Undercover

10. Why?

The wedding preparations had been already done. We were going to get married in the ministry first and then by the church. Basically the plan went like this: first we would have a civil ceremony and then the wedding by the church would be a few days later. Everything was ready for that. The civil ceremony would be on the first of July and the religious ceremony would be the third. So we'd be husband and wife in the eyes of the federal government and in the eyes of god. I couldn't believe that this was happening.

Ingrid would come in and talk to me and sometimes she said that she couldn't believe that I was getting married before she was. It was kind of funny coming from her. There was no way she would be able to get married if she kept herself from opening up to someone. I didn't think that anyone would want to marry someone they didn't completely know. But maybe that was just me.

In the weeks before the wedding, I would spend every minute of the day with my fiancé. It was fun to say that I had a fiancé. And I would brag about it too. Every chance I got. It was mostly to my brother but it was enough to annoy the living daylights out of him. It was fun.

The other thing was that Cayden had been staying at home more. And when I would ask him where he was going, he would actually answer me with an actual answer. Some days, he would go to the grocery store; other days, he would go to the library or something like that. But he actually gave me an answer. I don't actually know what happened but I was glad that it wasn't the same answer that he had been giving me since our parents died.

The day before the civil ceremony, I was sitting with him on the couch when he looked me over. "Are you nervous for tomorrow?"

"Ridiculously so." I answered him and he gave me that smile again. The one that would calm all of my worries.

"You know I love you, right?"

"Of course I do. But are you sure you want to do this? Do you actually want to tie the knot with me and just live together? You're sure that you want to let go of your single life to trade it with the married life with me?" I could already feel my furrowed eyebrows as I looked at him. I needed to know that he was completely sure.

"I've never been more sure of anything in my life, Nali. I want to be your husband. I want to be the one you come home to and sleep next to. I want you all to myself. I love you so much. You don't even know how much you have changed me. And I know that it's crazy to believe but I promise you that every day for the rest of our lives, I'll love you with every fiber of my being. Because I'd be a fool to let you go."

"Okay."

We watched a movie, had a few drinks then he walked me over to my house. We still weren't living together at the request of Cayden. He said he had to have me living there for as long as he could. I'd move into his house tomorrow.

"Good night, Nali. I love you so much. Dream of me. I'll see you tomorrow, sweetheart."

"Good night, Nathan. I love you too. I'll see you tomorrow."

So that was that. I went inside and went upstairs. And went to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be the start to the rest of my life with the love of my life. Or so I thought.

I had picked a simple dress. It was black with white, sweetheart neckline and sleeveless. I had on a small cardigan over my shoulders. Ingrid had done my makeup and my hair. It honestly didn't look like me when I looked in the mirror. Today was the day that my last name would change and I couldn't wait for it.

When we exited the house, I didn't even think to look over at his house. I just knew that the car that was usually in the driveway wasn't there. I assumed that he had already gone to the studio where the wedding was going to take place.