A Wife for Stephen (19 page)

“Celeste Brooks,” Celeste announces as she picks up the
buzzing phone on her desk.
“How are you doing this morning, Beautiful?”
“I am awesome. How was the performance last night?”
“It went well, although something is undeniably off with
Mario. He hasn't been the same since that weekend when
we were in Vegas. I’ve asked him repeatedly what the deal
is, but he just shrugs and finds some way to change the
subject.”
“It’s probably guilt,” Celeste mumbles under her breath,
not intending Stephen to hear her comment.
But as usual, he hears everything. “What does that
mean?”
“I don’t want to go into it. Some things are just better
left alone.”
“Oh, is that right?” Stephen says.
“I promised Jenny that I would not get in the middle of
her and Mario, and I aim to keep that promise.”
“Now why should Mario feel guilty about Jenny
deciding not to see him anymore? If anything...”
“Wait a minute. It wasn’t Jenny who decided that she
and Mario shouldn’t see each other
anymore.
It
was
Mario.”
“But...” Stephen pauses to think over the brief
conversation he and Mario had regarding Jenny. “I just
assumed that because he didn’t want to talk about it that
she had broken things off with him.”
“Well you assumed wrong. It was Mario who told Jenny
that for the rest of the tour, he didn’t think it was a good
idea that they see each other. So, if he has a problem with
it, then he is indeed in a situation of his own making.”
Stephen has intentions on getting to the bottom of what
really happened between Jenny and Mario, but that will
have to wait for another time. Right now he wants to make
plans with his fiancé. “What are we doing for Christmas,
Babe?”
“I don’t know. What would you like to do?”
“Usually I spend that time with my family, but I wasn’t
sure if we were going to visit with your family this year.”
“My family? Not likely. I’ve spoken with my dad, and he
and his new wife are going on some Jamaican getaway, and
as for my mother, I have no idea what she wants to do. I
tried asking her and got the brush off.”
“I’m sorry, Honey. I know how much you try to stay
close with your family.”
“Thank you, Babe. So, if you want me to come to
Philly, I would love it.”
“I would like nothing better. I’ll have your ticket at the
counter.”
“Thank you. I love you.”
Every time this woman tells him that she loves him, his
heart melts like it did the very first time. “I love you too,
and you don’t have to thank me.”
“I enjoy thanking you. It’s my way of letting you know
how much I appreciate you.”
They say their farewells and disconnect the call. Celeste
is excited to know that she will be seeing him in just a
couple of weeks. He has a wonderful way of showing her
how much he values and cherishes her. Celeste has never
been treated so lovingly in her life. She is looking forward
to spending the rest of it with Stephen.

“All passengers, this is your captain speaking. Due to an
unusually heavy snowstorm, we are forced to reroute to a
small private airstrip just two hours outside of Philadelphia.
We should be arriving there at 10:35 am local time. Thank
you.”

The passengers whisper among themselves in hushed
tones
sounding
frantic
at
having
to
make
new
arrangements. Celeste looks from the window and could
only hope that Stephen will receive word of the change in
plans before he set out to pick her up at the airport.

The morning she was in flight to Philly a snowstorm hit
the city with enough force that the airport was forced to
close down. No flights would be leaving, and the incoming
were being rerouted. Stephen is beside himself wondering
how he will get to her. As of yet, the airport couldn’t tell
him where her flight is being rerouted.

After being placed on hold several times, each for long
agonizing minutes
at
a
stretch,
he
is
given
useful
information. Her flight is one of the lucky ones being
rerouted to a small private airstrip just two hours outside of
Philly. Because of the bad snowstorm, if he leaves now he
will make it there in three hours.

Telling his family where he is headed, he jumps in the
car and drives carefully and steadily towards the airstrip
where Celeste’s plane is being rerouted.

Silently, Celeste makes her own plans. She will rent a
car at the airport and drive to Stephen’s parents’ house.
How bad could it be? Their new destination is only two
hours outside of Philly, according to the captain. She can
do it.

Just as the captain had announced, they arrive at the
airport at
10:35 am local time. After asking questions
around the terminal she is pointed in the direction of a car
rental agency. Unfortunately, by the time she retrieves her
baggage, gets there, and waits in line, all the rentals have
been taken.

Having first tried Stephen’s cell and having the call go
straight to voicemail, Celeste couldn’t think of anything on
her
own,
so
she calls Stephen’s parents’ house. It is
Stephen’s dad who answers.

