Brizee sat at the computer and saw the news online. Her ex-boyfriend, Nick, was engaged to another woman.  She knew the reason of their breakup. He had proposed to her and she turned him down because she wasn’t ready for marriage. He refused to understand her reasons and broke up with her.  It had been five years since the breakup. She hasn’t been able to move on because she still loved Nick. She knew then that she made the biggest mistake of her life when she turned him down. She had lost the love of her life. She turned the computer off and leaned back in her chair and pulled out a picture of her and Nick together. Her cell phone rang.

        “Hello,” Brizee said.

        “Hey girl, I guess you know,” Leighanne said. Brizee is still friends with Leighanne and Kristin.

        “Yeah, I saw,” Brizee said.

        “I’m on my way over with Kris, be there shortly,” Leighanne said.

        “Okay, see you,” Brizee said. She hung up and got up and went downstairs and waited. There was a knock on the door. She opened it and saw Leighanne and Kristin. They came in and hugged her. She closed the door and they went out back and sat by the pool.

        “I couldn’t believe it,” Brizee said.

        “Yeah, but they are happy,” Leighanne said.

        “I know, I want him to be happy, I just have regrets,” Brizee said.

        “Briz, why did you guys breakup, for real, you both told us that it was just didn’t work out,” Leighanne said.

        “He asked me to marry him, I turned him down, I wasn’t ready for marriage, I wasn’t sure if I was ready because of what I went through with my parents, he couldn’t understand my reasons and he broke up with me, I can’t move on because I still love him, I can’t get over him,” Brizee said. She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. Leighanne and Kristin hugged her.

Two hours later, they left. Leighanne went home and found Brian and Baylee playing video games.

        “Hi honey, where did you go,” Brian said.

        “I was with Kris, we went to see a friend,” Leighanne said.

        “Baylee, can you go upstairs for a bit,” Brian said pausing the game. Baylee went upstairs. Brian looked at her.

        “You went to see Brizee, didn’t you,” Brian said.

        “She is still my friend, Brian, you know that,” Leighanne said. Brian looked at her.

        “How is she,” Brian said.

        “What do you think,” Leighanne said.

        “Oh geez,” Brian said.

        “She told me the real reason they broke up,” Leighanne said. He looked at her.

        “What was it,” Brian said.

        “He asked her to marry him and she said no, she was scared, you know about her parents, she was scared to get married,” Leighanne said.

        “And now she regrets it,” Brian said.

        “Big time, she hasn’t moved on, she isn’t able to, she still loves him,” Leighanne said.

        “I should tell Nick,” Brian said.

Meanwhile…..,

Brizee laid there on the couch staring at the ceiling. The doorbell rang. She got up and opened the door and saw Nick standing there with his hands in his pockets.

        “Hi,” Nick said.

        “I saw the news, congratulations, I hope you guys will be happy, have a nice life,” Brizee said. She closed the door. She went into the kitchen. She heard the front door open and close. Nick came in.

        “We need to talk,” Nick said.

        “What about,” Brizee said.

        “Us,” Nick said.

        “There is no us, remember, you broke up with me because I turned you down when you asked me to marry you, we have been over for five years, you are engaged to Lauren now, you should go,” Brizee said. She turned and leaned on the counter.

        “Briz,” Nick said.

        “Just go, Nick, go back to your fiancée,” Brizee said.

        “I can’t believe this,” Nick said.

        “Go,” Brizee said. He came over and turned her around and looked at her and looked into her eyes.

        “You still love me, don’t you, you haven’t been able to move on,” Nick said.

        “I’m fine,” Brizee said.

        “Don’t you dare play dumb with me, you know I know you better than anyone, you can’t hide anything from me, you know that as well as I do,” Nick said.

        “So what, it doesn’t matter anymore, Nick, you have moved on, you are engaged to Lauren, you love her now, it doesn’t matter how I feel anymore because I let you go, I gave you the wrong answer back then and you didn’t like it and you said it was over, I accepted that, okay, you fell for someone else, I have to accept that I lost you for good, just go, okay, just go back to your fiancée and leave me alone,” Brizee said. He shook his head and pulled her close to him.

        “I can’t do that now, Briz,” Nick said. He kissed her hard. She pushed against him and he held onto her as he pressed her against the counter. She gave into him and wrapped her arms around him and he lifted her up on the counter and kissed her deeply. She wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer.  He pulled her off the counter and carried her upstairs to her bedroom and closed the door and collapsed on the bed and removed their clothes and they made love off and on for hours. After the last time, they laid there staring at the ceiling.

