"It’s so great to meet you Mr. Mclean."

"Please, call me AJ," he smiled. "This is my fiance’, Dawn".

"It’s really nice to meet you", she smiled as she shook Dawn’s hand. "Congratulations on your upcoming wedding. I’m so happy that you decided to come here to get your dresses."

"Thank you, we’ve heard many nice things about your shop," Dawn smiled.

"Nick and I will leave you two to your girly things and we’ll meet you back in say, an hour?"

"An hour? You really think we can spend all of your money in an hour?" D joked.

"Alright fine, I’ll give you two. Is that enough?"

"Make it two and a half, now get out of here," she ordered, pushing he and Nick out of the door.

"Can I kiss my fiance’ first?" AJ laughed, trying to stop her.

"Okay, but make it quick. We don’t have much time."

AJ shook his head and pulled Dawn to him.

"I’ll see you later baby. Have fun getting your wedding dress."

"I will," she giggled, giving him a long kiss.

Dawn and AJ glared at her and she laughed.

"You’re a meanie," he told her as he left with Nick.

"Okay," Amy started. "What kind of dress did you have in mind?"

"I want something simple. We’re going to have a bigger wedding after the baby is born", she rubbed her stomach. "I just want something nice that won’t make me look like an elephant," Dawn laughed.

"I didn’t know that you were pregnant!" She exclaimed. "I just thought that your tour was cut short because of what happened over in Europe…" her voice trailed off.

"Well, yeah, it was. Then when I was in the hospital, we found out I was pregnant!"

"Well, congratulations! You’re barely showing at all, we’ll have no problem finding lots of things for you to try," she squeezed Dawn’s arm. "And what about you?" she asked, turning towards D.

"I’m not sure. It’s your wedding," she said to Dawn. "What do you think?"

"That’s completely up to you. Get whatever you want. Something you’ll wear again, please. This isn’t really formal and I don’t want you to get something that will sit in your closet collecting dust after tomorrow".

"Long or short?" Amy questioned.

D looked at Dawn.

"Ummm, short?" she shrugged. "You look good in short dresses".

"Okay, what color?"

The girls looked at each other again.

"Green?" Dawn suggested.

"Green works for me," D turned back to Amy.

"Green it is. Be right back", Amy stated as she disappeared in the other room to get a few dresses.

She brought out a few to show Dawn first. They were all very beautiful, but way too much for Dawn’s taste. She had already looked at eight dresses, and tried on five of them, not liking a single one. They were either too fancy, or too lacy, or too white, or didn’t fit her right.

"I look like a house and I’m not even that big!" She threw her hands in the air, looking at herself in the mirror, disgusted.

"I don’t know", Dawn sighed. "I want something simple. Something strapless, with a wraparound, maybe. I can wear it on my arms and cover a little of my stomach".

"I have just the thing", Amy said as she left the room, returning a minute later with a beautiful evening dress.

"Okay, but this is the last one," Dawn said, frustrated, taking the dress. "If I don’t like this one, I’m giving up and getting married in jeans".

She closed the dressing room door and began to change.

"Pregnancy hormones", D whispered to Amy as they both chuckled.

A few minutes later, Dawn emerged from the dressing room.

"I like this one a lot," she smiled, smoothing the fabric as she stood in front of the full length mirror.

It was a strapless, ivory silk gown that flowed beautifully down to the floor, with a sheer wraparound. It was form fitting, but loose in all the right places.

"That’s gorgeous," D gushed, stepping up next to her. "I like the way it fits you."

"So do I. I think Alex will love it, too".

"Well, it almost came to that", Dawn joked. "I think we have a winner," she turned to face Amy and D with a big smile on her face.

"I don’t know, I want to wear my hair up. Something simple, yet elegant, if that’s possible".

"Of course it is. I’ll show you a few I have. I think you’ll find just what you’re looking for.

D plunked down in a nearby chair after forty five minutes of looking through every veil that Amy had in the store.

"Boy, you sure are picky," she joked.

"I know, I’m sorry I’m such a pain", Dawn sighed. "I’m not sure what I’m looking for, but I’ll know it when I see it".