“Hi, Mr. Haule. This is Celeste. Because of the
snowstorm my plane was rerouted...”
“We already know, Hun. And I thought I told you to
call me Dad. No daughter-in-law of mine is going to call
me Mr. Haule. Makes me sound old and stuffy.” Celeste
could only giggle. “Now, Stephen is on his way to pick you
up, he should be there in about an hour and a half if he
didn’t get stuck in too much traffic.”
“Oh, he’s coming to get me?” Celeste didn’t know why
she felt surprised, but she was, pleasantly so.
“Of course, you didn’t think he would leave you there
did you?”
“No, of course not. I just didn’t know he would be
aware of the change.”
“Why don’t you try him on his cell to see how close he
is?”
“I did but it went straight to voicemail. But I’ll try him
again... Dad. Thanks.”
After
disconnecting
the
call
she
immediately
calls
Stephen’s cell and he answers immediately. “Hey, Babe.”
“Steph, you’re coming to get me?” Celeste says through
the tears that are threatening to spill over and down onto
her cheeks.
Hearing the
slight
choking sound of
held in tears,
Stephen says, “Don’t cry, Babe. Of course I’m coming to
get you. You didn’t think I would leave you stranded there,
did you? And I’m not that far, just forty-five minutes or
so.”
Celeste could only laugh as relief wells up inside of her.
Stephen must be pushing the speed limit. “Your dad
thought it would be an hour and a half.”
“Well... err...”
“Just drive safe, Baby. I’m not going anywhere. Call me
when you get here and I’ll meet you outside.”
“Okay, I love you.”
“I love you too, Steph.”
As Celeste put away her phone, her heart spills over
with how much she loves Stephen, and he loves her in
return. She never would have thought it were possible to
feel for a person what she feels for him. And she never
would have thought that she could trust a man the way she
does him. That God has brought them together, is the only
explanation
for
the
180-degree
turn
Celeste
has
experienced in her outlook at relationships.
She finds a coffee shop inside the airport and orders
herself some coffee and a donut while she waits for Steph’s
phone call, which comes exactly forty-four minutes after
they had last hung up.
“I’ll be right out,” is all she says before disconnecting
the call and rushing out to the car to meet her man. She is
in so much of a rush that she almost knocks down two
people with her carryon bag before she makes it out the
front doors of the terminal.
Steph is standing by his car scanning the crowd for her.
When he sees her he opens his arms wide for her. His arms
tighten around her, and he holds her tightly, in his arms,
where she belongs, for the rest of their lives.
Their kiss, the kiss of two hearts that have missed each
other terribly, is hot enough to melt the snow on the
streets. When their kiss ends, Stephen places his fiancé in
the car and loads her baggage into the trunk of his sedan.
Climbing behind the steering wheel, he asks as he starts
the engine, “What’s in all those bags, you’re only staying a
few days?”
“You didn’t think that I would forget your Christmas
present did you?”
“Oh. You didn’t have to get me anything,” he says as he
pulls away from the curb and then focuses his attention on
getting back to the main highway that will lead them home.
Once he has successfully navigated the car into the second
lane of traffic and they begin traveling at a steady clip, he
glances sideways at Celeste and ask, “What did you get
me?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?” he counters.
“Because it’s a surprise, and if I told you then it would
not stay a surprise.”
Jokingly he says, “You better tell me before I pull this
car to the side of the road and kiss it out of you.”
With a motion that she remembers doing several times in
elementary school she locks her lips and throws away the
invisible key.
“So, it’s like that is it? Well then. Two can play that
game. I won’t tell you what I got for you either.”
“What did you get me?”
“She speaks. That sure didn’t last long.”
Celeste points her finger at him and says, “You stink,
Stephen.” They both laugh and then agree that they will
wait for Christmas morning to find out what their gifts are
to each other.
Before arriving in Philly, Stephen suggests that they
stop for lunch. Celeste, more than willingly agrees since she
is starving. After eating, they sit and share a slice of apple
pie a-la-mode.
Before Celeste even knew what she was going to say,
she opened her mouth to speak, “Are you sure it will
always be like this for us?” She looked down at their
entwined hands and finds her self-wondering for the first
time if they could make it last forever.
“Like what?” Stephen asks while bringing her hand up
to his lip.
“Like this? How do you know that you will always like
kissing my hand, waking up to me every morning? How do
you know that one day you won’t just felt like you’ve had
