Chapter 10:

Things in Janet's life were really good right now. She had this amazing new relationship that she never expected and was feeling so strong and so self confident she hardly recognized herself in the mirror. For her, she felt as though she had accomplished some of what she came to do, put the past behind her and begin to love herself for just the person that she was. Although she wasn't looking for it, she also found someone whom she was growing to love and that she was sure loved her in return. She decided to talk to Dwayne about returning to the Ridge for Hannah's wedding.

Janet had phoned Hannah and she picked up right away. "Oh my God I am so glad you called" Hannah practically shouted into the phone. Janet just laughed a bit and said "ok what is going on now? What crisis do I need to avert?" Hannah could hardly believe her ears. This was not the Janet she was used to, this was a new Janet.

"So tell me what is going on in that mystery place you live…I hardly recognize your voice you are so cheerful." Hannah smiled.

"I have quite a bit to be happy about but mostly I feel good Hannah. I can't wait to see ya but there is one thing I need to ask you first…can I bring someone with me to the wedding?" Janet was waiting for the obvious interrogation that would be next.

Hannah sat there not expecting this line of questioning at all, "Ahhh well yeah it is ok but are you going to tell me who this person is and why are you bringing this person to a wedding…I sense there is more to your happiness than feeling good Ms. Meadows…now talk."

"I will tell you every thing when I get there for the bachelorette party I promise but I need to ask Dwayne before I leave so can I please bring a date, please?" Janet was feeling uneasy. She knew that bringing Dwayne may be risky but she wasn't ready to face Eddie with Rory alone, if he chose to go at all. She was finally happy in her life again and Dwayne was a big part of that. She wanted to show him Knights Ridge.

"I have no problem with you bringing Dwayne at all but you told me he was your friend, what's with the "date" lingo…am I missing something?" Hannah was trying to find out what was really going on.

"Things have changed a bit from the last time I talked to you Hannah…Dwayne is my boyfriend. We have been dating for a few months now and I am happy. I promise you we will talk when I get back…he is only coming for the wedding so we will have plenty of time. I plan to arrive on Wednesday so I have all day to prepare for Thursday's bachelorette party, Fridays the rehearsal dinner and Saturday is the wedding so everything is covered. He will be coming on Saturday morning since he still has classes to teach during the week." Janet was nervous about returning but she was counting on being very busy.

"Ok Janet I will see you Wednesday night then. I will stop by the house and make sure everything is ready for you and Dwayne. Thanks for coming back Janet I know that this will be hard for you but I am so happy that you will be by my side." Hannah smiled at the thought of Janet but still had this nagging feeling that Saturday was not going to go as well as she had hoped.

That night Janet and Dwayne were cleaning up the dishes after dinner and Janet decided now was a great time to ask him if he would go to the wedding with her.

"So you remember that Hannah's wedding is coming up right? I am leaving on Wednesday night to get ready for her bachelorette party on Thursday, rehearsal dinner on Friday and then the wedding is on Saturday so I was thinking…."

"Would you like me to come with you to the wedding? Because if that is the question, you didn't even have to ask." Dwayne was smiling.

Janet just stood there and smiled. How is it possible to be dating someone who doesn't have to be convinced to go anywhere with her…he just seemed so happy just to be with her. Why did this relationship seem to good to be true?

Dwayne interrupted her thoughts, "that was what you were going to ask me wasn't it?"

"Yes, Yes it was…I'm sorry I am just so happy…how are you even possible?" Janet just shook her head and looked up to find Dwayne within inches of her lips.

"I am possible because of the woman that is standing in front of me." With that he began kissing Janet and the rest of the dishes would just have to wait until the morning.

The day had finally come and Janet was getting ready to head to Knight's Ridge…the first time in many, many months. Dwayne had sensed that she was apprehensive about the trip. He said to her, "I'll see you on Saturday bright and early. You have given me every thing I need so just go and have fun. I promise you every thing will be ok." Janet looked at Dwayne and said her goodbyes with the promise to see him on Saturday.

She arrived at her house in the Ridge in the early hours of the evening on Wednesday night. She walked into her house and couldn't believe how clean it was. Not all the furniture had been uncovered but some pieces were. She was grateful to Hannah for helping her out. She felt a little strange being there after all this time. Every thing was still in it's place but yet everything seemed out of place. She walked into her bedroom and it felt so strange to her…almost like she was walking into someone else's house. She barely remembered what had happened there last but the memories of Eddie were still very strong. She started putting her clothes away in the dresser and hanging up her dresses for the upcoming events and realized that some of Eddie's things were still there. She hadn't thought to return them and he obviously never used the key that she had given him that faithful day. They seemed so out of place now. Maybe she was the one who was out of place now. She wasn't sure but she knew that this would be a busy weekend so she got herself settled in and went to sleep for the night.

