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  Maybe all the questions and uncertainty pertaining to a future with Tyson was her answer? Or was the fact that she was thinking about a future with Tyson her answer? Ally didn’t know. Ally shook her head and focused on frosting the sugar cookies in front of her. She had to get this figured out sooner than later.

  Gratefully, Tyson distracted her from her thoughts.

  “Have you discovered any good, new songs lately?”

  “Ya, I actually updated my favorites playlist a couple of days ago. I have found a lot of new songs that I really like. Do you want to hear them?” Ally asked as she grabbed her phone and navigated to her songs.

  “Sure. I have to be honest with you, I kind of miss listening to country music.”

  “Really? Does this mean that you are ready to admit that country music is the best?” Ally teased.

  Tyson laughed, “Nah, my music is still better. But thanks to you, I like listening to it every once in a while.”

  They chatted while music played in the background. With only a few cookies left to frost, Ally heard her favorite song come on and she couldn’t help but start singing along and bobbing her head. She was surprised when Tyson joined in on the chorus. She shouldn’t have been surprised because she had first discovered the song when she was dating Tyson. Ally couldn’t help but laugh when she turned around to see him holding the knife he had been using to spread the frosting as a microphone.

  Ally turned up the music. Tyson grabbed her hand and spun her around. They sang at the top of their lungs while they danced around the kitchen. Throw in a couple air guitar solos, hair flipping, ridiculous interpretive dancing, and anyone would have thought they were crazy. But it wasn’t the first time Ally and Tyson had had a karaoke dance party like this.

  They were out of breath as the song ended. But Tyson didn’t hesitate to pull Ally into a slow sway when the next song came on. Ally locked eyes with Tyson as she realized it was their song that was playing. The song they had danced to many times before. The song that they were supposed to dance to at their wedding. She could see the regret in Tyson’s eyes as he gave her a small smile. Ally reciprocated the smile as the memories of the special moments that she had shared with Tyson flooded her mind. She knew she would always care for him. But could she live without him?

  In that moment, Ally didn’t want to let him go as she took a step closer.

  Tyson’s heart pounded as he stared into Ally’s eyes. He wished he could read her mind. She hadn’t retreated when their song had come on. If anything, she had taken a step closer. Did she want him to kiss her? Because he wouldn’t mind caving in to the desire he had been fighting all night to kiss her.

  Tyson stopped himself. He couldn’t just kiss her, because he would be doing the same exact thing that Justin had done to him back on that night that seemed so long ago. If Tyson kissed Ally, it could ruin their friendship that Tyson had worked so hard to rebuild. He wondered if Ally would keep it a secret from Justin? What if she got upset? Could he handle Ally being mad at him again? Most of all, would it ruin his chances at getting her back?

  But what if Ally wanted him to kiss her? What if it was the catalyst to getting Ally back? What if he leaned in? Would Ally close the distance? The party was on Saturday and he might not see much of Ally after that. What if this was his last chance? Did he want to keep wondering what if for the rest of his life? Was it a chance he was willing to take?

  They had stopped swaying to the music somewhere along the way. Tyson’s eyes never strayed from Ally’s as he pulled her close and leaned in a little to test the water. He felt like his heart was going to pound out of his chest as Ally leaned in and pulled his head closer to hers. Ally closed her eyes and Tyson didn’t resist.

  But the magic was broken when the door to Tyson’s apartment burst open as David ran in with Kylie close behind. Ally quickly pulled away and walked over to the sugar cookies she had been frosting. Tyson stood there wishing he could have the moment back.

  Kylie caught her breath as David said, “I won.”

  “You cheated. You were running before you even said you would race me to the door.”

  “But you still love me, right?” David said as he pulled Kylie in and kissed her.

  “I guess so,” Kylie said returning his kiss.

  “How’s the party planning going?” David asked, directing the question at Tyson and Ally.

  “Good. Just a few more cookies and everything will be ready,” Ally responded. But Kylie was more concerned with the way that Tyson was just standing in the middle of the kitchen.

  “You okay?” Kylie asked, walking past him to steal a cookie.

  “Ya,” Tyson said as he ran his hand through his hair and moved to lean against the counter.

  Kylie gave him a questioning look. “If you say so. Ally, what’s the plan for this weekend?”

  Ally finished frosting the last cookie and started to pack everything up, keeping her back to everyone. “I was thinking we could leave tomorrow around 8 or so. My mom is going to drive up separate, since she is going home after we go wedding dress shopping. David and Tyson will meet us at the cabin around lunch time, after they pick up the food for the party. Then we will decorate and hopefully everything will be ready by 5.”

  “Sounds great to me,” Kylie said.

  “I better give you the key now, before I forget,” David said handing the key to the cabin to Kylie.

  Tyson walked over to Ally who was washing the remainder of the dishes.

  “Can I help?” Tyson asked as he ran his hand through his hair again.

  “You can load everything into my car,” Ally said as she grabbed her keys and handed them to Tyson all while avoiding eye contact with him. That was enough for Kylie to know that something was up. Tyson only played with his hair when he was unsure or stressed. They had made such progress in becoming friends again. What had happened?

