Free An April Bride by Lenora Worth Page B

said. She shut the journal. “I just don’t know if I’ll be in that future. I think the whole town is holding its breath on this wedding.”
    “No, the whole town is praying toward this wedding,” her mother said on a soft, sure note.
    Stella thought her mother was incredible, so calm and confident, so positive and encouraging. She’d be lost without the love of her parents.
    “I should have stopped it the day he came home, but I was so in shock, and I kept hoping.”
    “Honey, he didn’t want to hurt you. Kitten said that’s why he wouldn’t let them tell anyone. He wanted to be the one to tell you, so you could work through this together. That indicates he cares a lot about your feelings. He loves you.”
    “He’s being a gentleman, Mama. Marsh has always done the right thing. He’s that kind of man.”
    “Well, my heart assures me he’ll be the man who promised to marry you, because somewhere in his scarred heart, he still loves you.”
    “Do you think he’s afraid to show that love?”
    Her mother got up and ran a hand over the wedding dress hanging in the protective garment bag on the old armoire. “War does strange things to a person. We can’t know what he went through, but . . . he lost some of his best friends in that awful explosion. He survived, but he might feel guilty for that, and yes, he might be afraid now. Afraid to love again, to show his true feelings. A brave, strong man like that can hide a multitude of repressed emotions. You just need to be patient, no matter what happens.”
    Stella got up and gave her mother a hug. “I love you, Mama. You always say exactly what I need to hear.”
    “That’s part of my job, suga’.” Her mother fluffed hershort brown hair. “Now I’m off to get my hair done. Do you have any plans other than work for the weekend?”
    “I don’t know,” Stella admitted. “I’m kind of in limbo about everything.” She touched a hand to the journal. “Mama, I told Marshall something the other night, something I can see now.”
    “What, honey?”
    “I’ve been so involved in planning this wedding. I poured myself into this the minute he went back over there. For the last ten months, I’ve focused on the ceremony, the reception venue, the food, the invitations, my dress, my attendants—everything to do with this wedding. It’s all in here.”
    “That’s part of being a bride.”
    “But . . . somewhere in there, I forgot about the groom.”
    “Honey, you wrote him almost every day, and you told him all about the plans.”
    “I did, that’s true. I tried to include him, to keep him up-to-date.”
    “So what’s bothering you?”
    “I managed to forget what he was going through. I think I subconsciously forgot he was in danger, and I used our wedding as my shield. I got so wrapped up in getting married, I forgot about being married. I forgot about my groom and his feelings.”
    Her mother smiled over at her. “You’ll learn that as you go into this marriage. You have to consider each other always. You just need to keep God at the center of all your decisions and he will help you.”
    Stella took a glance at her dress. “It’s not a fairy tale, is it?”
    “No, I’m afraid it’s not,” Mama replied. “But . . . being married to someone you love and respect is better than a fairy tale. It’s the truth and happiness, tears, love, and sometimes conflict and trouble. But it’s worth it. You know that, right? You aren’t having second thoughts, are you?”
    Stella shook her head. “No. I still love him. I’m willing to fight for him. But I need him to fight for me too.”
    “He has, darling. And he still is—fighting for you and for the life God has planned for both of you.” She tapped a hand on the full-skirted dress. “You’ve never been the patient type, but this is certainly a lesson for you to learn and then grow. Sometimes all you can do is wait and pray.”
    After her mother left, Stella finished her checklist and put her