To say that Annabelle Nelson was scared...that was the understatement of the day. She second she had risen that morning, she knew what the day would hold for her. She knew she would be marrying a total stranger, one who she knew nothing about besides his name. Johnny Benson. The name sounded tame, but then again, Annabelle didn't know a thing about him. She only had ideas in her head to work with, and those were usually wrong. Why had she even entered into this agreement in the first place? Oh, yes. She had done it because she wanted to see if it actually worked. No man would want to ever date her, this she was certain of. So, this took all the guesswork out of finding a partner for life, and that was what appealed to her so greatly. She could only hope it would work, and that the man she was matched to would love her for who she was...in time.

Her older sisters--Hallie and Marissa--had come to Evergreen from Salt Lake City, so that at least someone from her family could be present. It certainly appealed to Annabelle's nerves and helped her calm down a little. The entire thing was making her nervous, at the one time when she needed to be strong. She wasn't a strong girl. She knew she wasn't, and she had never portrayed herself to be one of confidence and poise. She wasn't uncoordinated, and she wasn't a total mute. She was simply shy. She had been this way for a long time, ever since she had been diagnosed with lupus.

Dear Lord, what was she going to tell him? Annabelle was scared enough to actually go through with the marriage, and after that was said and done, she still had a secret of her own. How would she tell her husband that she couldn't sit out in the sun all day? How would she tell him that she was on a strict diet? How would she explain the pill bottles, and the fact that she used one of those day-of-the-week container things to keep track of what she was supposed to take each day? She wouldn't tell him a thing. It wasn't a doubt in her mind that he would notice all these things, and begin to ask questions. And, when he did, she would have to tell him. She was just scared of how he would react.

Her sisters had stayed with her at her apartment, and when her appointment at the church has drawn closer, they traveled to the church together. Since Hallie was a hairdresser, she had done Annabelle's hair before they departed. The ride to the church wasn't long, and before Annabelle knew it, she was standing in her dressing room, spending her last few moments as a single woman alone. Her sisters were waiting for her in the tiny side chapel, apart from the actual sanctuary. Unless Johnny was going to have a large amount of people with him, they wouldn't need a ton of space. When Annabelle was ready, she took in a deep breath, exhaled, and left the room. She could still feel her knees shaking a little, though it didn't show in the way she was walking. She was a shy girl, but she was good at hiding her illness.

When the time came, she stood before the chapel doors, and an attendant opened the door for her. There he was, standing at the end of the aisle. Her sisters were standing closer to the front, on the left side where the bride's guests were meant to sit. She slowly walked up to where Johnny was standing with the minister, and when she finally arrived at the spot where she was supposed to stand, she looked up at him. She did like his brown hair, and his brown eyes. He didn't look like he was that old, and Annabelle was thankful she wasn't marrying a decrepit old man. "Uh...hello," she said in a slightly quiet voice, forcing herself to make eye contact with him. 'Darn it Annabelle. He probably hates you already.'

To say that Johnny Benson was cutting his marriage close would be an understatement. Just a week more and he would have officially been an illegal immigrant. What was the big deal? He wasn’t smuggling drugs or anything. But low and behold, he didn’t have to wait long for his cell phone to ring with news of his fiancé. As soon as he heard her name, he looked her up. Johnny couldn’t help it, he wanted to figure out, mostly, if she was hot and secondly how old she was. Was she a couger? Was he going to be a cradle robber? Well, as it turned out, it was the latter. Her age didn’t bother him that much and was instead relieved that he wasn’t about to marry an old lady. He’d die first which was a biggie for him. If his wife died first, he’d be left alone and with all the responsibilities he was used to his wife doing-wife. Johnny couldn’t wrap his head around it.

Getting hitched was never in the books for Canadian. At least he didn’t think so until the dire situation call for it. He just hoped she was open to trying things. He could always use his ‘I’m a couples therapist’ card and pull and “open marriage” on her, worst case scenario. And if that was the worst case scenario, then he’d be fine.

Never having to dress for his own wedding before, Johnny threw on the best suit he could find in his closet. And that means he looked good. Johnny never looked scruffy. He may be an arrogant asshole, but he looked groomed. Well cut. Handsome. They had to give that.

Johnny reluctantly made his way to the chapel, keeping the cocoons in his stomach from emerging. Even if this was a bad idea, Johnny would never admit it. He’d done it. Now he was going to go with and act like this was the best idea he ever had. What’s so bad about having a broad around to cook and clean for you? Yeah…. Yeah, that’s right. Nothing. Johnny walked down the alter taking in the scenery and all that. He did tell his friends he was getting married, but he specifically told them not to come. He didn’t want them coming until he caught a glimpse of the broad. They were sure he was going to get chained down to an old, hideous woman. It would be embarrassing if that turned out to be correct. Well, they were half wrong.

