I waited anxiously for Eddie to pick me up from school so we could go to the church to talk to a priest. Desiree had met me at school after Eddie had dropped me off. I reluctantly agreed to give her a copy of my class schedule. She promised she wouldn't follow me into the classrooms, but she usually hung out in the same building and we had a designated meeting spot after class. No one seemed to notice her since she dressed in regular cloths and didn't wear dark sunglasses. She even carried around a backpack around with her laptop inside to complete work while I was at in class. She didn't say much but at least she didn't try to make painful small talk. She gave me my space, and I'd open up to her in due time. I wasn't sure what she thought of me, but she never questioned me.

"Eddie's coming to pick me up," I explained to her as we were walking down the sidewalk after my afternoon classes.

"Would you like me to accompany you two in the car back to the palace?" She asked me.

"That's okay. We'll be just fine. Why don't you go home early and spend the rest of the time with your family?" I suggested, trying to be nice without it coming off as fake. I was exhausted. I stayed up really late the other night studying for a test. I really just wanted to go back into bed and take a nap, but the wedding business needed to get taken care of.

"I'll wait till his Royal Highness comes to get you and then I will head to my car and leave as long as you are sure it is okay," Desiree replied. It felt somewhat scripted, as though it was robotic.

"It's fine. I promise," I reassured her.

"My daughters and husband will like my new boss," she said finally cracking a small smile.

"Go home and enjoy them. Eddie and I will be fine," I said smiling back at her.

"As you wish, your majesty," she replied.

I turned and looked at her in complete shock. Did she just call me "your majesty?" I felt my jaw open slightly from shock.

"Why do you look so surprised?" Desiree asked me. "You will be the Queen of Denmark soon," she said nonchalantly.

"I don't think of it that way. I think of it as Eddie will be my husband, and I will be his wife," I replied, looking down at the ground slightly due to my slight embarrassment.

"I believe your finance is here," Desiree replied, motioning over Eddie's car rounding the corner.

"Yes, that's him," I said smiling.

"As soon as you as safely in his car, my job here is complete," she said.

Eddie pulled into a parking spot, and I turned and said good-bye to Desiree. She nodded back at me, and I got into Eddie's car in the passenger's side. I closed the door and turned to him.

"Hi," I said giving him a big smile.

"Hello beautiful," he said leaning in to give me a strong kiss.

"How did things go today with Desiree?" He asked me.

"Surprisingly well. She kept low key, which I appreciated. She even dressed like a college student, and she didn't follow me into my classes," I said.

"I'm glad that things went well, and you seem very happy today," Eddie commented.

I giggled and squeezed his arm playfully.

"I'm just so happy that this is finally happening. We're taking the first step to getting married," I said smiling lovingly at him.

"I really want to kiss you right now because I feel the same way," Eddie said taking my hand and kissing it gently but keeping his eyes on the road. "I can't wait till the day you become Ms. Paige Williams," he said glowing.

I winced slightly.

"What?" he asked, sensing myself stiffen up.

"Would you be incredibly disappointed if I kept my last name? I was thinking of hyphenating it, but that is what I would to be called then- Dr. Morgan-Williams,"I explained.

"But it's tradition," Eddie began to say and then trailed off.

"Yes, but are we always breaking tradition?" I said trying to keep the tone friendly. "I mean think about it. A Morgan is who I have been my entire life. It's part of my identity. I know that we are molding identities now and becoming one, but I don't know...I just feel like losing my last name is losing a part of myself, which is why I want to hyphenate it. That way, I maintain who I am while showing that I am married to you and that we are one," I explained.

"Don't girls want to change their last names when they are married? Isn't it part of the joy?" Eddie asked me, still slightly uncertain about my proposal to keep my last name. He was trying broach it so we didn't end up fighting, and I was approaching it in the same manner.

"Some girls do, but I just don't view it that way. It goes back to women being men's property, and I obviously don't agree with that," I explained.

"I don't agree with that either," Eddie said. "I do see where you are coming from..." Eddie said, trailing off. "I wouldn't want to change my last name if positions were reversed. It's who I am," he said.

"Exactly," I explained.

"I will support whatever decision you decide to make about your last name," he told me.

"Thank you. I'm glad to have your support," I said. "I'm leaning towards hyphenating it so that it shows that I'm a Morgan, but we are also one team as a Williams family. And when we have children one day, it will show that too," I said.

