No Wasted Tears (24 page)

“Destiny?” He pulled back to look in her eyes. “Are you all right? I’ve been praying all morning. The Lord wouldn’t let me stop praying. When I felt a break in the spirit, I rushed here as quickly as the law would allow. Are you
okay?”

“I think I am,” she said slowly, leaning into the comfort Adam offered. His eyes left her face to look at the gentleman standing behind her. Destiny sensed that her father was watching by the way Adam’s hold on her relaxed. He recognized Willie from the hospital. She swallowed before placing her hand in his, leading him toward her
father.

“Adam Wheeler,” she said slowly, watching the two most important men in her life. “I would like for you to meet my father, Willie
Brown.”

Both men appeared relaxed. Reaching out, Adam shook Willie’s
hand. “It’s good to see you again, Dr. Brown. I didn’t mean to interrupt anything.” Adam turned to look at Destiny. “I just wanted to make sure Destiny was all right. She was weighing heavy in my
spirit.”

Reaching out, Adam pulled Destiny close to him. He captured her hand in his, and Destiny allowed him to pull her close. She loved that his touch felt so
right.

“Thank you for caring about my daughter.” Willie reached for her
other hand, slowly lifting it to place a feather kiss on the back. He lifted his eyes, seeing the smile in hers. “She is precious to me.” He let go of her hand, relaxing for the first time since arriving at the house. He returned to the chair he had been
occupying.

“I feel the same way about you, Uncle Willie.” She said it so softly that he barely heard her.

Reaching beside the chair, he lifted a bag, extending it toward Destiny. “This is a gift from your mother and me. I’ve saved this for your twenty-sixth birthday. I pray that you will be blessed by its
contents.”

Destiny reached for the bag with trembling
hands.

Willie sighed, rubbing his hands down his wearied face. “I have so much to make up for, Destiny. This is only the beginning. God will continue to show me how to repair the damage that has been done. I hurt you for too long, and I had to come
today.”

“We all messed up, Willie,” Destiny said, surprising
herself.

Willie stood and reached for her. He held on, looking her in the eyes. “And the thing that is so awesome about our heavenly Father is that he doesn’t make mistakes. He knew this day was
coming.”

She held on to him, making sure she had his attention. “I’m not saying that I’m perfect in all of this, but what I do know is that God forgives, and because he forgives, it cleanses us from all of our sins. We are redeemed, and he loves us. He didn’t cancel us; we still have a lifetime of seasons to go through.” She smiled with a small laugh of
humbleness.

Unknown to Destiny, Adam watched her with excitement in his eyes. A smile touched his lips. He was falling for his dear friend—her sparkling eyes and warm, laughing spirit. Yes, she just might be the one. This was the real thing, and God just confirmed it as she ministered to her father. At that moment, the thing he wanted to do most in the world was to kiss her to seal the promise of their future, but he didn’t know if the time was right, not wanting to ruin their growing
relationship.

Father, give me pa
tience for our time.
I don’t want to mes
s this up by rushing
her. She’s been hur
t too much already,
and I don’t want to
be added to the list
of people who hurt
her.
He looked over at her while she talked to her father.
But you know I
could love this
wom
an.

“Destiny.”

The simple way Adam said her name caused her to turn around from the conversation with her father. Adam reached out and gently turned her to face him. “I’m going to get out of here and let you have this time with your dad. I’ll be back later for our
date.”

“I’m sorry, Adam. It’s just that there’s been so much going on today.” Sighing, she looked at him, making sure he was okay with leaving
now.

“No, I understand. I’m looking forward to our date later this
evening.”

Whispering, Destiny replied, “I can’t wait
either.”

All of the energy had evaporated out of Destiny, and she let him hold her, comforted by his embrace having no desire to pull away. Placing a soft kiss to her forehead, he looked in the direction of
Willie.

“Dr. Brown, it was nice seeing you again. I hope to see you again real soon and often.” After saying his good-byes, Adam turned toward the
door.

“I’ll see you this evening,” she said before gently closing the
door.

“Hey, listen,” Willie said, “I’ve tied up most of our day, and it sounds like your young man has plans for the both of you tonight.” Willie was getting up from his seat. “We have plenty of time. I promise I’m not going anywhere. Go get your hair done on me,” Willie said, putting some money in her
hands.

Running her hands through her hair, she responded, “Are you saying that this hair is not perfectly styled?” Patting her hair, Destiny laughed, putting a smile back on her face. “You’re
serious?”

