KALEN

Chapter |12| A Wedding Of Nightmares

K A L E N ' S P. O. V

I'm getting married. In 12 f*****g hours.

My suit still hangs on the door, just plain haunting me as though to foreshadow something darker than our union.

This is not a good day for a wedding.

The pouring rain outside is forecast of that, as are the grey clouds that indicate a storm coming in. I've texted Tessa a hundred times and she still hasn't responded.

We had a talk yesterday. Probably the most terrifying conversation I've ever been apart of and I was involved with my dad in trying to shake down an Australian gang leader.

Ever since that night, where I came home covered in blood, bruises, and dirt, there was always this tension between us. My work acted as an unspeakable reminder that we weren't okay.

I don't like killing. I don't like violence. I don't like seeing Tessa's face fall every time I leave the house or the cold distance she places between us when I slide into bed.

We ignore it. Because we're both scared of the consequences.

Now it's too late to talk and I don't want to condemn her to a life time of fear and misery.

I grab the slab of paper and the pen I brought to the church. My fingers itch to write everything my heart possibly can, but I'm in a time schedule and the wedding is in an hour.

The course of an hour is about to dictate how the rest of my life goes.

Tessa,

I love you. That will be always be true, but I understand that sometimes love isn't enough. For us to work, we need to be able to communicate and accept every part of ourselves. Even the darkness.

Yes, I work for the mafia. Yes, I've killed and sinned in the worst ways possible. Yes, I am not a good man.

I thought loving you would be enough, but you also need stability, hope, security. I want ti give you it all, so I'm resigning. I've already told my dad, he's not happy of course, but he accepts.

Whether it's enough or not, I won't be the same man I was before. I think I've always wanted to lead a different life to my brothers and father. You just gave me the courage to do it.

I love you. And I do want to marry you, but under the right conditions as they are now.

These are my vows to you:

I will never make you fear losing me again.

I promise to always come home in time for dinner.

I will never lie to you, hurt you, or cause you pain ever again.

I will follow you anywhere Tess.

And I will love you until my dying breath.

I send the letter with Kai, who retuned disgruntled and sporting a fresh bruise near his eye. "One of Tessa's cousins f*****g punched me." The i***t touches the wound. "Ow."

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "Well did you f**k, then never call her again?"

He cringes. "Twice."

"I thought I told you anyone releated to Tess was off bounds." I don't wanna create animosity between our families, especially when I was trying to win over Tessa's mother.

"She was hot. I was drunk. It's like asking violinist not to play in a room surrounded by them. s*x is my f*****g art, you can't oppress me into not committing it." This time I really do roll my eyes.

"What was in the letter anyway?" My fingers stiffen as I'm buttoning up my shirt.

"None of your business."

"It looked important. Tessa cried when she opened up. Well as much as she could without ruining the makeup."

"I'm leaving the mafia." I rip it off like band aid. A stark contrast to how it went with my dad. It took ten minutes just to get to the point.

My brother's mouth is permanently fixed open, making him look even stupider than before. "Holy f**k. No!"

"No! You don't get a say in this."

"The f**k don't I. You're my brother. The Romano brothers work together, fight together..."

"You didn't see Tessa's face when I came home that night." It was a deal gone wrong, and once word spread to my dad about the damage inflicted on me, he rained down hell onto those responsible. "It's either I lose her, or I leave the mafia."

He starts to open his mouth again. "Kai, you don't know what it's like to be in love yet. It's pure, so f*****g pure that our jobs are just bound to taint it. I can't live without her, I can't breathe and losing Tessa is something I would never forgive myself for, especially if I didn't fight."

My older brother suddenly walks into the room. He's so much like our father, he condemns such power and dominance that we both fall silent in his presence. From the look in his eyes, I know he heard everything.

"He's right Kai. I'm glad you found your happiness Kalen. I'm happy for you, truly."

"Would you ever leave the mafia for love?"

"Yes." He says so plainly. Like it's fact not opinion. Kai shifts uneasily.

"I don't know how you could. Both of you so easily. Family is everything." Loyalty to his family has never been Kai's problem, it's always been loyalty to others.

I think it's trust more than anything. Although he f***s more in a week than most people in their lifetime, he doesn't have any friends. Only us and the men that work for us as his companions.

"When you love someone Kai, they evolve into your family. You're still young yet, you'll find it soon."

"Kiara's younger than me." He murmurs. "And she's already found it twice."

Kieron and I both straighten. It's true. Our little sister has more experience in love than all of us combined. She's dealt with it's horrors and it's beauties. Her daughter being one.

"Aaron's here." Kieron seethes. He barely registers emotion, but for Kiara we all get a little tense. "And Tristan."

"How is he? Is he still angry." I voice, dreading to think of what would happen to Kiara if Aaron took Anastasia from her.

"I don't think so, but I wouldn't trust him. I don't think he's going to let both go so easily. Even with Alessi in the picture."

"She's leaving after the wedding." Tessa and I were going to fly back down with her to Italy, before embarking on our European honeymoon.

Kieron smiles distastefully. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

There's suddenly a loud knock on the door. "Kalen, it's me." My anxiety suddenly eases and I sigh, reaching to open the door. "No don't" She practically screams, forcing me to jump back.

"What's wrong? Tessa, are you hurt?"

"No, I'm just in my wedding dress. I don't want you to see me. It's bad luck." I smile, before remembering we have an audience.