"I don't want to pressure you into anything," Eddie said. "I'll support whatever you decide. You don't have to decide anything today," he said taking my hand and squeezing it. "Think about what you want," he told me.

I nodded in agreement.

As we neared the church, I gasped. It was such a beautiful church, and it bordered a beautiful lake. It was truly breathtaking. The architecture of the church was beautiful and old. The bricks were a stained red/rusty color and the steeples were high and a bluish gray color.

"Is that the church?" I asked Eddie.

"Yes. We have to park on the street, but I took the scenic tour to show you how it was on the water. If you like the outside, wait till you see the inside," Eddie told me.

"I'm sold already," I said laughing.

"So, I have an appointment with the priest. I'll go in first and then I'll come out and get you once we get settled. I don't want other workers to see us coming in together since the tabloids will be buzzing. I made the appointment under the name Valdemar."

"You're middle name?" I asked. "Won't people put two and two together?" I asked.

"I don't think so. I know you think it's a funny middle name, but it's more common than you think," he told me smiling.

"I love you middle name. It sounds like Voldermort though," I said laughing, referring to the Harry Potter villain.

"Very funny," Eddie said parking and shooting me a teasing look. "It's a family name," he said.

"Too bad it isn't your mother's name. It would fit her well," I said laughing.

"I do have to agree with you there," Eddie grumbled. His mother was still a sensitive subject, and I understood why. I wouldn't speak to her either unless we absolutely had to.

"I'll be right back for you as soon as I get the priest. But here's a baseball cap for you to wear when you get out of the car. Just make sure you take it off before you get into the church," he said handing it to me.

"I'll text you when it's okay to come in," he said giving me a kiss on the lips and getting out of the car.

"Okay," I said pulling out my phone so I would see the text message when it came in.

As I waited for Eddie, I couldn't really believe that I was about to marry Eddie in a few months. The concept was truly mind-blowing to me. I was more than ready to start our lives as husband and wife. Even though marriage scared me before, I realized that I wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with Eddie.

My phone buzzed, and Eddie told me to meet him in the lobby of the church. I put on the baseball cap as I got out of the car and quickly walked up the steps to the church. Then, I took off the cap as soon as I entered the church. Eddie was right, the lobby was beautiful, and I hadn't even seen the inside of the church yet.

"The priest is waiting for us in the church. Then, we'll go into a meeting room," he explained.

"Sounds good," I said squeezing his hand.

We walked into the church, and I saw a priest in his late 50's sitting down in a pew with big glasses and was slightly chubby. He had dark brown hair with grey streaks throughout, which showed his age. I had to stop halfway down the aisle in the church just to take in the scenery.

"It's beautiful," I told Eddie.

"I knew this would be the church you'd want to get married in," he told me.

We walked over to the priest, and Eddie began speaking to the priest in Danish. The priest looked at me and shook my hand. I smiled and shook it as well although I had no clue what was going on. I understood a little from my Danish class, and he asked me how I was. I replied that I was doing well and asked him how he was doing. He replied that he was doing well and then made a joke that I didn't understand.

"The thing about my fiancee, Father Aaron, is that she doesn't really speak Danish. She's still learning," Eddie said in English. I looked at Eddie not knowing what to say. Did the priest know that he was King Edvard? What did he say my name was?

"I know," Father Aaron said nodding and smiling. "I knew who you were the moment you walked through the door, your Royal Highness," he said nodding to Eddie. "Although what she does know, is very good," he said. "She has good pronunciation, which is essential."

"Thank you," I said in English even though I could have said that in Danish.

"I gave a fake name because I didn't anyone tipping the press," Eddie mumbled, slightly embarrassed. "We weren't trying to trick you, Father. I hope you know that," Eddie said.

"I completely understand," he said smiling at us. "So, this is where you will be married. What do you think Ms. Morgan?" he asked me.

"It's breathtaking," I said, looking at the art on the ceiling and around me.

"So, I assume we are going to have a huge wedding? Will we be able to accommodate everyone?" He asked.

Eddie and I looked at each other, not wanting to give an exact answer.

"We actually want to talk to you about the wedding. Is there someplace private that we could go to?"Eddie asked him.

