THE TRUE LOVE SERIES BOX SET: A Christian Romance

by Duncan, Juliette

  She jumped to her feet and began pacing. This couldn’t be happening. She was Luke’s one true love. How many times had he told her that? A whole range of possible scenarios ran through her mind, but as she thought about and rejected each one, there was only one explanation left.

  Luke had cheated on her.

  Her skin tingled and she felt winded, as if a golf ball had hit her in the stomach. She sank to the couch as gut wrenching sobs rose from deep within. How could Luke have done this to her? He’d told her he loved her. She sobbed until she could sob no more, and her anger gave way to a deep sadness that sat heavily in her heart.

  She slowly sat and wiped her face before reaching for the gold inlaid cigarette case Luke had given to her early in their relationship. Her hands shook as she took out a cigarette and lit it. As she drew long and deep, her hands steadied, but her heart was broken and she knew it would never recover.

  She would confront Luke. As soon as that double-crossing piece of filth returned, she’d be waiting. And he’d pay. Oh yes, he’d pay.

  Chapter 19

  Tessa woke to the alarm as the first rays of sun poked through the small gap between the curtains. She rolled over and placed her arm gently on Ben’s chest. “Are you ready for this, my sweet?” She reached her hand up and slowly turned his face to hers.

  “Do we have to go?” His eyes were still closed, and his voice trailed off as he slipped back into sleep.

  “Poor baby. Yes, we do. We promised Jayden.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek before jumping out of bed. Her stomach convulsed and she raced for the bathroom, just making it. When she returned a few minutes later, Ben had rolled over and was snoring. She let out a soft sigh and was tempted to climb back in with him, but she couldn’t. They’d promised Jayden, and a deal was a deal. She’d leave him for a few minutes while she showered and dressed. Jayden wasn’t up yet anyway.

  As the hot water splashed over her body, her thoughts turned to the camping trip. The week had been so busy they’d packed the car only the night before. Ben had been so particular about how to pack everything, they’d almost had a full on argument. It had taken all of her patience to let him do it his way, but it took forever. They would definitely need a bigger car when the baby was born.

  At least the day was sunny. How would Ben have coped if it had been raining? He hated dirty shoes; what would he do with muddy ones? She let out a small giggle as the warm water flowed over her body. She so hoped the camping trip would be a fun time for them all. “Oh Lord, please let us have a great time. Let it be full of fun and fellowship, and Lord, please help Ben cope with everything. And please keep working on Jayden. Thank You that he’s continued coming to church, now I pray he’ll see the magnificence of Your creation and will reach out to You as a result. Thank You for my family, God, and for this new little baby. Please bless us all, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  When she stepped out of the shower, the alarm was bleating and Ben was reaching out to turn it off. Yawning and stretching, he pulled himself upright and leaned against his pillows.

  “Hey there, sleepyhead. Time to rise and shine.” Tessa slipped on a comfy pink T-shirt and her new denim shorts with the elastic at the back and threw open the curtains.

  Ben covered his eyes against the bright sunlight. “Guess I don’t have a choice?” He peered at her between his fingers and raised an eyebrow. The corners of his mouth lifted slowly into a mischievous grin.

  Tessa laughed and hit him playfully with a pillow before falling into his arms. Propping herself on her elbows, she tapped him on the lips. “No, you don’t. We told Neil we’d pick him up at eight, so you’d better get moving.” She leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his lips before jumping up and running down the stairs to pack the last minute things.

  The drive up to the rain forest hinterland took several hours. Jayden and Neil sat with headphones on listening to music most of the way and Ben and Tessa chatted about things in general. Neither had been to the hinterland for many years, and never together, so they enjoyed the changing scenery and just being out together, away from the everyday hustle and bustle of living and working.

  Expansive acreage lots with horse paddocks and hobby farms soon gave way to sub-tropical foliage and winding roads snaking up the mountains to where it was cool and lush. The camp ground they’d chosen was surrounded by towering ghost gums and tree ferns, and was only a short walk from a large waterhole where the sounds of children jumping and splashing greeted them as they piled out of the car.