“Of course I’m serious. I could tell this date means a great deal to
you.”

“That means I have to leave now,” she
teased.

“I want you to always be happy. It means more to me than anything in the
world.”

She felt her heart flutter, suddenly nervous. “Do you think he’s really interested in having a serious relationship with me?” she asked, figuring a father would be the perfect person to answer this
question.

“If he isn’t, then he sure has fooled me, and I don’t fool that easily. Now I’m going to go. Thank you, Destiny, for allowing us to have this time
together.”

Chapter 23

Walking with her bare feet across the floor, Destiny was happy for the first time in years. Her father had given her a picture of himself and her mother for her birthday. It was taken on their wedding day. They were both standing on the porch of a beautiful Victorian home; it was a wonderful gift. She made her way into the bathroom, reaching for her favorite bath gel, and filled the bath with silky liquid. Destiny turned on the faucets in the tub, adjusted the water temperature, and then poured an additional splash of the gel into the bath. The space was filled with the scent of jasmine. She stripped off her clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor. Before stepping into the tub, she pressed a button on the radio on a nearby shelf then slid into the lukewarm water and sat down. Her lids came down as she closed her eyes, willing her mind
blank.

It was five minutes before six, and Destiny stood back, eyeing herself critically in the mirror. The elegant yellow sundress with its spaghetti straps flowed around her legs. She relished the feel of the silk against her skin. She adorned her earlobes with pearl earrings that matched the tiny row of buttons down the back of her dress. Turning first one way and then the other in front of the mirror, she tried to decide what Adam would think about the
dress.

A knock on the front door brought her out of her daydreaming. It was followed by Sara’s voice. “Destiny, are you ready? Adam is here looking
handsome.”

“He is so punctual. Thank you, Sara.” She smiled, running her hands down her dress. “I’m so
nervous.”

“Well, if it’s any consolation, he looks just as nervous.” She chuckled to
herself.

“Tell him I’ll be out in a minute. I have to put on my shoes.” She slipped into the shoes she purchased to match her dress and grabbed her purse, giving her long curls a toss that sent them cascading down her
back.

Adam was watching her as she entered the room. He was lounging comfortably on the sofa; mesmerized it seemed by her appearance. Standing, his gaze drifted downward to her long, bare legs. She smiled as he noted the pink color on her toes in a pair of gold sling-strapped, high-heel, silk-covered sandals. She also hoped he liked
the sundress she wore because she loved the way the silk fabric skimmed her curvy body, ending at her
knees.

Destiny suppressed a sigh when she gazed at Adam in his tailored gray suit with a two-button jacket. This Adam her friend and pastor with his gorgeous face, killer smile, and bedroom eyes and voice. Destiny felt as if the spirit of the Lord had reached into her chest and gently squeezed her heart, making her nervous, saying, “This is the
one.”

He opened his arms to her without comment for a few seconds before saying, “Hello again. And might I say you look extraordinary tonight.” Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her cheek, his warm moist breath sweeping over her earlobe as he whispered those
words.

Destiny’s hands settled around his waist involuntarily, resting against his sides.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in the warmth and intoxicating scent that was exclusively Adam Wheeler.
Releasing him, she picked up her small shoulder purse from the chair and her keys from the table. “I’m
ready.”

Adam took her hand, squeezing her fingers as they descended the porch steps. Opening the passenger-side door, he waited until Destiny was seated on the black leather seat. As he strode around the car to the driver’s side with his usual grace, it struck her that Adam looked handsome in his suit. Even though she’d seen him in many suits, this one was different. She was sure it was tailor-made. Adam epitomized the grace of the Lord and always worked at presenting the proper image. To Destiny, it seemed to never come naturally, but having this new sense of self-awareness gave her the confidence she
needed.

Adam seemed to sense her thoughts. Reaching out with his right hand, he took hers. His touch was comforting, nonsexual, and nonthreatening. She looked at him and smiled, noticing how his eyes crinkled attractively as he winked at her, making her insides do somersaults. He didn’t remove his hand, and she didn’t ask him to. It wasn’t until he maneuvered into a large public parking lot adjacent to the Edgewater Hotel that he removed his hand. The Edgewater was one of Seattle’s finest hotels, showcasing the Elliott Bay, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains beyond. He retrieved his jacket and then came around the car to open the door for Destiny. She placed her hand in his outstretched one. Tightening his grip, he assisted her with getting out of the
car.