1The rest of the week passed by in a blur, and Lisa found herself getting gradually closer to the man with the darkened past. Lisa awoke late Saturday morning, a feeling of anxiety in her chest.

Jackson tiptoed quietly into her room and jumped onto her bed, playfully tapping her arm.

"Ready for your closeup, Mrs. Rippner?" he joked.

Lisa groaned and rolled over. "Too early."

Jackson laughed. "Leese, it's almost noon. We need to get you up. Cynthia will be here soon, along with about ten million other women who don't know me and most likely hate me."

Lisa nodded, trying to keep her eyes open. Suddenly a knock sounded at the door. Jackson went to answer it, yelling over his shoulder, "You all packed?"

Lisa looked around at her house, where every thing was packied in huge cardboard boxes. She would be moving with Jackson after their honeymoon to a coastal beachhouse a few miles away. "Yeah," she answered, and suddenly heard a shriek at the door. She smiled, pulling herself from bed.

Jewel Mason, Lisa's mother, had always been young at heart. She wore frilly clothes, was easily excited, and dated younger men. Lisa never had been able to figure out why she'd married Joe, but Lisa figured it was because he evened her out after her frequent mood swings.

Lisa entered the foyer where Jackson stood staring uncomfortably at the ground.

"Hey, Mom," Lisa laughed, pecking her mother on the cheek. "Nice flight?"

"Yes, but not as nice as this fellow," Jewel replied, still eyeing Jackson. "Introduce me, Leese!"

"Mom, this is Jackson," Lisa said, still laughing as Jackson tried to disguise his cringe. "My fiancee." Jewel's shoulders seemed to sag a bit in disappointment, but she soon recovered. "Jackson, this is my mom, Jewel Mason."

"Uh-nice to meet you," Jackson stuttered, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Come on, Lisa, you look like crap," Lisa's mother said, pushing Lisa into her bedroom. Lisa looked back at Jackson, giving him a hopeless, jokey look.

Lisa spent the next few hours being scrubbed, plucked, prodded, and brushed to within an inch of her life. When she finally emerged two hours later, she felt like a princess, and looking around, she noticed that everyone else in her wedding party did too.

They waited in the foyer to move down the aisle, and Lisa could feel her light breakfast rising in her throat. Cynthia stood next to her, looking uncharacteristically placid.

"Leese?" Cynthia asked her, her voice sounding a mile away. "Lisa, you alright?" She lightly touched her friend on the shoulder. Lisa pulled away and leaned against the door frame. She groaned, closing her eyes.

Her mind was having a battle. Part of her, the logical part, was telling her to take Cynthia and get the hell out of there. The other part, the female-driven emotion part, was telling her to suck it up.

"Lisa?" Cynthia said again. Lisa snapped from her reverie and looked up, hearing organ music inside. "You ready?"

Lisa swallowed hard and took a deep breath. The procession began and soon Lisa found herself slowly walking down the aisle, her father at her arm.

Turn around, she coached herself. She still moved forward. Get the hell out of here! Just go! She looked up down the aisle at Jackson. He was beaming, his shiny brown hair parted neatly down the middle, his black suit gently pressed. His arms were clasped in front of him as he gazed at hre. Lisa looked around at the rest of the church. Her mother, her family, Jackson's family. She'd only so far met his sisters. Sarah, the oldest, was smart and funny, helping Lisa style her auburn hair into a sleek bun. Tia, the younger, was rebellious but sweet nevertheless. A pink streak down her hair matched her dress nicely.

Lisa's thoughts came to an abrupt halt as she stepped up to the altar. Jackson took her hands in his and Lisa, still in a wave of confusion, shrank back a bit.

The priest's lines moved all too quickly, up to the "I do" segment. Jackson quickly said his part and moved on.

I do my part and move on.

"And do you, Lisa Reisert, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

One simple phone call.

Lisa looked at Jackson. He peered into her eyes and lightly nodded at the window. A parked silver BMW was parked across the street.

My guy in the BMW's gonna know about it...

Lisa looked a little closer, where she saw a gun in his hand a glint of a knife in his belt loop.

12-inch Ka-Bar.

Lisa choked on her thoughts. Jackson's grip on her arms tightened a bit.

We'll talk again.

Come on, Lisa, she coached herself. You can do it.

Suck it up...we've come too far for you to blow it now...

"I-"

Male-driven logic.

"I-um,"

You know what I think?

"Lisa, you okay?"

Someone do that to you?

"I-"

Why was this so hard? She loved Jackson, didn't she?

I may have to steal you.

Lisa looked back out the window. The hitman had his gun pointed directly at Cynthia.

Nice try.

"I do."