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Baby, I love you, don't wanna lose you
Don't make me let you go
Took such a long time for me to find you
Don't make me let you go
Baby, I'm begging please
And I'm down here on my knees
I don't wanna have to set you free
Don't make me (Don't make me – Blake Shelton)

1987 (26 years ago):

Erin stood in the middle of the hotel room in her big white wedding dress and looked at her reflection on the mirror. The dress was beautiful. The make-up looked flawless. The hair looked perfect. The bride wasn't happy. The groom wasn't the right one, the one she wanted. But of course her mother insisted on making a big deal out of this wedding. After all, she was marrying Edward the smart young man from the club.

She regretted ever going out with him. She regretted the alcohol taking control of her body like it always did. She regretted sleeping with him. All those actions had led to her pregnancy. The minute Erica found out about it, she arranged everything so Erin and Edward could get married as soon as possible. Edward was a really sweet man but he wasn't the man she loved. She still had feelings for David and she wanted to be with him, but that wasn't possible.

"Knock knock knock." Emily, Erin's sister, said as she walked into the room. "You look beautiful, baby sister."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome." She smiled. "Although, let me say that you do not look like any other bride, you have no smile plastered on your face."
"That's because I don't want this and I won't go around faking smiles when I don't have to."
"Oh come on, Erin! This isn't so bad."
"Emily, you were the happiest woman on the day of your wedding. I am not."
"Well maybe this gift I have for you will help."
"I don't need gifts."
"You will want this one, but it comes with rules."
"Why would a gift need rules?"
Emily ignored her question. "The rules are: no making out, no sex, no yelling, no crying and obviously not telling mom."
"What kind of gift are you giving me? A stripper?"
"An Italian one." She winked and stepped out to let the gift walk in.

Erin looked towards the door and was speechless as soon as she saw David Rossi walk into the bedroom. He was tanned because he'd been vacationing in Italy, she had heard about it in the office. His Italian charm was showing and he looked as handsome as always. Her legs went weak and her hormones started acting up. One look at the man and she was horny already.

"I'll let you two alone." Emily said and closed the door as she walked out.
"Bella mia."
"Dave." Erin looked at him. "You look good."
"You look absolutely beautiful."
"Expensive make-up, expensive clothes and expensive hair products would do that."
"No, it's natural beauty the one that you carry around."
"Pretty sure Tanya and Tracey looked more beautiful in your eyes."
"Will there be a day in which you aren't so hard on me?"
She laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm used to fighting you at the office."
"I know. I had to take a break from your fighting. You are one spicy woman."
"I am."

For a moment they said nothing. David looked at her and saw the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. He wished she was getting ready for their wedding but he knew he had messed that up. Now Erin was getting ready to marry another man. A man that had been able to give her everything he couldn't. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and hold her all day long. He wanted to get away with her, to run away from everything. But he knew his chance with Erin Strauss was gone, he had ruined it.

"Edward, is he good to you?"
"He is a really nice man and he treats me with a lot of respect."
"No love?"
"We've just met, we can't be in love. But we care about each other deeply."
"Then why are you marrying him, Erin?"
"Because I'm pregnant."
"Oh."
"I got drunk and slept with him. That was two months ago and the minute I told my mother she said we had to get married."
"Erica, charming as always."
Erin laughed and knew Edward would never make a joke about her mother. "Yes. She didn't ask if I was okay with it, she simply ordered me to marry him. So, here I am about to marry him just like she wanted."
"Congratulations on your baby."
"Thank you. It wasn't the way I wanted to get pregnant nor the man I wanted to have kids with, but I've always wanted children."
"I know that. I know you, Bella mia."
"Yes, you do."

She moved a bit closer to him and held his hand. The warmth it irradiated made her feel a bit closer to home. David had been her home for five years and during the last two years of her life all they had done was fight. They fought over stupid things at work and she ended up crying after every fight. Even after all the things he had done to her and after all the time they've been apart, she still loved him with all her heart. She wish it was their wedding she was getting ready for, but he had ruined that chance and that was never going to happen. After that night, she would belong to another man and David would be just a lovely memory. Erin wanted to focus on her career and her pregnancy. She forgave Rossi for what he had done but she couldn't forget about the love they've shared or the way he had broken her heart.

