Happy Tempted Tuesday/....something Wednesday, folks! (I really need to work on that.)

Guys, I'm very super duper utterly sad. Why you may ask?

Unfortunately, the SMO ladies only have 5 more chapters left after this one.

This means that this is Tiffany's LAST chapter of the book! I know I know. Let's cry together.

Okay, enough crying because if you know Tiff like I do, you know that this prideful friend isn't crying. She WERKS IT!

Since these are the girl's last chapters, we're going to just enjoy the chapter and limit ourselves on questions.

Anyway, I cried while writing this, so if you're a big crybaby like myself, be prepared to cry. Sorry not sorry.

Please see the triggers that are in the summary of this book!

Anyway, you may continue! 💜🤫 (Bring a box of tissues and enjoy Tiff's last POV)
****

"Alright, alright, alright! Now here's now it's going down. After the pastor comes out, Jana is going to walk out and stand right here. After that, we'll have the....uh...." I paused wondering what I'd call the guys for Jana. I didn't want to be rude and say 'groomsmen', but let's face it. 'Bridesmen' doesn't work either. This is how you can tell that I've never worked with a lesbian couple before.

"Tiff?" Jana said taking me out of my thoughts by the wave of her skinny fingers. I instantly turned to her once she caught my attention.

"What happened?" I asked in confusion.

"Groomsmen works just fine," Jana confirmed as she walked over towards her pregnant bride and wrapped her arm around her.

Well, we were in December and around the corner from Jana's birthday again. Somehow, that little fact stayed with me after the whole popcorn party thing. I will say that was one of our funniest and enjoyable parties we had in the apartment.

Speaking of the apartment, hearing that Jana and Jess were moving out of the apartment made my heart sink a little. Who would I call taco licker in the house? Who would I argue with over my makeup wipes being upside down in the bathroom? What other two people would Rena, Carmon, and I be able to have a deep conversation with every night? When will I be able to kick a bad guy's ass again?

I'll take credit for being a pain in the ass to them, however, I feel like that's my job. That's part of our friendship and they brought out the best in me. I speak as if they won't come back to the house, but it's a strange feeling knowing that people you've lived with for so long and have grown comfortable with are leaving to start their own lives.

This doesn't change my happiness for the next level in their relationship. It was bound to happen but I didn't think the time would come so soon. This time went by so fast. It seemed like just yesterday that Carmon had taken me under her wing just to move me out of Aunt Clara's house and into a house filled with women I didn't think I'd love so much.

They deserve to be happy and deserved each other. I'm glad I got to be part of this journey called life with them. Wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

Anyway, this wedding has been my top priority the past few months. Luckily, I ended my semester off with all As, but it was stressful getting there. I had to pat Rena on the back for that as she helped me get back on track with school.

During my time of studying, I had to plan for this wedding. Tons of venues refused to service my girls because they were marrying the same sex. Of course, I gave these people a piece of my mind and moved on to the next. The options of a venue for them, however, grew drastically slim and I had a hard time.

I was on the verge of giving up until Bryce came in to save the day and asked his family if we could use the ballroom where the charity ball was held. Surprisingly, his family wanted nothing more than for us to be in their facility. So, here we are.

They wanted to let us use the space free of charge, but we all know how Trent is, right? After he sponsored the Pride celebration, money came pouring in for his company and he was able to fund for the wedding. He donated money to Bryce's family charity and also took over the account for the Paul's Musical Adventures charity. If you remember correctly, that was Papa's charity teaching children about music.

When I heard that news, I realized that Carmon really deserved that man. I hope and pray that I'd be his sister-in-law one day. As long as Carmon doesn't do anything stupid again, we should be on our way to that moment.

Lord, please don't let my sister do anything stupid like fall in love with the devil himself again. It's bad enough that she gave birth to the spawn of him. Damn Heath.

Anyway, the ballroom was decorated with blue and green all over the place. The sight of these two colors made me want to vomit but it wasn't my wedding. Blue rose petals and green leaves lied across the floor and tables with the blue and green table cloths. The tables were set up for the guests with candles and welcome notes on them.

Rena worked on the welcome notes and the marriage memory book for all of the guests to sign, giving their best wishes to the lovely couple. The music booth and bar were ready. We had some experienced bartender named Colton and his company coming to serve up drinks and help out with food.

Bryce offered to be the DJ in place of Jana and I had to force her to say yes. This woman really loves her job because she was being super picky about her music selections. But, like I said, it's not my wedding.

