Her Stolen Past (16 page)

Brandon winced. “I’m not, I promise.”

His father picked up the remote and clicked the television off. He frowned. “Then what?”

“I came to say I’m sorry—and to ask you to forgive my stubbornness, my hardheaded selfishness.” His pulse pounded. Had he waited too long? Was it too late?

His mother gasped and walked around him to sink onto the couch. “Don’t play with us, Brandon. My heart can’t take it.”

Brandon sighed and his heart tightened as he realized how terribly he’d hurt these two people. Yes, they’d hurt him, but they were actively working on becoming better people. They were trying to atone for their past mistakes. “I’m not playing. I’ve been talking to Peter over the past two months and listening to him. Actually listening. He’s filled me in on all the changes you guys have made and the fact that you’re sincere about wanting to put this family back together.”

His mother slipped her hand into his and looked into his eyes. “We’re serious, Brandon. We know we were wrong in the past and there’s nothing we can do to change that. But we’re still young.” She gave a sad smile. “Younger than we should be to have a kid your age, but we want to be a part of your life if you’ll let us. Please don’t let it be too late.”

For the first time in years, Brandon hugged his mother. She clutched his shoulders and began to sob. Brandon felt his own tears start to flow and realized Sonya was right. He’d needed to do this as much for himself as he did for his parents.

Another arm slipped across his shoulders. He lifted his head and found himself staring into his father’s tearful, red-rimmed, joy-filled eyes. “Thank you, son.”

Brandon nodded. “So we’re going to start over? No hard feelings, no bringing up the past. Just a fresh start.”

“A fresh start.” His dad smiled. “A family reunion.”

“Of the best kind.” Brandon cleared his throat. “I want to spend time with you guys, but there’s a woman I need to go see.”

“Sonya,” his mother whispered.

“Sonya,” Brandon agreed.

“Tell her she’s welcome to join in the family reunion, too,” his dad said with a watery grin. “On a permanent basis.”

Brandon laughed, feeling as if he’d just shed a hundred-pound weight from his shoulders. From his soul. He headed for the door. “I may just do that.”

TWENTY-TWO

T
wo months. Sonya crossed the day off on her calendar. She hadn’t heard from Brandon in two months. The longest months of her life.

She’d awakened early for a Saturday morning and now sat at her table sipping her first cup of coffee for the day. She’d worked six days straight this past week and had the next three days off. She actually dreaded them.

She didn’t normally work so much, but with Brandon’s sudden absence in her life, she needed the work to take her mind off the fact that she missed him terribly.

Lord, I lift him up to You again. I don’t understand how my heart could be so entangled in another’s this fast, but please continue to show him how much he needs to forgive and how much You love him. And as impossible as it seems, how much I love him.

She’d known him all of a month the day Don Bradley had kidnapped her from her home, but what a month that had been. She’d fought for her life and lost her heart to love in the process.

Her doorbell rang and she debated whether she felt like answering it or not. When it rang a second time, she set her cup on the table and rose.

At the door, she peeked out.

And gasped.

Brandon stood on her front porch.

When he rang the bell for the third time, she swung the door open. “What are you doing here?”

He stepped inside and kissed her. Hard. Then sweet and gentle. Sonya kissed him back, the past two months of loneliness and missing him expressed in her heartfelt response.

When he lifted his head, she saw a sheen of tears glistening in his gaze. “I’ve missed you.”

“Well, that was some kind of hello.” She grinned. “I’ve missed you, too.”

He tapped her nose with his index finger. “I’m glad. Do you mind if I come in?”

“Please do.” She stepped back and he shut the door behind him. “Come on into the kitchen. I’ve got coffee.”

He followed her and seated himself at the table. “You were right.”

She blinked at him. “About?”

“Forgiveness.”

“With your parents.”

“Yes, and Krystal, my ex-fiancée.”

“You’ve been hurt, Brandon. It’s only natural you’d build up some walls and reservations.”

“But I don’t want them anymore. They’re not worth holding on to. Those walls were hurting every relationship I have. Thanks to you, I finally realized what I was doing. Thanks to Peter, I think I’ve managed to get rid of those walls.”