  Tessa stretched as she gazed around and breathed in the cool, crisp mountain air. Someone’s campfire still smouldered, sending a thin spiral of smoke across the campsite dotted with a range of tents in all different shapes and sizes. A spot on the edge of the clearing caught her eye. It was perfect. A small fireplace sat to one side of a flat area just big enough for their two small tents. They could lie in their sleeping bags and look out into the forest in the morning. What better way to wake up?

  Ben had walked with the two boys to find the toilet and they were on their way back. Her heart fell as she saw the unimpressed look on his face.

  “You didn’t tell me they’d be drop toilets. They’re the most disgusting things I’ve ever seen.”

  “Yeah, they smell gross.” Jayden held his nose and made a face.

  Tessa shook her head and laughed. “You boys! What do you expect up here in the mountains? Flushing toilets with full facilities?”

  “That would be nice.” Ben was serious.

  She hit him playfully on the back. “Don’t let a silly toilet ruin our weekend. Come on, let’s set up.” She headed to the back of the car and went to open the boot, but was surprised when Ben offered to do it.

  “Boys, come and set up your tent.” He threw them the small bag holding Tessa’s old tent, while he carried the larger bag to the cleared area. Jayden and Neil opened their bag while she helped Ben.

  “Yew!” Jayden threw the tent on the ground and jumped back.

  The tent, covered in powdery mildew, disintegrated before her eyes. Her jaw dropped, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. How could this have happened? Last time she and Stephanie used it, it was fine. But the weather wasn’t… It had rained and she’d meant to put it out to dry. Her shoulders fell. I should have listened to Dad and checked it.

  “Now what are we going to do?” Jayden flung his arms out and stared at her with accusing eyes.

  “Yes, Tessa. What are we going to do?” Ben’s eyebrows arched as he stood there gazing at her with an amused expression on his face.

  She drew a deep breath as she quickly thought of options. “Jayden, Neil, I’m sorry. I should have checked the tent. We’ll think of something, even if we have to drive to town and buy a new one.”

  “We could just sleep out, Mrs. Williams. I’ve done it before.” Neil’s face lit up. “Sleeping out’s cool.”

  “It’ll be cool all right. You’ll freeze.” Ben shook his head and stood with his arms crossed.

  Tessa placed her hand on her hip. She wasn’t going to let this ruin their weekend. “No, I think it could work. We could put the tarpaulin over them. I think they’d be fine. It’s not like it’s mid-winter.” She slipped her arm around his waist, tilting her face towards his, hoping to convince him. “Come on, Ben. Relax. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect to have a good time. It’ll be an adventure for the boys to sleep out.”

  His eyebrows came together. “You really think they’ll be okay? What if something happens to them?”

  “Like what?

  “Oh, I don’t know. They could get bitten by a snake.”

  “Snakes don’t normally come out at night.”

  “A spider, then.”

  “They’ve got their stretchers, so they’ll be off the ground. They’ll be fine. Loosen up a bit, hey?”

  “You should have checked the tent.”

  “I know, and I’m sorry.” Leaning up, she pulled his head down and kissed him. “Come on, let’s get
it sorted.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief as the two boys busied themselves setting up their outdoor sleeping area. Before long, hers and Ben’s tent was up, and Jayden and Neil had finished their makeshift arrangement and were keen to find the waterhole.

  “Why don’t you go with them, Ben? I’ll finish off here and then come down.” Tessa glanced up from sorting the basic cooking equipment as he packed the empty bags back into the car.

  He closed the boot and walked over to join her. Slipping his hands around her waist, he nuzzled her neck, bringing goose bumps to her skin. “I can wait. Besides, I don’t think I’m in to jumping off cliffs.”

  “Go on, you’ll have fun. It’ll do you good to spend time with the boys.” She turned and grabbed his shirt with both hands, gently pulling him towards her. She leaned up and planted a kiss on his lips. “I’ll come down soon.”

  His eyes twinkled. “I’d rather stay here with you.”

  “Ben!” Her eyes widened and she glanced sideways to where Jayden and Neil were standing and snickering.