        “Just as good as I remembered,” Nick said.

        “You just cheated on Lauren, Nick, why would you do that,” Brizee said.

        “I needed to do this, and now that I have, I have a choice to make,” Nick said.

        “Nick,” Brizee said. Nick leaned over her and kissed her deeply. He got up and got dressed and went out the door. She laid there wondering what was going on. She heard the doorbell ring. She got up and got dressed and went downstairs and opened the door and saw Brian.

        “Hey Briz,” Brian said. He came in and hugged her.

        “Hey, B,” Brizee said. She closed the door.

        “Nick was here, wasn’t he,” Brian said.

        “Why would you ask that,” Brizee said.

        “I smell his cologne, Briz,” Brian said.

        “He was here, probably was going to tell me the news,” Brizee said.

        “What happened, Briz,” Brian said.

        “He knows I still love him, he kissed me and we slept together,” Brizee said.

        “He cheated!” Brian said.

        “Yeah, he said he had to do it to figure out what he wanted, he said he had a choice to make and he left,” Brizee said.

        “I should go find him,” Brian said.

        “Brian, just let him figure out what he wants, it has to be his choice, no one can decide it for him,” Brizee said.

        “You’re right,” Brian said.  He hugged her and left. She locked up the house and went upstairs and showered and she got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her and walked out of the bathroom and saw Nick sitting on her bed.

        “I’ve made my choice,” Nick said.

        “You have and what’s that?” Brizee said. He stood up and came over to her and kissed her deeply.

        “You, I want you back, Briz,” Nick said holding her close.

        “You sure about this,” Brizee said.

        “Yes, it has always been you, I know why we broke up and I should have understood how you felt, I was an idiot, I’m not making any more mistakes, if you still don’t want to get married, I understand and I will do anything to hold on to you, I’m not letting you go again, it’s you and me forever and always, married or not, we belong together,” Nick said. She hugged him.

        “I have been doing a lot of thinking, I want to get married, I don’t want to end up like my parents and I realized that it is my life and I decide how I want to live it, I will not be scared anymore, as long as I have you in my life, I can be strong, I can do anything,” Brizee said.

        “Marry me,” Nick said.

        “God yes!” Brizee said. He grinned and kissed her deeply and she let the towel drop and wrapped her arms around him. He removed his clothes and they laid on the bed and made love off and on for the rest of the night.

The next day, they called the guys and girls over. Brian, Leighanne, Baylee, Kevin, Kristin, Mason, AJ, Rochelle, Ava, Howie, Leigh, James, and Holden arrived. James, Baylee, and Mason sat on the floor playing while Leigh held Holden and Rochelle held Ava.

        “So what’s going on,” Brian said.

        “Well, I broke things off with Lauren, Briz and I are back together and we are engaged,” Nick said. Nick went to explain the whole story. The guys hugged Brizee and Nick. The girls did the same. Brian and Nick went out back.

        “So you realized Briz is the one for you,” Brian said.

        “Yeah, always has been, just been too stubborn,” Nick said.

        “And she is sure about marriage,” Brian said.

        “Yeah, she realized that she doesn’t want to end up like her parents, that she needs to live her own life,” Nick said.

        “Well, I am happy for you, Frack,” Brian said.

        “Thanks, Frick, um, I want you and Aaron to both be up there with me, I can’t just have one best man, I want two,” Nick said. Brian smiled.

        “I am honored, and how about Kevin, AJ, and Howie up there too,” Brian said.

        “Groomsmen,” Nick said.

        “Okay,” Brian said.

        “You guys are all my brothers, I don’t know what I would do without you guys in my life,” Nick said. Brian hugged him and they went in.

        “So, what is up with you guys,” Leighanne said.

        “Well, I asked Brian to be my best man, along with Aaron, of course, and I would like Kevin, AJ, and Howie as groomsmen,” Nick said.

        “We will be honored,” Kevin said. AJ and Howie nodded.

        “Well, Brizee asked me to be her matron of honor,” Leighanne said.

        “And me, Rochelle and Leigh as bridesmaids,” Kristin said.

        “And BJ and Angel,” Brizee said.

        “I should call Chris,” Nick said. He went to make the call.