THE TRUE LOVE SERIES BOX SET: A Christian Romance

by Duncan, Juliette

  The pastor's gaze traveled around the group again. “Your generation is very fortunate because there’s more verification for the truth now than at any previous time in history, and I’m excited to be doing this study with you.”

  Jayden’s mind raced. This was so different from what he’d expected. He’d never really thought there was any proof for God’s existence, so if there was, he was interested in finding out about it. Strange, really, because even less than a year ago, he couldn’t have cared less about God, but something had been stirring inside him, and he wanted to know what it was, but he wasn’t about to jump blindly into believing.

  Angie nudged him. Everyone was opening their study guides.

  He opened his to Chapter One: ‘Is Truth Absolute or Relative?’ He was ready for this. He’d study the information and then make a decision.

  At the end of the study, the band was asked to play a few songs. Gareth nodded to him to join them.

  He stiffened. It was one thing playing earlier when they were only jamming, but now everyone would see him.

  Angie leaned closer and squeezed his arm. “Go on, you’ll be fine.”

  He took a breath and followed Gareth to the front. He picked up the spare guitar and took the lead from the others, and before long he was enjoying playing songs that although weren’t familiar, held words that spoke of God’s love and grace, whatever that was.

  After the singing, they entered into a prayer time. Jayden closed his eyes and listened. He’d never heard such heartfelt prayers before, even back home at Dad and Tessa’s church. But then, he hadn’t gone to the youth group meetings. And he wouldn’t have listened even if he had. But these kids seemed genuine, but maybe it was just emotion, and he didn’t want to get caught up in that, because what if that’s all it was? He’d heard about that happening to people. No, it had to be real and true if he was going to believe and follow. He’d do lots of study before making up his mind.

  At the end of the prayer time, Gareth placed his guitar into its case. Jayden followed suit.

  “Coming to supper?” Gareth asked.

  Jayden glanced at Angie, but she was talking with another girl. He shrugged. “Guess so. I’ll see what Angie says.”

  “She normally comes.”

  “Guess we’ll be coming, then.” Jayden’s secret hopes of spending time just with Angie flew out the window, but maybe it was time he made some new friends, and Gareth seemed like a cool dude.

  The ice-cream parlor was about a mile away, and during the short drive there, Angie asked Jayden what he thought of the study.

  “Not what I expected, but I’m glad I went.”

  Angie turned her head and gave him a smile. “I am too, Jayden.”

  “That pastor seems pretty smart.”

  “Yeah, he is. We all like him a lot.”

  “So what did he say about Jess?”

  The smile slipped from Angie’s face.

  “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  “No, it’s okay. I’d just forgotten about it for a moment.” She glanced at him as she turned a corner. “He just asked how I was handling it. Said he was surprised, but that he’d support her and us in whatever way he could.”

  Jayden shifted in his seat. “It’s going to be tough on her, isn’t it?”

  Angie nodded, a tear rolling down her cheek. “Sorry. Just every time I think about it, I get sad for her, and I try to think what it’d be like to be in her situation.” Angie wiped her cheek with her hand before changing down a gear and pulling up outside the ice-cream parlor. “Here we are. No more talk of Jess, okay? I don’t want to cry in front of everyone.”

  “Sorry. I won’t bring it up again.” He leaned over and popped a kiss on her cheek.

  “Thanks.” She gave him a watery smile and dabbed her eyes again before opening the door.

  He draped his arm lightly across her shoulder as they entered the parlor.

  Gareth called them over and introduced Jayden to his girlfriend, Rachel, the girl Angie had been talking to at the end of the study.

  “Haven’t I seen you at the grocery store?” Gareth asked as he handed out menus.

  “Yeah, I work there.” Jayden lifted his chin. “Just until I find something better.”

  “You don’t go to school?”

  Here we go… “No, I had to leave.” Jayden picked up his menu. “Maybe one day I’ll go back.”

  Angie leaned into him. “Leave Jayden alone, Gareth.”

  Gareth held his hands up. “I was just being polite.”

  “I know. Anyway, you two played well together tonight.”

  Jayden breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t want Gareth or any of the others to know about his mother and why he’d left both home and school. Maybe he should make up some kind of story to tell them. But as soon as that thought popped into his head, he decided it would be a bad move. He already had too many lies in his life, like lying to Angie about his age. One day he’d have to confess to her that he was only turning sixteen, not seventeen, like he’d told her he was. But not yet.

  “Yeah, you should come to my house one day and we can jam.”

  Jayden smiled. “I’d like that, thanks.”

