No Wasted Tears (30 page)

Adam’s mom, Mary, was wearing a floral sundress with a pair of gold slides. Her hair was styled with curls. Destiny admired the fact that her movements were so graceful, like she was royalty. It was intimidating knowing that this was the woman who had given birth to Adam. If she was nervous before, she was even more so
now.

Bill seemed relaxed. He had strong, broad shoulders, looking very distinguished in his white shirt and loose, dark jeans. His alert eyes, the same as Adam’s, were trained on her, and a smile was in place on his face. However, she felt as if he were watching everything about her to see if she was just as relaxed and comfortable as they were. His hair had a touch of silver around the edges. He was a very handsome man, and she knew where Adam and Marvin got their
looks.

“We are so excited to have you here, Destiny,” Adam’s mother said, moving from under her husband’s protective arm to embrace Destiny. She made Destiny feel as if she was already a part of their family. She couldn’t help but notice utter happiness on his mother’s
face.

“Mom, she’ll be here the rest of the day. So you can relax,” Adam stated, surprising himself as he spoke those
words.

“Oh, I’m just happy, Adam!” Mary replied as Adam’s father made his way
over.

“You both come on in the house. I was just about to take my roast out the oven. Adam, I want to chat with Destiny before you steal her
away!”

Destiny smiled when she saw the small smile coming from Adam’s
father.

“Welcome to our home, Destiny. You have to excuse my wife. She’s excited about your visit today.” When Destiny’s eyes made contact with Bill, he was watching her. Leaning in to whisper, he said, “She picked you out for her son some months ago before she met
you.”

Mary rolled her eyes while playfully hitting his arm. She started leading Destiny inside the house, talking fast about her meal and the day she had planned for all of them. Something about Mary made Destiny feel very welcome and very at peace, so she didn’t feel too awkward or
uncomfortable.

Destiny’s eyes widened as she entered the foyer. “Mrs. Wheeler,
you have a lovely home. Did you decorate it
yourself?”

“Yes, the boys built this house for us a couple of years ago. To say we were surprised is an understatement. It was such a wonderful thing for them to do for us. We’ve never asked them for a thing. It was their way of saying they loved us, as if we didn’t already know it.” Mary watched her husband and son walk in behind them. “Adam told us that your friend Tina Wilson and her family will be joining us for dinner today. I’m glad. It’s been a long time since we’ve had a gathering this
large.”

“Yes, Adam invited them after service. I hope it’s not an inconvenience.” She looked a little anxious as she watched Mary shake her
head.

“No, I’ve cooked plenty. I asked Sara to come after Sunday school, but she told me she had plans with your
father.”

“They do have plans. My father is taking her downtown for dinner, and then they’re going to a
movie.”

“Well, she’s welcomed here any time, even your father. I would love to get to know Sara better. It’s wonderful to have a husband
and sons, but sometimes, I’m positively sick of only male companions. Don’t get me wrong. I love them, but they absolutely refuse to go shopping with
me.”

They both laughed as Destiny followed her farther into the house without saying much. She looked and listened as Mary showed off her home, stopping by the gourmet kitchen to take the roast out of the
oven.

Adam, along with his father, went toward the back of the house. Mary sat on the sofa as Destiny followed suit. Relaxing on the sofa, Mary spoke. “Adam has done nothing on his visits but talk about you, Destiny. I must say, he really is smitten by
you.”

Destiny smiled, pulling a strand of hair from her face. “I have to admit, he’s a special man. You and your husband raised a wonderful son, Mrs. Wheeler.”

Mary looked curiously at Destiny. “It was easy because both of my sons had the support of a mother and father. I couldn’t have done it
alone.”

“That’s the way I want to raise my children when and if it happens.” Sighing, Destiny looked everywhere but back at
Mary.

Reaching out, Mary placed a hand gently on Destiny’s arm. “Adam has always wanted children as well. I’ve watched you, Destiny, over the last several months, admiring what I’ve seen. Not every woman would have been as low key as you have been, getting the attention of the pastor of a ministry like Greater
Community.”

Laughing, Destiny replied, “The one thing I know, Mrs. Wheeler,
is that Adam needs a strong, confident saved woman in his life. He’s a good, sold-out man of God who only wants to glorify his Father in heaven. I believe I’m a good woman. I know for sure I’m saved, and yes, all I want to do is please God. There’s still a lot we don’t know about each other, but in time we will because I don’t want us to have secrets that will cause hurt or pain later. I don’t want us to have any skeletons in our closets. I could love your son if I don’t already, but I want to make sure we have a good
foundation.”

Mary smiled with a look of relief. “I knew there was something special about you, Destiny.” Getting up from the sofa, she looked at Destiny and asked, “So are you ready to help me in the
kitchen?”

Destiny’s eyes lit up as she stood. “Just lead the way. I’d be glad to assist you. I love to
cook.”

Mary took Destiny’s hand, pulling her close in a warm hug. “And you like to cook. Adam always did have a good head on his
shoulders.”