"Here, I have just the thing", Amy said as she took a diamond studded hairpiece off the rack.

She placed all of Dawn’s hair on top of her head and placed the piece around her hair.

"What do you think?" She asked.

"I love it! It’s perfect!" Dawn exclaimed.

"The sparkle of the diamonds really sets off the whole dress. It’s beautiful!" D agreed.

"Thank God we’re hitting the jewelry store next. I need to get some earrings", Dawn said, admiring her reflection in the mirror. "Okay", she turned to D. "You’re turn!"

It took D about half as long to find a dress as it took Dawn.

"What do you think of this one?" She modeled a simple knee-length, dark green, sleeveless dress that fit her perfectly.

"I love that!"

"So do I. I think it’s a keeper," she nodded.

"I’ve never been more ready to do anything in my life," she assured her.

"I have to say I was surprised at first and a little worried."

Dawn looked at her curiously. "Why?"

"I know that. I want you to be his wife too. I just don’t want you to rush into anything."

"Then I’m all for it. As long as you’re sure. All I want is for you to be happy."

"I’ve never been happier", Dawn smiled as she turned to D. She smiled and hugged Dawn tight.

"Okay, we’ve got a half hour before the guys get back. I need to pick out a garter and we should get a dress for Arianna," Dawn said as D stepped down from the platform.

They changed and Amy helped them pick out the rest of the things they needed. AJ and Nick came back as she was bagging up their purchases.

"So, how’d you do?"

"Well, I drove everyone crazy finding just the right dress, but we did great!!" Dawn announced, giving him a kiss. "We got a dress for Arianna too. I was going to pick something out for your Mom but I wasn’t sure what she’d like."

"I’m sure she’s got plenty of nice clothes she can wear. So what’s the damage Amy?"

"It’s not too bad," she laughed, handing him the bill.

His eyes got wide when he looked at the total.

"No you’re not, I’m paying for the dresses", Dawn said, reaching for her purse.

"Oh, no you’re not", AJ stated. "I won’t have it, put your purse down", he commanded as he reached for his wallet.

"Alex.." Dawn began as he looked at her, giving her a look that told her she should just listen to what he said.

"I’m paying for the dresses, and that’s final".

He handed Amy his credit card and she rang up their merchandise.

Dawn glanced over at D and rolled her eyes.

"He’s so stubborn", she whispered to her so AJ couldn’t hear.

"Boy, you think this is bad, just wait until we get to the jewelry store," Dawn told him with a laugh as she walked up and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind.

"Oh God," he groaned. "I guess it’s going to be worth it."

"Aww, Mrs. Mclean. I love that," Dawn gushed, giving him a kiss.

"Omigod, I think I’m gonna puke," D whispered to Nick.

"Me too," he whispered back. "We’ll meet you guys in about an hour. You go pick out your rings and we’re going to do a little shopping ourselves," D told them as her and Nick headed for the door.

"Ha, ha, very funny!" Nick said as he and D walked out the door.

AJ picked up the covered dresses and they went to go get their wedding rings.

Paul was waiting for them when they arrived, he locked the doors behind them so they could have some privacy. He showed them his best line of rings. They looked at everything he had, liking almost all of them.

They fell in love instantly with one set in particular. Two matching diamond embedded gold bands, very beautiful, yet not too flashy. Each ring actually looked like two rings stacked on top of the other. Dawn’s complimented her engagement ring perfectly.

"What do you think?" Dawn asked AJ as she held up her hand with the ring on it for him to see.

"Oh, wow, I love the way it looks on you. I’ll love it even more when I get to put it on your finger tomorrow," he smiled.

She leaned up and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"What do you think, is it me?" He asked as he placed the other ring on his finger.

"I love it, it looks great!" Dawn exclaimed.

They placed their hands next to each other’s, comparing the way the rings looked. They both just stared at their fingers for a few moments. Back and forth from one hand to the next.

"Wow, this is so weird", Dawn whispered.

"Yeah, we’re finally gonna do it", AJ replied then looked over at Dawn. "I think we found what we’re looking for".