"Of course. Following me to the meeting room," he said getting up. We following him to a side room in the church that was empty. He closed the door behind us. Eddie and I took a seat next to each other. I was getting slightly nervous. This was our moment of truth. Would the priest tell all of our secrets to the press? I knew that he was a priest, but I still worried.

"So, I know you are both worried about the press, which I saw when you came in separately. Whatever you have planned for your wedding and whatever we discuss during our marriage preparation classes will be all confidential, just like when you tell your sins in confession. I won't tell a soul. Of course, if someone tells me a plan to kill the other, I have to notify the authorities," he said trying to make a joke.

Eddie and I both laughed.

"Thank you, Father, we appreciate that," Eddie said.

"So, are you both just wanting information about getting married here? Or do you want to get married here?" He asked us.

"I think Paige is pretty sold here already," Eddie said looking at me, and I nodded, smiling at him.

"Don't royals usually get married in the Lutheran church?" he asked us.

"It was important to Paige and her family to get married in a Catholic Church. We'd like to have the Lutheran Bishop presiding as well if possible. It was our compromise," Eddie explained.

"Well, we are happy to marry you here, and that isn't as issue with me as long as you can get the Lutheran Bishop to agree as well."

Eddie nodded. "I'll get in touch with him."

"I'm sure he's been expecting that phone call," Father Aaron said.

"So, the Catholic preparation for marriage is 6 months. After you successfully complete that preparation class, you can get married. Have you thought about any dates yet?" Father Aaron asked us.

"We were thinking July if that would be a possibility," I said.

"We could do Saturday, July 9th if you wanted," Fr. Aaron said, "or Saturday, July 31st," he said. "That is what we have available," he told us.

"What do you think?" I asked, turning to Eddie. "I say the 9th."

"Yes,I think the 9th would be the best. Here's the thing Father and the slightly issue. We don't want a huge wedding with a ton of people that we do not know. We want a small private wedding with just our closest friends and family. We were planning to give the press a fake date so that we could do our wedding planning together. We could pick out a cake, Paige can get her dress, and we can do the other necessities," Eddie said.

"I see," he said looking at his calendar. "Well, the people who actually have their weddings on the fake day will realize that it is a fake date. And I don't think you'll be able to hide that you are getting married here. But we have a retreat going on July 24th at 3pm so we could tell the press that we are going to have the wedding at 10am? It will be over," he said putting "over" in quotation marks, and we laughed "about noon, which will give time for the retreat leaders to come in and set up."

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Eddie said, and I nodded in agreement.

"So July 9th will be the actual wedding, and July 24th will be the date that you can tell the press. What time do you want the wedding on July 9th?" he asked us.

"What time do you think would be best so the press doesn't see us?" I asked Eddie.

"I think anytime could work. We just wouldn't leave the palace until it was time for the wedding," Eddie told me.

"Would 2pm work for you? I have a baptism earlier that day," he told us.

"That should be fine," I said, and Eddie nodded in agreement.

"Okay! So just verifying- July 9th at 2pm real wedding and July 24th at 10am is the fake wedding," he said writing notes down in the calendar.

"Correct," Eddie and I said in unison, chuckling slightly.

"Okay! It's all set," the priest said smiling. "So, you both will need to become members of the church," he said handing us the form. "You can just turn that into me before you leave today, and I'll put it in the system. I'd like you to become active members in the church or at least attend Mass on the weekends. We just don't want you to come and get married and leave, we want you to practice the faith and become active members in the church," he explained to us.

I nodded to show that I understood.

"Let's start with some preliminary questions for the marriage preparation. Why do you want to get married?" he asked us. "Everything you say will be confidential. I ask all couples these questions who want to get married."

"I love him, and I can't imagine my life without him," I said trying to smile at Eddie and make eye contact with the priest at the same time.

"What do you love about King Edvard, Ms. Morgan?" he asked me.

"Please, call me Edvard or Eddie. You don't need to be so formal," Eddie interjected.

"And please call me Paige," I said too.

"Okay then. And please call me Father Aaron," he said as we all laughed.

"Going back to the question, Paige. What do you love about Edvard?" Father Aaron asked me.

"I love his smile and how when it's just us together and talking, I have his undivided attention, and it feels like we are the only two people in the world. I love how caring he is and how supportive he is of me. He truly just wants the best for me and for us, and I know that those qualities will transfer when he becomes a father one day. I love how he would do anything for anyone in need. And I love how I just feel complete when I am with him, and I can't imagine being with anyone else," I said smiling at Eddie.