"Do you mind?" I gesture crudely for them both to leave. Once the door shuts, I relax a little, planting my hand on the wood like I'm touching Tessa herself. "Does this mean there's still a wedding?"

"Oh there's a wedding." I can hear the smile in her voice, and it instantly brings one to mine too. "I don't think I could let you go. Even if you didn't leave your job, I could never just walk away from you. It's scary. Loving someone so much you're willing to sacrifice everything, even your own sanity."

"I'm not going back to it, Tessa. I swear to you after we get married, we're free. We can move anywhere you want."

"I'm thinking the coast."

"Oh yeah? Miami? I could get used to seeing you in bikinis everyday."

I can hear her grin. "I'm happy Kalen. I know yesterday we both said some things we probably shouldn't have but that doesn't mean I don't want to marry you. This is everything I've ever wanted."

I'm already choking up and she's not even walked down the aisle yet. "Me too baby. I guess I'll see you at the alter."

She laughs, and I listen as the click of her heels fade as she walks into the distance. In twenty minutes I would be a married man. In twenty minutes my life would never be the same.

***

"To the bride and groom." My father in law toasts. The c***k of glasses echos, under the starry night sky. An outdoor reception really was the best choice.

Our mothers planned it. Mine wanted the reception like this, Tessa's didn't. They argued about virtually everything forcing Tessa and I to step in.

I prayed all night it wouldn't f*****g rain, if only to support my mom's decision. Tessa is grinning, the wind softly blowing her blonde curls to the side. I reach across to adjust them, but my hand stops on her cheek instead.

Turning her head, she smiles, lighting up the world brighter than the thousand of stars above us. "I'm Mrs Romano." She grins.

"How does it feel?"

"Better than I imagined. I settled on a place." My brows rise.

"Already?"

"Yep. San Diego. Remember that art program I applied to? Well I was just accepted and I figured you could take up surfing."

I love that she loves me. It means her mind finds a way to store every tidbit of information about me, like the fact I fell in love with surfing after a summer in Cape Town. I've shared with Tessa I've always wanted to teach others, maybe set up my own surfing school one day.

"I f*****g love you." My hand slips into her hair as I kiss her passionately. Her nails dig through my jacket, whilst her other hand slips inside.

I want nothing more than to consummate our marriage right here, and the idea of f*****g her in front of other people kind of turns me on, but then I remember we're surrounded by family. Uh. The fantasy is not sexy anymore.

She pulls away from me, blushing, probably realising the same thing as me. "I'm going to get you a drink. You look a little flushed." This only causes her to grow more red, and I struggle not to grin as I walk away.

"Gin and tonic." I say to the bartender, waiting as he fixes the drinks. Faint screaming lurks in the background and I push up from the bar as people run screaming in.

"What the..." My words die in my throat as a rapture of bullets fire towards me. I dive behind the bar, grabbing the bartender on the way down.

Shards of fierce glass rains down us, the alcohol following and the stench almost causes me to gag.

"Thank man," The stunned bartender murmurs. If wasn't for the knowledge Tessa was out there, I would have helped him out but my actions are driven by love.

I grab a large chunk of glass, and hide behind the edge of the bar as one of the gun men creeps past. My feet lunge forward, digging the shard into his neck. Blood spurts all over me but I don't stop until I know he's dead.

As his body slumps, I grab his gun and use his body to shield me from the oncoming shots. I manage to make it into the foyer, before I'm forced to lose the body.

I duck behind a pillar instead. Loud sobs attract my attention. At first I think it's Tessa from the blonde hair, but as I get closer, the blonde is flecked with grey, and I know it's her mother instead.

"Joanne. Hey, you're not hurt are you?" I immediately scan her body, but find nothing. Gathering her into my arms, I quickly carry her to the exit where shaken guests are beginning to gather, and police sirens blare in the distance.

"I knew it. All again, I knew. You're criminals, filth." She spits at me. "My daughter better be safe you bastard and then she's getting a divorce."

I ignore her threats, even though each one continues to pierce my heart as I walk back into my childhood home, obliterated by everything I was going to escape.

"Tess! Tessa!" It's not ideal to be screaming when someone is trying to shoot you, but I'm terrified. I've never been so f*****g scared before, so hopeless.

"Tessa!"

"Kale..." She's hunched over, clutching onto the remains of the bar. I guess she was trying to find me too.

Then her smile fades, and I notice how ashen her skin has become. I quickly grab her before she falls, sinking to my knees. She's cradled in my arms, her eyes barely lifting open, and that's when I notice it.

How could I not? Blood. Everywhere. It stains her white dress, becoming macabre, in its spillage spreading across the whole of her torso.

I gently press my hand against the blood but she doesn't stir. Where the f**k is the bullet wound?

"Kale? Kale?" I need to find it. I need to remove the bullet, I need to stop the bleeding, I need to save her. "Kalen, please." Her voice barely carried as a whisper anymore.

I lift her head a little and lower mine down. Our foreheads touch and she gasps, so suddenly I'm afraid she's really gone. This is it.. my wife dying in my arms on my wedding day.

I was too stupid to see her love before. To accept that deep down I've always loved her too. We could have had years. I only let us have it now. It wasn't enough. I need more, but fate doesn't care about what I need.

Instead it likes to screw me over. And losing Tessa? There's no coming back from that.

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A/N: Ahh ?? thoughts on their wedding??

What do you think will happen next?