Marrying Mallory (20 page)

“I should’ve left the country sooner. You miss me and I’m
going to see Josh.”

Mallory sat on the couch, feeling a twinge of nervousness at
what she was about to say to Seth. “I’m glad you called today. I needed you
yesterday when I received shocking news from Toby. While I was upset, it was
you I wanted to talk to.”

“What happened to Toby that made you upset?”

“He married Samantha a few days ago in Las Vegas.”

“I know it has to be rough on you. He should’ve told you
before he got married.”

“He lied to me about how he wasn’t serious about Samantha
but that doesn’t matter now. I guess what gets me is I learned today that he
also cheated on me with Samantha while were still married. Heather and
Elizabeth think I need to move on with my life.”

“You have wise friends.”

“I’m going to try and take their advice.” She hesitated. How
much should she mention while he was in Vietnam? He had pressing things to do,
but hey, he’d taken the time to call her. “Before you get home, I want to talk
to my minister. I have to be sure that it’s okay for me to date you. In my
mind, I know that Toby’s moved on by marrying Samantha, so in a way I feel
freer to go on with my life. And it helps to see how Josh is taking his dad’s
marriage better than I expected. But it’s still hard.” She sighed. “I know I’m
crazy. I have every right to date you. I wasn’t the cheater. Toby was and we
both wanted the divorce, but I feel we took vows and they should matter. Maybe
God wants me to remain single and just be a good mother to Josh.”

“I think you should talk to your minister. Heck, you can
talk to mine too.”

She laughed. “I bet you’ll give a hefty donation to your
church, so he’ll say that I should get married again.” 

“Married again. I like the sound of that. As long as it’s to
me.”

She was embarrassed about using the word married instead of
date. “That slipped out.”

“Maybe someday it won’t be a slip and it’ll be intentional.”

She better do some heavy praying after getting off the
phone. Dating was one thing but getting married, even to Seth, was downright
scary.

***

Instead of talking to her own minister about her divorce and
Toby’s remarriage, Mallory decided to make an appointment to see Jeremy. After
all, he knew the whole situation. Before her appointment, she dropped Josh off
at her mom’s house. Ten minutes later she was sitting in Jeremy’s office.

“Would you like something to drink?” Jeremy asked her.

“No, thank you.” She smiled at him after glancing around the
room. “I guess you’re the pastor of a thriving church. Your office is beautiful
and huge.”

He grinned. “I can’t take any credit for my office. I
haven’t been here that long. The minister before me had his wife do the whole
office over. I guess she was starting out as an interior designer and hoped
that the members of the congregation would hire her to decorate their houses.” 

She took a deep breath, filling her nostrils with the heady
fragrance from the purple iris flowers on his desk. Funny, Heather had given
her the same ones recently. “I like your flowers.”

“Heather brought them when she dropped off crafts for Bible
school. By the way, thank you for suggesting that she could help with the kids’
art projects.”

She smiled. “She must have emptied her mother’s flowerbed.
She gave me flowers too.”

“I’m glad you came today. I think it’s important for us to
discuss your divorce and to pray for your future. God doesn’t want you to dwell
on the past and to continue to feel guilty about your failed marriage. I’m
hoping it’ll be easier for you now that Toby’s remarried.”

“Yeah, I don’t feel I have to wait. I do want to get married
again if it’s His will. But at the same time, I’m afraid. I don’t want another
failed marriage.” She leaned forward slightly in her chair. “I’m sure Heather
has told you that I’ve fallen in love with Seth. I can’t stand the pain of a
second divorce. I mean, I can’t imagine it happening with Seth… if we should
get married. He’s a good Christian man, but that isn’t any guarantee we’ll be
happy forever and stay together.”

“When I counsel engaged couples, I tell them if they haven’t
already started praying together, to start even before their marriage.”

“That’s a great suggestion.” She’d prayed for Seth to have a
safe trip back from Vietnam, and she knew he also prayed for her. But they had
never prayed together.

