Pam came out of the change room in a dress that did not suit her at all. It looked like it wouldn't suit anyone. It had a short skirt that gathered in at the hem, making her butt look comically big. The neckline seemed to have some sort of paperbag-like fabric sticking up all around her chest. The whole thing made her look like an over-decorated puffball. "Okay, I know this is a bit unusual," Pam said, "but I really like this one. What do you all think?"Pam's mom and dad, sister and several friends including Byron and Emily sat around in a semi-circle as the bride-to-be stood in the center. Everyone stared at her, most people humming in uncertainty. No one dared to say that it was horrible."Haha! April Fools!" Pam exclaimed, laughing uproariously, "Isn't this the worst dress ever? I just wanted to see your faces when you saw it.""Pam!" her mother reproved, "You're being silly. And Laurent is probably not impressed with you making fun of his dresses.""It's fine, it's fine," th

After spending the day with Byron and the new dog, Emily put on a shiny evening dress and got ready to meet the girls for drinks.Byron was nearly asleep and happy to let her go out by herself. After 'playing' with him for a while, she had quite exhausted him and left him to recover from his pleasant daze.Meeting up with her girlfriends at a neighborhood bar made for the perfect ending to her day."I have a new dog!" Emily blurted out when she went to order drinks with Pam. "I wanted to name her Sandy because I met her on a beach, but then to make it more interesting, I called her Shandy.""That's awesome," Pam said, "you've waited so long to have one!"They waited to get the bartender's attention, but he was swarmed with customers."I might also have something new..." Pam said."What is it?" Emily was intrigued. The bartender turned to them, and Emily ordered a gin and tonic while Pam ordered ginger ale. Emily started to understand what was likely going on.Pam leaned close

Byron felt partly responsible for breaking the news. Maybe Pam was right about not telling Mike since it seemed like the news of the pregnancy did make him more nervous. On the other hand, maybe if she had told him sooner, it wouldn't have caused so much excitement right before they were about to say their vows.He wasn't sure if the bride was already at the church, so he called Emily. It turned out they were all still at Pam's house getting ready, so he said he would meet them over there."Have you decided to become a bridesmaid instead?" Emily teased."Yeah, something like that. I always thought I'd make a good bridesmaid."He couldn't let her know that he spilled the beans. Somehow, he would have to get Pam alone without anyone knowing what was going on.The house was bustling with people, and Pam's mother greeted Byron as he entered."Come in! The ladies are right upstairs," she said.As Byron climbed the stairs, he heard women's voices and a lot of giggling. One of the voic

They met up in a cafe a block away from the tabloid's main office. Emily finally got a closer look at Fred, a middle-aged man with a greying moustache. Byron only called on him for the most covert operations, and now Fred was excited at the prospect of going undercover. "So, I was abducted by aliens?" Fred clarified. "What happened then? How did I escape?""I don't know." Emily shrugged. "Maybe you found their fatal weakness: they're afraid of water.""That's the wicked witch," Fred said. "Okay, how about they let you go so they can keep observing you?" Emily suggested."The main thing is, try to talk to Megan DeLorme," Byron said. "Find out what she's up to."They watched from the second story of the cafe as Fred crossed the street and entered the office building."There he goes..." Byron said, "I hope he doesn't bungle it this time."They exchanged amused looks."It seems like only yesterday I asked Fred to follow you and keep you safe," Byron said. "But I'm glad we don't

Emily felt pleasantly dreamy the next morning at breakfast."Well, it's confirmed," Byron said, "My mom admitted to destroying Christine's tabloid. She reported it for health code violations because of how dirty the office was, and they hadn't paid their rent, so it was all too easy to take them down.""Huh," Emily said."Your eyes are unfocused," Byron remarked, "What are you thinking about?""Last night was fun..." she said. Her whole body felt soft and pliable after everything they did the night before and well-rested after sleep. "Reminiscing about it already?" he asked."I guess so.""Why don't we do something to bring it back to the present?" he suggested."Now?" she said, surprised, "Okay.""I don't want us to ever reminisce about the good old days," Byron said, "Some couples give up too easily and lose their passion.""I don't think we're there at all," Emily said."Not if I can help it." Byron lifted her up with ease and placed her on the couch. "Now, what is it th