  A short while later, after they’d eaten their ice-creams and sundaes, Angie dropped him back to his apartment. He sat with his hand resting on the door handle. He didn’t want to get out. Angie would be going back home to a family who loved her. He’d be going back to a cold, empty apartment. He took his hand from the handle and slipped it behind her neck, pulling her close. He ran his hand through her hair. Soft, silky, bouncy hair. His heart beat faster. He wanted to kiss her so much. He lifted her head slowly until her lips were so close he could almost taste them. He lowered his head until their lips touched. Cradling her head in his hands, he pressed his lips harder. How he’d love to kiss her properly. His chest heaved.

  She pulled away. Her face was flushed. She held a hand to his cheek. “I’m sorry, Jayden. I can’t do this.” Her voice was soft, breathless.

  His heart plummeted. He slowly straightened, drawing a deep breath to steady himself. He’d acted rashly. This was how Jessica had gotten into trouble. He’d lose Angie if he wasn’t careful, and no way did he want that to happen.

  He squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, Ange. I got carried away. I didn’t think.”

  “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have encouraged you.”

  Their eyes met and his heart pounded. How would he find the strength not to kiss her like that again? But it was wrong, and somehow he’d have to.

  “You’re so beautiful, Ange, I just wanted to hold you.”

  “Oh Jayden, don’t be silly.” She let out a small chuckle before her expression sobered. “But seriously, as much as I want to kiss you too, we need to do this right. I want to do things God’s way, and I don’t think I could trust myself if we got too close. Know what I mean?”

  Unfortunately he did. “You take this God thing seriously, don’t you?”

  She nodded as she relaxed in her seat, inspecting her fingernails before she looked up. “I gave my heart to Jesus when I was ten, and I try to live my life as He’d want me to. It’s not always easy. Like now.” She rolled her eyes and let out another small chuckle. “But He gives me strength, even though I often let him down.”

  “I’d have thought you’d only date a Christian, then. Not someone like me.”

  She hung her head. “Mom and Dad talked to me about that. They told me to be careful, but left it up to me to decide whether I should go out with you or not.” She paused for a second before raising her head and meeting his gaze. “I prayed about it, and I believe God’s working in your heart, so I’m comfortable with our relationship.”

  Jayden pressed his lips together. Would Angie pressure him to become a Christian? He didn’t like being manipulated. He’d had enough of that with Mom. “Maybe we just need to be friends for now, then.”

  Angie’s face fell. “Don’t be like that. You asked.”

&nb
sp; Jayden sighed. He didn’t want to be ‘just friends’ anyway. What was he thinking?

  “I really like you, and I want to be your girlfriend, but we can’t kiss like that. Okay?”

  Jayden nodded reluctantly. If that’s what she wanted, that’s what he’d have to do. Somehow. He smiled at her and squeezed her hand. “Okay.”

  “How about we pray before I go?”

  His eyes widened. He’d do almost anything to make her happy. But pray? He drew a breath and shrugged. “Okay.”

  Angie took his hand and bowed her head. Her voice was so sweet. “Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, and for bringing Jayden into my life. I pray that You’ll reveal Yourself to him over the next few weeks and months, and that he might come to know Your peace and love in his life, and that You’ll wipe away all the hurts he’s had with his family. And please bless our relationship. Help us to keep it pure and honorable in Your sight, dear Lord, even though it might be difficult at times. And Lord, please be with Jess and give her strength.” Angie’s voice caught. “Let her feel Your loving arms around her, dear Lord, and bless the little baby she’s carrying. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  Something stirred deep inside Jayden. But was it just emotion, or was it God?

  Jayden knew he’d have trouble sleeping. The apartment was so quiet, and to be honest, he was lonely. After Angie left, he’d picked up his guitar and started strumming some of the music they’d played at the study, even though he couldn’t remember all the words. After a short while, he put the guitar down and slumped back onto his bed. A myriad of thoughts whirled in his head. Angie, Jess, Mom, Dad, Tessa. And God. He let out a resigned sigh and sat up. He wasn’t going to sleep any time soon, so he pulled the Bible and study guide off the bedside table. He may as well do some study. Opening the guide, he began reading through the notes again….Truth has to be backed up by fact, it can’t just be opinion. Nobody can invent truth, it gets discovered. It doesn’t matter how genuinely someone believes something, if it’s true, it’s true, if it’s false, it’s false. Something can’t be true for one person and false for another. Either Santa Claus is real, or he’s not, despite what thousands of parents tell their children each Christmas. And God’s either real, or he’s not. Jayden closed his book and leaned back against his pillow and yawned. So why do so many people disagree? He yawned again. That would have to wait until tomorrow night. He drifted off to sleep with images of Angie floating through his mind.

  Chapter 4

  Brisbane, Australia

  Tessa always knew that Jayden’s sixteenth birthday would be a difficult day for her and Ben, even though since returning from their mission trip to Ecuador, Ben had been more relaxed, and even confident that Jayden would one day come home.

  Only last week they’d received another letter from him, and in it he’d told them he had a girlfriend. A girlfriend! How bitter sweet, not being part of such a major milestone in his life, but at least knowing he had someone special in his life gave them some comfort.

