A/N Look at that, I posted, and it's long. What a day. Hope you enjoy it. Please review because it would make me happy and life's gonna suck the next week. R/R, and enjoy!

Ryan stared into the mirror, running his hand over his damp shaved face. He looked tired from his lack of sleep, but not horribly so. For the first time he realized how much older he seemed than the last day he'd really stared in the mirror. Somehow in the past six months he'd completely grown up. The thought unsettled him.

His mom tore him from his thoughts. "Hey Ry? Are you going to be all right on your own for dinner?"

He turned off the light and walked out of the bathroom, still rubbing his face. "Yeah. I am going over to have dinner with Marissa and a bunch of people at her house."

She came up to him and raised her eyebrows. "Dinner at Marissa's house? Who exactly is going to be there?"

"Marissa, Andrew, her parents, his parents, Jess, Seth, Summer, the girls…" He frowned, not looking forward to this at all.

"That's a lot of people. Sure you are up to that?" She studied him carefully.

He furrowed his eyebrows. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you're still trying to wrap your head around all of this." She gave him a knowing look. "You just got home and this is a really crazy situation for anyone. Watching the girl you're in love with get married is stressful. Maybe you should take it easy." She suddenly smiled cutely. "Plan your method of attack."

He gave her a look. "Mom, I told you. No stopping the wedding." He slipped his hands into his pockets, shrugging. "Marissa wants me there. If she wants me at dinner, I'll be at dinner."

"I understand you want to be there for her, but who is looking out for your well-being, son?" Dawn gave him a very serious look, placing her hand on his arm. "I love you. You're finally in an okay place. I don't want you to start going to that bad place again. I'm afraid if you put so much effort into trying to appear okay for Marissa, trying to be there for Marissa, you're going to end up losing yourself in the process."

He smiled at her concern. "Mom, I'll be fine. It's just dinner." At her uncertainty, he squeezed her hand. "It's going to be awkward and painful in all the best ways."

She smiled at that, though she still seemed worried. "Okay." She patted his face. "I see you shaved."

Ryan nodded, running his hand over his smooth skin. "Yeah."

"Marissa's not going to know what hit her," she said slyly, smirking.

He merely rolled his eyes. "If you say so."

XXXXX

In reality, Marissa didn't know what hit her.

Her stomach was in knots as she waited for the doorbell to ring. She had come back to her parents' house and changed into a blue dress that Andrew always said took his breath away. Andrew had arrived a few minutes after she got dressed, and was currently talking to her dad about something they'd both read in the paper this morning. She sat at the kitchen table listening to them, or trying to, but her mind kept wandering to the blonde haired boy across town.

She missed him. She actually missed him, and it hadn't even been an hour since they parted. It was like the last six months had never happened, and she couldn't remember what it felt like not to be around him anymore. She just wanted to see him again, to see that soft way he gazed at her while she talked about whatever came to mind.

Today was the first time since before they'd broken up that she truly felt she had her Ryan back. Even in the months they'd been "friends" while sleeping together, she felt like the boy she'd fallen in love with had gone into hiding. She'd been so busy trying to be there for him, trying to make him see how perfect they were together, that she had forgotten all she'd lost. Now that he was back, fully back, she felt giddy and bubbly with excitement to spend more time with him again. Ryan Atwood was finally back. In every single way.

Andrew had picked up on her mood, but tried to shrug it off. Marissa hadn't seen Ryan in six months, after all. Of course she was going to be excited that he was back. She had said yes to Andrew. She and Ryan were only friends.

When the doorbell rang, Marissa's heart stopped and her stomach did a little flip. "I'll get it. It's probably Ryan," she said, quickly rising to greet the boy she couldn't stop thinking about. Andrew must have seemed slightly concerned because she paused and leaned in to peck his lips quickly, which made him smile.

Opening the front door, Marissa's stomach filled with a million fluttering butterflies when she saw Ryan standing there, freshly shaved and handsome as ever. He smiled, his eyes crinkling at the edges. "Hey."

