JILLIAN VANCE: Present time

BOOM BOOM BOOM

I didn't want to open my eyes. It couldn't have been more than an hour ago since I had last gone to sleep after staying up with my 6 year old daughter, Summer, for most of the night. Summer had unfortunately contracted one of those nasty  viruses from school and she couldn't hold down anything, not even a cup of water.

The pounding noise stopped and I sighed relieved, only for it to start again.

Getting up I looked at the time 4:30 AM.

"This better be good" I muttered quietly as I walked to the door.

"Jill, Jill , Jill" My best friend and roommate Flo shouted coming through the door and I groaned.

"Where's your key?!  I was sleeping!" I cried.

" I forgot it, but guess what?!"  She asked surprisingly full of energy even though its 4 AM.

"JACK PROPOSED TO ME" she screamed and I groaned.

"SHUT UP ! You're going to wake up Summer. And I thought you were dating that Tom guy?"

"No I broke up with him like a year ago after I found him with one of my boots." She replied confusing me even more.

It was too late for this, err.. well early, for this.

"Boots?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't know some shoe fetish. I'm pretty sure I told you this. Anyways, the wedding is next week because he's flying to LA to finish up a record, and that's where half our honeymoon is going to be at then we're going to London." She said excitedly.

"Wait, back up, he's in a band?" I asked.

"Yeah, The dancing chairs, they're really good, and they grew up in this town! Do you know them?"

The dancing chairs, they were more than god, they were amazing.

I would call myself a fan if it weren't for the fact that Alex Lessi was the lead singer.

 "Yeah I do we went to high school together, I'm going to bed. We'll talk wedding plans tomorrow. I have no idea how you're going to plan this in one week." I said but sleeping was nearly impossible because staring at the ceiling memories of Alex flooded my brain, I remembered the day he left with promises to keep in touch which were broken a year later.

----

It was a nice summer wedding in the early afternoon. Flo had chosen a nice spot at the beach and she looked absolutely stunning in her white long simple dress. Her corset made her figure stand out and was beautifully decorated with some sparkles that made her shine even more than her smile did.

At the end of each seated aisles there were bouquets with many types of different orchids of all colors. Seated in white chairs set in the sand were all of Flo's and Jack's close friends and family, all in beach attire for comfort.

"God Flo, I can't believe you're actually doing this" I told her.

"Its insane, right?" She asked smiling wide.

When she had told me she bumped into him after he was done with a gig at a local bar and had gone home with him I immediately asked her if she was pregnant. But of course she denied it, they had been together for two months and he finally popped he question catching her off guard, but knowing Flo, she lived for impulsive decisions like these. 

Looking at Summer my thoughts drifted.

There was no denying that she was Alex's daughter.

Alex was Jack's best friend and band mate and sooner than later he will get a glimpse of her and question me.

Flo had questioned me about it a while ago and I confessed to her.

I dated the lead singer and we maintained a long distance relationship for about a year after high school but, tours got longer and the band got bigger for him while college got harder and the work load became more.

We were both interested in different things so we drifted apart.

Fast forward 3 more years and Alex shows up back at home. We meet up, one thing leads to another and a week later he leaves.

Except that one of those nights we weren't as careful as we thought we were and the result is Summer. I never had the guts to tell Alex, I was shocked and angry at first, with my finger over the call button millions of times but his band was doing good, his life was great, I was afraid he would've hated me for ruining his life.

It was also around the time when he was all over tabloids for dating or having an affair with a model and I was angry. And I regret so much that decision because sometimes at night as I went to tuck in Summer, she would look at me with her big brown eyes and ask "Mommy, what happened to my daddy?" and I had no reasonable answer for her other than my selfishness.

"Oh my god, Jill, Guppie, Rachel, Haley!" she said calling out to me and all our other friends "I'm going to collapse, I'm really nervous and excited" She said.

"Calm down Flo Go, Just walk out and you'll see Jack's goofy stupid face smiling at you and I'm sure you'l forget about your surroundings" Alex who had just walked in told her.

He was behind me and he hadn't yet noticed me.

"Wow Alex seems like you've done this before, thanks" Flo said patted him on the back and went next to her father and the music started. 

First, we watched Summer in that cute little dress Jack and Flo had taken her out to pick walking down the aisle throwing flower petals, I got teary eyed.

But same moment my world came tumbling down when I heard a familiar voice say "She's beautiful, Zack told me she was your daughter"

"I know, thank you" I told him quietly not knowing what else to say because in reality, she was his daughter as well.

Once Summer reached the end she stood next to Jack turned around and waved at me and I heard Alex intake a sharp breath of air.

"Holy fuck, Jillian" He whispered 

"Her name's Summer" I told him quietly.

"Shit, I hope you realize we have to talk about this" Alex said quietly which was the last thing I expected from him, I honestly expected him to shout at me.

"I figured as much" I replied and tried to focus on the signal for us to start walking to our respective spots next to the bride and groom.

"How old is she?" Alex asked almost in awe and in that moment I felt truly and utterly guilty because I had taken away the chance for him to be a father for 6 years.

"She's turning 6 next month, on the 10th" I told him and he only nodded.

We then went down the aisle, Alex as Jack's best man and I as Flo's bridesmaid and went to our spots. 

"Did you see me? I walked and threw the flowers just like uncle Jack told me" she said and I raised an eyebrow.

"Uncle jack?"

"Yes, Auntie pickle said that he's my new uncle and that next week they're taking me to the zoo to see the big tigers" she replied her eye growing big in excitement.

Flo had gotten this weird obsession with pickles which caused Summer to call her auntie pickle.

"Hush now honey, Flo's abut to walk out" I told her.

Once she showed up you could hear some people's gasp as Flo's radiating beauty. Jack's smile got even goofier and wider if that was even possible. 

I always cried at these things and I felt like doing so now, it was beautiful and I was so happy for Flo, she deserved this happiness.

At the end of the aisle her father hugged her and whispered "I'm so proud of you." He then placed her hand in Jack's and smiled. Her father patted Jack's back before he walked away. 

As a couple they faced the front to one of Jack's friends, a public speaker, read out the vows. They weren't particularly religious and decided to avoid the whole priest thing.

After the ceremony, the waiters served food for the guests. There were mini pizzas, mini hot dogs, mini everything. Summer loved the food, and I had to admit it was delicious. After a while of talking to our friends, Flo's bridesmaids, Alex and his band mates surrounded Summer and I. They wanted  to meet her and of course they knew she was Alex's daughter, they were exactly alike other than her eyes which were mine, chestnut brown eyes.

"Summer, meet my old friend Alex" I told her not knowing what else to call him and she smiled at him.

"Hi! I'm summer,I like your hair" she said pointing to the pink on his left side "It's my favorite color"

"Thank you, it's my favorite color too! And I like your dress" he told her chuckling and summer smiled even wider, if possible, and said "I picked it out all by myself"

I smiled at their interaction, summer loved the attention she was getting.

I just hoped she wouldn't get too attached because after the wedding I'm pretty sure he was leaving like he did all those years ago.

Flo then showed up and smiled wide at all of us and hugged Summer first, then me, then Alex, Rian, and at last Zack. 

"Careful wedding girl, don't want to get that dress wrinkled up" Zack said chuckling.