“I’m not saying that you and Toby didn’t pray enough or that
prayer is a cure for all that ails a troubled marriage, but praying together
brings out a real sense of selflessness. It can be a simple prayer at
dinnertime or some deeper meditation. A shared spiritual life will help to keep
you and Seth close. Those who pray together are also more likely to tell me
that they respect each other and discuss their relationship together.”

“I agree. Faith and prayer is the foundation of a good
marriage.” She exhaled a deep breath. “Okay, here is a question for you.
Heather, Elizabeth, and my mom seem to think that God directed me to Seth
because he’s the one for me. What do you think? Do you think God meant for us
to meet and to fall in love?”

Jeremy gave her a thoughtful glance. “I can’t definitely say
yes to that question, but I feel comfortable in saying that God probably does
want you to pursue a loving relationship with Seth. It was pretty amazing how
you went to Seth to do your operation and you both received so much more than
either of you expected. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. It’s
pretty special. I have a feeling that God is giving His blessing to this
relationship with Seth.”

They chatted and prayed for several minutes before Mallory
stood to leave. She clasped Jeremy’s hand. “Thank you so much. You’ve been a
big help. I don’t think I’ll have to make the minister circuit after all.” 

Jeremy gave her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“I’m teasing. I meant I don’t have to visit other ministers
for their advice about what to do when you fall in love after being divorced.”

After leaving Jeremy’s office, Mallory made a huge decision.
When Toby became a lawyer, he’d replaced her small diamond in her engagement
ring with a much bigger one. She’d never asked him to do it, but he’d surprised
her with it while she was pregnant with Josh.

She drove to her mom’s house to pick up Josh after selling
her rings.

Her mother met her at the front door, and said, “We can chat
and watch Alan play ball with Josh.”

She followed her mother to the back of the house to the
screened-in porch. There were several white wicker chairs with striped blue and
green cushions. A pitcher and glasses were on a small table.

“Would you like lemonade?”

She nodded and smiled at her mom’s happy face. “Marriage
definitely agrees with you.”

Her mom handed her a tall glass of lemonade. “I can’t
imagine my life without Alan. And he loves you and Josh.”

Mallory watched Josh chasing Alan around the yard, and
laughed. “It looks like both are getting their exercise for the day.”

“Did you get your business done?”

“I did. I sold my engagement and wedding rings.” She opened
her purse. “I want you to have the money. I hated it that you had to give me
money for my surgery.”

Her mom shook her head. “No, you keep the money. You have a
growing boy to feed and clothe.”

“Mom, you know that Toby pays child support. I want to repay
you.”

“When you mentioned having surgery before you left for
college, I thought about getting a loan and paying for it then. But part of me
was stubborn because I didn’t think it was necessary.” Her mother grinned. “I
like your new nose. I realize it was the right thing for you to do.”

“Okay, you win. Thank you. But if you ever change your mind,
it’ll be no problem for me to pay you back.”

Although Mom doesn’t want the money, I don’t regret
selling my jewelry
. With her set gone, she felt free to move on with her
life. The rings had been a symbol of Toby’s past love. God understands because
after all, He’d brought her and Seth together. Two Christians with the desire
to serve the Lord was what she’d always wanted in a marriage. But Toby’s free
will had rebelled against living a Christian life. She’d continue to pray for
her ex-husband’s salvation.

Her mother broke their silence with a question. “Isn’t Alan
wonderful with Josh?”

“You can tell Alan’s comfortable with children. I noticed
that with his grandchildren before you two were married.”

“I bet Seth will be that type of guy around Josh. Seth seems
very family oriented. When you told me how Seth fixed you macaroni and cheese
after your surgery, I knew he was a keeper.”

She took a sip of her cold beverage. “Seth’s a terrific guy,
no doubt about that.”

“I was touched that he took time out of his schedule to call
me after your surgery. It helped to hear from him how everything had gone since
I wasn’t there with you.”

Seth had asked her mother for the phone number at the
restaurant for the purpose of calling her after the procedure was finished.
“He’s always been sweet.”

Her mom patted Mallory’s arm. “Of course, I know how much
you hated being divorced, but I think what was a tragedy might be your greatest
blessing.”