"Hey," she said, her own face breaking into the happiest smile.

He lifted two bottles. "I brought some wine. It's a kind Amy introduced me to. It's really good." He saw the way her eyes never left his, and he paused. "What? Is there something on my face?"

She shook her head, looking down, blushing. "No. It's just good to see you is all."

His eyes softened. "I told you I'd come." He walked inside, and she took one of the bottles of wine from him.

"I know. I'm just getting used to actually being able to see you again." She looped her arm through his, pulling him in the direction of the kitchen.

"So, your mom is still really angry with me, right?"

She laughed a little. "Yeah. She pretty much wants you dead."

He gave her a look. "Wonderful."

She laughed again, leaning in and kissing his cheek softly without thinking. "You'll be fine."

He tried not to visibly react to the kiss. It was innocent. But still, it ignited something deep inside him, and he once again realized how difficult this week was going to be. "I hope so."

They reached the kitchen, and Andrew immediately stood to greet them. "Ryan, hey. Always nice to see you."

Ryan merely nodded, trying to be polite. "You too."

Jimmy and Julie both turned to observe Ryan. Julie rolled her eyes in disgust, but she could care less about his presence. Marissa was marrying Andrew, not Ryan. Jimmy, however, observed the boy whom he had so often thought would end up marrying his daughter, noticing an immediate change from the last time they'd seen each other. He didn't look so haunted anymore.

"Ryan brought wine. Wasn't that nice?" Marissa asked, placing both bottles on the counter now.

Julie didn't say anything, but Jimmy stood and walked over to observe the bottles. "This is a good kind too. And not cheap."

Ryan looked down, kind of embarrassed. True, the wine had cost an arm and a leg. Not that he didn't have the money. "Yeah, well, it's a special occasion."

Jimmy came over to Ryan, placing his hand on the younger man's shoulder. "How are you, Ryan? Long time no see." His eyes sparkled as he added, "Though I can't say I'm surprised you're back for the wedding."

Ryan didn't know what that meant, so he just shrugged. "I'm okay. Glad to be back, I guess."

"I'm sure."

Ryan shot Marissa a look, and she shrugged, just as confused as him. Just then, the doorbell rang again. Marissa bit her lip, not wanting to leave Ryan, but said, "I'll go get it."

Marissa left, and Ryan subtly watched her walk out of the room. Andrew didn't notice, his gaze fixated on his fiancé's retreating form, but Jimmy did. Ryan turned to see the older man watching him seriously, and immediately froze. Suddenly, Jimmy merely smiled. "Well, I'm going to go finish getting ready."

He left, and then Julie did not long after, not wanting to be in the room with Ryan longer than necessary. Marissa was talking to whoever had been at the door, so Ryan and Andrew were momentarily alone. Ryan glanced Andrew's way and saw that he was deep in thought. "So…"

Andrew looked at Ryan. "I was actually hoping we'd have a moment to talk."

Ryan exhaled slowly, mentally preparing himself to be civil. "What's up?"

"About what you said earlier today… I know that couldn't have been easy for you."

Ryan looked down. "It wasn't."

"And I know that none of this is easy for you. I can't imagine what you're going through." Ryan glanced up and saw Andrew looking down now, looking deeply troubled. "I almost hoped you wouldn't come. Marissa had mentioned inviting you a while back, but I figured you wouldn't want to come."

"I didn't," Ryan said honestly, making Andrew glance up and meet his gaze.

"I know she asked you. She didn't tell me, and that's okay. You're important to her and I'm glad that you're here for her when she needs you."

Ryan swallowed hard. "I'll always be here if she needs me. I hope you know a simple wedding certificate isn't going to change that."

"Nor should it." Andrew scratched the back of his head, obviously nervous about something.

"Whatever it is you're trying to say, just say it," Ryan offered, almost amused at how uncomfortable Andrew looked.

Andrew caught Ryan's eye and let out a small laugh. "That obvious, huh?"

Ryan nodded, even smiling. "Yeah."