Joy swept over her. He looked lighter. Happier. And at peace. “You’ve forgiven your parents, haven’t you?”

He nodded. “They’re good people. They were just too young to have so much responsibility. And they didn’t have a lot of help. On my mother’s side, my grandparents disapproved and refused to help and my father’s parents had already passed.” He shrugged. “My mom and dad did the best they could. They’re actually pretty amazing if you stop and look at how far they’ve come and everything they’ve
overcome.
They beat the odds and are still together. Once I stopped judging, I was able to start seeing things from another perspective. One of compassion and understanding.”

Tears filled Sonya’s eyes. “I’m so glad.”

“We’re human. We’re not perfect. I’m definitely not, but I believe you’re just right for me.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t know where we’re headed, but I want to find out. I know I don’t want to spend another day without you in my life.”

Sonya flung herself into his arms. “I’m so glad for you. For me. For
us.
” She laughed.

He laughed with her. “I’ve got to be honest with you, Sonya. I want to see you in a white dress, surrounded by flowers and friends, walking toward the front of the church. If you get what I mean.” He flushed and shuffled his feet. “If that’s not what you want, or not what you want with me, please tell me now.”

“I want it, Brandon. I want it more than anything. With you. Only you. These last two months have been horribly lonely without you.”

He hugged her tight again. She pressed her nose into the warm skin of his neck and inhaled. His musky scent filled her senses and she felt at peace. She was home. He was the reason God had led her to Finding the Lost. “I love you, Brandon. I know it’s fast, but I do. I really do.”

“Since when does love have a time limit?”

She giggled. “I like your reasoning.”

“So do you think we can do the dating thing for a little while?”

“Absolutely. At least for a week or so.”

He threw his head back and laughed, then wrapped his arms around her to pull her close. He placed his lips on hers and Sonya couldn’t wait to see what the future held. She thought of how pleased her mother would be that she’d met such a wonderful man. Her father would give his stamp of approval, for sure.

And for Sonya, that was enough.

Enough to make her smile.

EPILOGUE

Thanksgiving
Eighteen months later

B
randon lifted his head after saying the blessing and looked around the Thanksgiving table. A wave of emotion flowed over him and he knew he had a lot to be thankful for. His bride of one year glowed as she passed the mashed potatoes to Max.

Brandon sent a prayer of gratefulness heavenward as he did every time he looked at her. He still had a hard time believing she wore his ring on her finger, but she did. The gold band on his left ring finger fit snugly. He'd already gotten used to wearing it. Took pride in wearing it.

Erica held her newborn son while Max began to heap his plate with food. “Are you hungry, dear?” Erica asked, a hint of teasing sarcasm in her tone.

Max flushed. “Not any hungrier than your dad over there.” He transferred the spoonful of dressing to his daughter Molly's plate, then lifted a brow as though asking if he had her approval now. Erica laughed.

Brandon's father had helped himself to a large chunk of turkey. “I'm not shy. I'm starving. I skipped breakfast so I could fill up here.”

Brandon grinned and Sonya winked at him. He could see the joy in her gaze along with something else. Curious, he looked closer but couldn't put his finger on it.

Peter looked healthy and happy and joked with Spike. The two had hit it off from the moment they'd met. “So, bro, have you managed to beat Spike yet?” Brandon asked, coating his question in teasing innocence.

Peter's smile slipped into a scowl. “Let's not go there. He only wins because he cheats.”

“I do not,” Spike protested. The grin on his face said he wasn't too upset about the accusation. They both knew the truth. Brandon had hopes Spike would get a basketball scholarship to college. Spike's mother looked on with an indulgent smile.

Ann Bradley sat quietly on the other side of Sonya. She hadn't said much since the day she'd shot her husband. When he'd been killed in a prison-yard fight, she'd withdrawn even more into her protective shell. But she loved Sonya and seemed happiest when they were together.

Sonya passed him the bread without taking any. He looked at her and his heart skipped a beat. She looked pale. Her lip curled and she slapped a hand over her mouth. She exchanged a look with Erica. “Excuse me,” she mumbled. She jumped up and raced from the suddenly quiet dining room.