"I know I have", she winked and smiled at him.

"We’ll take ‘em", AJ said to Paul as they took off the rings and handed them over to him. "Do you think you could have them sized by tomorrow morning?"

"Normally no, but certainly I’ll make an exception for one of my best customers, Mr. McLean," Paul said with a smile.

"Good man," AJ said then turned to Dawn. "You said you needed earrings, Angel?"

"Yeah, I’m wearing my hair up, so I need some dangly earrings. Something small, what do you have?" She asked Paul.

"Oh, I have quite a selection," he walked over to the showcase of earrings, taking out a few to show her.

She picked them up, one by one, pulling her hair up, as AJ placed the earrings next to her ear to see how they would look. Finally, she settled on a pair of diamond hanging teardrop earrings.

"Do you need anything else?" AJ asked as Paul got their purchases together.

"No, I think that’s it. The only other thing is the necklace, and I’m wearing one you got me for our anniversary."

"You’re gonna look so beautiful", he whispered in her ear then kissed her on the lips.

"Just wait until you see the dress."

"Mmm, I can’t wait to see you in it…..and out of it", he whispered in her ear then kissed her head.

She looked at him and gave him a weak smile.

"What’s on your mind, sweetlips?" He asked, sensing that something was bothering her.

"You don’t think that your mother is going to be mad that we didn’t tell her about this sooner, do you?" She asked with a worried look. "You know, so she could come help me pick out my dress? I was so excited to get this all done that I really didn’t give that much thought. I mean, you are her only son, she won’t have the chance again".

"Nah, she’ll be okay", AJ reassured her as he pulled her into his arms. "I’m sure she’ll understand, plus, I know she’ll be heavily involved in planning the big blowout later on", he smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you’re right. I just hope she’s not hurt or anything. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that sooner, I was just so overwhelmed with everything that we had to get done…..I’m getting so nervous," she said as she took a deep breath.

"Why?" He asked as he handed Paul his credit card.

"I don’t know. What if I mess up the vows or something?"

AJ laughed. "You’ve performed in front of thousands of people. I hardly think this is going to bother you much," he said as Paul handed him the receipt to sign.

"But this is different, Alex. This is our wedding day…..I don’t know, maybe I won’t be that nervous when the time comes. I just hope I don’t cry."

"You will", he chuckled, "I will, my mom will, D will…hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nick cries, too!"

"Arianna’s gonna think we’re a bunch of nuts!" Dawn laughed.

"She already knows that", AJ joked, "Poor kid."

"It’s just so hard to believe", she said softly.

"What? That we’re finally getting married?" AJ asked as he put his wallet away and leaned on the counter facing her.

"Yeah", she whispered as she shook her head.

"Are you having second thoughts?" He asked, concerned, as they waited for Paul to bring them the earrings.

"No, baby," Dawn wrapped her arms around his waist. "I just can’t believe that the day is finally here and I’m just nervous. This is the most important day of our lives. I know we’re having another ceremony, but this is the first time we’ll be saying our vows to each other. It’s special, you know?"

"Of course I know, Angel," he stroked her hair. "I just wanna make sure that you’re okay and you’re happy."

"I’m very happy," she smiled as she leaned over and kissed him.

"Your rings will be ready tomorrow morning," Paul said as he handed them the bag with the earrings in it.

"By ten o’clock, right?" AJ asked with a serious tone.

"Yes, Mr. McLean, by ten o’clock. No later. My personal guarantee," he smiled.

"Thank you very much, Paul," he said as he shook his hand.

"My pleasure. And it was nice to meet you, Miss Simon," he smiled as he shook Dawn’s hand. "And congratulations"

"Thank you, Paul, you’re wonderful," she smiled as AJ took her by the hand and they headed to meet D and Nick.

Once they found them, they got into the car and headed to go pick up Arianna and tell Denise the good news.

"So, what are we going to say?" Dawn asked. "Who’s gonna break it to her?"

"What do you mean, ‘break it to her’?" AJ asked as he looked at Dawn while he tried to drive. "She’s gonna be thrilled.

