One step back.

“Don’t you dare.”

My head swirled around and landed on Cooper leaning against the doorframe. He was calm, and I wondered how long he had been there. I nervously patted my fingers against my lips and glanced back towards the white bag.

“But what if…” I whispered turning back to the handsome man who had found it his job to make sure I was all right.

“No what ifs. Keep moving forward.” He nodded at the dress and I let out a short sigh. A few more steps I took. The sound of the zipper lowering was the only noise heard, but I was almost certain Coop could hear the beating of my heart.

And there it was. Still perfect. Still white. Pure. Everything I wasn’t anymore.

And I laughed.

I cracked up. It was so beautiful and I was so not the person who would have worn that dress. I laughed so hard my stomach started to cramp up. This was such a funny situation I had found myself in and I couldn’t control myself. I looked to Cooper to join in with my laughter and was surprised when he didn’t.

He slipped his hands into his pockets, stern look on his face, and he continued leaning. “Look again, Andrea.”

My chuckles vanished as my eyes traveled over the satin dress. I allowed myself to run my fingers across the beaded waistline. I caressed the sweetheart neckline. And I allowed myself to remember.

The tears followed. I turned to Cooper and wondered why he had asked me to face the truth, the loss the dress stood for. He walked over to me and wiped my tears as I shook my head back and forth. “I feel like such a baby.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” he promised.

“What do you mean? Coop, since we met up you have seen me cry more than anyone. There is something wrong with that.”

“Why do babies cry?” I didn’t say anything. I stood there as he placed his hands on my shoulders. His green eyes stared into my blues. “Babies come out crying for a reason. It’s not a sign of weakness— it’s a sign of strength. It’s a battle cry, saying to the universe, ‘I am here and I am f**king alive.’ So if you were quiet and empty after the horrific accident you experienced, I would be terrified. But tears…tears mean you can feel. Tears are a sign of life. And I’m so happy you are alive, Andrea. Because I’m almost certain for most of the past six months you have been dead.”

He was right.

After awhile of talking, I informed him that Ladasha said we should meet her and the others at the bar. He agreed, saying it sounded like a decent plan and it would be good to get me around some of my past so I could start moving towards my future. If I didn’t face the people, the places, and the feelings Derrick’s and my hometown, I would never be able to move on.

A FRIDAY NIGHT in a small town bar was always like a high school party. You knew everyone, and they were all drunk, loud, and dancing. When Cooper and I walked in, I smirked at seeing Michelle dancing on top of the bar with Ladasha. Michelle kept dancing closer and closer to Ladasha, and Dasha giggled. They were both wasted out of their minds and looked to be having a grand time. I needed a drink.

Walking to the bar with Cooper, I smiled to the familiar face behind the counter. “Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in! Andrea Evans, as I live and breathe!” Colin Gates hollered over the loud music as he leaned forward and kissed my forehead. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Cooper’s eyes narrow and watched as his jaw tightened up.

Oh…look who was jealous now.

“Colin! I thought you moved down to Florida!” I yelled.

“Yeah, well, I came back to help my dad out with the bar. You know this town— it has a way of pulling you back in.” I knew exactly what he meant. Colin and I went to school together, and he was the sweetest guy next to Derrick. He moved to Florida right after high school and I hadn’t seen him since.

Colin lowered his eyebrows and leaned in even closer, taking my hands in his. “Hey, I’m sorry about…”

I grinned and nodded. “I know.” Colin pulled my hand up to his lips and placed another kiss on them. Cooper cleared his throat loudly and I spun around to glance in his direction. “Colin, this is my…” I paused and bit my lip. “This is Cooper. He’s Michelle’s cousin.”

Cooper gave Colin the manly nod and held his hand out for a shake. I laughed lightly as I watched the lion try to mark his territory. “Hey man, nice to meet you.” His southern accent was thick—thicker than normal. So sexy.

Colin grinned and accepted Cooper’s handshake. Cooper’s tight handshake. “Nice to meet you. I’ve seen you all over television. My girlfriend loves your show. Not to sound gay, but you’re a bad-ass photographer, man, and I would love for you to photograph my wedding. So! I’m guessing you two aren’t here to talk but to join your friends in their drunkenness. What can I get you?”

Cooper eased up; I guessed the mention of a girlfriend brought him comfort. “I’ll have a cola.”

Pointing towards Michelle and Ladasha, who were sitting on the bar counter giggling into each other’s shoulders, I said, “I’ll have what they’re having.”

Five tequila shots later, I was hammered. I hadn’t been drunk since…crap. I didn’t even know. But I did know it was time to dance. I tried to pull Cooper out onto the dance floor with me, but he refused, saying he would join me soon enough. I didn’t have time to care; I dashed to the dance floor with Ladasha and Michelle.

These girls were a freaking good time. The fact that my best friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law got along together was excellent. Eric joined the dance floor with his socially awkward dancing and we all couldn’t stop laughing. My eyes shifted to Cooper, who was talking to Steve. It looked like they were in a deep conversation, but I couldn’t tell what about.

Oh well.

Time to dance.

Chapter Thirty

STEVE WAS HAMMERED. My mind slipped into parental mode as I thought about who was going to drive all these drunk-ass people home. Clearly Andrea and Ladasha were driving home with me. And Michelle was too, if Eric didn’t sober up any time soon.