"It's just…" Andrew trailed off, looking own again. "I wouldn't ask if it wasn't urgent. But my old friend David from Maine can't make it out, and I'm down a groomsmen…"

Ryan realized what Andrew was implying. "And you want to know if I would step in?"

Andrew sighed, then nodded. "Yeah. I know, totally uncool of me. With your history and everything, it's a horrible thing to ask. I understand if you don't want to do it or you can't. We don't ever have to tell Marissa that you said no. Really." He shook his head, rolling his eyes at himself. "I'm sorry. Forget I even asked."

Ryan thought about Marissa. She would want this. She would want to know that he was doing everything he could to make this day better for her, and if he had to be a part of this wedding, then he would be. He loved her that much. "I'll do it."

Andrew's head snapped up. "You'll…what?"

Ryan shrugged. "I'll do it."

Marissa walked back into the room at this point, looking between Andrew and Ryan curiously. It took her a moment, but she went to Andrew's side, realizing that's where she was supposed to be. "You'll do what?"

Andrew wrapped an arm around Marissa and kissed her temple. "Ryan just agreed to fill in for David as my last groomsman."

Seth and Summer had walked in behind Marissa, and both stared at Ryan in shock. Marissa did the same. "Are you…sure?" Marissa asked, staring at Ryan with so much awe.

He shrugged again, looking down, feeling uncomfortable. "If you need another guy, then fine. Whatever."

Seth and Summer gave each other knowing looks. Marissa pulled away from Andrew and walked over to Ryan, her eyes betraying her emotion. Without a word, she wrapped her arms around Ryan, hugging him tightly. His eyes widened in confusion, and he met Andrew's gaze over Marissa's shoulder. Andrew was merely watching them with a relaxed expression, not minding. Ryan awkwardly hugged Marissa back, not liking all eyes on him.

Marissa turned and whispered into his ear. "Thank you, Ry."

She pulled back and looked at him seriously. He swallowed hard, blinking a few times. "You're welcome."

The moment was interrupted by another ringing of the doorbell. This time, Andrew said, "I'll go get it."

Ryan was a little irked by this, that Andrew was comfortable enough here to be the one to answer the door. There had been a time when Ryan was that person. Summer caught his eye and gave him a look that reminded him of their talk. He just stared back, shaking his head.

Suddenly, they all heard two little girls' voices. "Daddy Andy!"

Ryan, Marissa, Seth, and Summer all gave each other the same confused looks, and then walked as a group to the front door to see what was going on. Marissa walked to Andrew, who was holding two young dark haired girls on his hips. Andrew caught Marissa's gaze and froze, realizing she'd heard the girls by the look she gave him. "Hey, girls, this is Marissa. Remember I told you about her?"

Marissa smiled at the girls, but there was a certain edge to her voice when she said, "Yes, what exactly did daddy Andy tell you two about me?"

Andrew sighed and lowered the girls to the ground. They both reached for his hands, standing close to his legs, seemingly nervous. They were beautiful little girls, large baby blue eyes striking against their dark hair. Before Andrew could say anything, a sandy haired woman with piercing green eyes stepped from behind Andrew and said, "Only the most wonderful things. You know how Andrew is." Marissa lifted her gaze to meet those wonderful green eyes, and she was startled by how beautiful this woman was. No picture had done justice to the real life Jessica Banks standing in the flesh. Offering a polite smile, Jess offered her hand. "Hi. I'm Jessica…Jess. It's nice to finally meet you, Marissa."

Marissa shook Jess's hand, still started by the woman's beauty. Even Ryan was floored by how gorgeous this girl was. And her kids were just as beautiful as their mother. Suddenly Andrew's infatuation with his best friend made sense. Hell, in a different universe, Ryan could have fallen for her. "You too," Marissa merely said. She blinked a few times, then knelt down to get down on the girls' level. "Hi, Leah, Laurie. My name is Marissa." She smiled sweetly. "You two look very pretty in your matching pink dresses."

The girls both smiled at this compliment. The smaller of the two, Leah, walked over to Marissa. "You're very pretty too."