"Oh, I know, I was just playing," Dawn answered, looking out the window.

"You’re still worried that she’s gonna be upset because we didn’t tell her sooner, aren’t you?"

"Well, kind of. I mean, I feel bad."

"About what?" D piped in from the backseat of the car.

"Just that I didn’t think about it sooner, maybe she would have liked to go looking at dresses with us and stuff. I mean, Alex is her only child. She probably would have liked to go".

"Angel," he grabbed her hand, "I told you she’ll be fine. She’ll understand".

"Yeah, plus you guys are gonna be having a huge wedding later on and I’m sure she’ll have a lot to do with planning that one", D added.

"That’s what I said. She’s gonna be thrilled, so don’t worry about it so much, okay baby?" He turned to look at Dawn.

She continued to stare out the window.

"Hey", AJ tried to get her attention as they stopped at a red light. "Look at me". She looked over at him through her dark sunglasses.

"Take these things off for a minute. I wanna see those beautiful eyes", he said as he slipped her glasses off and looked her in the eye.

"It’ll be okay, she’ll understand. Everything will be fine, trust me. Okay?" he smiled as he caressed her cheek.

Dawn smiled and shook her head. He handed her back her sunglasses and took off from the light.

"Okay, now, back to the subject of what exactly we’re gonna say," AJ began.

"You think if I just started calling her Mom, she’ll catch on?" Dawn joked.

"Well, we’re almost there, so we better think of something soon".

Everyone laughed as they pulled into Denise’s driveway. AJ turned off the ignition and they all sat there in silence, wondering who was going to get out of the car first.

"Do you want us to stay here?’ D asked.

They all took off their seatbelts and got out of the car. AJ stopped and waited for Dawn to join him. He took her by the hand as they all started to walk towards the door.

"Hey, wait," Dawn said suddenly as she stopped walking.

AJ looked at her puzzled.

"Arianna knows we’re getting married tomorrow. What if she said something to her? She’s not the best with secrets, you know."

"Listen", he took her face in his hands. "I doubt Arianna would remember that it was tomorrow. If she said anything to her, it was probably just that we’re getting married. I’m sure my mother wouldn’t think much of it. She already knows we’re getting married", he reasoned. "So, relax and let’s just go in there and tell her that tomorrow we’re going to commit the rest of our lives to each other, okay?"

They walked in the front door and Arianna’s voice rang through the house.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She ran around the corner and jumped into AJ’s arms.

"Hi jellybean. Were you a good girl for Grandma?"

"Always", Denise said as she appeared in front of them.

"Hi Mom", AJ said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi honey. Did you guys get everything done that you needed to?"

"I think so, right Angel? He turned to Dawn.

She gave him an uncomfortable look then they were all silent for a moment.

"What’s going on?" Denise asked, noticing the exchange between the two.

"Let’s go sit down, Mom. There’s something we want to tell you", AJ said as he started for the living room.

"You know, I always hated when you used to say that", Denise joked as she looked from AJ to Dawn, wondering what was going on.

D and Nick took a seat on one of the empty couches as Dawn sat next to AJ and Arianna on another. Denise sat down in a nearby chair.

"So, what’s going on? Is everything okay?" She asked, worried.

"Everything is wonderful. Couldn’t be better", AJ took Dawn’s hand and they looked at each other with smiles on their faces. "We’ve decided that we’re gonna get married…..tomorrow".

They all looked at Denise, awaiting her reaction. She stared at them with a stunned look on her face for a moment.

"You’re getting married tomorrow? This isn’t a late April Fool’s, is it?" She asked, smiling as she looked from Dawn and AJ to D, then to Nick and back to Dawn and AJ.

"No Mom, it’s official, we’re really gonna do it. We just came from buying the rings and dresses and everything. The appointment is at eleven o’clock tomorrow morning at City Hall".

"Oh my God! That’s great!" She exclaimed, rising from her chair and giving Dawn and AJ big hugs. "I’m so happy for you guys! It’s about time you two tie the knot!"