Chapter 28

Did it always
rain in this God-fo
rsaken place?
Stanley thought as he
drove away from the hotel in his rental car. He’d been in Seattle for three days now and it was time to get out of this city. Finding the house was easy with the GPS in his rental car. He’d even been able to watch the comings and goings of the residents from down the street. The first time he saw Destiny caused his heart rate to
increase.

She seemed happy each time he saw her. There wasn’t that scowl on her face that he’d seen so often. He saw her leave home a couple of nights ago with the man he’d read about in his packet—the pastor. She was dressed like she was going on a date. It had been late when they
returned.

Now he was on the road again, his report indicated that she attended the church of the pastor she was seeing. Since he had an address and a picture, finding it would be easy. His heart raced with anticipation. Maybe today he’d be able to speak to
her.

There was no denying that Destiny was gorgeous. If she weren’t,
he’d never been bothered with her. She had moved on with her life as if he never existed but for the last seven months, he had been laughed at by all of his friends for being doped by a silly immature woman. If she hadn’t fought with him that night, he would have never left her to go out with his friends. It was her fault he had to hit her with so much force. She was a woman after all. He wasn’t trying to kill her, just teach her a
lesson.

Stanley looked at the directions then at the street sign. One right turn and he’d be
there.

Then he smiled as he looked at the church ahead of him. Once he had her with him alone, he would be able to convince her that he loved her and she’d come back home. He got out of his car at the church and stood looking at the building knowing she was inside. He breathed in the memory of her sweet smell and felt a flicker of something in his memory. He put a hand to his head, frowning as he tried to concentrate on Destiny instead of his pounding head. All of this thinking and planning was giving him uncontrollable
migraines.

Stanley began heaving with each ragged pant he took through his nostril. He knew it would be just a matter of time. His fists were uncurling and his hands dangled at his sides. Destiny was always trying him. She had no right leaving him the way she did. He shook his head as if to make sense of it all. She should have known better. He was a big man, six-one, two hundred and twenty pounds. She couldn’t wiggle out from his hold, let alone try to keep him from taking her back to South
Carolina.

For three years he tried everything to drive her crazy, but she’d endured his subtle taunts, his jealousy and control issues, all his passive-aggressive forms of emotional abuse. She’d even made excuses to her friends for not being around them. There was no woman who could replace her in his mind and he wasn’t going to try. He wanted her back. As far as he was concerned, she’d be with him when he left this god-forsaken state next
week.

He didn’t like being outmaneuvered. He’d run out of options until he’d gotten that mysterious call and hired a private investigator.
The woman’s name was Regina and they were going to meet later this week. Two days after she contacted him, he reached out to her.
She’d told him everything she knew from the beginning to end with a timeline and, most importantly, names and descriptions. Stanley had contacted his own private investigator to see what he could find out about this Regina and Pastor Adam Wheeler. After a lengthy conversation Regina showed some interest in him and his money; it didn’t matter she was just a means to an end. Maybe he’d been wrong to take such a drastic measure, but he’d been desperate to find Destiny.
He was determined to bring her back and he could use all the help he could
get.

So today was the beginning of his plan. He wouldn’t stop or leave Seattle without
Destiny. He had become obsessed with her movements around the city, even memorizing
her work schedule. The opportunity would come, then he would have to move quickly. A smile lit his face. The same beaming smile he’d donned when he’d gotten the message about her being in Seattle. His thighs relaxed, he flexed his hands. Things were getting better by the second. Anticipation roared like a wild beast in his veins. Stanley hid his disgust when he thought about the information his private investigator had given him. Irritation etched into his aged
features.

“I’ll show Pastor Adam Wheeler who she belongs to, if he gets in my way.” He was squeezing his fist so tightly, blood pooled in the center of his hands. “There’s something between us and he’ll see it when we are together again.” His restraint snapped like an elastic band. He walked back to his car to wait. They’d be out soon. The only way he’d go into a church would be in a coffin, and that wasn’t going to happen for a long
time.

Chapter 29

Cynthia picked her son’s up after school. She had breathed a sigh of relief when their last meeting ended, wanting to get to her parents home before it got too late. As she was about to leave the office, Marvin stopped by. He had gotten back from Atlanta the day before after finalizing his business deal. She reminded him she was going to her parents’ house today. He was very caring knowing this was going to be a day of
reconciliation for her and her parents. She had prayed about it this morning but some
days she just felt tired, and today was one of those days. Yes, she loved God but she just
felt burden, but God showed her he hadn’t given up on her when Marvin suggested they
pray for God to intervene on her behalf. Still dazed, she watched Marvin as he
moved to escort her to the elevators. Picking up her purse, she quickly joined
him.

Forty-five minutes later, Cynthia eased her car through the gate to the semi-circular drive of the Mason mansion. She remembered all of the times she’d driven through these gates. However, the last time was seven years ago when she left to go to college. It was a marvelous house—four-stories with an apartment on the upper level, bedrooms on the third level, entertainment on the first, and a huge cellar with a recreational area. Outside was all red brick and stucco in the front with a beautiful stone deck on the east side. The front lawn was decorated with an elaborate marble fountain on the left side of the cobble stone walk and a beautiful craved teak bench on the right, underneath the tall oak tree. This grand estate was once a place she never thought she’d leave. But things change and so do
people.