  “I’ll help you,” David offered.

  Once the guys had taken the first load out, Kylie grabbed a towel to dry off the dishes Ally was finishing up with. “Is everything okay?”

  Ally nodded her head.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Ya. I’m just tired.” Tired was Ally’s favorite excuse for when something was wrong. She was going to ask more but the guys came back for their second load. With Ally’s help, they didn’t need to make a third trip.

  “Do you want a ride?” Ally asked Kylie.

  “No. David can take me home. Right?”

  David nodded his head. But the real reason she wanted to stay was to ask Tyson what was going on. Unfortunately, the second that Tyson came back up from Ally’s car he went straight to his room. David suggested that they watch a couple episodes of The Office before he took her home. Kylie agreed, hoping that she would get a chance to talk to Tyson.

  Kylie expressed her concerns with David. Something seemed to be off between Ally and Tyson. Maybe she was wrong about the rekindling romance between the two of them. Ally was still planning on wedding dress shopping and who knows what other things her and Justin had started to plan for their wedding. Ally hadn’t been willing to tell her what was going on earlier that evening, so she doubted she would get much out of her tonight if she tried. Tyson was her only hope. But he never came back out of his room before David took her home.

  Luckily, Kylie didn’t have to wait long to find out what happened. As she expressed her concerns again at lunch the next day, Kylie could tell that David was keeping something from her.

  “Do you know something?” Kylie asked.

  David took a deep breath. “I talked to Tyson after you left last night. But he told me not to tell you.”

  “He should know better than to make you keep secrets from me. What did he say?”

  “Well I guess they started dancing and singing with each other. Tyson said they were having a great time. Then their song came on.”

  “Their song? As in the one that they were going to dance to at their wedding?” Kylie clarified.

&n
bsp; David nodded his head. “I guess they started dancing to the song and Tyson felt like there was a real connection between them. That maybe Ally still had feelings for him so he decided to lean in a little ways to see if Ally would lean in the rest of the way for a kiss. Apparently, she started leaning in and they were literally centimeters away from kissing...”

  “You are telling me that they kissed!?” Kylie exclaimed, interrupting David. This was great. Her plan had worked and now Ally was going to break up with Justin. Tyson and Ally were going to get back together. Everything was going to be perfect.

  “Actually, they didn’t,” David said shaking his head.

  “Oh. What happened?” Kylie said, feeling deflated.

  “You and I came bursting through the door.”

  “No...”

  “Yep. Ally just quickly pulled away and we know the rest.”

  “I guess that makes sense now as to why Tyson was just standing in the middle of the kitchen looking like he wasn’t sure what to do with himself.”

  “Yep. Tyson was pretty frustrated last night. I guess he apologized to Ally once I had headed back up to the apartment after we put everything in Ally’s car. He told her he was sorry. That he didn’t want to put her in a position that could harm her relationship with Justin.

  “But the thing that is bugging him the most, is that all Ally said was thank you, got in her car and drove away.”

  “Thank you for…?”

  “Exactly,” David said. “Tyson is driving himself crazy trying to figure out what she meant. He doesn’t know if she was just saying thank you for apologizing or for remembering that she is in a relationship with Justin. He thought he saw her wipe a tear away before she drove off, but it was dark and he thinks that maybe he is just hoping that the thank you means more.”

  “Hoping that the thank you means that Ally realized she still has feelings for him?”

  David nodded his head. “He doesn’t know what to do. I told him he should just wait until this weekend is over. Maybe Ally just needs some time to digest everything.”

  “I agree,” Kylie said as she got a text from Tyson. “Speaking of Tyson, he wants me to meet him at the field house. Thanks for the heads up.”

  After Kylie and David parted ways, Kylie sent a quick text to Ally asking her if she was still planning to go wedding dress shopping tomorrow morning.

  “Yes. Why?” Ally responded.

  “No reason.” But Ally’s answer was enough to give Kylie a feel as to where Ally’s head was in this situation. She was still going wedding dress shopping. Maybe the almost kiss didn’t mean anything to her after all.

  Kylie waited outside the field house as the other football players filed out after practice. When she saw Tyson, her heart ached for her brother. How was she going to tell him that he shouldn’t get his hopes up? She didn’t want him to get hurt again. But she knew how much he still loved Ally.

  They sat down on a nearby bench and Tyson spoke first, “I need your opinion on something that happened last night.”

  “David told me,” Kylie interrupted. She didn’t want him to have to repeat the story again.

  Tyson took a deep breath and stared at the ground. “What do I do? In that moment, it felt like that chemistry was still there. But then she just says thank you? What does she mean, Ky? You’re her best friend. What does she mean?”

  “Ty, I don’t know her as well as I used to. Once she started dating Justin, she stopped telling me a lot of things. You know how close we used to be, even when she was dating you. All of that has disappeared.”

  “But you know how girls think. Do I try to talk to her about it? Just give her space? Or do I try harder to stay in the friend zone?”

  “I think that maybe you should give her some distance,” Kylie said as she saw Tyson’s shoulders slump. “I’m not saying that because I don’t think you have a future with her. I’m saying that because I think she needs some time.”