Marissa immediately fell in love with these two girls. "Andrew's told me a lot about you two."

"Like what?"

"Like you really, really like ice cream sundaes with lots of chocolate." Marissa laughed at the little girl's excitement.

"They're the bestest!"

Marissa nodded and smiled. "I have to agree."

The other girl, Laurie, came to stand by her sister. "I like ice cream sundaes, too."

Marissa smiled, pleased that they were at least talking to her. She'd feared what would happen when she finally met Jess and the girls. All three were so important to Andrew, more than any other people in his lives. If the meeting had gone terribly, she feared they could pretty much kiss the wedding goodbye.

"Do you two want to see the ice cream I picked out just for you two to eat after dinner?"

Both girls turned to their mom with wide eyes, and she merely laughed. "Go ahead. Just, no sweets until after dinner."

Both girls ran after Marissa, and Ryan watched the way Andrew's entire face lit up at the interaction. Katherine came through the front door now. "Thanks for waiting for me guys."

Jess turned and smirked at Katherine. "Well, Kat, if you didn't take five years to check your makeup every five seconds…"

Katherine shot Jess a look. "Oh, please. Like you weren't bursting with excitement to come see Andrew again." Jess's eyes narrowed and Katherine stared at her, smirking.

Andrew merely smiled between the two. "Glad to see you both so civil with each other." He pressed a kiss to Katherine's temple. "How are you, sis?"

"I'm fucking starving." Katherine saw Ryan, Seth, and Summer standing and said, "Did you even introduce Jess to anyone but Marissa? God, Andy, you're such a horrible host."

Andrew realized that he hadn't even introduced the three. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry." Taking Jess's hand, he led her to them. "Jess, this is Seth, Summer, and.."

Jess's gaze fell on Ryan and she raised her eyebrows. "Ryan."

Andrew shut his mouth, giving her a confused look. "Yeah…"

"Broody and blonde. Best friend of Marissa. Ex-boyfriend." She stared at Ryan long and hard. "I thought you were in Texas or something."

Ryan didn't really like the way Jess was staring at him. He didn't know what she was thinking, which unnerved him. And he didn't like the fact that this stranger knew so much about him. That meant Andrew had talked about Ryan as well as Marissa, and he had no idea of knowing what Andrew had said. "And you were in Maine, but you're here, so…"

Jess smiled, really smiled, for maybe the first time since walking through the front door. "Touché."

"Ryan actually just agreed to fill in as a groomsman since David can't come. So, he's going to be escorting you, Jess," Andrew informed them.

"Oh, how cute, the best friends walking together," Katherine said, coming up behind Andrew. She nodded in Ryan's direction. "Nice to see you again, Atwood. Been a while."

"Six years," Ryan said, nodding.

"Well, damn. And yet here we are." She gestured towards the house. "You and Marissa in splitsville and my brother marrying her. Weird how things work, huh?"

Ryan tried to remain cool and collected, but he felt like everyone today was taunting him. Maybe he was just already on edge. "Yeah, weird."

Marissa came back into the room with Leah and Laurie holding her hands. "Mommy, Marissa bought us rocky road and chunky monkey!" Leah said excitedly.

They both let go of Marissa's hands and ran to their mother, pulling on her skirt to go show her. Laurie piped in. "And lots of bananas and strawberries and a big bottle of chocolate fudge!"

Jess merely raised her eyebrows in amusement, then lifted her gaze to Marissa. "Thank you, Marissa, for the inevitable sugar rush you are going to give my darling children."

Marissa laughed. "Sorry. Andy's idea."

It was the first time most of them had heard Marissa call Andrew by a nickname, and Marissa hadn't even realized she'd done it. On their own, she'd grown accustomed to calling him Andy. It made sense to her. They'd spent hours upon hours together and it had just sort of come out one day. He'd found it endearing that she had slipped into calling him something only the people close to him did. But few people knew this.

