6 Months had passed to Tessa having left for university, and during those six months, Daniel realized that he was more in love with her than he would have wanted. Every morning, he awoke with a gaping hole in his chest, and initially he had to resist the urge to go to her bedroom to wake her for breakfast. He missed her throughout the day and did his best to keep that longing to the back of his head in order to complete his work, but then his heart came to life every time her name popped on his screen.

A simple message containing a smiling emoji was enough to turn his whole day around, his infatuation with her had become so evident that whenever any of his friends or colleagues noticed the smile on his face they'd simply ask what she was saying, all of them well aware of the fact that their Danny was in love with Tessa Forbes. 

And he didn't even deny it anymore.

Over the 6 months she has been gone, Daniel brought about some changes: he lost some weight, renovated his apartment - including his bedroom - changed his lifestyle to be more sophisticated, turned 25 in March, and got a new car: one he had been saving up for a while and was now leaving to attend his brother's wedding.

Ensuring he had everything, Daniel loaded it all into the back of his new BMW, closing the trunk before hanging his suit in the backseat and getting behind the wheel.

Driving this car was one of the best times of his day. 

His brothers and he had all met at an agreed point and all of them bought new cars. Anthony bought a silver Range Rover while Lucas bought a grey Mercedes Benz, Nathan opted for a navy blue Audi, and Daniel bought a black BMW.

Turning on the music, he put the car into drive and made his way to Virginia.

Nathan and Delilah's wedding was just days away now and Daniel had taken off a week from work to be able to come before the function and help out.

The couple had decided that they wanted an August outdoor wedding and chose their parent's Virginia farm to be the destination of the event. The forest at the back to be more exact. A carpet would be rolled out from the curb and go straight into the forest where an altar would be set up in front of the lake in the middle of it all. The terrain was hazardous for women in heels, there was no denying, but they would be setting up a ramp to ease the descent.

Delilah wanted fairy lights hanging from the branches and their reception to be held between the trees with tables set up and music playing, and a dance floor in the midst of it all. They were expecting the weather to be accommodating to their outdoor function and the sunlight not too harsh to leave them all sweating.

Nathan had chosen his best friend since third grade, Isaac Braeden, to be his best man while his three brothers would be groomsmen. Meanwhile, Delilah chose her best friend since birth, Meredith Ace, to be her maid of honor, and she asked Harper, Allison, and Tessa to be her bride's maids.

Daniel was overwhelmed with excitement to see his brother getting married to the women he has loved for the past 4 years. Delilah was as close to a sister as anyone could get and he was more than ready to welcome her into the family. But along with the excitement came the guilt, the guilt that he was so excited and happy for Nathan while she wasn't there, and he had to wonder if his brothers felt the same way too. He knew his parents did and now he had to prepare himself for the inevitable waterworks.

Finally arriving at Virginia, he was surprised to see the house painted and the fences mended along with everything cleared away. A Range Rover, Mercedes, and a GMC truck standing in the driveway. Parking his BMW behind the SUV, he got out of the car and was instantly tackled by barking dogs.

"Hey!" He laughed at the pack before him, petting and scratching all of them in turn, allowing the Australian Collie to kiss him as he chuckled at her.

"Danny?" A voice called from the porch as he looked up to see his mother standing on the patio.

"Hey, mom!" He called, pulling away from the canines and walking over to his mother, hugging her tight as she chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Good thing you're here," She smiled. "Your brothers are all out the back trying to figure out a level location for the ramp,"

"Where is our architect? Mr. Lucas?"

"Oh, he's there alright,"

"That bad?"

"Horrible," Charlotte shook her head. "Barking at each other like rabid dogs, and Nathan isn't even here yet,"

"Ah, yes, our very own Miss Stress,"

His mother laughed at him and slapped his chest lightly.

"Go stop them," She chuckled. "Only you and Em were able to put an end to their fighting," She gave him a soft smile and swallowed thickly as Daniel stilled for a second, letting out a shaky breath before placing a kiss on his mother's temple.

"We should go visit her,"

"You know I can't bring myself to do that," She spoke in a strained voice.

"I know," He sighed. "I'll tell her it hurt you too much," Daniel stated and began to make his way towards the forest, following the clashing voices before finally coming up in the clearing they had chosen in front of the lake.

Their father sat with his feet dipped into the water, having become an expert at drowning out his son's arguments while both Anthony and Lucas stood in the middle of the clearing with arms flailing and voices raising as they both spoke in jumbles and gestured around them, pointing at one spot and then another before shaking their heads.