They both laughed, "Yeah, that’s what we thought, too. That’s why we decided to just go and do it", Dawn replied.

"I thought you guys wanted a big wedding, though?"

"We do, and we’ll have one after the ba…", AJ caught himself as he looked at Arianna who was intently listening to him. "We’ll have one later on", he finished.

"Well, that’s great! I couldn’t be happier".

"You’re not mad that we didn’t tell you sooner, are you?" Dawn asked, worried. "I was so stressed out about everything that we had to do that I didn’t even think until later that you may have liked to go looking at dresses with us".

"No honey, I’m not mad at all," she squeezed Dawn’s arm. "I’m thrilled! I’ll help you guys out with the big ceremony you’re going to have later".

"Good, I’m so relieved that you’re not mad", she gave her a hug, "I was worried about that".

"Oh, there’s nothing to worry about. You just concentrate on tomorrow," she smiled.

"Aaww, my baby boy is getting married," she said as she gave AJ a tight hug. "It seems like just yesterday I was chasing after your naked little butt as you ran through the house because you didn’t want to put your clothes on."

"Yes, you two go home and enjoy your last night together of living in sin", Denise joked.

"She makes it sound so dirty", AJ chuckled as he looked at Dawn and gave her a soft kiss.

D and Nick arose from the couch and said their goodbyes then waited at the front door. AJ gave Denise a hug and a kiss and joined them, carrying Arianna.

"Thanks for everything, Denise", Dawn said as she gave her a hug.

"You’re going to start calling me Mom, right?"

"You wouldn’t mind?"

"Of course I don’t mind, honey. You’re like a daughter to me. I want you to call me Mom".

"Okay", Dawn smiled as she pulled away from her and went to join everyone else who was waiting.

"So, what are the plans for tomorrow?" Denise asked. "He can’t see you in your dress before the ceremony, it’s bad luck! Where are you going to get dressed?"

"You can get dressed here," Denise insisted. "If your dress is in the car, you can leave it now that way you won’t have to worry about it in the morning".

"That sounds good. I have a hair appointment at eight o’clock, though. We can come over right after that?" Dawn looked at D again.

"Yeah, that sounds good," D replied. "We can meet up for breakfast or something then we can come back and get dressed. We’ll have plenty of time. I’ll go bring the dresses in. I’ll be right back", she said as she closed the door behind her.

"Ugh, I doubt I’ll be able to eat anything," Dawn made a face.

"You better eat something", AJ piped in. "I don’t want you passing out as we’re standing there, getting ready to take our vows".

"Yeah, that would kind of ruin everything, wouldn’t it?" Dawn laughed.

"I’m picking them up at ten. It’s all under control. And you heard Paul, he gave us his personal guarantee that they would be ready. So you guys just have a nice breakfast, then meet Nick and I at City Hall at ten thirty."

"Bye Gwamma!" Arianna’s little voice yelled out as they headed out to the car.

"Bye guys! See you tomorrow! Bright and early and ready to get married!" She waved.

Later that night, after they had put Arianna to bed, AJ went to go take a shower and Dawn grabbed her glasses, a pad of paper and a pen and sat down on the couch. She had so much on her mind, she wanted to try to concentrate on the wedding the next day.

‘Vows’, she thought to herself. "Hmmmm".

She knew they could always go with the traditional vows, but she wanted something a little different. Something a little more…them. Something that described exactly how they felt about each other and their relationship. Nothing else about their relationship was traditional, why should their vows be? Just then, AJ sauntered into the living room and handed her a glass of milk.

"Here ya go, Angel".

"Thanks", she replied, deep in thought.

"Just thinking".

"About?" He rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Our vows", Dawn sighed as she took off her glasses and leaned up against his chest.

"Umm, yeah, something like that. Although I don’t recall those vows", she chuckled.

"Those would be the AJ McLean vows, I made up my own", he smiled as he massaged her shoulders and neck. "So, what were you thinking about?"

"Just that I don’t want the plain old traditional vows. I want something different. Don’t you?" She looked up at him.

"Sure, I like my version," he teased.