  Ben chuckled. “All right. I’ll go.” He held her gaze before lowering his head and kissing her more passionately than she thought he should with the boys watching. “But I’d rather be here,” he whispered into her ear.

  She slapped him playfully and pushed him away. If only it was just the two of them…

  Left by herself, Tessa sat on one of the folding camp chairs and smiled to herself at Ben’s unexpected display of affection. She’d been wondering if he’d be game to make love to her in a tent. After that kiss, she had no doubt whatsoever. Ever since she’d told him she wasn’t seeing Michael, he’d been so much more at ease, and it warmed her heart.

  She breathed in the fresh air as she finished the coffee brought from home, and flicked through a magazine before wandering down to find the boys.

  They weren’t hard to find. She followed the yelling and yahooing and soon found the waterhole where a dozen or so children and teenagers, and a few adults, were climbing along a rock wall and leaping off into the water twenty or so metres below. As they clambered back up the rock face to do it all over again, some were blue in the face and others held their arms around their bodies and shivered, but all seemed keen despite the freezing water.

  Apart from Ben.

  Tessa laughed. Ben sat, arms wrapped around his knees on a flat rock in the sun, with his shirt still on. Jayden stood on the opposite side with Neil beside him, both ready to jump.

  “Hey, Dad! Watch this!” Jayden leaped into the air, pulling his knees up and wrapping his arms around them, before landing heavily and making a large splash in the water. He bobbed up out of the water with a huge grin on his face.

  “Come on. It’s great.” He couldn’t wait to get back up there.

  Tessa sat beside Ben and slipped her arm through his. “Go on. Go with him.” She squeezed his hand and if she could, she would have forced him up.

  His shoulders slumped. “This isn’t me. I don’t go jumping off cliff faces into the unknown.”

  “I know you don’t. But do it for Jayden.” She squeezed his hand again, and when he dragged himself up, gave him a smile brimming with encouragement.

  She gazed lovingly at him as he clambered along the rocks, following Jayden and Neil, who both kept looking back to make sure he was still coming. She couldn’t wait to see him leap off into the air.

  Michael would have had a ball. In fact, he would have jumped and dive-bombed all day if he could. Tessa’s heart grew heavy. She shouldn’t have thought about Michael. No doubt he would have read her email by now, but he hadn’t replied, not that she expected one. He would most likely be in Brisbane right now, staying with Sabrina. I hope he had words with her… Funny she hadn’t seen Sabrina since that night in the car park. Seemed like Sabrina was avoiding her.

  Jayden yelled and waved to her across the waterhole, drawing her away from her thoughts. She waved back. It was so good to see him behaving like a normal kid. Ben stood beside him, the rigid set of his jaw made her laugh again. Poor Ben. He’d much rather play chess than jump off a cliff. He’d told her that as an only child of well-to-do parents, he’d not only never been camping, he’d rarely done anything risky. The most challenging thing he’d ever done was abseil down a wall inside a gymnasium. He’d have to steel himself big time to leap into the unknown.

  Neil jumped first. Jayden was left to coax his dad. Clever boy. If he’d jumped and left Ben on his own, Ben would never do it. But would he? Could he? The longer he waited, the harder it’d be. Come on, Ben, just do it.

  He inched forward. No doubt he would have calculated how far down it was, how far out he’d need to jump, and how deep in the water he’d go. He would also have calculated the displacement of the water, but he wouldn’t know the pain he’d feel if he landed badly. You can do it!

  She would love to have done it with him, but Ben would never have approved, given ‘her condition’.

  He stood as still as one of the guards in front of Buckingham Palace, poised and steeling himself. Jayden, crouched beside him, continued to coax. Tessa’s heart was in her mouth and her fingernails dug into the palms of her hands. As Ben finally jumped, she held her breath.

  Moments later he hit the water and disappeared.