  “But what if backing away makes her think that I’m giving up on her? Do I just sit here and watch her marry Justin?”

  Kylie thought for a second, “Do you want her to happy?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “If marrying Justin is what ends up making her happy, then yes, you will just sit by and watch her marry Justin. I know it won’t be easy, but you’ll do it because you care about her and you want her to be happy.”

  He sighed. “I don’t know if I can give up on her quite yet. I still love her.”

  “I know. But she is still going wedding dress shopping tomorrow, Ty. I checked with her on my way over here. You have to remember that she is engaged to a different guy. Granted, nobody likes him and I wish that he would just disappear. But you have done all you can. You have been her friend and the two of you have had a couple of moments where maybe she remembered what you guys used to have and could have again. But she has to be the one to make the decision now.”

  “But she still had our song on her playlist of her favorite songs. And she leaned in, Kylie. Doesn’t that mean something?”

  “I don’t know. Whether it meant something to Ally or if she just got caught up in the moment, we might never know. But I really think you need to take a step back for now.”

  “I guess. I was hoping you would say something different than David. But maybe you two are right.”

  “Tyson. You know I’m on your side, right? I don’t think I told you this, but a couple of weeks ago she came home really late one night and I talked to her about my concerns. I told her that I was worried about her. That she hasn’t been the Ally we know and love. I asked her to reconsider marrying Justin. I even told her that I didn’t even care if it wasn’t you. I don’t want Ally to marry Justin just as much you don’t. All I want is for her to be happy to have a good man in her life.”

  “Really? What did she say?”

  “She promised to take a close look at her future with Justin.”

  “Well, that’s good, right?” Tyson said with hope in his voice.

  “Maybe. Or maybe not,” Kylie said cautiously. “She knows how we both feel, but now we have to let her do what she feels is best for her. But one thing is for sure, I’ll always have your back, Ty. I promise.”

  Kylie walked away from Tyson knowing that he was going to try to give Ally some distance this weekend to let her sort out her thoughts. However, she could tell that Tyson was still holding on to a little hope that Ally still loved him. Kylie had to be honest with herself as well, she still hoped that Ally would come around too. She really didn’t want to see Tyson or Ally get hurt again. Everything was in Ally’s hands.

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  As Kylie, Ally, and Mrs. Parker walked into the wedding dress shop the next morning, Kylie tried to put a smile on her face. But in all reality, she was annoyed.

  During the entire drive up to Park City, Ally gushed about Justin and how they were finally starting to plan their wedding. She told Kylie about all of her ideas, which weren’t too different from the ideas she had had when she was planning her wedding with Tyson. They were just more elegant and classic and a lot more expensive.

  Ally acted like nothing had happened between her and Tyson. Did the almost kiss really mean nothing to Ally? Kylie couldn’t believe that Ally would just go around playing with Tyson’s heart. Had she really turned into the kind of person who thought that this was okay?

  The next hour seemed to drag on for Kylie. Ally tried on dress after dress. When she did ask for Kylie's opinion, it was easy for her to just say, "I think it looks great. But what do you think?" She did look great in all of them, so she wasn’t lying. Fortunately, Ally was able to find something wrong with most of them, so Kylie didn't have to say much.

  Kylie was starting to think that they were going to get out there without Ally picking a dress. But Ally found two that she really liked in the last few dresses that she tried on. They were two completely different dresses. One was all lace and was fitted, while the other had lace up top but the bott
om flared out with tulle right below the waist.

  Kylie was starting to get impatient as Ally tried each dress on again. She was grateful when the consultant stepped in to help Ally make a decision because Kylie really just wanted to leave. In a way, she felt bad because Ally had been patient with Kylie through all of her wedding planning. But she just couldn’t stand being here anymore, knowing that Ally obviously didn’t care about the fact that she was breaking Tyson’s heart a second time.

  “Are you going to be doing a first look session with your fiancé? Or is he going to see your dress for the first time on the wedding day?” The consultant asked Ally.

  “I will probably be doing a first look,” Ally answered.

  “Perfect. I have a little trick that usually works in helping you decide which dress is the one. Do you mind if we try it?” The consultant asked Ally.

  Ally nodded her head. The consultant went and grabbed the tulle dress that was still in Ally’s dressing room.

  When she returned she said, “Okay, take a look at yourself in the lace dress. Now, close your eyes.” Ally did so, while the consultant placed the tulle dress in front of the lace dress and held it from behind.

  “Okay, now open your eyes and look at this dress. Close your eyes again. Picture yourself in the place where you will be getting your first look pictures taken. Your fiancé has his back turned to you and you are walking toward him. When you reach him, you tap him on the shoulder. He turns around and you step back so he can see all of your dress. Which dress are you wearing?”

  Kylie was sick inside as tears started rolling down Ally’s cheeks. Ally was definitely having a Say Yes to the Dress moment.

  The consultant brought over some tissues and asked, “Is this the dress?” Ally nodded her head. “Great! Feel free to stay in the dress as long as you want, take some more pictures, and I will get all the information written down for you.”