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"That was because you didn't know who gave it to you. This, I actually had in my drawer. Recently."
"Nope," I said, shaking my head and wearing a little smirk.
"Nope, what?"
"I bet you're not going to find it."
"Why? Did you already get it?" he asked, smiling.
"I would never make you look this whole time if I had it. I don't have it, but I also don't think you're going to find it."
He stared down at the pile of clothes and the open drawers. "Do you think it's gone?"
I gestured at the clothes, staring at the proof that it was nowhere to be found. "I think that it disappearing out of your drawer would make about as much sense as me not remembering where I got it."
Isaac shook his head and stared dazedly at the clothes. "You actually might be right."
Epilogue
Isaac Alexander
***
Late May
The Rehearsal Dinner
They never, ever found that shirt.
They looked again for an entire hour before Ari went to the airport, and they found nothing. Since then, Isaac had searched everywhere in his apartment, his vehicle, and his work. But he was unable to find it.
Both the finding and the losing of that shirt had been abnormal. Isaac and Ari figured the only explanation was that God had been involved on both accounts. They knew they had a great story to tell their grandkids.
They were currently working on an even bigger story. This was a gigantic one, and as it happened, it was not a story that was ready to be told. The whole thing was still a huge secret.
Their wedding day had been set in stone for months.
Isaac was in Atlanta for nearly three months, and everyone in Seattle missed him so much that they planned a huge party and feast for the wedding when the couple returned.
Isaac and Ari knew how much work his family had been putting into the wedding. The couple couldn’t let them down by eloping in Atlanta.
But they also couldn't wait.
They made it all the way to mid-April, but they caved at that point and got married in a secret ceremony. There was no doubt in either of their minds that they were meant for each other, and logically, there was no need for them to wait.
So, their wedding was scheduled for tomorrow evening, and that was going off without a hitch, but the real wedding happened six weeks earlier.
Isaac took Ari as his lawfully wedded wife six weeks ago, and it had been the best decision he had ever made. He had no regrets whatsoever. He was passionate about her, and she loved him with her whole heart.
No one in the whole world knew about their wedding. Aside from the city clerk and official people at the courthouse, it was a complete and total secret.
Ari's family and Isaac's were completely under the impression that they were getting married tomorrow night. Plans had been made and flights had been taken, and the couple knew that telling people would only put a damper on the celebration. There was no point in it. Their secret wedding would stay a secret—maybe until they had grandchildren. By then, everybody could look back on it and laugh.
For weeks, they kept separate apartments but had snuck around and lived together as husband and wife. Ari was a grown adult in Atlanta, and no one kept tabs on where she spent the night. The secret marriage was a beautiful hidden truth between the two of them only.
They had been in Seattle for a week now, and they had to be on their best behavior and act as if they were engaged. It was difficult because they had a lot of alone time in Atlanta and they had to scale back once they made it to Seattle.
Her family had come in for the wedding and some of them were staying at Isaac's place, so he was staying at his parents' with Ari but in a separate bedroom. It was difficult being in that proximity and not being obvious, but they were great actors and honestly felt like they were doing it for the family's own good. No one needed to feel like they were doing this wedding for nothing, and so no one had a clue about it. Isaac and Ari had a pact and neither of them had told a soul.
