No Wasted Tears (27 page)

It was raining as Stanley exited the automatic doors of the airport. There were a lot of people waiting for car service, rushing to get out of the rain. After securing one for himself, he gave the driver the name of his hotel and for the first time since leaving South Carolina, began to relax a little. He knew he had changed since Destiny had seen him last. He had cut his hair off and was now bald. That wasn’t the only change. He’d lost a tremendous amount of weight. But he was sure she’d be able to recognize him. Maybe these changes would give her pause, causing her to rethink her leaving him. He could even convince her that he was ill with all of his physical changes. All of it would help his
cause.

Arriving at the hotel, he checked in and made a call to his private investigator. They were supposed to meet later to discuss the information gathered on Destiny’s life in Seattle. His plans were to be here only for a couple of weeks. But he needed to see what he was up against. Deciding to take a nap, he picked up the television remote and lay on the bed. In two hours he would have all of the information he needed to put his plan into
action.

Chapter 25

It had been raining all morning but Destiny wasn’t going to let it ruin her day. Time flew by quickly for her. She had a little over two hours before she had to meet Adam. As she got
dressed, she felt blissfully happy. It felt good knowing that her life was finally on track for the first time in several years. It was her ritual to do all her household chores on Saturday mornings, so she turned her radio to an old-school station. When she heard “Reasons” by Earth, Wind, and Fire, she couldn’t help but sing along. After washing and folding the clothes for the entire house, she noticed the
time. She now had less than half an hour until she had to meet Adam. Putting on a pair of white Capri pants, a pink tank top, and comfortable sandals, she was ready to
go.

Her thoughts were on Adam as she walked down the hallway of the house. She kissed Sara on the cheek as she walked past her working in the garden. Today’s brunch was a little unnerving because she would be at his home. They had many dates, but all of them had been in public places. What would it be like spending the day with him alone at his house? Even though she was nervous, she looked forward to spending time with
him.

This would be the first time they would be able to see how they would react to
each other totally alone without on lookers.
Her first response to him was an instant attraction. But she
wasn’t the same woman who’d fallen so blindly in love with a man she knew little about. It took time, but now she understood what she’d been searching for in Stanley. It wasn’t love, but it was security, a form of protection that she never received from her father. She learned that while attending Healing Virtue at Greater Community. Now she had purpose, a destiny, and a new life. It was changing her
completely.

She turned onto the street to where Adam lived, peering at all of the beautiful condominiums in the charming neighborhood. As she entered the gated community and drove through, she was amazed at the beauty of the misty filled gardens that greeted
her.

Looking for his home, she stared at the posted sign, which read Harvard and Highland. Looking at the address she’d written down, she knew this was where he lived. This area had a unique enclave of lovely condominium homes; they were all nestled among the tree-lined streets of Seattle’s North Capitol
Hill.

She strolled up the path, looking at the climbing vines and flowers that surrounded the wrought-iron gate out front. Taking her time to leisurely climb the steps, she approached the doorbell, ringing it once. The front door opened and she found herself breathless at the sight of
him.

He had on a pair of faded well-washed jeans that hung around his waist, showing off his slim hips and molded thighs. His feet were shoeless, which made her smile because she walked around the house all day without shoes. Yes, Adam did a suit justice, but she thought he made an excellent casually dressed man. She knew she was staring because when she glanced at his eyes, he was smiling. Leaning down, he pulled her in a warm
embrace.

He extended his hand, pulled her inside, and closed the door behind her. Then he wrapped an arm around her waist. Destiny closed her eyes as he hugged her close. She pressed her face to his shoulder, inhaling the scent of him mixed with the extraordinary smells of their
meal.

“Good morning,” she said. Her heart was racing. “You have a beautiful
home.”

He picked her up, swinging her around. After setting her down again, he looked into her beautiful eyes, which seemed to have turned deeper in
color.

“Good morning,” he
whispered.

“You’re in a good mood today,” she countered. Adam bent slightly
so that he could place a kiss on the tip of her
nose.

She extended the bag she had been holding in her hand. “This is a little something for our brunch table.” She reached into the bag to pull out a basket of flowers, perfect for a
centerpiece.

His smile was dazzling. “They’re
perfect.”

She arched her eyebrows. “I was hoping you didn’t already have some.”

“No, I didn’t, and these are perfect. Thank
you.”

Their gazes met and fused for several seconds. “You’re quite welcome.”

He grabbed her hand, pulling her behind him. “I hope you haven’t
eaten anything this
morning.”

She grasped his hand, feeling the warmth of it. “I have to be honest with you. I was too excited about this brunch to
eat.”

“You must be starving. We’ll eat first, then we’ll talk about what to do for the rest of the
day.

Destiny stood by the cooking island in his kitchen. After Adam
poured her some orange juice, she sat, sipping and watching Adam move around the area like a skilled chef. He was dicing onions and peppers into tiny pieces on a cutting board for their
omelets.