"How are your ladies doing?"
"I have no lady at the moment."
"No girl companion on your Italy trip?"
"You are the only woman I've ever taken to Italy with me. I didn't even take Carolyn."
"You didn't?"
"I didn't."
"Oh."
"I did love you, Erin. I made a big mistake, but that doesn't mean I didn't love you."
It hurt her to hear him talk in past tense when she still loved him. "Well, you didn't show it. I gave you everything I had and you slept with two other women."
"And I still don't forgive myself."
"I forgave you."
"Really?" He looked into her eyes.
"Yes. I made peace with what you did and I forgave you for it. I will never forget all the beautiful things we've shared and I will never forget the way you broke my heart, but I forgive you."
"It means a lot to me that you say this. I still feel guilty about what I did and knowing that you forgave me, gives me a sense of peace and maybe I can forgive myself."
She squeezed his hand. "Go ahead and forgive yourself, Dave."
"Why do you always find the way to make me feel better? I'm the one who hurt you and here you are giving me the strength to move on."
"Maybe it is because my mother pressured me into moving on. Life has giving me other things to live for and I want you to have the same. You have the right to live and love."
"But I still love you." He whispered lowly but loud enough for her to hear.
"I still love you too."

David took a step closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. He didn't care about her sister's rules or the fact that anyone could walk in and find them. He wanted to taste her lips against his and feel the way he used to. The look in her eyes told him that she wanted the exact same things. After these two years nothing had changed, they still loved each other the way they did before and they still wanted each other the way they did before. In the end and after all the things they had been through, they belonged together.

Slowly and trying his best not to ruin her make-up, he kissed her. He kissed her for all the times he wanted but couldn't kiss her in the last two years. He kissed her asking for her total forgiveness. He kissed her to let her know that he regretted cheating on her. And he felt her kissing back. She kissed him to show him that she still loved him. She kissed him to tell him that he was the man she wanted to marry. She kissed him to let him know that even if she was having someone else's baby, she still wanted to be his woman.

"You broke my sister's rules." Erin said as she broke the kiss and rested her forehead against his. "You are getting in trouble."
"You are worth it."
"Dave, we can't do this. I am getting married in an hour."
"I know and I wish it was our wedding."
"I wish that too, but it's not possible. You cheated on me and put an end to this relationship. I had to move on because I was falling apart and now I'm pregnant with Edward's baby."
"What if you weren't pregnant?"
"Then I wouldn't be getting married, Dave."
"I wish it was my baby."
"You didn't want kids."
"I know, but that way I'd keep you in my life."
"It's too late for that. I'm only in your life as your co-worker, nothing else."
"Don't you wish we could go back in time?"
"Every single day."
"Me too." He looked at her and felt his heart beating faster; he loved her more than ever. "My mom asked about you."
"How is she? How's all your family?"
"They are good, they missed you and asked about you."
"I miss them too."
"Maybe one day we can go back together."
"And take Edward with us?" She laughed trying to make things a little less awkward.
"We could have a threesome."
"I doubt he'll agree to that."
"Then he'll just have to watch how I have sex with his wife."
"Oh no, that's not going to happen."
"Have you decided you suddenly wanted to be a virgin until after your wedding? Because it's too late for that."
"I haven't been a virgin since I was 16, pretty sure it's way too late for that."
"Look at you badass Strauss losing your virginity at such a young age."
Erin laughed again. God she loved the way he made her laugh. "You already knew that."
"Indeed I did." He smiled. "Don't you love how you aren't the blonde bitch anymore?"
"I do. I am now the badass blonde because I got to save our supervisor."
"You did really great that night."
"I always do great."
"Especially if you are naked."
"Agent Rossi!"

Emily walked in and saw her sister laughing like she hadn't in the last two years. She knew how hard it was for Erin to move on and forgive David for what he had done. Alcohol had taken over her sister's life and only when she found out she was pregnant did she stop drinking. God knew for how long she would stay away from alcohol. No one really confronted Strauss about her drinking but they all knew it was bad. It was something they did in the family, avoid their problems and pretend everything was okay. That was what had led to their father's suicide and she sure as hell didn't want that for her sister.

"David, you have to go. Mom is about to come and I wouldn't want her to see you." Emily interrupted them.
"Give us a minute and he'll be right out."
"Only one minute, Erin." Her sister said and walked out.
"She's more like your mother than you are."
"I am nothing like my mother."
"Thank God." He kissed her again. "Good luck, Erin Strauss. Take care of your baby and make sure Edward treats you like the lady you are."
"Thank you, David Rossi." She kissed him before he could speak again. "I will see you at work. And Dave, please stop hunting yourself with the past, you can move on."
"I will try my best. I love you, Erin."
"I love you too, David."

David stood in a corner of the room as the wedding began. Emily walked Erin down the aisle replacing their father. Erica stood in the front row and there were no expressions on her face, you couldn't know what was going on through her mind. But if you looked at Erin, you could see what she was feeling. You could see there was no happiness in her eyes and that she was doing this because she had too. But the split of second she looked at David, loved could be seen in her eyes and he knew that no matter what they did in their lives, they would always love each other.

As she sat on the car that night on her way to the airport, Erin kept thinking about David and the few minutes they had shared together earlier that day. It made her feel at peace to know that he still loved her. That she was not the only one holding onto the love they used to have. She knew that maybe at one point in their lives, they would find each other again and be able to express their love for one and other.