"Thank God!" I said kissing Kristin on the cheek before grabbing the box of donuts and hurrying over to the table with it, "I am absolutely starving!"

The two of them, along with Kelly who'd been with me at the time laughed as they watched me open the box and scarf down the donut. I was sitting there at the table in my panty hose and one of Nick's button down dress shirts, my newly grown tufts of hair had been patted down, my veil placed perfectly on my head, and I'd been craving a donut for the past, oh I don't know, it felt like 5 years. I looked up at the three of them watching me eat and stuck my toungue out at them.

"Quit gawking at me and eat a donut already." I said as I shoved the box across the table.

Leighanne sat down and helped herself, passing my can of Coke across the table while Kristin followed Kelly into the bedroom to help her with her dress and makeup. She was to be my maid of honor. Kelly Elizabeth Jacobson Hall had been my best friend for the past 20 years. We'd grown up in the same neighborhood, gone to the same grade school, graduated from the same high school and majored in the same thing in college. I had been devastated when she'd moved to Tennessee to go to school, but then she'd graduated, moved back home with her fiance and started on her Master's degree along with me at UK. I'd been the maid of honor in her wedding and it felt good to know that now she was going to be there standing beside me in mine. We'd spent so much of our lives together that no one else could have filled her shoes.

"Where's Leigh?" I asked Leighanne looking around and realizing she hadn't returned with the two of them.

"She went next door to make sure that the guys were doing okay... and to take Howie and Brian some tylenol." She rolled her eyes when she mentioned the tylenol. The night before had been New Year's Eve and though we'd all planned to spend it quietly in our beach houses together we'd had a sudden change in plans, leaving Mason and Baylee with my mom and dad while we'd gone out to a huge party. Nick had behaved and of course AJ didn't drink, but Brian and Howie were a little under the weather this morning from their adventures at the bottom of the bottle. We had all had a wonderful time though and I wouldn't have changed it for the world. Nick and I had spent the night dancing and singing and partying like we hadn't since... well since back before I'd gotten sick. I felt young again and alive. We'd watched the ball drop on the huge screen in the bar and we'd spent our very first New Year's Eve together, kissing at midnight as it should have been. It hadn't lasted past midnight though as Kelly and Leighanne had rushed over and quickly escorted me from the bar. It seems there's a rule that the bride and groom aren't supposed to see each other on their wedding day. They'd brought me back to the beach house and we'd all gone to bed.

The butterflies were starting to settle in my stomach now as I looked up at the clock on the wall. It was 1:00 in the afternoon... only one hour to go. I stood in my bedroom at the house and looked in the mirror. From the neck up I looked beautiful... the makeup had done wonders. From there down I still looked like a person suffering from cancer. My skin was pale and had taken on a gray sort of color and I had bruises on my side from my last round of testing and blood transfusions. I couldn't wait to slip into my wedding dress and cover it all up. I wanted to look beautiful for Nick... but I wanted to look beautiful for me too.

I called down to Leighanne to let her know I was ready and she came up into the room. She opened the closet door and pulled out my dress.

"Wow!" She said as she held it up for me to step into, "This is really beautiful Grace."

I hadn't shown anyone my dress yet... it had been the one thing I'd shopped for and bought alone. It was the one thing about the wedding I hadn't shared with anyone. I'd spent hours on my laptop when I'd been sick and Nick was on tour searching for the perfect dress and when I'd finally found it after weeks of googling it just felt right. I had found other dresses and I kept going back and looking at those unsure if they were the right one, but this one... I looked at it once and I knew it was perfect.

Leighanne finished zipping the back and I looked at myself in the mirror again. She stood there behind me smiling.

"You look absolutely amazing." I could see the tears forming in her eyes and I looked quickly away. I didn't need to cry right now.

"Thank you." I said as I turned around and hugged her.

She carried the train of my dress and followed me as we walked down the stairs together. Kristin, Kelly and now Leigh were all standing there at the bottom.

"Oh my goodness..." I heard Leigh say as she held her hand up to her mouth, "absolutely stunning."

"I don't think I've ever seen you look more beautiful." Kelly whispered in my ear as she gave me a quick hug.

Kristin didn't say a word, she just wiped her eyes with a tissue and smiled.

"Are you ready to do this?" Leighanne asked as she stole a glance at the clock on the wall.

"I have never been more ready for anything in my entire life."