Sighing, Daniel let out a shrill whistle as the brothers winced and turned towards him, both of them smiling to see him and hugged him.

"Tell him, Danny," Anthony grinned at his youngest brother. "Leveling the ground is a waste of time and money since it's a one day event,"

"No, no, no," Lucas shook his head. "Leveling the ground is necessary because otherwise you have people's shoes sinking into moss and mud and we all know how much of a perfectionist Nate is,"

"Why not a ramp?" Daniel asked from the middle. "Or a retractable wooden platform?"

Both brothers looked at him as he stared out at the space before him.

"I mean, leave the altar to be, roll out a carpet in the middle with seats on either side and leading up to the floral arch before the lake." The officer pulled away and gestured to the space before them. "And for this reception area which includes seating and a stage, I suggest you cover the entire area with wooden boards to create a platform and set up the tables on that and leave enough space for a stage,"

"That way, you don't have people's feet sinking into neither moss nor mud, you get a level area for our Mr. Perfection," He turned back to his brothers, looking back when he felt his father put a hand on his shoulder in greeting. "And it's cheaper than building a whole new ramp or leveling out the ground."

"That could..." Anthony scratched at his chin in thought.

"Works," Lucas finished. "It works,"

"So we're settled then?" Daniel inquired, his eldest two brothers nodded in confirmation as he gave them a sad smile. "Good, because we're visiting Emily and her family after Nate arrives,"

Instantly his father pulled away and began to make his way back to the house, both brothers falling quiet as a sudden sadness settled over them.

"She would have loved all this," Tony swallowed with a choked laugh.

"She would have torn us a new one for fighting on our brother's wedding," Lucas chuckled with a shake of his head. "She was always more male bravado than a girl,"

"I pitied Cyrus," A new voice spoke up behind them as they all looked up to see the groom standing before them in black jeans and a royal blue button up, his brown hair parted to the side and a sad smile on his face. "But ends up he was the one for her. Her 'soul mate',"

"Yeah, she believed in that," Daniel chuckled. "None of us ever did, until you met Harper, and you found Allison, and-"

"-I hit Delilah with my car," Nathan laughed, the other three brothers scoffing before laughing as well.

"How the hell did you not see her?" The youngest laughed and went to hug his brother. "But I'm glad you didn't because who knows, otherwise we might not have been here today," He smiled as the other two came together for a hug as well.

"Hey, I'm just glad I didn't kill my second half,"

The four brothers laughed before they began to discuss their idea with Nathan. All four of them standing side by side and gesturing and talking calmly suggesting ideas that might work before the groom decided what he preferred and what seemed most feasible to him.

After spending a couple of hours in the forest, they concluded on the next day's plan before making their way back to the house, that too just in time for sandwiches and lemonade, finding the entire family sitting at the back. Tony picked up his three-year-old daughter and kissed his wife, while Lucas pulled Allison into his side and rubbed his nose against hers before putting a hand on her swollen stomach, feeling their little twins kicking inside.

"Uff! That's a strong one," He smiled adoringly at her. "Our boys are definitely into football,"

"Or karate," Allison shook her head as her husband laughed. "They move so much,"

"Where is our future Mrs. Nathan?" Daniel asked, realizing he didn't see Delilah in the midst of everything.

"She'll come tomorrow with her parents and sister, finalize everything a day before the wedding," Nathan took a bite of the sandwich his mother had prepared.

"So the bride has the final say?" Tony looked up from his daughter.

"She is high on excitement," Nathan laughed. "So relaxed and calm about everything, she told me that I could choose whatever as long as I tell her and she'll trust my judgment. I mean, is that normal?"

"Absolutely not," Harper shook her head. "I was a monster at my wedding, told Anthony he didn't know anything,"

"I left things up to Allison since I wanted to live to see my wedding," Lucas sighed while he sat down on the back steps next to Daniel with a glass of lemonade.

"Should I be concerned?"

"Not at all," Their father shook his head. "It just means she trusts you enough to not ruin the best day of her life and believes that you two share a similar taste,"

"When is Tessa coming?" Allison asked Daniel, who was sipping his lemonade beside her husband.

"Her flight lands around 7, so she'll be here after dinner,"

"Are you going to get her?" Harper grinned coyly.

"I am," He rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "Regardless. Boys, should we go?"

"Yeah, let's go as long as the sun is up," Lucas nodded and pushed himself off the steps, pulling Daniel up with him before they all bid farewell to their loved ones and got into Anthony's Range Rover.