enough of me and want to leave me?”
“Celeste, Honey. I’m not some young, lusty teenager. I
realize what commitment is; that it takes time and energy to
make a marriage work and to keep it full of joy.” Cupping
her face in his hand he adds, “From the moment I saw you I
knew that we were meant for one another. Nothing will
ever change my mind on that.”
“But how can you say that you will always love me?”
“I will ask you the same question.”
“Steph, that’s not fair. I love you deeply and I gladly
pledge my life to you.”
With one quirk of his eyebrow he communicates his ‘I
told you so’ look and then adds, “Besides, loving someone,
I mean genuinely loving someone, is not built on emotions.
It is a decision to stick it out come what may. A decision
that says, ‘It’s you and me, Baby.’”
After giving Celeste a moment to get her thoughts in
order he asks, “What’s going on, Babe?”
“I just don’t want you to decide after I have given you
my all that my best just isn’t good enough. You are such a
wonderful man; you come from such a terrific and caring
family. And I come from a broken home. How can that add
up?”
“Because I will never betray you, Celeste. I give you my
word. I love you and only you.” Stephen kisses her gently
and sweetly. “I hope you believe me.”
Before answering, Celeste searches her heart to find the
truth
of
what
she
believes.
When
she
looks
up into
Stephen’s eyes, it is staring at her as clear as day. “I do.”
When they arrive at the Haule residence, all the family is
there
and has
been
anxiously
awaiting their
arrival.
Celeste’s bags are taken up to her room, and she is urged
to sit on the sofa by the fire to get warm.
Everyone
soon
decides
to
turn
in
early.
Christmas
morning is only two days away and with the amount of
family set to arrive in town the morning of, every bit of the
next day will be needed to organize the feast and festivities.
The storm has halted by Christmas morning, and the
guests arrive on time. The hustle and bustle of family
activity has Celeste looking on with amazement. Stephen’s
uncles and aunts have come over, and each of them are
excited to meet Celeste.
The
children had opened their
gifts first
thing that
morning before breakfast and were in the den installing
batteries and playing with their new toys. Now it is time for
the adults to exchange.
Dad takes his place in the overstuffed leather recliner
and mom kneels on the floor next to the Christmas tree to
pass out gifts. Celeste finds herself hoping that Stephen’s
sisters
will like
the
scarves
and earrings
that
she has
purchased for them, if mom will like her gift certificate to
the local nursery, and dad will like his season football
tickets.
Even more than that, she hopes that Stephen will
enjoy what she brought him.
Her first worries are alleviated when Stephen’s sisters
ooh and ahh over their gifts. Mom begins announcing the
plants she wants to get for her spring planting and dad says
he can’t wait to call his best friend Charlie and tell him that
they are going to see every home football game.
Now, Stephen is being passed his gift from her. After
ripping into
the
wrapping paper
all
that
is
heard is,
“Baseball, hockey, and basketball season tickets to the Los
Angeles home teams.” Stephen leans over from his seat on
the floor next to her and kisses her. “You sure do know
how to buy a Christmas gift. Thank you, Baby. You are
planning on going with me, aren’t you?”
“Of course! You’re going to teach me all about sports.”
Everyone gets such a kick out
of them that
they are
giggling between sighs at the way Stephen shows Celeste
how much he adores her.
“Celeste, this is for you, Hon,” mom says as she holds
out a flat box to Celeste.
The tag on the package says that it is from Stephen. She
looks at him and wonders, what can this possibly be? The
box is too thin to be clothing and too bulky to be jewelry.
Celeste knows that Stephen will give her no hints as to the
boxes contents, and that the only way to find out what is
inside is to open it. So, she does.
Inside are two sets of keys and lots of papers. A long
glance at the papers shows them to be escrow papers of
some kind. She doesn’t recognize the street address, but
the city was here in Philly. “I don’t understand,” she said
looking to Stephen to clarify things for her.
“With us getting married in a few months, I figured I
didn’t need my other two pieces of property. The one in
New York for obvious reasons, I knew I would be in L A.
My place here in Philly is too small for a family, so I traded
it for a bigger house with a massive back yard.”
Celeste can’t hold back the tears that have come to her
eyes at Stephen’s
explanation
of
the
papers.
Always
planning and thinking ahead, he is. “You are so
wonderful.” She hugs him and holds him tight for long
minutes, reveling in his thoughtfulness that goes beyond
measure.