1993.

My hands trace my pearled necklace around my neck. I anxiously bite my lip and wipe my sweaty palms together.

"Nervous?" The voice of my mother says entering the room. I turn around and see her crying already.

"Oh mom..don't cry," I say engulfing her into a hug.

"I know, I know..it's just my babygirl's all grown up," she says laugh-crying.

"Stop, you're gonna make me cry!" I laugh with my eyes watering. Mom turns me around to face the mirror and we both look at myself.

"It feels like just yesterday I was kissing your boo-boos and braiding your hair," Mom smiles.

"I know, Mama."

"Ready to rock 'n' roll?" Lainie asks walking through the doorway.

"Is it time already? Oh my babygirl!" Mom starts to cry again.

"Moooom!" I laugh.

After everyone wishes me luck and gives me kisses and hugs etc, etc..it's time.

"Hi Daddy," I say walking up to my father.

"Ready?"

"As ready as a horse to race," I smile.

We walk. I see my mother, brother, Bobby and Lainie and their new born, my grandparents, and other family members and friends. I then turn my head forward.

There he is.

Daddy hands me over to him.

"Hi sweetie," I whisper. He cannot contain himself, his tears begin to flow. I kiss his cheek and place my hand there afterwards. He looks at me and completely looses it. He begins to cry and I giggle a little. Bobby places a hand on his shoulder and massages it.

"We gather here today to celebrate the marriage of Daniel Pope and Lacey Lee," the priest says. I look at Bobby over Danny's shoulder. He smiles and looks proud.

"Do you take Lacey to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," Danny nods.

"Do you take Daniel to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"I do," I smile.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!"

Danny and I kiss. I feel butterflies in my stomach just how I did the first time we met. The day Dinger got into his car wreck.
***
"Let me see him!" I screamed as I pushed my way through the nurses and doctors.

"Miss, we cannot let you in!" They would push me even further back.

"My fiancé's in there! Let me in!" I scream even louder. That's right. We were engaged.

"Ma'am I don't care if your the President of the United States, we cannot let you in!" One doctor said. I stared into his eyes.

"Let me in that damn room right this fxcking second."

"Ma'am, listen. I want to let you in, but I cannot. We're not allowed," he shrugged. I felt my ears steaming and turning red.

"What do you mean I'm not allowed?!" I screamed.

"Is anyone with this lady?" The nurse shouted.

"Me, that's me! I'm with her," Bobby said running down the hallway, in pajamas just like I was. Of course we were in our pajamas, it was 1 o'clock in the morning.

"Lacey, let's go," Bobby said grabbing my arm. I fought him, but he was stronger than me, so he pulled me out into the waiting room. We sat on a couch and Bobby let me put my head in his lap. I cried and cried like I never cried before.

"He'll be okay, Lace. I know he will," he said stroking my hair. People who were there would glance uncomfortably at us.

"Wake up, honey, wake up," Bobby said a couple hours later. I woke up and it was still dark outside.

"Is he okay?" I asked remembering the events from a couple hours ago.

"They haven't told me anything sweetie, but he's okay," he said pulling me close to him.

"Lacey and Bobby?" A nurse said. We stood up and followed her down the hall.

"He's in here," she said. I ran into the room and stopped as soon as I saw him.

He had cuts, everywhere. Dry blood, fresh blood. He had a neck brace on. A sling and cast on his right arm, a full leg cast on his left leg. A bloody bandage was wrapped around his head and he looked just so, so distressed. I'd never seen anything like it.

He had a pained look on his face, laying there, completely still.

I walked over to him, my heart ripping in tiny little pieces. His face was bruised and his lip had been ripped in have, but stitched back up.

Bobby placed his hand on my shoulder, "we better go." I shook my head and held Dinger's hand.

"I'm gonna stay, you go." I said sitting in a chair next to his bed.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay," I said not taking my eyes off of my fiancé. I looked at my ring, which is shining brightly in the dim hospital lights.

"I'm not sure if you can hear me or not, but-" My throat closed. Tears. I couldn't. I couldn't continue on.

"I love you," I said through sharp breathes. I put my head against his chest, his heart beat was slow. It slowed down with every beat.

"No baby, no no no," I said panicking.

"Come on, honey! Baby, don't!" I yelled standing up. Bobby rushed back into the room, crying as well.

"Get a doctor!" I screamed.

"Dinger!" I screamed as the heart monitor beeped slowly and slowly. It felt like a horror movie, but I was in it.

He hardly opened his eyes enough so I could see his blue beauties and then he nodded ever so slowly.

"Baby," he whispers so inaudible, I'm surprised I could hear him over all the shouting from the doctors and nurses rushing into the room.

He closed his eyes and his chest rises and falls for the finale time.

The monitor falls flat.

And so does my own heart.
***
"I won't ever forget the day we met, Lace. It was only a couple hours after, uh, Dinger went and raised with all the angels..you were walking out of your apartment building that you and Dinger had a place in, and I was jogging and we ran into each other. I remember how my world stopped when I saw you, but you cussed me out. It was quite funny," Danny says through a microphone at the reception, earning laughs with tears at memories of that miserable day.

"You looked so helpless and I wanted to help you! So you know we had a coffee date a little after we met and one thing led to the next and boom, ladies and gentlemen we got married!" Danny exclaims and everyone laughs. I laugh as well.

"I'm just glad I found my true love. And I love her very much," he finishes and kisses me.

"I love you," I say while hugging him, tears in my eyes.
•••
"Hey honey can we pull off here?" I ask Danny as we drive for our honeymoon.

"But it'll just set us back even more!" He says waving his hand in the air.

"Just please? It'll be real quick," I beg. He looks at me and smirks, "Good thing you're cute," and pulls off the main road. I kissed his cheek.

"What's out here anyway that you wanna see?" He asks.

"Oh, just..the nature's pretty out here."

He smiles and pushes up his glasses.

We get to the special place I wanted to go to. I walk out into the field and to the tree that is in the middle of nowhere. I run over to it just like I did 4 years ago.

I place my hand on the old tree and walk around it.

"I sure miss you, Dinger. I love you, but in a different way than Danny, my husband...I hope you're happy now," I whisper looking up the tree.

I look at the heart and our initials that Dinger carved into the tree. I place my hand on the heart.

"Lacey?" Danny shouts. I look over towards his direction.

"I'm right here, hun!"

Looking up the tree, I trace the heart with my finger and squint my eyes as the sun shines brightly, its warmth hugging me.

"You are," I say and pat the tree.

I walk back over to Danny, who stands in the tall grasses.

"Ready?" He puts his arm around me. I look back at the tree, then to Danny. I nod.

"Yeah, I'm ready."