October Joy (Moments In Paradise 1) (29 page)

“I saw that happening when the church began to grow like it did.  That brought back a lot of his life and spirit, but I knew he still had further to go, and I’ve just been waiting for the day when he would call and say, ‘I met her.  The one who makes me feel whole again.’”

“So you aren’t surprised he met me last week and we’re engaged this week?”

“No, not at all.  That’s my Andrew.  Always has been.  And if you haven’t figured this out yet, he will love you like there’s no tomorrow.”

***

On Friday evening Grace and James went to the high school football game to watch some of the boys in the youth group play and to see Tabby cheer. Afterwards they went out with Ryan and Tabby, and she had so much fun.  She wasn’t a teenager anymore, but with James she felt like one.  She could step back to a time in her life that had been carefree and happy, but she wouldn’t wake up tomorrow and find it had been a temporary escape.  This was her life.  This was her future, and she could smile at it.

This morning her dad had taken Sarah to meet her grandparents in Monterey, and on Saturday James took her to San Jose to meet his family.  She had met some of them before when they visited the church, but this time she met everyone at once, including his two siblings who were married and lived in the area.  He had an older sister and three younger brothers.

She looked through some photo albums with him and his mom, and they also watched some home movies.  James and his twin brother had been identical, and seeing them playing together and enjoying the same activities gave her a greater sense of what James had lost.  She knew if Tommy was still here, they would be close and a part of each other’s lives.  He was close to his other brothers, but having younger siblings wasn’t the same as having a twin.

They had a huge family feast for dinner, as if it was Thanksgiving instead of a normal Saturday in October.  Afterwards James took her to the beach instead of going back to the house right away.  He wasn’t acting any different than he had all day, or any other time she had been with him, but he did have a surprise for her.

“What’s this?” she asked, taking the jewelry case from him.

“Just a little something I got for you.”

She suspected it was a purity ring.  She had talked about getting a new one with a small diamond in it rather than the simpler one she had been given as a teenager.  Opening the case, she saw a ring, but it seemed a big large and expensive for a purity ring.  She looked at James for an explanation, but he was going down on one knee, and she started crying before he got the words out.

“I love you, Grace.  Please marry me.”

She went down on her knees in front of him.  She was the one who should be begging him to marry her.  She didn’t understand how he had been so patient to wait three years for her when she had given him no indication she was interested.  He hadn’t bugged her about it, or dated other women to make her jealous, or tried to use her dad to convince her to go out with him; he just waited.  He had waited for her to see him.  He had waited for her to be ready.

She didn’t bother with a speech about how unconventional this was or how the pace of their relationship didn’t match up with her ideals about how relationships worked.  She didn’t ask him how he knew he was ready for this or how he knew she would be.  She just said what her heart was screaming.

“I’d love to.”

“You would?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck.  “I love you, James.  And I need you.”

“I need you too, Gracie.”

They held each other for a long time.  Grace knew she would never forget this moment, but she was looking forward to their future together.  She knew it was going to be crazy, and there wouldn’t be a day she didn’t fear losing him, but her only other option was to shut him out of her life, and that wasn’t an option.

On the drive to the house, James said he had asked her dad for permission on Thursday.  “I told him we would come into the house together if you said yes, but if you didn’t, I would let you go in alone so he wouldn’t ask you about it.”

“What did he think I would say?”

“He thought you would say yes, but I wasn’t sure.”

When they arrived, Tabby and Ryan weren’t back from their date tonight, but Daddy and Sarah were sitting in the front room, awaiting their arrival.  Seeing her dad and the look of joy on his face when they walked in together, she returned his smile and couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the same moment.  So many times she had told him, ‘I’m never going to be right again.  My life will go on, but it’s never going to be like when Mom was here.’

It wasn’t the same, but her joy had been restored.  She hugged him for a long time and Sarah also.  Sarah wasn’t her mother, but she could share her joy, and in many ways Sarah would be taking her mom’s place.  Sarah would be here whenever she came to visit, and she would be the grandmother her children knew.  She would make her dad happy and fill the void they all needed to be filled.