Katherine looked at Jess, who dropped her gaze back to her daughters. "Come on, girls. Let's get washed up for dinner." She lifted her eyes to Marissa's, politely asking, "Where can we wash up?"

"The bathroom is down the hall to the left. I can show you…"

Jess merely shook her head, offering a smile, though Ryan saw it didn't quite reach her eyes. "No, don't worry about it. I'll find it."

Marissa merely nodded and watched Jess walk off. Katherine went over to Marissa and gave her a half hug. "Good to see you again. Can you believe in a week we will be sisters?"

Marissa smiled. She and Katherine had become friends in the months since she'd started dating Andrew. Katherine had hated Marissa six years ago, but now she realized that Marissa wasn't so bad. She definitely cared for Andrew. "Hard to believe."

"Well, I'm going to go find snacks. Mind if I raid your parents' pantry? Last time they had those cheese puffs that I haven't quite been able to get off my mind." Katherine smiled hopefully.

Marissa laughed and said, "Go on ahead."

The doorbell rang and Andrew quickly opened it since he wasn't too far away. He grinned seeing his parents. "Mom! Dad!"

"Andy!" His mom quickly hugged him, making him laugh.

"Calm down. You saw me last month. Remember?"

Andrew's dad patted Andrew on the back. "Your mom has been emotional lately knowing you're getting married. If it wasn't so damn amusing it would be annoying."

Andrew's mom saw Marissa and immediately brightened, leaving her son behind. "Marissa! You look beautiful, as always."

Marissa smiled and hugged his mom. "I'd have to say the same to you, Sarah."

Ryan looked down, trying not to feel completely uncomfortable and dejected. Summer noticed his mood, and bumped shoulders with him. He glanced her way and saw that she was giving him that look again. Do something. He frowned and shook his head.

Seeing this exchange, Seth leaned in. "What are we shaking our heads at? I want in."

Summer turned to her husband. "Just what I was telling you earlier."

Seth looked at the two, then nodded. "Ah. Right. Project sabotage."

Ryan glared between the two. "Could you two not do this right now?"

"When should we? I have free time tomorrow," Seth said, smirking. Summer laughed, perhaps a little too loudly, and the others in the room turned to the three in the corner.

"What's so funny?" Marissa asked, raising her eyebrows, wanting in on the joke.

Seth shrugged. "My stomach rumbled and Summer found it really amusing for some reason. She finds bodily sounds very amusing."

"Cohen!" Summer said, glaring at him.

"Ah, Summer, you're a Cohen and have been nearly a year."

She just kept glaring at him. Andrew laughed regardless. "Mom, dad, this is Seth and Summer, the best man and the matron of honor. And this is Ryan."

"Oh, right, Marissa's friend," Sarah said, smiling at Ryan. "It's nice to meet you three."

Ryan merely smiled, wishing the night could just end already. All shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Finally, Jimmy and Julie walked down the stairs looking every bit the rich parents of the bride. Julie saw Sarah and immediately smiled. "Sarah! It's so wonderful to see you again!"

Eventually the large group moved to the even larger dining room, where the maids had set the table. On the way, Seth pulled Ryan aside. "Okay, first of all, thanks for telling me you were back in town, by the way."

Ryan shrugged and smiled apologetically. "I got distracted."

"Yes, which brings me to my second point. Dude, you need to say something to Marissa. Seriously."

Ryan sighed and rolled his eyes. "God, will you and your wife just leave it alone?"

"You can go groaning and moaning all you want, but let me ask you, are you really ready to spend the rest of your life without her?" Seth stared at Ryan in a way that made him uncomfortable. "You were going to propose. Remember that?"

Summer came up behind them now. "Wait, what?!"

Ryan glared at Seth. "Thanks, Seth."

Seth merely shrugged. "What, I kept your secret all these months for nothing. Not like you did anything."

Summer pinched both Ryan and Seth, making them both jump. "You two asshats kept that from me?"

"It was a long time ago, and I had wanted it to be a surprise," Ryan said, still glaring at Seth.

