Chapter 3

When I left the airport, I didn't go home. I asked the driver to take me to our old campus instead.

I walked slowly down the tree-lined path.

When I reached the red-brick medical school building, I stopped.

This was where our story started. This was where Ethan had sworn, so sure of himself, that he'd give me a home someday.

Students were sitting in little groups on the lawn, talking, exactly like we used to eight years ago.

I watched them and felt like I was looking at another lifetime.

My phone buzzed. A text from Mia: We're flying out tomorrow to lock in the venue. Are you really sure about this?

I looked up. The gray clouds over New York had cracked open, and a small patch of clean blue showed through.

I wrote back: I'm sure. See you tomorrow.

My fiancé's name was Liam. We went to high school together.

He'd liked me for years, but because of Ethan, he'd kept it buried.

It wasn't until the night Ethan handed that Hawaii voucher to Tiffany that Liam finally asked me to marry him.

•   *   *

We met Lucas and Mia on Maui.

The wind off the water was strong, and it made a mess of the curls Mia had spent an hour on.

She took Liam's hand, looking guilty. "Liam, I was awful to you back in school. I gave you such a hard time. Thank God we all finally came to our senses. You'd better treat her right from now on."

Liam was in a plain white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, his forearms tanned and strong.

He listened to Mia's "confession" with a gentle smile at the corner of his mouth. "Honestly, I should be thanking you. I've been circling up there for a long time with my radar down. You guys gave me the coordinates to land."

The mood loosened right up. Mia burst out laughing and smacked his arm. "You're way more fun than that boring Ethan."

At the name, the air went still for a second.

Lucas, standing off to the side, frowned a little.

Later he pulled me aside, choosing his words carefully. "Chloe, are you really sure? Don't you want to... give Ethan one more chance? It's been eight years..."

Before he could finish, Mia stormed over and glared at him. "Shut up! Chloe being happy is all that matters now!"

Lucas sighed and didn't say anything else.

For the next week, Liam was in and out flying short routes as a captain.

But whenever he had a free moment, he'd rush back, still in his uniform, to help me with the flowers and the invitations.

One night, we went for a walk along the beach.

"The stars here are so beautiful," I said. "Too bad you can't see them in New York."

Liam held a piece of pineapple up to my lips and gave me a sly grin. "See, that's the stratosphere up there, the closest you can get to the stars. I can't pull any down for you. But I promise, every flight from now on, I'll take a picture of them for you."

I bit into the pineapple, and the sweetness filled my mouth.

As the days went by, even Lucas came around to him completely.

The night before the wedding, the breeze off the ocean was gentle. Mia crawled into my big bed and held on to me tight, the way she used to in college.

"Chloe," she said, her voice muffled against my neck, "I was so worried at first. I was scared you were only marrying Liam to get back at Ethan. Because of that stupid promise."

She lifted her head, and her eyes were shining. "But I'm not worried anymore. The way Liam looks at you, you can't fake that. I want you to be happy forever."

I turned on my side and looked at her. "Me too," I said softly. "We're both going to be happy."

Tomorrow, I would put on a wedding dress and walk toward the man who had finally landed for me.