It was all coming together and I felt pretty good about this wedding. I was directing everyone to where they would be standing and what would be going on tomorrow. Our flower girl was none other than that dance monkey herself and Troy was the ring bearer. Trent, Bryce, and Brian were the groomsmen. And you already know who the bridesmaids are. I was honored to even be the wedding planner, much more a bridesmaid. I'll be honest and say that I've never been a bridesmaid before so this was a true honor. Don't tell Jess I told you that.

Anyway, after our smooth practice, we had dinner in the dining hall with everyone that came to the practice. We ordered pizza from the local pizza shop because that's what Jess had a craving for. I wasn't a huge fan of pizza but this pizza tasted like it had just been shipped from Italy hot and fresh. It was perfect.

Before we got to eat though, we were going to do our toasts for the beautiful couple...but one part of it was missing and I didn't feel comfortable doing this toast without both of them here.

Once Rena raised her glass, I had to stop her from going any further. I signaled for her to stop by raising my finger at her and went to find said person. Something in me was telling me that she was doing something she had no business and I was going to be outraged if I found her two fingers deep into a honey pot.

My slight frustration slipped away little by little as I heard loud sobbing and sniffling down the long hallway. I marched down it in a hurry to find where it was coming from while looking through each room.

My eyes eventually landed on a drenched-eyed redhead in a giant library room, kneeled to the ground with a picture frame in one hand and the American flag clenched up in the other. Tears slid down her face and onto the picture in her hand. Something was really wrong with Jana. This was a sight I had never seen before. She was truly sobbing.

"There's a group of people out there waiting on you, Jana. What's wrong?" I said slowly walking into the study and getting closer to her as she cried even harder. Her eyes clenched shut and she held both materials to her heart as the tears rushed down her cheeks so fast. It made me want to cry as well. It was just so symbolic and heartbreaking.

"Tiff, I can't do this! My father can't make it to my own wedding! This has to be a dream!" she wailed as her arms fell into her lap. A picture of a dark redheaded man with green eyes, a sharp jawline, and a crystal clear smile was in that frame and the glass was cracked. The American flag had holes in it but she continued to clench onto it as she started hyperventilating.

Dear Lord. I'm about to cry alongside this girl.

Kneeling in front of Jana slowly, I grabbed her and held her in my arms as her tears fell onto the fabric of my dress. The tears seeped into it as she wailed harder and even a few tears fell from my eyes. Shit, Jana.

Wait a minute...her father was in the army, but he RSVPed to be here. Why couldn't he make it?

Oh my goodness.... "Jana...did your dad pass away?" I asked her as she lifted her head with a messy ponytail. She brushed her hair back as she nodded slowly and her face looked as if she had just come up from a pool of tears.

"Mom called me just a few minutes ago and told me what happened. They found out he was gay a few days ago and his bunkmates killed him. They shot my dad, Tiff! What am I supposed to do now? I can't marry Jess like this. I just can't, Tiff! What if that happens to me?! I just can't do this anymore! That was my dad! We just made amends weeks ago! This can't be happening to me!" She bawled as she fell out on the floor and sobbed even louder.

"No, no, no! Jana, we can't do this! LISTEN TO ME! I'm so sorry about your dad. I can't tell you how sorry I feel and how much I can relate. You know the story about Papa, but you can't let that stop you from marrying the love of your life. Maybe we'll have to do push the wedding back, but you can still marry Jess. Your father's life isn't yours. It's okay to mourn your father, Jana, but you can't determine how your life will be by how your father's life was. He was an amazing man and you know that," I said as I wiped tears from my face and watched as Jana slowly lifted her head to look at me with her reddened eyes.

I continued with "He would want you to go down that aisle in his honor. He never got to do it so it's up to you to do this for him. Jana, do this for your dad and for Jess. He'll be here in spirit and it may not be the same as him being here in real life, but it's so much better because he can watch you get married and watch over you the rest of your life. It's like having like an earth-wide vision over you and Jess. There's so many ill-willed and ignorant people out there that want to see you walk away from this to be like them. It's up to you to prove them wrong and continue your father's dream."

Wrapping arms around her tightly and crying with her for a little longer, I felt her arms wrap around me as she just relaxed in my arms. Jana wasn't much of a crying person and I never seen her this broken. No one deserved to lose their family because that's the one thing that every person needs in their life. They're like the foundation in your life and for them to be gone is just the worst feeling you can ever feel.

It's like you don't know what to do. It's like everything you've built on had been torn down and taken with them. You're not yourself when they leave you and everything changes. It's as if your whole soul had left along with them and you're nothing but a thing of flesh and bones on earth. That's how I felt when Papa left. Everything that was him was me as well and it all left with him.

You cling onto the next best thing that you have in your life for support and love. Although they can't give you that same love that your family gave you, it's damn sure needed and it's close enough. That's why Carmon is my rock.

