Everything But You

"Speak now or forever hold your peace."

I hate that part in a wedding, where everyone waits on pins and needles to see if someone has a reason why the couple shouldn't get married.

So, when I ran into my high school sweetheart and found out that she was engaged, I said my peace before she ever walked down the aisle.

Shauna and I crossed paths when I went to Las Vegas for work, and sharing one meal with her was enough for me to remember why no other woman has even come close to affecting me the way she did.

But then her fiancé showed up, surprising us both, and I thought I'd lost her for good.

Every dream of our future was sucked from me once more, because this wasn't the first time she slipped through my fingers. At nineteen, she made decisions that tore us apart, and I was too stubborn to understand why back then.

But it turns out my twin brothers aren't stupid after all when they convinced me to take one last shot to win her back.

So, I flew back to Vegas, intent on stopping her wedding and telling her how I feel, but it turns out, history was damned to repeat itself again because she walked down the aisle anyway.

Or so I thought.

Because six weeks later she shows up at my parents' house for a job and there's one thing that's noticeably different on her-there's no ring on her left hand.

I saw my future with her.

I know that's what I still want.

But it's hard to face the past when the future is uncertain too.

Can we heal the hurt? Can we find our way back to each other?

And most importantly, can I finally tell her: "I had everything but you."