Page 18 of Upon an April Night

“I’ve never seen Star Wars.”

His eyes widened. “Whoa! What?”

“I’m not really into movies like that.”

“Movies like what? Like one of the greatest movie series ever?”

She shook her head, clearly not taking him seriously.

“We can’t get married until you watch it with me.”

“Right.”

“I can’t marry someone who’s never seen Star Wars.” He was only half teasing, but she laughed him off.

“You’re a funny guy, Duncan McGregor.”

She placed one more kiss on his lips. “I have to get to my gate soon or I’ll miss my flight.”

“Okay.” He reluctantly let her go, and she moved toward the security checkpoint.

“Dréa,” he called.

She looked back over her shoulder.

“I love you too.” The words felt foreign to him. He’d never said them to anyone other than his family, and he’d only recently started saying them to his future wife.

Her face lit up, and she turned and lay her bag on the conveyor belt.

He waited until she made it through the line and had her bag and shoes before leaving the airport for his car.

He felt uneasy as he drove home. So much had changed over the past couple of months, and a part of him wanted to go back to how he felt before—comfortable and happy, for the most part. He still felt that way when it came to his work. Working for himself was satisfying and allowed him a lot of freedom. But as far as his personal life, he hadn’t felt this unsettled since he was in high school, since before he’d surrendered his life to Christ and gotten on the right path. And that confused him because getting engaged to a wonderful Christian woman like Dréa was supposed to make him feel more settled, not less. So why did the opposite feel true?

He was sure some of it had to do with the conversation they’d had about living in Denver. He didn’t like the idea, because he knew how much he’d miss being close to family, but what she said made sense. His job could be done from anywhere. Hers couldn’t. And she loved her job. He understood that. He knew compromise was part of marriage, of merging your life with another person’s. He just thought once they got engaged, he’d be more excited about the changes to come.

These were normal fears about getting married. Everybody had them, right?

He shook off his thoughts and drove home. Mama, Nana, and Aunt Pauline were in the kitchen, and their discussion quieted the second he entered the room.

“What’s going on?” he asked, eyeing them one at a time.

They giggled like schoolgirls, and Mama closed the notebook in front of her. “Niente.”

“Why do I not believe you?” He knew there was no dragging it out of them, so he went to the refrigerator in search of food.

“Leftovers are on the top shelf.” Mama stood and walked to the cupboard, twisting her long black hair up into a bun before retrieving a plate for him and laying it on the counter.

Duncan moved to her side with a container of lasagna. “I can do it, Mama.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed him tight. “I know.”

He hugged her back and kissed her cheek.

“Are you feeling it?” she asked.

“Feeling what?”

“Dréa’s absence.”

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