Wiping her face once she lifted her face to mine, her forest green eyes looked at me sadly as she cracked out "I didn't think I'd ever see this coming, but you're right. I have to do this for not only Jess, but for my dad. I never thought this would happen, Tiff. It all feels so surreal."

Helping her up off the floor, I gave her a huge hug and sniffled while saying "That's the thing. These events don't happen until you least expect them. It's going to hurt for a while because it's supposed to. It still seems like a dream for me too, but we have to keep living for them. Luckily, you have a strong support system that's willing to stand by your side no matter what. Four girls, three guys, and a little runt. We'll all be there for you no matter what and however long you need us. And look at it this way. Our fathers will both be partying in Heaven, right?"

She chuckled a little as she finished wiping her face and said "Yeah, you're right. It's not something I'll be able to just get over, but I can't thank you enough for being there. Even when you didn't really want to be."

A smile appeared on my face when she said that. It made me feel much better about myself and our friendship. A much-needed bonding moment between us and this is something we both needed.

"No problem. Now, I think you should tell everyone what's going on. I'm sure they'll all be coming to you with open arms," I said as we both walked out of the study. She nodded in agreement and smiled at me as she gave me a quick side hug before walking the direction I had came from.

Looking over to my right, my eyes fell on a goofy-dancing Bryce with his headphones around his neck and those seafoam green eyes twinkling with that clear white toothy smile across his face. His dark brown wavy hair was longer and kept it that way for my sake. His hair was my favorite part of his body.

"You finally got Jana out of that study? Thank goodness because I was about to bulldoze her out of the study so she could get to dinner. We were all starving," he chuckled as I shyly tucked a strand of my blonde hair behind my ear and laughed lightly at his little joke.

As his eyes searched mine, I couldn't help but feel butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Goosebumps appeared on my arms and an uncontrollable smile appeared across my face. The way he made me feel was so awkward. I felt like a little school girl meeting up with my first crush for the first time.

Stepping closer to me, he spoke with "You know, Tiffany? I think you look stunning when wearing a smile. I think that's when you look the greatest actually."

My smile grew tighter hearing those words flow from his lips. I hadn't felt this way in so long and didn't think I ever would again. He made want to melt onto this marble-tiled floor. The feeling was so giddy and childlike.

Eventually, my pearly whites showed as I realized we were just standing in the long hallway of the venue staring at each other with loving eyes. Long windows revealed a forest of trees outside on my left and those trees reminded me of how much oxygen I needed in that moment. I almost lost my breath.

Maybe it was a little too late to snap out of it because I was way too deep with Bryce. We had only been seeing each other for a few months and he's already making me weak in the knees for him. He's a breath of fresh air and I could breath him in forever. It felt a bit early, but he didn't seem to be running away. Plus, who said we can determine when we fall in love? Right?

He closed off the space between us as he wrapped his hand around the back of my neck softly. His minty breath seeped through my senses as his lisp got closer to mine. My chest rose and fell with eagerness as his nose touched mine.

"Tiff, you're like a beautiful melody that I could sing to everyday. You're truly amazing. Is it wrong to tell you I love you now? Because that's how I feel," he whispered as my toes curled in anticipation.

I nibbled on my bottom lip as I wanted his precious lips to be on mine. Our eyes connected as I whispered in a trance "I don't think there's a time limit on that word. I believe I feel the same.

"Kiss me," he pleaded as his hands moved to my cheeks and I happily obliged. Our lips softly connected as my manicured fingers ran through his hair. I smiled against his lips just riding this high for as long as I could and thinking of all of our recent adventures together.

This was something I hadn't felt before and was scared to feel due to past experiences. Trust issues made me guard my heart from anyone. Letting that wall down for him seemed to be one of the best decisions I had ever made. This all felt so right and it helped me change my perspective on love.

"Hey, we're about to do the-" I heard a familiar dainty voice call as our kiss broke. My eyes turned to Rena slowly with an annoyed look on my face as she stood there with a slight grin on her face.

Does she not realize what she's ruined here? The one time I don't need her and she's here.

"My bad. Um...I was just coming to let you know that we were about to do the toast. We need everybody there, but I see you're...uh...kinda busy. I'll just walk this way," she smiled brightly as she gave me the thumbs up.

Knowing how proud Rena was of me gave me a sense of joy because her opinion and judgement really meant the most to me. As much as I told her throughout our friendship that hers and many other's opinions didn't impress me or I didn't care, I really did for Rena's. Rena was important to me. Her support and kindness meant so much and I'll never want anyone correcting me besides Rena.