Page 101 of The Outcast
Archer cleared his throat, “No need to dig up the past. You’re both adults, but I too would like to know when this happened.”
“I fell in love with Banni last summer.” Sparrow smiled at me and I smiled back, feeling a flutter in my heart. I couldn’t believe that this was happening.
“I’m just trying to understand how I got so lucky,” I admitted and that made them smile.
“We can host your wedding here at the school if you’d like. That’s where Dad and I married,” Kya suggested.
“I would love that, Mom, but then we should wait until summer.”
“Late June is a good time,” Kya agreed. “That will give us some time to plan everything. We’ll even have time to get you a beautiful wedding dress, which is something I didn’t have.”
Archer responded to what had sounded like criticism from Kya. “Since when are you such a fan of weddings? I recall proposing to you about a million times and you turning me down each time.”
Kya leaned against him and kissed his cheeks, “I was a little slow, I’ll give you that.”
“You waited until I was about to marry someone else to tell me that you loved me,” Archer blamed her before he smiled. “But end of the day, I’m just happy that you came to your senses before it was too late.” Turning back to Sparrow and me, he assured us, “I would be happy for us to host a beautiful summer wedding for you two.”
I had prepared myself that maybe Archer, Ryder, and Aspen would object to Sparrow’s marrying me for the simple reason that I wasn’t an Nman. Instead, they welcomed me into their family. It wasn’t until Archer asked me to take a walk with him outside that things turned serious.
“I’m very protective of my daughter. She’s been through a lot.”
“I understand, but I assure you that I’m nothing like Keith. I’m not possessive and I would never hurt her.”
“Good, because let’s be clear: if you do, I’ll make it my personal mission in life to find you and make you suffer.”
I stayed quiet.
“I wasn’t happy about Sparrow taking you back to Old Europe that night in August. You should have brought one of my sons instead.”
“Are you upset that I’m not an Nman?”
Archer walked slowly with his hands in his pockets. “I would lie if I didn’t admit that I would prefer for Sparrow to be with an Nman. You French have a reputation for being promiscuous. I don’t want my daughter’s heart broken by betrayal.”
“I understand.”
Archer gave me a sideways glance. “Do you? Because I don’t want you to marry her unless you’re a hundred percent sure that you love her.”
My Adam’s apple bobbed a few times before I gathered my thoughts. “Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve had my fair share of women that makes me confident that Sparrow is the right one for me. Before I came here, I never could have imagined marrying. Coming close to losing Sparrow for good made me realize that living without her would be a nightmare. No one has ever made me feel remotely like she does. I don’t know what she sees in me, or what blessed star made someone as amazing as her fall in love with me. I just know that after experiencing what love is, I wouldn’t wish to go back to living the way I did before.”
Archer’s piercing blue eyes had concern in them when he said, “Love can be messy, you know. It’s not just a matter of choosing each other and getting married. Being from two different cultures complicates things further. Kya and I argued from day one and we still argue. It’s not all rainbows and roses.”
“Do you regret marrying her?”
“Nooo.” He broke into a laugh. “I would argue with my wife every day for the sweet moments we have. There’s a constant pull and push between us that keeps the passion alive. Sometimes when she’s on about something, all I can see is the young passionate woman I fell in love with and I’ll pick her up and…” Archer trailed off and chuckled. “I’m just warning you that Sparrow will drive you mad at times, and vice versa. My concern, of course, is that unlike her, you haven’t had any role models when it comes to marriage. I’m not sure you fully understand the sacrifices and compromises that are involved.”
“Yeah, but did you have role models before you married Kya?”
Archer strolled along the trail to the school, which was lit up with small lamps that turned on as we approached. “I grew up without parents too. Back in those days we boys were raised in schools by mentors, which is similar to how you grew up, I suppose.”
I shrugged. “Sort of, but we have loving caregivers hugging us and taking care of our needs. Indiana told me of his father’s childhood; it sounded like you men had a tough upbringing with little room for emotions.”
“That’s right. We were toughened up from a young age. When it came to marriage, we had to figure it out along the way. I’m sure that if you ask our wives, we Nmen aren’t always easy to live with, but in all fairness their Motlander ways challenge us as well.”
“Maybe Sparrow’s openness to loving someone from a different culture was because she grew up seeing you and Kya working things out despite your different cultural backgrounds.”
“Could be. We always emphasize a respect for different points of view at the school. With three different nationalities, we have to.”
I looked over to the school building, where lights shone from the windows. “How are the French children doing this year?”