He took his spot at the end of the aisle. He hadn’t greeted the priest because he thought things would start up a little bit more quickly. Johnny took the phone out of his pocket and checked the time. He still had a few minutes. ”Nice day for a wedding, right?” Johnny grinned at the guy, but he didn’t respond and Johnny laughed awkwardly and turned toward the doors where he’d see his wife. Well, the reverend was a stiff. You’d think preachers would be nicer. But what… this had to be the deacon’s, like, eight wedding, right?

Thoughts were cut short. The doors opened. Johnny instinctively straightened. Two women walked in… was this a two for one deal? He hadn’t been into that before, but he probably could. Instead of coming up to the end of the aisle they went off to the side… they must be here for the wedding. What was the proper etiquette here? Greet them? Introduce himself? Just stand there awkwardly? Yeah. While the silence rang, he nervously checked it phone again and tried to avoid eye contact with everyone in the room.

The doors opened again. Johnny straightened back up. This time, the woman coming in was the bride. When it seemed forever had passed, she had made her way to the alter, Johnny hadn’t broken his gaze from her. She was definitely cute. Inwardly, he was fist pumping. Jumping in the air with joy. Great bod. Blonde. Beautiful. Why was this girl even using this service? She looked like she could easily get a husband. And she was young. She had a lot of time to get married. Outwardly, he kept his composure. His bride-to-be looked up at him. He couldn’t keep his smile from turning into a grin. He couldn’twait to tell the guys. ”Hi,” He spoke back with ease. Well, looks like he had nothing to be nervous about. He held her gaze for a few minutes before holding out his hand for her to take. He wasn’t sure how the whole wedding thing went. But he’d watched movies. He turned towards the Minister and let him do his magic. When the time came, Johnny said his “I do’s.” Probably a little too enthusiastically.

In marrying a total stranger, Annabelle hoped that he wanted to be married to her. She hoped he wasn't doing this to tie up some sort of loose end, or to keep some sort of inheritance or wealth in his name. That would mean he wasn't doing this to find an actual partner, but rather, to find someone who would take care of the entire home while he sat on the couch and watched television all night with a bag of potato chips at his side. Annabelle couldn't do everything on her own. Not only was she not Superwoman, but her lupus prevented her from overexerting herself without serious consequences. She had to make sure she stayed healthy, so her life would prove to be long.

Annabelle had to admit that Johnny was well-dressed. She would have married someone who wore clothes with holes, but it was nice to see a man who cared about his appearance. And, it proved to be a good thing, since her sisters were there. Annabelle wouldn't have cared what Johnny wore, but since Hallie was the resident stylist of their family, she was always critical about what others were wearing, and how they looked.

Annabelle took Johnny's hand when he held it toward her, and of course, his hand was bigger than hers. She wasn't exactly short, but she was a bit smaller than some women. It was partially due to the lupus, but her biological mother had been a small woman as well. It was also warm, in contrast to Annabelle's much cooler one.

The minister spoke of commitments and love, which Annabelle found a little odd. He knew why they were marrying, right? He had probably conducted thousands of weddings like this, and so it seemed odd to her that he would speak of such things. But, it make it more "real," and so Annabelle just went along with it. First, he asked Johnny the cliche vows that were always spoken at weddings, and when the time came for Johnny to take the plunge, Annabelle watched as he agreed to care for her, to help her, and to love her as best as he could. The minister immediately asked Annabelle the same question, and Annabelle nodded once in response. "I do," she said, her light voice floating over the air.

The time came for the groom the kiss his bride. Johnny’s eyes met Annabelle’s, almost asking for permission from her if it was okay to proceed. When he got the impression it was, his hand snuck around to the small of her back, leaned down and planted a kiss on her lips. Short, sweet, and to the point. Wow, so this is it? He’s married? Done? What was all the fuss about. It was easy enough. The nerve-wracking part was waiting to see if his wife was hot or not. And damn, she was hot. ”Done?” He whispered to her, he didn’t want anyone else to hear him if it turned out they weren’t actually finished and he looked like an idiot.

Johnny took her other hand in his other hand and turned around, and slowly led them out of the chapel. He expected to feel different. To feel tied down immediately. But… he didn’t. Maybe that feeling came later. And maybe that feeling came with a normal marriage. This was by no means a normal marriage. He was getting married for citizenship. She was getting married… for… well. That was a good question, wasn’t it? Why was a gorgeous girl like Annabelle getting married? He’d thought about it during the ceremony, but he hadn’t really though about it. Was she really, really weird? Maybe she was a bitch and had no choice but to get married through an arranged way. Stop thinking about it, Johnny told himself. He would ruin the fact that he was married to a gorgeous, perfect woman.

”So I was thinking… dinner?” He asked her after the doors closed to the chapel. The ceremony was simple, but he had no idea how hard marriage would be.


Le Fin.