“You’re really good with that knife. How’d you learn to cook?” she asked as he diced with abnormal
speed.

“Mom taught Marvin and me how to cook when we were in middle school,” he responded without lifting his head from his
task.

“Can you cook a variety of
meals?”

Wiping his hands, he picked up his own glass of orange juice. “I can cook just about anything. Maybe I’ll have the chance to show you.” Taking a sip from his glass, he sat it to the side and finished his
chopping.

Taking the opportunity, she let her gaze sweep around the open spaces making up his kitchen. The entire floor of the house seemed to be constructed around openness; there were very few walls. It gave the place a feel of being outside. The oak floors and cabinets, along with the crown molding, were a perfect contrast to the wheat brown color of the walls used
throughout.

Adam watched as she glanced around his functional kitchen. “I’ll give you a full tour after we
eat.”

“Can I help you with anything? I don’t like sitting around doing nothing.”

“Something tells me you need to be treated like a queen. You deserve having someone wait on you.” He took his chopping board and wiped its contents into a bowl. “So relax, you’re my guest.” His voice was soft as he said the words
my
guest
.

She went still, her gaze fusing with his. “A girl could get use to being a
guest?”

He put the bowl to the side, moving slowly as if he was in deep
thought.

“That is just the way my mother raise us. Guests are catered to when they are in your
home.”

She squinted at him from her perch on the stool. “Smart mother.”

He picked up his knife and began to dice an onion on the chopping board. “It’s not often I get the chance to entertain in my home and I really want to impress
you.”

“Well you are. Just seeing you move with expertise around this kitchen has impressed
me.”

Putting his knife down, he scrubbed his hands under the cold water of the sink that was built into the island. After drying them, he reached out to take her hands and pulled her off the stool. Adam pulled her up close, flattening her against his
chest.

“I’m not going to lie. This brunch was a way to get you to spend more time with me. I would love to rush what God is trying to do in his time. I want to be with you more each time I leave you. But I’m willing to wait on God. I want this relationship to be all the things he promised in his Word. I want to be satisfied with being with you everywhere but the
bedroom.”

Smiling, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face.
“To be honest with you, my flesh screams every time I see you or touch you, but I have to conquer the flesh and let the Holy Spirit take control,” he whispered against her cheek. “So yes, my flesh would love to take advantage of this situation, but I don’t want to do anything that will cause us to damage God’s blessing on this
relationship.”

“I’ve never met anyone like you. Why is that, Adam?” she whispered
against his shoulder. Her voice was barely audible against the fabric of his
shirt.

“I don’t know, Destiny. All I can say is that from the moment we met, I knew there was something special about you and about this
relationship.”

“I want it to be that way, Adam. I just want to take baby steps for right
now.”

A soft laugh rumbled from deep inside Adam’s chest. “I understand although I would like for it to be
different.”

“Good.” It came out of her mouth like a sigh of
relief.

“So now that we have that out of the way, we can enjoy our brunch.”

Closing her eyes, she tried to still her heart. She knew he could feel it beating wildly in her chest. She wanted to tell him that she loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But she decided this time she was going to get it
right.

Releasing her, he turned, walking over to the refrigerator to take out the pitcher of fresh orange
juice.

“Come on. I’ll show you
where we’re going to
eat.”

Turning, Destiny followed him into the room across from the kitchen. She didn’t know what to expect but certainly not the scene unfolding before her. The large space reminded her of an Italian villa. The room was filled with ceramic pots and beautiful flowers. There was a stone fireplace with a beautiful, carved table made of marble and wood. The walls had a beautiful painted mural of a villa’s garden. After helping her into a seat, Adam slid her chair under the
table.

Brunch lasted for two hours over several cups of tea; omelets filled with peppers, onions, smoked ham, a variety of cheeses; and sweet potato muffins. Destiny was happy. Never could she have imagined being at this place in her life and totally at
peace.

She listened
to Adam talk about his goals and future plans for the ministry. The afternoon progressed after they leisurely talked over coffee. Adam showed the rest of the house to Destiny. It was beautiful. He had excellent
taste.

Cradling her hand, Adam led the way back downstairs. He pulled her close to his chest as they reached the landing. Turning to look her in the eyes, he asked, “Can I see you again
tomorrow?”

He wouldn’t take no for an answer, not that she’d exactly told him no
yet.

Everything in her wanted to jump up and down like an excited child.

“You haven’t told me whether you will go with me to Tacoma. It’s not ‘til next month, but I want to have all of the details worked out.” Adam patiently waited for her to
answer.

Without even knowing it, Destiny found herself drawn into the deep pools of his eyes. Yes, she would see him again. For the first time in a long time, she was eager for tomorrow to arrive. Images of their Saturday together stayed with Destiny as she pulled her car into the
driveway.