“Sonya!” He bolted after her, but thought he could hear Erica laughing. Why would his sister laugh at Sonya's obvious distress?

He reached the hall bath and knocked on the locked door. “Hey, are you okay?” The sound of her being sick made him wince. “Oh, baby, do you think you picked up a virus?”

The door swung open. She turned back to the sink to rinse her mouth. Tears leaked down her cheeks. She grabbed a toothbrush and toothpaste. “No, it's not a virus.” She gave a hiccuping laugh and brushed her teeth.

He waited for her to finish. “It's not? Then something you ate?”

She turned and patted his cheek. “I haven't eaten yet.”

“You've been working hard all morning getting everything ready. Your blood sugar is probably low.” He gripped her fingers and pulled her into the hall, ready to lead her back into the kitchen. “That's probably the problem.”

“Actually, this problem is going to take about seven more months to solve.”

“Seven—” Confusion, then realization, flashed in his eyes. He gave a whoop, then pulled her into a crushing hug. When he released her, she saw the tears in his eyes. “I'm going to be a dad?”

“Yes.”

“And you're going to be a mom?”

“That's generally the way it works.” She grinned.

He laughed and hugged her again. “Sonya, how long have you known?”

“Just for a little while. I'm about eight weeks along, I think. I have a doctor's appointment on Monday.”

“A doctor's appointment? You
are
a doctor.” She'd finished up her last semester just after their wedding.

She laughed. “I'm not that kind of doctor.”

“Well, I'm going with you.”

“Of course you are. That's why I scheduled it on your day off.”

He grinned and his eyes danced. The last time she'd seen him so giddy had been on their wedding day. “God is good.”

“He sure is,” she whispered. “Even in the bad times.”

He pushed a lock of hair back behind her ear. “It took some bad times to bring us together.”

“Exactly.”

His finger reached out to trace her lips. “I remember the first time I saw you, I wanted to see you smile.”

“It was hard to find a smile during those days.” Her lips curved up. “It's easier now.”

“I love you, Sonya.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “And I love you. We're going to have a great life together. You, me and the baby.”

“Babies,” he said.

She giggled. “Let's get through this one first.”

“Absolutely. But know this. No matter what the future holds, as long as we're together, we'll be fine.”

“Hey, are you guys all right?” Erica asked. She'd come into the hallway without either of them noticing.

Max and Molly appeared behind her, then Peter. Then Ann and Brandon's mother and father.

Ann Bradley. Her aunt. She'd pleaded self-defense to shooting her husband and had won. Frankly, Sonya didn't think the prosecution had tried very hard to build a case against her. And now she was a part of the family.

Their growing, rapidly expanding family.

Brandon grinned at his sister. “How would you like to be an aunt?”

Erica blinked, then grinned. “I'd love it!”

“I'm going to be a grandma again?” Brandon's mother pushed her way through the growing crowd to hug Sonya. His father did the same. “Oh, my goodness. This is wonderful.”

Sonya looked into her husband's moist eyes. “It's the best thing ever.” She clapped her hands. “Now, let's eat. I'm starving!”

Laughter filtered back to her as everyone headed back to the kitchen. Sonya couldn't help the tears that dripped from her cheeks. Sheer happiness filled her, and she offered a prayer of thanksgiving to the One who'd made it all possible.

And she smiled.

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from A TRACE OF MEMORY by Valerie Hansen.

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for joining me on Sonya and Brandon’s
journey to solve an old crime and find love at the same time. I had a great time
plotting their story and putting them in crazy, dangerous situations.

I seem to find myself writing a lot about forgiveness and
finding joy in Jesus. I think that’s because, as Sonya pointed out, we’re not
perfect, we make mistakes and we all need forgiveness—and second—and third—and
fourth chances.

This is the last book in the Family Reunions series. I hope if
you haven’t read the first two, you’ll find them online or at your local
Christian bookstore. Or Walmart. If you’d like to email me, my email address is
[email protected]
. You can also find
me online at
www.lynetteeason.com
and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/lynette.eason
. I would love for you to sign
up for my newsletter if you’re interested in keeping up with me and future
releases. You can find the sign-up box on my website.

God bless you and may the peace of Christ be with you.

Until next time,