"Alex, I’m being serious here," she sat up and sighed. "We’re getting married tomorrow and I can’t think of anything to write. I mean, I want to have a little bit of the traditional vows in there, but I want to add something, change it a little. So it’s not so formal."

"I’m sorry, baby", he sat up and leaned against her and pulled her into a hug. "I didn’t mean to make a joke of it. I know our vows are serious. I guess we just have to really think about what we want to say to each other. I mean, I have a lot to say, but this is our wedding day and I want to say something different. Something I haven’t already told you. I don’t know, where can we look to find something?"

"Internet?" She suggested, looking up at him.

"Yeah, that could work. You wanna look or do you want me to?"

"We both can," Dawn replied, standing up and walking into the den where the computer was. "Let me just find some sites, then we can see what they have".

"Okay, well, let me know when you find something. I’m gonna go look for the camera".

Dawn sat down at the computer and AJ went upstairs to search for their camera.

A little while later, Dawn found exactly what she was looking for.

"Alex!"

AJ came racing down the stairs, into the den.

"What? Did you find something?"

"Yeah, I found something! I really like it! Here, read!"

She got up from the chair and sat him down.

"Wow", he replied after he was finished reading.

"You like?"

"Yeah, that’s what I thought, too. I think they fit us really well."

"I think so, too", he stood up and pulled her into his arms.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked into his eyes.

"I can’t believe we’re finally getting married", he whispered.

"I know, me either," she smiled.

"Angel, are you positive you wanna do this? I mean, we can wait until after the baby is born. I know you want a big wedding with everyone there, and I want to give you that. I want you to have your big fairytale wedding……with bridesmaids, a flower girl, a big cake, throwing the bouquet…"

"Nah", he shook his head. "I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life. I’ve wanted to do this for so long. You know, we could hop a plane to Vegas," he raised his eyebrow.

"That’s okay," he tucked her hair behind her ear. "As long as you’re there and I’m there, it doesn’t matter where we do it".

"That’s right," she pulled him closer and smiled. "Just think, by this time tomorrow, we’ll be married".

Their kiss deepened, then AJ started to kiss her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair and softly moaned. She ran her hands underneath his shirt, raking her nails down his back.

"Baby, you know what that does to me", he continued to snake his tongue down her neck.

"Yeah, and you know what that does to me".

"Why don’t we take this upstairs", he whispered in his ear.

"Alex, you know we can’t have sex", she pulled away from him, upset at herself for letting it go this far.

"I know that, don’t worry about it", he pulled her back into her arms. "There are other things we can do that are equally as enjoyable . Come on", he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the stairs.

"Do you remember when we used to just do it anywhere? Like this counter, for example", Dawn asked as they passed through the kitchen.

"Do you remember when we did it right there on the counter when D and Nick were in the other room?"

"Oh yeah, I remember that, you attacked me! You were so drunk", he chuckled as they stopped walking.

"When did we suddenly become so boring, only doing it in the bedroom?"

"I just figured you’d be more comfortable on the bed, but if you are feeling freaky, hell, I’m game. Saves us the few minutes of walking up the stairs," he stopped, looking around the kitchen, then back at Dawn.

"I guess it depends on how bad you want me", he placed his hands on his hips.

Dawn gave him a sly smile and walked over to him. She aggressively grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into a firey kiss.

"That bad, huh", he gasped when she broke from him.

"Uh huh", she answered as she kissed his neck.

"Oh yeah, our first time. How could I forget that. We’ve gotten pretty good use out of it since, too," she kissed him again as she tugged at his shirt.

She pulled it over his head and sat on the edge of the table.

"You are just wearing way too many clothes", AJ stated, unbuttoning her shirt then placing gentle kisses across her chest. He tossed her shirt on the floor as she wrapped her leg around his waist. She ran her fingers through his hair as she pulled him closer.

"God, I need you so bad right now", he whispered in desire as he unhooked her bra, adding it to the pile of clothing on the floor.

"Should we be doing this?" She panted as he took one breast softly in his mouth. "Shouldn’t we wait until our wedding night or something?"