"What happened? Did you have a ring?" Summer looked between these two guys, completely shocked that this whole thing had happened and she'd known nothing.

Ryan's glare never faltered, so Seth spoke up. "He was going to propose the day we got back from our honeymoon. He had a ring. But, if you remember…"

Summer softened just the tiniest bit. "Henry."

Ryan's glare disappeared as he remembered that day. He looked down, unable to speak, so Seth spoke up again. "Yeah. And then you know the rest."

Summer thought about this, then pinched Ryan again. Ryan glared at her. "Ow."

"You are seriously dumber than my dumbass of a husband."

Seth gave Summer a look. "Okay, standing right here. What exactly have I done to deserve that term of endearment?"

Summer glared at him. "Well, maybe if you had told me about all of this months ago…."

"What, you think Ryan and Marissa would be together now?"

"Yes, I do think that. I would've helped Atwood see the light of day and realize how stupid he was being!"

"Oh, right, like you could have changed everything!"

Ryan glared between the two. "Will you both just stop? Like it or not, Marissa is getting married in a week and you just have to accept it." He fixed his gaze steadily on both of them. "I have. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go get through this dinner so I can go home." At Summer's attempt to talk, he shook his head. "No, I don't want to hear it. Marissa is your best friend and she wants this wedding to happen. Now you need to support her because that's what a good friend does."

Summer merely rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to be a good friend. I want Marissa just as happy as you, but I actually see that you are what will make her happy."

Ryan shook his head. "Whatever. Let's just go eat and play nice, okay?"

The three walked into the dining room and Marissa's entire face brightened when she saw Ryan again. He smiled, softening as he saw her. Summer came up behind him and said, "Yeah. Say what you will, but I have never seen Andrew make her smile like that."

Ryan shot Summer a look, but then Marissa called him over. "You're sitting next to me over here."

Summer smirked his way, and he merely rolled his eyes at her look. When he reached Marissa, she smiled happily at him. "So, what were you guys talking about?" she asked curiously.

Seth came over and sat next to Ryan, and Summer next to him. With the three now seated, they began passing around food and pouring wine. Ryan merely shrugged. "Seth's hurt that I didn't call him to tell him I'm in town."

"Hell yeah I am," Seth said, piping up from next to Ryan.

Ryan rolled his eyes but smiled. Marissa laughed. "Sorry for hogging him, Seth."

Seth smiled innocently. "Oh, I'm sure Ryan didn't mind."

Ryan's smile fell and he shot Seth a look, Summer snickering next to him. Marissa didn't say anything, too happy that Ryan was here with her and that meeting Jess and the girls had gone so well. Though, she still did need to talk to daddy Andrew about some things.

Andrew's dad William stood, clinging his glass to get everyone's attention. When all eyes were on him, he smiled. "Can I just say that I am so happy to be here. Not only are we gaining a beautiful new daughter, but we are gaining so many new friends and other family. I feel blessed to be in a room filled with so much love." Andrew glanced Marissa's way, and she smiled at him, even if she was still a little upset. He leaned in and kissed her softly, and Ryan looked down, knowing now he would barely be able to eat.

Summer murmured, "Yeah, how much have you accepted it now?"

Ryan merely looked away, avoiding Summer's and Seth's looks. He saw another person across the table watching him carefully, and caught Jess's eyes. She offered him a sad smile, one that still did not reach her eyes. He tore his gaze from hers, still uncomfortable. Finally, he settled his gaze on the table, finding it best to avoid everyone's eyes.

No matter what he told anyone, he had no idea how he would survive this week.

XXXXX

After mostly everyone had left, Marissa finally knew she had to say goodnight to Ryan. It had been a whirlwind of a day, but she knew every day leading up until the wedding would be this hectic. Somehow, none of that mattered. She had her best friend back to stand by her side. And besides, she was marrying a pretty amazing guy.

Marissa walked Ryan out to his car, wanting to delay the inevitable. Ryan noticed this. "Not sick of me yet, then?" he asked, smiling sadly.