Eddie hadn't realized that Hannah's wedding was this coming weekend. Why would he, it wasn't like he was planning on attending the event. He couldn't stand Big Cat and Hannah was not so fond of him either these days. He made the trip to Janet's house as he had done so many times in the past except this time, her driveway wasn't empty and her lights were on. As he pulled up along side the road and stared at the house, he saw the shadow moving about and knew right away that it was Janet. He didn't know what to do. Should he go and talk to her, should he wait and run into her naturally – so many things were running through his mind. He felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. As he sat there, waiting to see her more clearly through a window, he thought maybe now wasn't the right time. They haven't seen each other in more than 7 months and she obviously had just gotten here. He decided to wait until tomorrow as he was sure if she was here in the Ridge Hannah's wedding must be this weekend. They would most likely be at Sully's tomorrow anyway. Just as he was about to pull away, that is when he saw her, through her kitchen window. She had dropped something in the sink it looked like and she just stopped and looked out the window. She looked like she was deep in thought. As she stared out the window and up at the sky she smiled. God, how he missed that smile. But just like that she turned and was gone from the window and shutting off the lights. Yup, tomorrow it would have to be. "Looks like I won't be getting much sleep tonight." He thought.

Hannah arrived at Janet's house early in the morning. She was so excited to see her best friend. Janet was awake and just finishing up getting ready when the door bell rang. She looked out the window and saw Hannah's car and practically ran to the door and flung it open. The two friends screamed and grabbed each other in a huge hug!

"Oh my god, Janet you look amazing! I have missed you so much!" Hannah was starting to get teary eyed.

"I have missed you too…are you ready for your big night? Emily and I have got some big surprises for you so I hope you are ready…Oh my God your getting married!" Both girls screamed again and settled into Janet's house for some old fashioned girls gossip.

Eddie was at home lying in his bed. He just wasn't sure how he felt today. Everything seemed different now that he knew Janet was back in the Ridge. He didn't seem to be as excited this morning with the possibility of seeing her as he was last night and could not figure out why. There was something in his stomach that was just unsettled and he really couldn't pin point it. He always thought that he would be so happy to see her that nothing else would matter but something was just not right. He would have to wait and see what happened tonight to help him to figure out what the problem was that he was sensing.

The girls all gathered at Hannah's house and there was a definite excitement in the air. Everyone was so happy to see Janet that this night could not have been more perfect. They started with a dinner out of town a bit to kick off the evening. Everyone seemed very focused on Janet and what had been happening in her life. There was definitely something different about her everyone could tell. She seemed so happy and confident. She beamed about her town and the people in it but most of all she talked about her new love Dwayne. Everyone sitting at that table could see on her face that she was in love and so happy but there was still this feeling that somehow the person she should be talking about was Eddie and not this Dwayne but everyone sitting there had been through most of the relationship issues with Janet and Eddie so no one questioned her new life or her new boyfriend Dwayne. They were mostly just happy for her.

As the girls made their way to Sully's, Eddie was a nervous wreck. He was at Sully's with Owen and could hardly take his eyes off the door. He knew that they all would come bursting through the door at any second and he would see Janet face to face for the first time in nearly 8 months. What would he say? What would she say? So many things running through his mind that he got lost for a second in his thoughts when this loud noise brought him back to the present. The loud noise was a group of slightly drunk women celebrating a friends marriage.

Janet, Emily, Allison, Aubrey, Hannah and several of Hannah's co workers from the Vet's office had just come through the door. Sully's being their last stop on an evening that was well underway. Sully was so happy to see Janet he nearly took her breath away he hugged her so hard. She was so happy to be in Sully's again. She looked around a bit and just took in the sights. She had missed this bar and the people in it. She was having such a good time. She worried a little about Eddie being there but so far she hadn't seen him and no one really mentioned him. She thought everyone was being nice and avoiding the topic because he was already with someone else, probably Rory and they didn't want to hurt her feelings. That is what she thought at least. She wondered what she would say to him if she saw him…would he be happy to see her? Would he yell at her again or be mean? She had hoped that time would heal all wounds but sometimes maybe there are just some things that can't be healed, she thought. Regardless of all of that, she was happy to be home.

Eddie was staring at her, once again mesmerized by her smile. It was as if he couldn't move any closer for risk that all of this wasn't really happening. He thought she looked amazing. There was just something a little different about her. Maybe it was the way she carried herself or maybe it was just that he had really missed her. Whatever it was she looked good to him. He was about to get up and finally go to talk with her when something captured the attention of the crowd and his gaze turned to see what it was.

Janet was standing with her back to the door in a circle of giggling, slightly intoxicated girls talking about boys when she felt these hands go around her waist…she couldn't figure out who would be doing that and she could see all the girls with huge looks of confusion and then big smiles go across their faces…

Dwayne decided to surprise Janet by coming to the Ridge a little earlier than scheduled. He walked into Sully's and since he was definitely a man out of place there and quite a large man at that, naturally people started to pay close attention. He spotted the huge group of girls and then Janet so he sneaked up behind Janet and winked at the girls with a "shhh" motion with his finger and then slowly wrapped his arms around her. He was considerably taller than her so his presence did not go unnoticed by anyone in the bar especially Eddie.