Daniel stood waiting for Tessa's arrival at the front of the gate, looking down at his watch after every two minutes due to his excitement. She had flown in from Brooklyn the minute her semester break started and hoped to spend the first week at Virginia with everyone before going back to the Baltimore with Daniel for the second half, and he couldn't wait for her to be back with him, and if all went as he planned and was assured, he'd get exactly what he wanted.

"Danny!" A voice exclaimed as a huge grin split across his face, instantly lifting Tessa off the floor and spinning her in the air as she hugged him tight and laughed into his neck.

"Bambi," He smiled as he put her down, holding her at arms-length and giving her once over. "Have you grown? You look like you've grown,"

"I doubt it," She chuckled.

"You changed something," Daniel looked closely at her, before gasping in realization. "You dyed your hair!"

"Yup, I dyed them into a dark brown from the black,"

"Hey! It looks great!" He exclaimed and took a strand between his fingers.

"Thank you," She smiled before grabbing her bag and gesturing for him to lead the way.

Daniel loved the way her face lit up when she realized he had bought a new car. She had dropped her bag and jumped in her excitement to realize the BMW was his. Tessa hugged him tightly, congratulating him before loading her bag into the back and settling in the passenger's seat, reveling at the beauty of the interior.

"Wow," She gasped quietly, her eyes widening when the car purred to life. "This is amazing! Congratulations!"

"Thank you,"

On the drive back to the farmhouse, Daniel told her everything they had been doing for the wedding and how they'd set everything up tomorrow so that they just have the décor left for the actual wedding day. He told her how Nathan was left in charge of everything and how much Delilah trusted him to make everything perfect and would come tomorrow.

"Oh, what about the bachelor's party?" Tessa asked him, looking up at Daniel.

"We're taking him out tomorrow after dinner," He informed. "And the bachelorette party?"

"Done," She grinned. "All of us girls came together and took her out in New York,"

"Allison went to strip club pregnant?" He looked at her incredulously.

"No!" Tessa's burned a bright red. "No! We just had dinner at Meredith's place and our chef was also the stripper,"

"How was that?" He gave her a sideways glance. "It was your first time around such things, right?"

"Yes," She squirmed in her seat, her face turning a bright red. "It was very...I was very uncomfortable, plus, Allison and I were the only ones sober, so that was a bit unsettling given that we weren't intoxicated."

"I feel bad for you," Daniel couldn't help but laugh. "Although I'm sure you got excited,"

"Shut up," She slapped his chest with a bright red face before drowning out his words with the music playing on the radio.

Daniel laughed at her antics, his heart-easing in his chest to know that she was beside him and happy.

Everyone greeted her enthusiastically and sat down around her as she ate dinner, telling everyone about her university adventures and the friends she had made and how she had to change roommates because she was a junkie and Tessa didn't want to be around that. She even told them about how she and Jeremy often came together to just sit and talk. Throughout the time she spoke, Daniel watched her with adoration shining in his eyes, mesmerized by how gorgeous she was with her now brown hair flowing behind her in gentle waves, her face was long and slender and blessed by a clear porcelain complexion with pale blue contrasting against the softness of her complexion and the darkness of her hair.

"Dan," His mother called out to him, raising an eyebrow to see him completely lost in his admiration of the girl beside him. "Danny? Daniel?" Charlotte looked up at her children around her, all of them just as amused as her.

"Daniel James Robertson!" She called out sternly, and instantly the youngest of her children jumped, almost falling out of his chair as his brothers laughed and he flushed in embarrassment. "Are we present?"

"Yes, sorry," He scratched at his nape. "What were you saying?"

"I was saying that everyone should get some sleep since we have a long day ahead of us,"

"Yeah, you're right, very true," He nodded and stood from his place, Tessa following him after she placed her dishes in the washer. "We should be going off to bed now," He repeated as he watched everyone wave goodnight to Tessa before making their way upstairs.

"Behave you two," Nathan called out from the top of the stairs.

"Fuck off," Daniel retorted.

"Daniel!" His mother admonished as his brother grinned deviously. "What did I say about language?"

"Sorry, ma," He grumbled before hearing all the bedroom doors close when he turned towards Tessa. "Good night, Bambi," He smiled at her as she gave a soft smile in response.

Without thinking he cupped her chin into his hand and rubbed his thumb over her jaw as she looked up at him with sleepy eyes, not pulling away. Leaning down, he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"Sleep well,"

"You too," Tessa nodded before heading down the hallway and into the guest bedroom.

The next day everyone was busy with one thing or another. The brothers spent all day outside setting up the area while the girls helped around inside and were there for Delilah's every beck and call, then later the brothers and Isaac took Nathan out for his bachelor's party.