Before leaving the beach, she and James had discussed possible wedding dates, and she thought the week before Christmas would be good.  She didn’t have work then, and James didn’t have a lot going on with the youth group, but she thought her dad might be thinking the same timeframe for his wedding, and she didn’t want to interfere with his plans.

“How soon?” he asked.

“We were thinking around Christmas,” James said.  “Unless, of course, that’s what you two are planning.  We both think you should get married first.”

Her dad smiled.  “We talked about it today and came up with some official plans.  Sarah’s going to stay here for another week and then she’s flying home to take care of some things in Minneapolis, and we’ll get married Thanksgiving Weekend.  So, if you two want Christmas, it’s all yours.”

***

Annika smiled through her tears as she watched Grace and James kneeling together in the sand.  She had been as shocked as Grace to see James offering her an engagement ring this soon.  She knew something significant had happened though because Tommy came pounding on her door after dinner, but she hadn’t been in a hurry to get to her last Great Window appointment, never imagining it would be something so exciting on the heels of Andrew proposing to Sarah less than a week ago.

“I miss the beach, Joshua,” she said, leaning into His side and closing her eyes, trying to imagine the smell and feel of her favorite place on earth besides The Farm.  She and Andrew had gone there often, and she and Grace had too.

“Then let’s go,” Joshua said.

“What?”

“You and Me, let’s go to the beach.”

She looked at Him.  “Are You serious?  The beach--on Earth?  We can go there?”

He laughed.  “Well, I’m God, aren’t I?  I made it, I think I can go there.”

She closed her eyes and didn’t ask any more questions.  Joshua held her close, and she didn’t know what to expect, but she trusted Joshua to keep His word.  Within seconds she felt the cool marine air on her cheeks, and she didn’t have to open her eyes to know they were there.

When she finally did, she saw the beautiful sunset on the horizon and felt the cool sand between her toes.  It was like stepping back in time and being in Andrew’s arms again, and she cherished the moment.

“Look,” He said, pointing down shore.

She looked, and there they were: Grace and James, kissing each other.  Grace had her hands draped around James’ neck, and Annika could see the engagement ring on her finger.  She couldn’t hold back the tears.  She missed her babies so much, but she also loved seeing them happy.

“She’s going to be fine, isn’t she, Joshua.”  It was a statement this time rather than a question.

“They both will be,” He said.

Once Grace and James had stepped away and were out of sight, she turned toward the setting sun and rested in the comfort of Joshua’s arms.  They stood there until darkness was surrounding them.  Annika had forgotten what darkness was like, and she asked Joshua if they could go back now.

“Want to walk on water first?” He asked.  “We could catch up with that sunset.”

She laughed.  “Okay.”

Chapter Twenty-eight

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” Andrew asked Sarah one last time before they headed for the airport.  “I can be packed in five minutes.”

Sarah smiled.  “I’m sure.  I appreciate your willingness to go, but I’ll be all right.  And I feel like I need to do this on my own.”

Andrew didn’t like it, but he would respect her decision.  He wasn’t concerned Sarah wouldn’t return in another three weeks as planned, but he was concerned about what she might encounter in Minneapolis during that time.  She was doing much better emotionally than three weeks ago when he first met her, but he feared she could be torn back down in that same amount of time.

He drove her to San Francisco, never feeling more grateful for the long drive to the major international airport.  He remained quiet on the drive, but Sarah talked more than usual.  By the time they reached the security checkpoint area where he had to say good-bye to her, he knew she would be fine if her current mood was any indication of how well she was doing.  He didn’t think she could be faking it.  Sarah was terrible at faking her emotions with him.

“I’m all right, Andrew,” she said, sensing his concern.  He was trying to hide it from her, but she knew him too well.  “I’m not going back alone.  Jesus is with me, and I know that.  You’ve helped me to know that.  Don’t start doubting now.  If I can do it, I know you can.”

