"Jade, this is a terrible idea," I groaned as I watched her iron her dress.

"Don't be a party pooper, we have to go to this wedding. It's the perfect opportunity for you to finally move on from Jacob and into THE Liam Henderson's arms," Jade replied with a sly grin.

I rolled my eyes, knowing she was right but still not wanting to admit it. Seeing Jacob get married would be painful, but Jade was determined to make me see that there was someone better out there for me.

As I tried to come up with excuses to stay home, Jade asked me if I was okay and I couldn't hold back the tears any longer. "I miss my mom," I sobbed as she pulled me into a hug.

"We don't have to go if it's too much for you. But just so you know, Liam will be there and he's been looking forward to taking you out today," Jade said, trying to cheer me up.

I looked up at her in surprise. "Liam is coming?"

Jade nodded excitedly. "Of course he is! It's his last day in London before going back on tour with his band for Christmas."

I had completely forgotten about Liam's European leg ending and him being back in town. My mind had been consumed by thoughts of Jacob and our failed relationship.

"Why are you still hung up on him anyway?" Jade asked bluntly, causing my heart to ache.

"Because we loved each other through everything," I replied, trying to defend myself.

"That's nonsense. He was controlling and manipulative, and the moment you wanted to chase your dreams, he dumped you for someone else. You deserve so much better than that," Jade said, her words hitting me hard.

Tears continued to fall down my face and I confessed the truth. "Everyone thought we were perfect together, so I let myself believe it too. I don't want that image to be shattered."

Jade grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye. "That perfect image is already broken, Cat. You can't go back to him and you know deep down that you don't even love him anymore. You're holding onto a fantasy of what your life should be instead of embracing the reality of what you have now."

I nodded in agreement and opened my arms for a hug. Jade ran into them, causing us both to fall onto the couch just as Liam and Mason walked in.

"What in the world-"

"What are you-"

We looked up to see the two men standing in the doorway in their sharp suits.

"How did you get in?" I asked, surprised by their sudden appearance.

Jade blushed crimson but then burst into laughter. "Oops, I forgot to tell you that they were coming over early."

She ran over and gave Mason a passionate kiss, leaving me confused.

"What's going on? Why are they kissing and why do they have keys to our house?"

"Oh, right. I may have given Mason a spare key and we might also be dating," Jade said with a mischievous grin.

Liam plopped down next to me, grinning like a kid in a candy store. "Looks like I win the bet, Catherine."

"You actually bet on us?" chuckled Jade.

"Yep, I knew it would happen within two weeks," Liam replied with a smug look. I couldn't help but smile at his confidence.

Meanwhile, Mason and Jade were off in the kitchen, with Jade practically dancing on her toes to reach something on the top shelf. It was comical how tall Mason was compared to her.

As the room fell into an awkward silence, I nervously rested my head on Liam's shoulder. "Oops, am I creasing your suit?" I joked.

"Nah, you're just adding character to it," he teased back.

But then my mind caught up with me and I blurted out, "Wait, why are you even here?"

Liam leaned in closer to me, his warm breath tickling my ear. "Spending my last few hours with you, of course."

Before things could get too cozy, Jade barged into the room and dragged me into our bedroom. She was pacing back and forth frantically, waving her arms around like a crazy person.

I raised an eyebrow at her. "Um, what's wrong now?"

"Oh let me tell you," she said dramatically. "I did some internet stalking and Google says that Mason is engaged AND has a foot fetish!"

I burst out laughing at her outrageous claim. "What? Where do you come up with this stuff? And who cares if he likes feet?"

Jade's eyes widened. "But my toes are disasters! This means we have to break up!"

I shook my head and blocked her from leaving the room. "No way, you are not ruining this for yourself. Now go take a bath and let's go to that wedding."

..............

As usual, getting ready for a formal event was a struggle. My curly hair was everywhere and I had no idea how to deal with it since I always straighten it. But I managed to wrangle it into a decent hairstyle and put on a soft pink silk dress. Jade, on the other hand, looked stunning in her blue gown with green floral accents.

"Why won't you just let me break up with him?" Jade complained as she fussed over her appearance.

"Can you chill out for once?" I rolled my eyes at her antics.

She huffed and stomped into the living room. "Fine, let's just go to this stupid wedding."

The walls of the living room were painted a bright blue, making Liam's eyes sparkle when he smiled at me.

"You look pretty in pink, but you would look even better in my arms," he quipped.

I cringed in response. "Dude, that's way too cheesy for me."

"But you said you liked cheesy," he argued playfully.

I couldn't help but laugh as I walked into his embrace. "I meant like writing love songs for me cheesy, not pick-up lines cheesy."

Liam pretended to pout. "Well now I have to write you a song."

I stood on my tippy toes so our faces were inches apart. "Only if you think about us together."

Mason cleared his throat from behind us. "We should probably leave now if we want to make it on time."

As we headed out to their car (because they were popular enough to have screaming fans at train stations), I couldn't help but feel excited for Christmas coming up. Going back home meant seeing my moms and indulging in all of our favorite holiday traditions. Christmas was always my favorite time of year.

But as we drove through the streets, with people bustling by bundled up for winter, I realized that admitting my feelings for Liam had given me a newfound sense of freedom and happiness. It was time for me to move on from my ex and embrace this new chapter with Liam.

The church was filled to the brim with Jacob's eccentric family members. As I made my way through the crowd, his great aunt Agatha greeted me with a bear hug and inquired about why I had left Jacob. The air was heavy with the scent of yellow lilacs, a favorite of Jacob's since childhood. The ceiling seemed to stretch on for miles, like the endless stream of excuses Jacob would come up with whenever he messed up.

"Catherine! You actually showed up!" exclaimed Rebecca, Jacob's mom, as she pulled me into an embrace. "How have you been? I've missed you terribly."

"Surviving," I replied with a wink. Jade gave me a knowing look.

"Jacob wants to talk to you in his room. Personally, I think he should be apologizing for cheating but let's not dwell on that," she said with a playful wink before shooing me towards his bedroom.