Author's Note: Yay for another Chapter! Hope you all like it. As Always Read/Enjoy/Review!

Chapter Seven: Wouldn't Miss This For The World

" For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."-Judy Garland.

XXX

' Braelyn, will you marry me?'

Chase's words swirl in my head as I stare down at the ring on my hand, a smile spreading over my lips. I'm fully aware that I've been doing just that, staring at the ring on my hand outside of Evy's house, distracted by it.

Distracted and overwhelmed by the sudden course that I suddenly find my life taking.

I snap myself out of my daze and push out of the car. With a renewed sense of dread. Now comes the hard part. The part where I walk into the house, the house that is now wedding planning central, and tell my best friend two things.

One I'm getting married.

Two I have a little less than a month and a half to plan it.

" Evy," I call out when I find that she isn't sitting in living room at the laptop like I usually find her. Sure the post it notes still grace the walls, and the wedding magazines still lay scattered over the coffee table, but Evy is nowhere to be seen.

" Back here," Evy calls and I follow her voice, finding her in the guest room, and I brace myself against the door, smiling at her.

" I see you didn't waist anytime in converting the guest room into your work space," I say smiling when she sets down a paint brush and brushes her hands over the front of stained jean shorts.

" Well, I was thinking about converting your room since it has the best lighting, but then I thought, I should keep it open just in case, well, just in case, so this room will do," she says, and I take a deep breath.

" About that."

" What? Oh no, did you and Chase break up, are you coming back? I knew it was a good idea to keep your room free."

" What no! Jesus. I was going to say you can convert my room because, well. Well, see," I say running my hands shakily through my hair.

" Well what? What is that? What's on your hand?" she asks and I immediately snap my hands out of her reach, but she's quicker than I am and I watch, heart pounding rabidly when she just stares at my ring. Not speaking a word. Hell, I can't even tell if she's breathing.

" I'm, getting married," I stammer out and she looks up at me eyes shining.

" Your getting married. My best friend is getting married," she says and I'm completely surprised when I see tears rolling down her cheeks.

" Yes, I'm getting married. Chase and I are getting married, in July."

" Next July, that's amazing. That gives us what, fourteen months to plan," she says excitedly while she hugs me.

" No. I mean this July."

" This July! But that's not even a month and a half away!"

" I know! That's why I need you, you've been in wedding planning mode for three months now, and I don't know where to even begin. I mean we have a venue all ready. Emily got us Los Willows, but I have no idea what to do."

" Okay, okay. It's not much time, but we've managed things in less time before. Don't worry, I'm going to be one kick ass maid of honor, I better be maid of honor," she says and I laugh as she starts dragging me from the room.

" Who else would be my maid of honor?"

" Good. Now lets get planning."

XXX

I don't know how much time has passed, and I honestly don't care. I never realized how much fun wedding planning is. Or how detailed.

" Do I have to figure all of this out today?" I ask blinking my burning eyes.

" The basics yes," Evangeline says, " You have to lay the groundwork to build from, and since your getting married in just seven weeks and six days, you have to lay that groundwork that much quicker."

" Is it really only seven weeks and six days away?" I ask looking at the calendar that she puts into my hands.

" Yes, seven weeks and six days until you become Mrs. Braelyn Riley Porter."

" Actually it's going to be Mrs. Braelyn Riley Mercier-Porter," I say and she smiles nodding her head.

" Your hyphenating?"

" I want to carry on my parents name."

" That's brilliant. I'm going to do the same, only because I can't believe you thought of it first."

" Well, I am a genius."

XXX

June 30th, 2012

Two weeks. Two weeks away from my wedding day and as important as that is, it doesn't really seem to matter right now. So much has happened in the last month. Jared and Evy bought a house together, even with him being out of the country, which was interesting, since Mark and I both were elected, against our will, to stand in as Jared's proxy's for well, just about everything.

Open houses. Negotiations. Nail biting and stressing if the offer was accepted. Furniture shopping. Paint samples. Color schemes.

All of which enough to make my head spin.

However important Evy and Jared's new house is, it's the day of Evy's gallery opening.

" I don't know which dress to wear, Brae, I don't know what I was thinking, what made me think I could do this?" Evy asks flying out of her new, and might I just add huge, walk in closet with a stack of dresses in her arms.

I stop her, pulling the dresses from her and laying them on the bed, taking her arms in my hands, being sure to make eye contact.

" Breathe. Okay, you can do this because you are my best friend. You are amazing. You have a dazzling talent and the world deserves to see it, and if you don't do it then you will forever wonder why you didn't at least try."

" But what if…"

" And your doing this because Mom and Dad are looking down at you right now and they are so proud of everything that you are, and everything you will become."

" You bitch, you just had to go and say that and make me cry," she says eyes spilling over and I watch as she carefully dabs at them, sniffling.

" Well, its my job to tell you the truth, even if it makes you cry," I say smiling at her, " The cinched waist dark purple dress with the black stilettos would be perfect for tonight."

" Thank you," she murmurs taking a step back to settle herself.

" It's what I'm here for."

XXX

Evangeline's POV

So much is changing, and so fast. I'm getting married in three months and five days. I found and moved into a home for me and Jared, have helped plan Brae and Chase's wedding, and all those things served as nothing more than distractions to what has me so stressed out I can barely breathe.

What if they don't like me?

What if this was just a huge pipe dream, with no chance of actually taking me anywhere?

Why can't Jared be here with me? It is after all, all his fault that I went for this, and where is he? Half way around the world, singing to sold out crowds, or traveling places I've always dreamt of seeing, that's where.

" Are you ready?" Braelyn asks, covering my hand with hers.

" I, I just need a minute," I say, and she nods her head fully understanding, and she slips out of the car in her pretty light pink dress and slowly walks to the gathering crowd.

I stare at the people, mostly strangers, friends, and my small, and often times dysfunctional family made up of The Porter Boys and Brae, and I smile. All of them, here, to see my heart drawn and painted for them. To see Brae's photography hanging, unknowingly to her, in a very special corner of my gallery.

My gallery.

Land of Wonders.

I make my way to the crowd and blush when cheers erupt around me.

" Hello, everyone," I say standing on the top stair in front of the tall, double oak doors, " I will keep this short. I want to thank everyone for coming, for supporting my dream. I hope sincerely, from the very bottom of my heart that each and every one of you will find happiness and wonder through these doors, because I know I do."

I step aside letting Mark do the honors of opening the door, and I shake hands and hug people, exchanging words as they shuffle in.

I step in, smiling that its just like I imagined it. The lights low, twinkling, and in an arch over the walk way the words " Not All Who Wander, Are Lost," are painted in glistening midnight blue paint.

" I was wandering, before you," a silky voice rings in my ears, goose bumps rising on my arms, and I would know that voice anywhere.

" Jared," I barely breathe out as I whirl around and find him, black hair shining under the low lights, beautiful blue eyes smiling at me.

" I wouldn't miss this for the world, I love you."