An April Bride by Lenora Worth

contentment. Would that be enough to start a life with her?
    In my heart, I know her .
    He had to trust in that. And he had to trust in God.
    I came back here for a reason, Lord. I will do my best to honor this marriage and to make the most of what I have.
    And hopefully, one day he’d truly love the woman who’d pledged her heart to him.
    When he pulled up the long gravel drive to Flower Bend, he once again got that strange feeling in his stomach. He knew this place too. He could almost see the images in his head. Why did this part of his memories seem to stay just out of reach?
    His therapist had suggested that he follow the shadows to find the memories, but sometimes that just gave him a headache.
    Not today. Today he wanted to see what was behind that curtain that refused to open. Talking to Stella more and more had helped a lot.
    She came out the back door and waved to him. Marshall took in her full-skirted green dress and cute white sandals. Her dark blonde hair was down around her shoulders. Shelooked young and fresh and lovely. He envisioned her in a wedding dress, coming down the aisle.
    And his heart stopped and sputtered from joy to terror.
    “Hi.” She was in the car before he could catch his next breath.
    “Hi,” he said, his lungs tightening. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he willed himself to calm down.
    Breathe. Breathe .
    “Marshall?”
    He gave her a panicked glance, then held up his right hand. “Give me a minute.”
    Stella stared at him, worry coloring her face a pale white. “Are you having another flashback?”
    He shook his head. “I’ll . . . be okay.”
    She didn’t force him, but she did touch her hand to his.
    When Marshall finally caught his breath again and the images had receded, he glanced over at Stella. She had her eyes shut and her lips were moving in a quiet prayer.
    “Hey, I’m okay now.”
    She opened her eyes and turned to him. “Are you up to church?”
    “Yes.” He tapped the steering wheel. “I can’t hide away. I have to keep going, keep moving. I have to put one foot in front of the other and get on with my life.”
    “Is that what you’re doing with our wedding? Putting one foot in front of the other so you can make it happen?”
    He couldn’t lie. “Some days are harder than others.” Seeing the disappointment in her eyes, he said, “Hey, we had a little breakthrough after we went to the zoo. We’re getting there.”
    Stella shook her head. “Are we? Or are you getting worse? The closer we get to the wedding, the more you seem to have these panic attacks.”
    “It’s not about the wedding,” he tried to explain. “It’s about . . . everything. Just . . . don’t get the wrong idea.”
    Stella didn’t respond. But Marshall could tell her good feeling went downhill pretty fast.

    Marshall had things under control by the time they arrived at church. He couldn’t blow this. He’d been planning the surprise for days.
    “Lots of cars here for social hour,” he said, smiling. “Must be the donuts.”
    Stella gave him a measuring glance, probably to make sure he wouldn’t flip out on her again. “We don’t have to do the meet and greet,” she said. “We can sit here or go inside the sanctuary.”
    Pushing away his anxieties, he said, “No, no. I want a donut. I missed donuts so much.”
    They looked at each other, and he saw the relief in her eyes. “You always did love jelly donuts.”
    “Yes. I remembered that when Mom had a whole box waiting for me when I came home.”
    He got out and came around to open her door, and together they walked into the fellowship hall. Stella’s eyes widened when she saw the crowd inside. Then she held a hand to her mouth.
    To Stella and Marshall. Congratulations!
    The big banner had been hand painted by the youth group in shades of blue and silver.
    “What’s all this?” she asked, her eyes bright with questions.
    “You mentioned that we never had a proper couples’ shower,” Marsh said. “So some of your