“We’re kind of reversing our roles today, aren’t we?”

“Yes,” she laughed.  “And you should consider that a great accomplishment.  You have changed my life, Andrew.  God has changed me.  If you don’t believe in your ability to have that much of an effect on me in three weeks’ time, at least believe in His.”

“I do, sweetheart,” he said, knowing she didn’t need anyone doubting her, most of all him.  “And I believe in you too.  I know you can do this, I’m just going to miss you terribly, that’s all.”

He kissed her and made it a good one.  “I love you, Sarah.  I know you’ll be fine without me, but I won’t be fine without you.  I won’t be fine until you’re back here with me.”

“I won’t be fine without you, Andrew.  I’ll make it with God’s help, but I won’t be fine until I’m back here with you either.  This is home to me now, and I will miss you very much.”

He held her close.  “If you need anything, I’m not more than a phone call away.  I’ll have it with me and turned on all the time, even at night.  Don’t hesitate to call me for any reason.  Will you promise me you’ll do that?”

“Yes, I promise.”

He sighed and knew he was going to have to trust her on that.

“And I know you’ll be there in less than a day if I need that.  You’re not my husband yet, but I’m looking at you that way, and I’m not ashamed to let you rescue me.  Three weeks ago I was, but I had to let you anyway.  I’m certainly not going to try and hold you at arm’s length now.  I’m praying for some calm waters, but if all I find there is a huge storm, I’m not above running back to your secure arms.”

The drive home was one long prayer-session.  He did believe in God’s ability to help Sarah with whatever she faced back home, but he didn’t want to be remiss in asking for that help on her behalf.

Going to the church, he spent the rest of the day there and didn’t get home until five-thirty.  It had been several weeks since he had worked that late, but he knew it would be easier to return to the house when his daughters were already there and he could sit down to dinner with them rather than going home to an empty house.  He often wished Grace would have felt more free to get out on her own, but today he was grateful she still lived at home and Tabby hadn’t gone off to college yet.

A season in their lives was coming to an end.  By this time next year it would be him and Sarah with this big house all to themselves, but he wanted to cherish these remaining months he had with two of his daughters before they were on their own.  And dinner that evening was enjoyable.  It felt like old times when it had been just the three of them and they were each other’s world before Ryan, James, and Sarah had come into it.  They had made their lives richer, and the future wouldn’t exist without them, but for tonight it felt nice and was exactly what he needed.

***

Sarah smiled when she saw Chandler waiting for her.  She had specifically asked him to come pick her up and arranged her landing-time for when would be best for him.  She had talked to both of her children since she and Andrew set the official wedding date, and they were supportive, but she could still hear the reservation in Faye’s voice.

Chandler hugged her, and they held each other for a long time.  She’d always had a unique bond with her son she hadn’t formed so much with Faye.  Chandler had been an easy child to raise.  He was loving and kind, and the need to discipline him had been minimal.  She tried hard not to play favorites with her children, but Faye had been a rascal from Day One and had required much more patience and guidance.

“Thanks for coming,” she said, letting the tears fall quietly down her face.

“No problem, Mom.”

She asked him how Heather and Josef were, and he said they were fine.  She had something specific she wanted to ask him, but she wanted to wait until they were completely alone.  Once they were headed for Chandler and Heather’s apartment, where she wanted to go first so she could see her grandson, she asked Chandler about the rumors Faye had talked about.

“Have you been hearing the same thing?”

“I heard it from Faye, and then Heather said she heard someone saying something, but I haven’t heard anything from anyone myself.”

That didn’t surprise her.  There had been many times when she heard something from a woman at church, asked Levi if he knew anything about it, and he hadn’t heard a thing.  Sometimes he went to the person she heard it from, asking if something was true, and they would deny knowing about it or would say, ‘Oh, I heard that from so and so, you’ll have to ask her.’