They returned late that night, and in the morning all of them had trouble waking up. Isaac was trying to get Nathan to wake up and get him sober while Charlotte dealt with her other boys, leaving the girls to set up the décor.

Soon the time rolled around and everyone was getting ready for the event. The bride's maids dressed in sweetheart neckline burgundy dresses that were longer from the back, while the groom's men wore grey two-piece suits with burgundy ties and white button-ups.

Delilah herself wore an ivory unique modest fit and flare dress with the applique in lace and going down the length of the dress. Her lips as dark as her bride's maids' dresses, meanwhile Nathan stood at the end of the altar in a two-piece navy blue suit with a grey waistcoat over a white undershirt and burgundy tie. Initially, he had been panicking about everything, but now he was calm and ready to enter this new phase of life with the woman of his dreams.

The music began, signaling Delilah's arrival as everyone stood to watch her approach, a huge grin on her face as Nathan's heart eased into his chest at the sight of her, everyone watching the happy couple with smiles of their own.

The reception was very well organized, the speeches had people laughing and crying and finally, it was time for the first dance.

"So the groom has a very special request," The deejay spoke into the mike as they all watched Nathan lead Delilah to the center of the stage, fairy lights surrounding them with the sun setting between the trees, bathing the sky in gay colors and adding to the magical feel of it all.

The brothers watched a mic get fixed to his lapel before the music began.

"Don't tell me he's singing," Lucas murmured in disbelief.

"He sucks as singing!" Daniel hissed.

"Oh, dear God, he's going to sing," Anthony groaned, all of them wincing when he opened his mouth.

"Hey there, Delilah what's it like in New York City?" He began, people cooing as Delilah's cheeks got tinted a light pink. "I'm a thousand miles away, but girl, tonight you look so pretty, yes you do. Times Square can't shine as bright as you," Nathan continued as the brother's looked at each other incredulously.

"He's actually..." Anthony trailed in disbelief.

"Singing," The other two spoke together, looking just as shocked as the eldest.

"And he's pretty good at it, too," Harper's voice spoke up from beside them, all three looking up at her. "Well, no surprise there, given how he had been taken singing lessons since he proposed,"

"What?"

"Yeah, he took lessons to get better at singing just so he could sing to his bride." She smiled. "Very romantic, no?"

The rest of the evening was spent with drinks being passed around and people dancing and enjoying themselves. Everyone bid farewell to the couple who had to catch a flight to Turkey for their honeymoon. The groom had changed from his suit into a white button up with black dress pants and matching blazer while Delilah opted for a plain off-shoulder navy blue dress.

"Bye!" Everyone waved farewell to them as the two drove off.

Soon the guests left, leaving the Robertson family. Tessa excusing herself and going back into her room while the rest of the family was gathered around the kitchen counter, drinking water for a change.

"Go!" Anthony hissed at Daniel. "Now's your chance!"

"Are you guys sure?" He pulled away from the counter and stared at his family uncertainly, excitement bubbling inside him.

"Yes! Go!" Both Lucas and Allison exclaimed, shoving him in the direction of the door.

"Okay, okay!" He relented and made his way down the hallway, knocking on the bedroom door as Tessa opened it after a second, a smile lighting up her face to see him.

"Hey," She greeted, pulling open her door to allow him entrance.

Stepping inside, he stuffed his hands into his slacks pockets before turning back to her, watching Tessa remove her jewelry and open her hair.

"Tessa, I wanted to talk to you," He revealed as she took out makeup wipes to clean her face.

"Go ahead," She smiled at him in the mirror and Daniel's heart raced inside his chest, reminding himself that everything would be okay and that it would all work out according to plan.

"I..." He trailed, watching her clean away all the makeup and leaving her bare before him. "I love you," Daniel exhaled.

"Love you, too Danny," She chuckled, about to walk into the washroom to wash her face.

"No," He halted her, grabbing her wrist and pulled her back.

A gasp escaped Tessa before she found herself pressed against him with his arms wound around her waist and the other cupped her cheek into his hand as his chocolate brown eyes roamed over her face and Tessa's heart jumped in her chest. She felt his fingers trail down her cheek to cup her chin as he gently parted her lips with his thumb.

"I love you, Tessa," He repeated again breathlessly, his eyes melting into soft brown orbs with a gentle smile across his lips and his entire posture relaxed and easygoing. "I love you, Tessa, and I want you to be mine,"

"I..." Tessa's voice died in her throat, his masculine scent wafting around her and she found herself wondering if he was always this handsome or if he looked different up close. "Daniel..."

