Months went by and my final year at Dillon High came to a close. What a better way to end high school than with Billy and Mindy's wedding?

Although I was friends with Tyra, I didn't know her sister well. I knew she worked at the Landing Strip and loved Billy enough to marry him, but I didn't have a chance to really know who she was. She knew me though, asking me to be her photographer. Of course, I agreed without charging her a dime. I didn't need their money, giving my services to her and Billy as a gift.

Mindy wasn't quite a bridezilla on the day of her wedding. And she certainly wasn't pleasant. I had to step in for Tyra several times before the younger Collette sister lost her mind. Tyra loved Mindy, it was obvious. She also wanted to kill her sister sometimes.

Everything stilled when it was time to walk down the aisle. As an observer, it was incredible to watch guests settle immediately after the music began. The chaos from the morning seemed so far away.

I had fun taking photos of Billy nervously waiting for his bride. I focused most of my attention on the wedding party as they walked in with huge smiles on their faces. I giggled over the men's white tuxedos and huge white cowboy hats. Mindy and Billy had an interesting sense of style.

Finally, Tim and Tyra walked down, signaling Mindy's arrival. Tim met my viewfinder and grinned when he saw me holding in some laughs. Tyra looked embarrassed yet overjoyed to be dressed up for the sake of her sister's happiness.

And Mindy was a vision. Even with the silly butterfly wings on her dress, she looked gorgeous. I snapped a ton of photos of her and Billy when he took her hands in his.

Throughout the ceremony, I took plenty of photos and attempted to get out of the way. A few times I met gazes with Tim and we failed to hide our smiles from the other guests. Weddings made me giddy. Seeing my boyfriend looking so handsome – even with the silly hat – made my heart flutter. It stopped when he looked my way after I took a photo of Mindy and Billy's kiss. Weddings also turned me into a blushing mess.

My job didn't stop when the reception began. I was working up a sweat running around to get photos of everyone having fun or greeting the new married couple.

Tim sauntered up to me when I paused to get something to eat. He put his hat on my head and kissed my cheek. "Take a break and dance with me," he said. "I've barely seen you today."

"Do you think they'll be upset if I do?" I didn't want to miss anything good.

Tim carefully took the camera out of my hands and set it down at his spot at the table. "Blame me if they get mad."

He pulled me close, hands on my waist while mine snaked around his shoulders. He tilted the cowboy hat back to kiss my lips. To the beat of a slow tune, Tim started swaying and took me with him. My head fell on his shoulder after he took the hat off, holding it at my back. He kissed the top of my head.

"Weddings make me happy," I said. "I love seeing so many people celebrating love."

"You look happy."

I nodded against him. "I hope I'm this happy at my own wedding."

Tim chuckled. "I think you'll be happier."

"You're probably right." I looked up at Tim's face. "Do you wanna get married someday?"

"Someday." His smile was gentle.

"Well, whoever she may be, I hope she'll make you really happy."

"I'd say the same thing, but I'll probably kick your fiancé's ass if he isn't me."

I hugged him close. "I love you."

Tim cradled my head and touched my lips with his. "I love you."

The rest of the reception was great. I had plenty of fun taking photos, but I was relieved to set my camera down for the day. I did ask for someone to take a photo of me and Tim and got two really great shots. One was of us standing next to each other, smiling at the viewfinder. It was a portrait of a normal happy couple. The photo following was just after Tim put his hat back on my head. It fell low, making me laugh. Tim was grinning at me, holding my waist. I loved it.

As soon as I got home, I uploaded everything from my memory cards onto my computer for editing. I did do a quick edit of my favorite shot of me and Tim, setting it as my wallpaper.

Tim walked out of my bathroom in his boxer briefs. "Why are you smilin'?"

I turned my laptop around. "I changed my wallpaper."

Tim smiled and laid on his side atop my bedcovers. He played with the hem of my – his – shirt. "Come here."

I shut my laptop, set it on the floor, and positioned myself in front of him. My arm rested over his side and my fingers traced shapes on his back. "What?"

"I'm gonna work for my brother at Riggins' Rigs when we get back from Florida."

"Are you sure? If you want to work with your brother, I can go there a different year."

"No. We'll go to Florida. I'll work when we visit."

"We'll come back every break. Weekends if we have to."

Tim brushed my hair with his fingers. "Every break will be fine."

"You sure?"

He turned over on his back and pulled me partially on him. "Yes."

"Okay." I put my head on his chest, relishing in the way my skin reacted to his gentle touches. "We'll stick to our original plan then." We resituated ourselves to get the covers over us and Tim pulled me back onto him. I sighed and closed my eyes. "Aren't ya glad I saved your ass from those football players?"

His arms wrapped around me. "Very glad."

"Me, too." I kissed his chest. "I never thought I'd date a football player, live with him in my parents' house, and make some pretty big plans with him. All this because I care too much about people."

Tim rested a hand on my head. His thumb made small movements against my hairline. "Never stop being you, Catherin Barton."

I smiled and rubbed my face against his chest a couple of times. I left a few kisses on his smooth skin before sighing and closing my eyes. I uttered a quiet "I love you" as I fell asleep to his soft touches.