Eddie seemed to blush slightly. He took my hand underneath the table and squeezed it.

"And Edvard, what do you love about Paige?" Father Aaron asked.

"Not to copy Paige, but I do love her smile. It was one of her qualities that first attracted me to her. I love how she knows literally every single song on the radio in English and can sing along to it. I love how time just stops when it is just us together. I love how determined she is to become a doctor, and I love how passionate she is about medicine and helping others. She is truly my other half, and she always supports me and wants to do what is best for us as a couple. Not her, not me, but us, even if that means making sacrifices on her part. I love how caring she is for others, and her kind but strong personality. I am the happiest and luckiest man in the world when I am around her, and I want us to be together forever, which is why I want to marry her. She made me realize what was important in life, and she changed me and made be a better person. I have no doubt that she is my other half, and she truly completes me,"Eddie said smiling at me.

I had to wipe a quick tear from my eye.

"I'm sorry," I said laughing.

"It's okay to get emotional. You both had very lovely things to say to each other. And I could tell that they were from the heart, which is what I look for. That is the first question I always ask coupled who want to get married to see if they truly want to get married because they love each other or if they want to get married because they think it's time to get married. You passed the first test," he said smiling at us. "These are the weekly meetings that I do with all couples who are preparing for marriage. There is a retreat that I would like you both to go on. You can use fake names there if you want to try to remain anonymous. But couples really grow together during the retreat, or they maybe realize that this isn't for them and they want to wait a few more months before getting married. The retreat is April 10th-11th," he told us.

"Let me put that in," Eddie said taking out his phone and typing in his calendar.

"It's from a Friday night to a Saturday evening. It starts at 5pm Friday and it ends at 6pm Saturday. The men stay in separate cabins, and the females stay in the other cabins. You'll be given different scenarios that you'll need to work through together such as finances, situations with family members, situations with your children, and some other common scenarios," he told us. "Have you both planned or discussed the future at all?" he asked us.

"What do you mean by that?" Eddie asked.

"Like, have you discussed children at all? Or Paige juggling being a Queen and being a doctor? If you were a regular couple, I'd also discuss the division of household chores, where you are going to live, both of your careers, etc. But I assume you won't have to worry about that," he said.

I wondered how to respond to that question. Should I tell him the truth about our current fight with Parliament?

"Actually, between you and us, Father, there is a very high possibility that we won't be staying in Denmark," Eddie said calmly as I watched the priest's eyes widen and grow about three times in shock over what he just heard. "You see, we need permission from Parliament to get married and as of now, they haven't given us permission. In fact, they have been in session for about four days debating it. I assume we aren't getting permission, which is okay with me. We'll go back to the United States and start a life there. And even if we got their permission, I'm not even sure if we would want to stay. We both feel that the press, and my expectations as King and her expectations as a future Queen put the biggest strain on our relationship," Eddie said.

"Why do you feel that the press and your royal expectations are the biggest hurdles in your relationship?" he asked us.

"When we were engaged the first time, I got scared of what was expected from me and decided to leave," I decided to say.

"And recently, we had a few major blows to our relationship from the media. A very trusted person betrayed our trust and tried to frame Paige for something that she didn't do. She never had an affair- that was all photo shopped, and it was done and designed by a very trusted person. We ended up breaking up, and I almost lost the love of my life," Eddie said. I could tell that he was starting to choke up. "And then all of the drama when she was in the hospital and all those lies. We just think it would be best to get away from it all," Eddie explained.

"Wow. Wow," he said looking at both of us with shock on his face. "I wasn't expecting that."

"Yes, it's been quite a roller coaster, but I think everything is finally starting to settle down. We went down the hill and through the loops, and it seems to be over and we are finally pulling into the station," I said trying to make a metaphor out of our situation.

"I lot of couples come in with their problems, but I haven't heard anything like this yet," the priest said, completely shocked.

"Yes, I assume our relationship is unusual," Eddie said trying to make a joke but ended up sighing slightly. I knew he was still very frustrated over everything that had happened with is mother.

"Well, as I said before, everything here is strictly confidential. So you don't ever have to worry about discussing anything with me."

We nodded to show that we understood. Even though everything was confidential, would we really be able to pull this off?