"Say, yes," He urged. "Baby, say yes and I will make you feel like the goddess you should be treated as. Say yes and I'll show what love is all about, Bambi,"

"I..." A lump formed in her throat and her stomach twisted itself into knots and tears welled in her eyes as the foreboding settled onto her shoulders. "I can't..."

Daniel blinked at her once. Twice. Waiting for the teasing sparkle in her eyes, but when it never came his smile fell away as he looked at her impassively.

"You..." He repeated in a hoarse voice. "Can't?"

"I can't," Her lips wobbled violently as he released her, and instantly pulled away, feeling like someone had slapped him and a fist enclosed around his heart. "I'm sorry, Daniel, I-"

"-Can't or won't?" He looked up from his shoes, his eyes shedding unseen tears and his heart withering inside his chest, making his breathing feel tight as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's a simple question Tessa, can't or won't,"

"I can't..." She shook her head.

"You don't love me," He stated matter of factly.

"No! I love you," She sobbed, running to him and gripping his lapels.

"But you don't want me," Daniel stated quietly, gripping her wrists and trying to be as gentle as possible as he pulled her away. "You love me, but you don't want me, is that it?"

"Daniel..." His name escaped her lips like a broken whimper as he could feel the tears welling in his eyes as the lump choked him. "I..."

"I get it," Is all he said before pulling away from her and made his way out of her room, closing the door with a harsh bang before making his way away from the bedroom. Tessa collapsed to her knees behind the door and couldn't stop from sobbed into her hands.

"How did it go?" Anthony grinned when he caught sight of his brother come out from behind the corner, everyone instantly perking up but their smiles falling to see the way Daniel struggled to catch his breath and the way his eyes held unimaginable pain in them. "Danny?"

Without saying a word he stumbled out of the house and onto the porch, everyone putting down whatever they were holding before following after him, calling out his name but they were too late as he pulled away from the curb and drove away.

Daniel drove in silence, staring out at the road before him as he rubbed his trembling fingers over his forehead, feeling an inferno burning him, feeling like a wolf was devouring his heart, feeling like someone dropped iced water over him.

Daniel had realized that his feelings weren't platonic when he had felt mind-numbing pain blossom in his chest after the harassment incident.

He could clearly remember how his throat had closed up on its own, with his mind overwhelmed with panic and fear and anxiety when Tessa had stumbled into the apartment, completely disheveled, frightened and bawling her eyes out. Instantly, he had been up and by her side, cupping her face into his hands and begging for her to tell him what happened. She had been so frightened that she couldn't even respond; seeing her like that caused his heart to squeeze in his chest and spread a never-ending ache in his body.

And all he could manage at that moment was to hold her tight, simply hugging her tight and rocking back and forth to calm her down and tell him what happened. But when she told him what happened, Daniel was burning with rage; staring at her in disbelief as he would feel himself shaking with his anger. He was ready to kill that boy, but he didn't leave when Tessa begged him to stay.

It tore him apart to see her like that, so he stayed with her, helping her get changed out of her clothes before he lay with her all night long, not able to sleep for a single second, constantly watching her in concern as she slept in his arms.

And that night was when his feelings started to develop.

After that, he found himself wanting to know more about her: her favorite color, or food, or the way she likes her beverages, or why she doesn't drink coffee.

He wanted to know her.

But other than that, he wanted to hear her laugh, because to him that was the most beautiful sound to have existed. He found himself wanting to hold her so she felt protected, loving the way everything melted away when she would lay her head on his chest. He particularly enjoyed introducing her to his colleagues or holding her hand when they went for their strolls. He wanted to wake next to her.

He found everything about her to be absolutely perfect, even her flaws.

And maybe that was how.

How everyone knew he liked her long before he told anyone. Maybe even before he knew himself.

One would see it in his eyes, the way he looked at her. If she was the sun, he was a child seeing it for the first time. It was obvious to almost everyone else, even if they were young, the sparkle in his eyes when she spoke was the kind one waits their whole life for.

By the time he realized he was in love with her, he was too late. She was dating Xavier. But even then, after her relationships and her troubles and traumas, Daniel knew...

He was in love with Tessa Forbes.

Now...that very love left him sitting in his car, clutching at his hair and sobbing to know that he wasn't as important to her as she is to him. That very love left him sobbing at the pain that ignited through him, to feel like his chest was going to cave in and the only thing stopping it was the gasps he forced himself to take in between his tears, knowing, thinking...

Loving her wasn't supposed to hurt so much.