensified my desire tenfold. I ran my hands over Liam's back and kissed his mouth, moaning when his tongue circled mine, and he kissed me harder, moving his hips to make me feel his need for me.

His lips traveled from my mouth to my neck and then to my breasts. The way Liam kissed and licked them made me arch my back and seek more contact.

"Do you want me, baby?" Liam asked, touching me and kissing me at the same time.

"So much," I uttered, gasping at the feeling of Liam's fingers inside me, desperate to feel all of him.

He knew what I wanted. Liam positioned himself between my legs and entered me slowly, looking into my eyes as he filled me, and moving when I kissed him hard, desperate for more.

We'd danced together many times, but this — our bodies moving against each other, our lips and tongues joined in a passionate kiss — all of it was a special kind of dance filled with love and trust.

"You're close, sweetheart," Liam said against my parted lips and started to move faster. "Let go, baby."

"With you."

I kissed Liam's neck and matched his movements with mine, smiling when he moaned and took my lips with his.

Liam's body trembled at the same time mine did. All-consuming and intense, the pleasure robbed us of breath. All we could do was kiss and caress each other's skin, relishing the feeling of closeness.

A while passed. I rested my head against Liam's chest and draped an arm across his waist.

I could feel his smile when he kissed my forehead once, and then once again.

"I love you, Sky. My girl, and now my wife. I still can't believe it. Can you?"

"That I'm yours? I've always been."

Chuckling, Liam hugged me tighter. "Yes, you have. Ever since I saw you for the first time, all cute and beautiful. I couldn't help staring at you. When I moved in with you, it was torture. The girl of my dreams in those shorts that drove me wild. I don't know how I didn't lose my mind wanting you day and night."

"Now the girl of your dreams is in your arms, married to you. Sky Sullivan-Dupont. It sounds nice, doesn't it?"

Liam pressed a soft kiss to my lips. "It does, baby."

We looked at each other, smiling.

"I love you," I said, caressing Liam's jaw with my fingertips.

He combed his fingers through my hair and ran them across my cheek. "And I love you. With all my heart."

"I'm a lucky girl."

Liam shook his head. "I'm the lucky one here."

"Just accept that we both are."

"Lucky? Or stubborn?"

"We aren't stubborn."

Laughing, Liam kissed me again, and then again and once more. "We so are, but you know what, that's okay. We're perfect for each other. I'm convinced we were meant to meet and fall in love."

"I think so, too, baby," I said, shifting slightly to be able to kiss Liam's neck.

We would spend our honeymoon on one of the beaches on the Caribbean coast. We would open our dance school once we were back and plan future projects together. We would take care of Tim, work, study, and enjoy our married life.

Now, as I kissed Liam and he kissed me back, restarting the tender caresses, I could only think about him and us, together.

Our road to each other wasn't even and smooth. We still had things to learn, and we would probably make mistakes in the process. Yet, we loved each other truly and deeply.

Liam brought down my defenses. His love and patience made me able to trust again.

Since Liam came into my life, every day had been filled with memorable first times, and each of them — every single one of them, big or small — carried his name.

Please, leave your final thoughts or anything you'd love to share with me in the next chapter.