Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~75~

The rehearsal was held at Ford's and was lovely. It consisted of Patricia, Earl and his children, plus their partners, Taryn, and Shawn, so it was a fairly small group. The wedding itself would also be pretty intimate since they only wanted those closest to them there to share their special day. That meant their families, friends, and co-workers would be there, but that was about it.

They did a quick run-through of the ceremony and then discussed some details, like when Shawn would sing and when the cake would be cut. Earl's daughter was an ordained minister, so she'd be officiating. After the formalities were taken care of, they sat down for an elegant luncheon catered by Taryn's cooks. They'd also be doing the food for the wedding the next day, though Zack and Reagan helped consult with the menu since they wanted everything to be perfect for their boss. Everyone chatted happily and got caught up on each other's lives. Earl's family had to know about their relationship break, but they graciously acted the same way towards Shawn and Taryn as they had back when they'd hung out over the holidays.

Shawn stayed behind after everyone left to assist Taryn with the clean up since her bar was set to open in a couple hours, which felt like the times when he used to help out at the end of her shifts. He was separating the tables they'd pushed together while she placed the vases of flowers on small pedestals near the elevator. "I picked my seat," he called out to her from across the empty room.

"About time!"

He sat down. "I like this one since you said you usually work this register when you are behind the bar, and I'll have a good view of who is coming and going."

She walked over and joined him, sitting in the seat next to his. "Are you planning on coming here often?"

"Maybe. I wish I could be here every night so that I could make sure you get home safely." He then finished this thought in his head, "meaning my home, which should've been our home by now."

She laughed. "I'd love that, but I feel like being my personal security guard is a bit of a step down from being a world famous rock star."

It definitely wasn't a demotion to him; all she needed to do was say the word and he'd take the job. "You look especially pretty today," he said as he reached out to tuck a strand of her red hair behind her ear. "Your eyes are the bluest they've ever been."

"Thank you. I bought this dress and the one I'm wearing tomorrow with my mom when she was looking at wedding dresses. She's not wearing a traditional white dress, by the way, since that's not her style."

"Does that mean you're not going to be in some fancy bridesmaid dress made out of satin and lace?"

"Nope! Can you imagine me in a big puffy dress like they used to wear decades ago? Ugh. Never."

"What color is your dress?" he asked out of curiosity.

"You'll see tomorrow."

"What if I want to coordinate? Maybe I'm wearing a tux and want my bow tie to complement what you have on." He'd forgotten how fun it was to flirt with her.

"First of all, this isn't prom and I'm not a fan of that kind of thing. Secondly, I like the idea of making you wait to see me at the wedding."

He gave her a fake look of disdain. "It's the groom who can't see the bride. There's no rule that the maid of honor can't tell the singer what she's wearing!"

"Mmmmm...I dunno. There are lots of etiquette rules and I think that might be a lesser known one," she teased.

He held his hands up in defeat. "You win, but if I gasp loudly when you walk down the aisle because I wasn't adequately prepared for how gorgeous you are, which will then take all the attention off the bride, then you are to blame."