“I’m guessing the tragedy is my divorce.”

“No. I was thinking Toby dating and marrying Samantha seemed
to happen too soon after the divorce, but instead it’s a blessing. You’re free
to marry Seth. You don’t have to put all your energy into worrying what will
happen to Josh when you want to get married again. Josh sees his dad is happily
married and wants you to be happy too. You can focus on Seth. I saw the way you
two looked at each other during my rehearsal dinner.”

“When I was small, I thought I’d marry and live happily ever
after.”

“You still can. God’s practically throwing Seth into your
lap.” 

She smiled at her mother. “I think you should work with
Jeremy in counseling divorced women. He gave me a similar talk.”

***

A few days later, Mallory couldn’t wait to see Seth again.
They’d been inseparable since his return from Vietnam. She no longer felt
guilty about falling in love with him, and in her heart she’d finally forgiven
Toby for cheating on her during their marriage. Life was great and she gave
thanks to God for Seth. She even hoped that Toby and Samantha would have a
happy and long marriage together. Only one thing bothered her a little. Did
plastic surgeons sometimes fall in love with patients after giving them a new
look? Was Seth’s fascination with her because he’d created a new Mallory? It
seemed so right to her whenever she looked in a mirror at her new nose. She loved
what she saw, especially since the swelling had lessened, so Seth must feel the
same pleasure at his work.

Logic told her that he’d been interested in her from the
beginning, but her focus had been on the guilt she felt for a failed marriage.
Well, okay she had feelings for Seth at the same time. These thoughts were in
her mind when Seth arrived to take her to dinner.   

When she opened the door, her heart raced at the sight of
Seth’s handsome chiseled face. He wore khaki pants and a blue striped shirt.
While holding a soccer ball, he asked, “Where’s Josh?”

Seth had already met Josh and it’d gone well. “Heather
picked him up. She decided to take him to a movie instead of hanging around
here to babysit.”

“I remember he said his ball got lost at practice, so I
bought him one.”

Mallory grinned as she took the ball from him, putting it on
the couch. “You realize that you won’t have an excuse not to play soccer with
him now. He’ll be asking you to play with him all the time.”

“That’s what I’m hoping. Josh’s a great kid.” He pulled her
into his arms. “You look gorgeous.”

She wore a black skirt with a beige top. The pleated bib-top
with its frills made her feel flirtatious. “That compliment deserves a kiss.”
When her lips met his, it felt natural. She couldn’t imagine not being in
Seth’s arms.

When the kiss ended, Seth’s blue eyes were filled with
tenderness. “I missed you.”

“You just saw me yesterday.”

“I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“I don’t want you to.” She pressed herself closer to him and
wrapped her arms around his neck.”

His hands grabbed her buttocks, giving them a squeeze. “My
mom wants to know when I’m going to propose to you.”

She laughed. “We just met each other in April.”

“Mom reminded me that I’m not getting any younger. And she
thinks you are a mature woman of thirty-two, so we don’t need to wait.”

“Hey, are you saying that I’m old?” She’d been happy that
Seth’s parents and sister, Amy, had approved of her from the beginning. Her
divorce and having a son had never been an issue with them. She met them right
after Seth had returned from Vietnam. They’d shared a lot of amusing stories of
Seth growing up.

He grinned. “Old enough to know I’m the guy you want as your
husband.” 

She stared at him. It was time for the big question. “When
you see me, do you see the old Mallory? Or do you see the woman you made
beautiful?”

“I see the beautiful woman I fell in love with on her first
visit to my office.”

Although having the perfect nose was wonderful, more
important was having Seth in her life. He was the perfect guy for her. As they
kissed, she thought how remarkable it was that they had become a couple because
of her nose.

Mallory silently prayed,
Thank You for giving me a big
nose so that I met Seth. Your timing in bringing him into my life was awesome.

As the kiss ended, she saw a vision of herself floating down
the church aisle to Seth. “So what’s your favorite month?”

He winked at her. “Oh, I get it. You’re wondering when we
might get married. I better propose soon. How can I have a favorite month when
every month will be the best…as long as I’m married to you.”