Steve stared out towards the dance floor with me and shook his head in Andrea’s direction. “It’s f**king sad, man. Derrick, he was my best friend, ya know?” He sipped on his drink as some spilled down his shirt. He didn’t even notice. “And Andie was a best friend to me, too. So how do you allow yourself to hold on to a secret for so long?”

I had no clue what Mr. Drunk was talking about, but when I heard the word secret and knew Andrea was involved, I piped up.

“What do you mean by secret?”

Steve’s eyes wandered across the room and landed on Rachel. Rachel waved towards me and winked. Steve made a gagging face towards her. “Fucking slut. You know, when two people love each other, f**k other people. Right? I mean, shit. Yeah he made a mistake but as his best friend I was suppose to overlook that shit. Andie deserved better though.”

Better? Better than what?

“And now she’s sitting here mourning over someone who didn’t even love her enough to be faithful.” Steve’s eyes shifted to the ground as he sipped on his drink. “But man…he was my best f**king friend.”

Holy shit.

Derrick had cheated on Andrea. And from the way Steve hissed towards Rachel, I was pretty sure it was with her.

Andrea, the drunken beauty that she was, stumbled over to me and patted the sides of my face. After me, she moved on to Steve’s face. I could smell the alcohol on her breath as she puckered up her lips and hissed at us in her best Joker voice. “Whyyyyyyy sooooo serious?!” She giggled. I offered her my seat, knowing she couldn’t stand much longer.

Colin walked over to us, looking towards Andrea, “Hey hun, what can I get you?”

Andrea stared at me; her eyes looked as if she were undressing me from my head to my toes. If I wasn’t still trying to process the information just presented to me, I would have f**king loved for her to undress me with more than those eyes. She turned to Colin, bent forward, and whispered loud enough for me to hear her. “I’ll have a soda pop, Colin. I really, really want a soda pop.” As she swiveled around in her seat, she stared into my eyes. Her hyper, drunk self seemed to disappear as she stared at me. Her look was stern and hopeful.

“Cooper. Would you like a soda pop?” Her long eyelashes blinked once and her beautiful blues resurfaced. I was still in a stage of shock from what Steve had told me. Andrea had spent the past few months mourning over someone who had cheated on her repeatedly. She’d spent the past few months living in her mind about how she and Derrick were destined to be together. And he’d spent the last few days of his life sleeping with Rachel.

I didn’t understand. Cheating. If you are so unhappy with someone, why not just leave? Why make a situation so messy? Iris could have told me she wasn’t happy. She could have come to me and expressed herself in another way instead of screwing a groom in a broom closet.

Giving her a short smile, I shook my head. “I’m not too thirsty right now. But I’m going to run to the restroom and after that maybe we should all head out.” I turned away from her before I could watch her face drop. I was certain there was a look of disappointment because as I walked away I heard Andrea say to Colin, “Screw the soda pop. Two more shots of tequila.”

After I went to the bathroom I knew I had to get drunk girl out of the bar. My eyes shifted to the dance floor where Ladasha and Eric were dancing very close to each other. I couldn’t even see a gap between the two of their bodies. Their eyes were locked together as if they were in some kind of deep connection. Zombie-fucking-dancing. Damn alcohol.

Where was Michelle?

“Bobby, stop it…” I heard hissed from a young girl’s mouth. The voice sounded afraid of the situation before her, and as I turned towards the bathrooms, I saw Michelle pinned against the bathroom wall with Eric’s best friend standing over her.

It looked like he was begging her for something. Asking her for something. It looked shady as hell and I forcefully ripped him away from her.

“Is everything okay, Chelle?” I looked at my cousin, who was so wasted with her mascara smeared under her bloodshot eyes. I wasn’t sure if that was due to the tears, the alcohol, or a mix of both.

She nodded towards me as I watched Bobby run his hands through his hair. “Hey, man, I’m not sure if we actually met during dance rehearsal. I’m Bobby.” He held his hand out towards me. I denied it.

“Yeah, Eric’s best friend, right?” I pulled Michelle towards me and whispered, “You’re drunk. Go sit next to Andie at the bar and get some water. I’ll be right over and then we are going home, all right?” Her doe eyes stared at me, but she nodded in understanding and wandered over towards Andrea with the best drunk-zombie walk I’d ever witnessed. I gave Bobby a short look before heading towards the restroom.

This was one f**ked up town.

Chapter Thirty-One

MY EYES WERE trying their best to stay open as a hot mess Michelle was sitting next to me. She stared into my eyes and for a while there appeared to be two of her…then three…okay, back to two. I apologized to her for not noticing she was engaged, and she informed me that she didn’t want to throw it into my face after the accident. I shrugged and told her I was happy for her and Eric. It was about time, actually. They had been dating since middle school like Derrick and me.

They were meant for each other—everyone knew it. So there wasn’t much of a different road they could have traveled down.

Or so I thought.

“How did you know, Andrea?” she whispered as she laid her head against the nasty, sticky bar countertop. She didn’t care. I didn’t try to stop her. Her eyes were looking at me with real concern and I smirked towards her.

“Know what?”