Dresden: For God and Country

Chapter 1

Paris, France

I waited for the phone to ring. My boots and jacket were already on. My fingers tapped on the edge of my chair and I glanced up at the door every few seconds. Parker wasn't late yet. He wasn't supposed to be here for five more minutes. Over the last few days though, I'd begun to feel a little neglected. We were supposed to be spending this vacation together. The aggravation of staying in different hotels was a necessary concession to propriety, as our wedding wasn't for four more weeks and we had only been able to reserve one room at either hotel, but I had expected to see a little more of him. These little side adventures of his were eating up our time together. Where was he going, anyway? I would have to coax that information out of him at dinner tonight. There was a knock at the door. I glanced at the phone in my lap in puzzlement then stood the answer the door. There he was. A head taller than me with shaggy brown hair, well-tanned skin, and dark brown eyes with laugh lines already inscribed at their corners despite his obvious youth. Parker Dresden, my fiancé.

"Hello Alex."

"You were supposed to call me when you got here and I'd meet you downstairs." I said, already enfolded in his arms.

"I couldn't wait that long so I decided to come get you myself." I smiled as he kissed my forehead.

"You didn't leave the car running, did you? I don't think the rental place would appreciate us letting it get stolen." He chuckled.

"I left the car back at my hotel. I thought we could walk. The restaurant is only three blocks from here and it's a perfect night for it." He said into my hair.

"Sounds excellent. Let's go." I said, taking his hand.

We took the elevator down the three levels to the ground floor. The last few nights had been blustery and it had rained this morning, but by late afternoon the sun had burned away the clouds and the air was still. You could still smell the rain though, and feel that clean crispness with every breath. Back at our home in Nevada, it would be too hot to move right now in late August but here in Paris, everything was perfect. I had at first been disappointed in the celebrated city. It didn't seem too different from America's Las Vegas other than the skyline and the fact that I couldn't understand two-thirds of the conversation I overheard. However, as I began to talk to the people, the different cultures began to emerge. The two places began to feel different to me in the same way books by different authors feel different. I found that I loved that difference. I noted the feeling again as we strolled down the street. What both disturbed and fascinated me was the subtle changes in Parker since they'd arrived in the country. There was something definitely different about him. I gave his hand a squeeze and he returned the pressure.

"Where have you been going for the last week when you're not with me?" I asked, trying to sound casual. He sighed and hesitated before answering.

"I've been working on a project." He said rather vaguely.

"That explains it." I said with light sarcasm.

He grinned back and reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box. He popped open the lid and handed it to me. Inside was a beautiful ring. The silver metal was formed into elegant lines around the small diamond in the center and was accented by four tiny ones. Parker lifted my hand and slid it into its proper place on my left ring finger.

"Better late than never, but I had to find the right one." He said half apologetically. I smiled broadly.

"Well it was worth the wait." I kissed his cheek.