  Chapter 20

  Tessa leapt to her feet. Ben should have surfaced. Her hand flew to her chest. Her heart raced. Where is he? Everyone else who jumped bobbed up within seconds. Why hadn’t he? Jayden’s face paled as he stared into the water. Surely nothing could have happened to him? He’d jumped well clear of the rocks, and countless others had landed exactly where he had. Maybe he’d stopped breathing when he hit the freezing water. A thousand thoughts bombarded Tessa’s mind.

  Just as she moved closer to the edge, Ben broke the surface, one arm thrust into the air and a huge grin on his face. Tessa let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. The hide of him! But he’d done it, he’d survived it, and he’d enjoyed it. She relaxed.

  Ben went round again several times while she watched on with pride, the obvious enjoyment on his face warming her heart.

  Later that night after they’d had dinner, they took a short walk to a clearing where the night sky was clearly visible. Lying on their backs, they gazed up at the myriad of stars twinkling down on them. Tessa rested her head on Ben’s shoulder and sighed contentedly.

  They remained silent as they gazed at God’s handiwork. Beside them, Jayden and Neil tried to pick out constellations.

  “I’m glad you made me come. It’s been a good day.” Ben kissed the side of her head and pulled her close.

  “Yes, it has. And the boys have had a great time.” She turned her head. “I’m sorry about the tent.”

  “Seems it’s not a problem for them, so I guess it’s not a problem at all.”

  “That’s a first, Mr. Williams!”

  “There have been a few firsts today, Mrs. Williams.”

  “And I think there’ll be another tonight.” She chuckled as she cuddled him playfully.

  Ben leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, “Yes, and I’m looking forward to it.”

  She giggled. “You’re naughty.”

  “No I’m not.” He let out a small laugh. “Now, let’s sort out these stars.”

  Tessa woke with a start. Was that thunder? She lay rigid on her air mattress, not game to move lest she wake Ben, straining to hear the noise again. A faint rumble in the distance. She clenched her hands together as her heart beat faster. Storms hadn’t been forecast when she’d checked a few days ago. If one hit it’d be disastrous, especially with the boys in their makeshift tent. For what seemed ages, she lay still, hoping and praying the storm wouldn’t eventuate. But the rumble became closer and louder, until a clap, almost directly overhead, made her jump. Her hand flew to her chest as another clap of thunder boomed above.

  Ben jerked upright. Lightning split the sky, illuminating the inside of the tent. His eyes were wide open. “Was that thunder?�
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  She grimaced. “Sounds like it, but storms weren’t forecast.”

  The zip on the tent ripped open and the two boys piled in. “We’re not staying out in that!” Jayden sat huddled with his sleeping bag around his shoulders. “It’s monstrous!”

  “It can’t be that bad.” Ben tousled Jayden’s hair.

  “You weren’t out there. Go see for yourself.”

  Ben peeked out as a bolt of lightning cracked through the sky, with a loud clap of thunder following almost immediately.

  “You’re right. It’s huge. And here comes the rain.” He zipped up the tent and huddled close to Tessa.

  “And the wind.” She waited with baited breath, her arms clasped tightly around her knees. Within seconds, the wind hit, pushing the side wall of the tent in so much she and Ben had to bend their heads to avoid touching the sides.

  “How long is it going to last?” Jayden yelled.

  “Hopefully not long,” she yelled back.

  The tent wall was pushed in even further. “I think it’s going to collapse.” Ben tilted his head to look at the angle of the wall.

  “No, it’ll hold,” she assured him. “Just sit tight.” But her heart was pounding. The tent could cave in, but she didn’t want to alarm Ben any further.

  A crash outside made them all jump. “It’s just the billy,” she said, hoping she was right.

  “How are we going to sleep?” Jayden asked.

  “We won’t until it passes,” Neil replied.

  “Maybe we should pray.” Ben was almost hyperventilating.

  “It’s not that bad. We’re not going to die!” Tessa let out a small laugh as she cuddled him. “But yes, maybe we could pray anyway. It won’t hurt.”

  “You start.” Ben’s breathing began to steady.

  “Okay, let’s pray. But let’s hold hands while we do.”

  “Do we have to?” The tone of Jayden’s voice left no room for misunderstanding how he felt.