She noticed something different in his eyes, and she immediately grew concerned. "Ryan, are you okay?"

He seemed surprised, then his gaze softened. "Yeah. I'm just tired." He yawned to emphasize his point. "Didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

She realized that she'd kept him out late when he'd barely slept at all the night before, also for her. "Ryan, you should've stayed home and slept if you were so tired," she chided softly, studying him carefully. He did look exhausted.

She just didn't realize it had very little to do with sleep. "Nonsense. You wanted me here."

She smiled sheepishly. "I really did." She reached out and squeezed his hand. "Thanks. For coming."

"Hey, I got a free meal out of it," he joked.

"No…I mean…" She trailed off, and he immediately understood.

"Well, I get a free meal out of that too." He offered a smile, which made her spirits lift.

"I think you're actually working for that meal, being a groomsman and all."

He laughed a little, nodding. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He pulled his keys from his pocket, jingling them a little, looking down. He didn't want to leave, either, but he couldn't stay. He felt like that pretty much summarized his life at this point. If Marissa hadn't made such a big deal out of him being here, he would get into his car and drive away right now. Maybe she would be better off without him. "I should probably get going," he said, breaking the small silence that had spread between them.

Marissa nodded, rubbing her bare arms. California nights were always chilly. "Yeah, I guess."

She seemed so glum, which eliminated any and all thoughts of him driving away and not coming back. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said, smiling a little. "You don't have to look so sad."

She blushed, thankful for the dark night so that he couldn't see. "It's just nice to have you around again."

"So you've said." She gave him a look, which made him laugh. "What?"

"What, no 'It's nice to be back, too, Marissa?'" She raised her eyebrows.

He laughed and leaned in, kissing her cheek. It was impulsive and probably wrong, but he couldn't help himself. Call it payback for earlier.

The air between them changed, the past thick and heavy between them. Ryan looked down, jingling his keys again just to cut through the silence. "Well, it is." He looked up and their eyes met. Neither looked away. "Are you…happy?"

Marissa furrowed her eyebrows. "About you being back? Of course."

He shook his head, looking down. "No, not about that. In general. With Andrew. With the wedding. With all the stuff that's going on." He looked up, meeting her gaze again, surprised to see she had never taken her eyes off him. "Are you happy?" As wrong as it was, he really wanted her to say no.

She nodded, not even thinking about it. She did feel really happy right now. In this moment, she felt happier than she had in a really long time. "Yeah. I am."

He smiled, and it was such a sad smile. "I'm glad." He yawned again, this time faking it. "Well, I better get going."

"I'll call you tomorrow. So we can hang out."

He nodded, not meeting her gaze, needing to get away from her, from this pain. "Yeah. See you."

He climbed into his car, and with one last forced smile, he drove away. Marissa watched him go, her smile falling as he disappeared in the night. Rubbing her arms, she headed back inside. Suddenly, she was chilled to the bone.

XXXXX

She found Andrew in her room sitting quietly on her bed, lost in thought. She shut her door gently behind her, then crossed her arms over her chest as she looked at her fiancé. He stood, slipping his hands into his pockets, staring at her seriously. "Hey."

"Hi." Her voice was quiet, tired, slightly cold.

"So… the girls loved you. And Jess really seemed to like you, too."

Marissa raised her eyebrows, giving him a look. "Yeah."

He sighed. "I should've told you the girls call me that."

She brushed past him, going to take her earrings off. "Yeah, you should have."

"After John left, I was all they had. We got close." He came up behind her, observing her in the mirror, resting his hands on her hips. Against her better judgment, she leaned back into him, which made him smile the smallest bit. "Can you really blame me for being so close to them?"

She turned, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I think it's sweet that you're so close to them. And I think that it's amazing how much you took care of them, especially given everything else." She sighed. "But a little heads up would have been nice. And then there's the whole issue of them actually thinking you're their dad…"

Andrew cut her off. "They call John 'daddy John'. They know I'm not their dad."

"Maybe on some level they know that he is their biological father, but they think that you're their dad also. And I'm afraid that kind of connection is something you can't just get over."

He furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

She laughed, though sadly. "I mean, Andrew, that these kids are calling you daddy. Yet, you're going to marry me and live clear across the country from them? How am I supposed to feel about that? As if you didn't already have your family and friends back in Maine, now you have these little sweet girls who depend on you to be there for them? What's going to happen a month, six months, a year from now when you start missing them or they start missing you? Can you just walk away from all of that?"

He smiled softly, angling his head at her. "Marissa Cooper, I am in love with you."

She gave him a look. "But.."

"No buts." He pressed a finger to her lips, effectively silencing her. "Yeah, I love those little girls, and I'm going to visit them. They might come out and visit me. I don't know how it's going to work." At her uncertain look, he added, "But I do know that I want to make us work. And I want to marry you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. My past? Is just that. Just like your past isn't an issue anymore, either."

She didn't look one hundred percent sure, but she felt a little bit better. She even smiled. "Are you sure?"

He smiled, nodding. "I am positive."

"Good." She leaned up and kissed him softly, which quickly turned into something a little bit more. He leaned her down onto the bed, and their make out session started getting more and more heated.

Something didn't feel right about this, though. Having sex with Andrew in the same room that she'd lost her virginity to Ryan to? That he'd slept over in since she was a little girl? That he'd held her in during dozens of the stormiest nights? She'd slept with Ryan in her new apartment, but it was different here. There wasn't as much history. It had been just that – sex. But this room? This house? Especially now that he was back in town? It just felt wrong.

She pulled away before things could get too heated, and Andrew stared at her curiously. "I'm sorry. I just… don't think we should."

He seemed almost relieved, which surprised her. "I was going to say the same. Just… with the wedding… maybe we should, I don't know, wait until after? I know we've slept together before, but maybe if we waited until the wedding it would be more special on the wedding night?"

She nodded, relieved that she wouldn't have to worry about this for the following six days. "Yeah. I agree. Let's wait."

He smiled, leaning in to kiss her one last time, this time lightly. "All right. Well, I'm going to get going. I booked a room at the same place Kat and all them are staying."

She gave him a look. "You could stay here. Even if you don't want to sleep in here, we have a million guest rooms."

He shook his head, smiling. "No, no. It's not as much fun if we're in the same house. Gotta build the suspense." She laughed and he kissed her forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you."

He left and she decided to get ready for bed, going to her dresser to grab some clothes that she'd left here. That's when she did it – opened his drawer. He still had sweats and a few t-shirts here, just like she still kept clothes here in case she had to come home and didn't have time to pack anything. She hadn't touched his drawer in months, had completely forgotten about it. But now, she pulled out one of his old shirts, smiling sadly at it. It was one of her favorite shirts – a UCLA School of Architecture shirt. The material was soft and more often than not she'd stolen it and worn it to bed. Closing the drawer, she went to the bathroom to change.

As she climbed into bed, she thought about the future. Truly thought about it. She realized that there would be no Ryan drawer in her new dresser. His shirts wouldn't hang next to hers in the closet anymore. His shoes wouldn't be scattered across the apartment. She'd never again get after him for leaving his socks in the most annoying places.

Everything was going to change.

Pushing the thoughts from her mind, she closed her eyes and slowly drifted to sleep, the faint waft of Ryan's cologne coming off his oversized shirt, filling her dreams.

XXXXX

So the end might be unrealistic, but idk. I could argue for it.

Individual Replies:

Skillz37: That would be a hell of an interesting scene haha.

Riss: I got too tired to write the actual dinner. So much going on haha. Bad idea on my part.

xoElle23: Aw, thank you.

Jen: Things will just get better and better.

Nadine: Jess is definitely going to have more time in the story, and it's going to be very interesting to watch.

Sara: The awkwardness will get worse and worse as the week goes on and all the pleasantries start to go away.

Guest: Like I said, more of Jess coming up. It's going to be great.

Sailaway: Sadly, no.

Guest: Hope this didn't disappoint!