Janet turned around to find Dwayne and she literally screamed and jumped up into his arms. Dwayne set her back down and kissed her as if they had been apart for months. Janet sort of forgot all about everything else and only had Dwayne in her mind until they pulled apart from each other and looked into each others eyes just for a brief second before Hannah brought them back to reality.

"So this must be Dwayne…or at least I am hoping so." Hannah chuckled and the girls eyes were completely glued to Dwayne.

"Hi, you must be Hannah. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Who ever he is he is one lucky man." Dwayne said ever so charmingly.

Janet turned to face the girls again and Dwayne stood behind her with his arms wrapped around her tightly. Janet was beaming with happiness anyone could see that, everyone including Eddie. Owen began to worry as Eddie hadn't moved since Dwayne walked in and Eddie had this look on his face that Owen had never seen before, ever.

Eddie could not believe what he was seeing. Who was this guy? What is happening here? She has moved on with someone else? How is that possible? Look at her, she seems so…happy. This just can't be happening.

Eddie remained planted in the booth that he and Owen had been sitting in. He could continue to watch her but she didn't seem to know he was there. She remained at Dwayne's side unless going to the bathroom or dancing with the girls. Eddie felt as though someone had beaten him all over again. He had been waiting for this chance for so long but he never dreamed that Janet would find someone else. He felt like such an ass for thinking that all of a sudden. That type of thinking is what got him in this mess in the first place. He always underestimated Janet's ability to connect with other people and somehow thought she was just for him. How could he be so naïve to think someone else wouldn't see all the amazing things about her just as he had but clearly this guy knew exactly what he had and wasn't making any bones about it.

Once the evening began to wind down, Eddie made his way to the bar for one last drink after going to the bathroom. He waited until the girls were over in the corner attempting to play darts but really looked like a bunch of laughing girls just picking up sticks…no one was actually hitting the dart board at this point.

He approached the bar and found himself right next to this strange fellow. Dwayne turned slightly and saw Eddie approach. Janet had described Eddie once to him back in the beginning of their friendship when she suffered her "breakdown" so to speak so he recognized Eddie right away. He could tell that Eddie was intrigued by him and knew nothing of him really. Dwayne thought about what to say. Deep down he knew that when he was gone, his hope was that Janet could find her way back to this man who he was sure still loved her even though Janet never knew if he ever had.

Dwayne decided to speak first. "You must be Eddie, I'm Dwayne" with that he extended his hand for a handshake.

Eddie was clearly taken aback. "ahh yeah how exactly do you know that" apprehensively shaking this guys hand.

"Janet has told me a lot about you" Dwayne said cautiously.

"oh, so how do you know Janet?" Eddie was going to figure this guy out.

"Her and I met about 8 months ago, I teach kick boxing classes and she started out as one of my students." Dwayne didn't want to give too much away.

Eddie suddenly remembered Hannah's talk with Nick and she had mentioned this friend of Janet's named Dwayne. It was all making sense now. The story sounded familiar to him. He befriended Janet and when he got to know her he knew that she was worth so much more than a mere friendship could provide. Eddie suddenly just felt sad. He felt sad for letting this amazing person slip through his fingers when he knew what it was like to be just as happy as this guy because he had the one thing Eddie wanted but clearly was never going to have again.

Dwayne recognized that look and knew he had been right about Eddie and his feelings for Janet. He said, "It was nice to meet you Eddie. Janet is an amazing woman although I am pretty sure I don't have to tell you that. I know that this may sound strange coming from me but don't loose sight of how you feel about her, you never know when something feels so lost, in the end it really isn't." He patted Eddie on the back a bit and walked away towards Janet.

Eddie was just speechless. He didn't know what to say. What did he mean by that? All of this was just too much for him. He couldn't see Janet now. He couldn't stand being there anymore. He just turned and left abruptly. Owen tried to follow after him but Eddie was gone before Owen got to the door. He didn't know what had happened between those two but the look on Eddie's face said that it wasn't good.

The next few days went by so quickly. The morning of the wedding was beautiful. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping outside of Hannah's window. Everything was perfect except for the bride. As Janet helped Hannah get ready, she couldn't help but notice this look in Hannah's eyes. Suddenly Hannah said to Janet, "I can't do this, I just can't do this. What am I doing? This is all wrong Janet it is just all wrong."

Janet stood there in shock and didn't know what to say. Hannah got up and ran out of the room. Janet just stood there as if frozen, speechless when Big Cat came running into the room and said, "Where is Hannah going Janet?" She couldn't even answer she just looked at him. And just like that, the wedding was off.