None of this went down the way Pacey had expected. He had expected to give Joey the ticket to Paris and for her to live her own life for while, but he hadn't foreseen her being gone for two years. He had expected that she would realize they were on the same road and come back to him, where they would start fresh. But that didn't happen. Melanie did.

He wasn't sure when exactly he'd fallen in love with her. Pacey had cared for Mel ever since she helped him get through the worst time of his life that summer sailing on the Dean's boat. But, back then, they were as far apart as him and Joey, with Mel destined for greatness and him still circling the drain. Everything, changed, however, with Stepotech. Once he had that money, he became someone who could fit into her life. A guy she could seriously consider a future with instead of someone she slept with in secret. At first he'd kept their relationship light just in case Joey came back for him. They dated casually for over a year, but one thing lead to another and, before he knew it, she was living with him instead of in her dorm at Harvard. They fell into a real adult relationship where he did his thing and she did hers, but they always came home to each other. When he moved to Los Angeles part-time to launch the company with Todd, they stayed committed despite the distance and their hectic schedules. He was finally in a relationship where there was no drama, no angst, and, best of all, no competition. Plus, they were on equal footing. It didn't matter that his money was new and hers was old. While neither of the cared about the money, it gave them the societal green light to continue what they had started all those summers ago. But, it had been two years and it was time make decisions about the future, as their bicoastal relationship was starting to wear on them. And Pacey couldn't imagine his without her, so he proposed and she accepted. Now, he just had to tell Joey.

Pacey decided to go to the B&B to talk to her after learning from Jack that she was back. He hoped they could go for a walk so he could tell her the news. When he got there, she was sitting on the porch swing alone. She had cut her hair into a shoulder-length bob and was wearing cute little black rimmed glasses, but otherwise, Joey looked the same. She still took his breath away. "I was wondering when you'd come," she whispered when she noticed him.

"Hey, Jo. Welcome home."

"Thanks."

"So, I was wondering if we could talk? It's important," Pacey asked from the lawn at the bottom of the steps as he nervously ran a hand through his buzzed hair. He told himself that he decided to keep it that way because it made him look older and people took him more seriously, not because of her.

She got up off the swing and came to the railing. Latching onto it, she asked, "So, when's the wedding?"

He took the hand that he had run through his hair and rubbed his goatee, which he'd grown back, but kept trimmed. "Jen told you."

She nodded.

Pacey put his hands in the pocket of his jeans and fiddled with his keys. "I wanted to tell you in person, but we ran into them and she saw the ring…."

"It's okay, Pace. I'm not mad."

He let out a breath. "I'm glad, Jo. Because you're my best friend and I couldn't imagine losing you."

"So, when's the wedding?" she asked again.

"Over Labor Day weekend. Here in Capeside. Our parents asked us to have it here before we move to LA together permanently."

She rocked back and forth behind the railing. "Wow… That's fast, Pace." He heard her take a deep breath. "I thought you would have a long engagement. What's the rush?"

"We've been together for so long that there's no reason to wait. We're anxious to start our life together."

Joey tilted her head to the side and then looked at him strangely. "You really do love her, don't you?"

Of course he loved Melanie. He wouldn't have proposed otherwise. "Yeah. Why?"

"I just didn't think…" she started, but trailed off.

"That what? I could fall in love with someone besides you?" He felt himself getting aggravated and began pacing the lawn as he spoke. "It never occurred to you that I wouldn't be waiting for you and your clean slate, did it? That I would move on with my life instead of pining away for a woman I would never really be able to have?"

Joey looked down and sighed heavily. Then she let go of the railing and came down the steps, stopping directly in front of him. "No. Because I thought your heart was a fixed point, too, Pace."

"God, Joey," he ground out as he threw his hands in the air, frustrated beyond belief. "Your heart may be fixed, but your mind is constantly running in circles. All you can do is replay our history over and over and it makes you afraid to commit. And I can't - no, I won't - live like that. I have to move forward."

Joey frowned at his statement. "Away from me? From us?" she asked softly, barely above a whisper.

"One thing I've learned in business, Jo, is that when an offer is on the table, you either need to take it or leave it. And, if you leave it, don't expect it to come back to you with the the same terms."

"So what are you saying here, Pace?"

"That I'll always be in your life, Jo. But only as a friend. Our ship has literally sunk." True Love was down at the bottom of the ocean, after all.

"Really?" she asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

When Joey grabbed his polo shirt, pulled him toward her, and kissed him, hard, he wasn't so sure in his resolve.