  Tessa woke that morning and slipped out of bed quietly so as not to disturb Ben. Five months into her pregnancy, she was unable to stay in bed much past six o’clock. She threw on her robe, opened the door carefully, and tip-toed down the stairs. All her efforts at being quiet were ruined when Bindy and Sparky eyed her—their yaps were enough to waken the whole neighbourhood. “Shh… you’ll wake Ben up.” She bent down and gave them a pat before heading to the bathroom. When she came back out, both dogs sat in front of the door with eager faces and tails wagging. How could she deny them? She quickly changed into the light blue track suit she kept downstairs, put on her Nikes, and grabbed the dogs’ leads. They followed her eagerly into the backyard where she clipped their leads onto their collars before slipping through the side gate.

  The pale colours of dawn filled the sky, and the day promised to be a good one. Not a breath of breeze touched her as the dogs dragged her down the tree-lined street leading to the park and to the river. The aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafted in the air, tempting Tessa to stop as she approached the corner café where, despite the chill of the morning, the outdoor tables were filled with early morning walkers and cyclists enjoying a cup of the café’s highly reputed coffee. Tessa glanced down at her two canine companions. They wouldn’t be happy if she stopped. Besides, Ben would be up soon, and she needed to get back. No, coffee would have to wait.

  She did a quick lap, just enough to satisfy the dogs, and then headed back home. Ben was in the kitchen getting the breakfast things out when she returned. She stretched up and placed a kiss on his cheek.

  He leaned back against the kitchen bench and pulled her close, slipping his arms around her waist.

  She rested her head on his chest before pulling back and gazing into his eyes, which were heavier and darker than normal. She touched his cheek. “We’ll get through today. I know we will.”

  His chest expanded as he inhaled slowly. “You’re always so positive.” A wistful smile grew on his face. “Yes, we’ll get through the day, but it’d be better if he was here.”

  “I know. But we have hope, and we need to be thankful for that.” Tessa smiled into his eyes. “Why don’t you write him another letter? At least that way it’ll be like you’re talking with him.”

  “Mmm, I might just do that.” He tilted his head. “So what are we doing today?”

  “Oh, I don’t know… maybe we could go back to bed for a while?”

  Ben raised an eyebrow, a playful grin forming on his face. “Great idea.” He leaned down and kissed her gently before taking her hand and leading her upstairs.

  Sometime later, Tessa woke to flutterings in her tummy. All her concerns about miscarrying again had been put to rest some time ago, and now, towards the end of her second trimester, their baby was alive and well. She wriggled up and leaned against the pillows. Beside her, Ben stirred. She reached out and gently placed his hand on her stomach.

  He opened his eyes and smiled as he snuggled closer. “I think I could stay here all day.”

  Tessa laughed. “We could, but no.” She straightened and glanced at the clock. “We promised to help at the working bee, and we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.”

  Ben yawned. “Do we have to go?”

  “We promised.”

  He let out a resigned sigh. “Best get ready, then.” He leaned up and kissed her lips as he ran his hand down her cheek. “I love you, Tess. Thank you for being here for me.”

  “Where else would I be?” She laughed.

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just saying!”

  She shook her head, but warmth spread through her body as Ben pulled her close and kissed her again. After several seconds, she pulled away. “Okay. We need to get ready. We can grab breakfast on the way.”

  He smiled at her. “Sounds good.”

  The working bee at the Fellowship Bible Church was well under way by the time they arrived, but Ben and Tessa were warmly welcomed by Fraser Stanthorpe, the pastor, and their friends, Margaret and Harold, as well as all the others who were busy doing a variety of jobs around the place.

  Ben was allocated the job of trimming the bushes at the front of the building with Scott and Rosy, a young couple who’d been attending the Bible Study group Ben was leading in their home. Tessa was given the job of window cleaning with Margaret.

  “Good to see you here, Tessa.” Margaret’s warm smile lit up her face. “Harold and I have been praying for you both.” She glanced towards the front of the building and lowered her voice. “How’s Ben holding up today?”

  Tessa inhaled slowly. “It’s going to be a long day.”

  Margaret nodded. “Being here will do him good.”

  “Yes.”

  The working bee was due to finish at twelve o’clock. An idea formed in Tessa’s mind as she cleaned windows beside Margaret, and when Ben came inside, she put her hand on his shoulder and whispered into his ear. He turned to face her and then nodded.

  Tessa called everyone to atte
ntion. She cleared her throat as her gaze travelled around the group of about twenty people. “Ben and I would like to invite you all back to our place for lunch. It’s Jayden’s sixteenth birthday today, and even though he’s not here, we’d like to celebrate it with our friends.” Her voice choked and tears stung her eyes, but she pushed them back. She wasn’t going to be sad. She took a deep breath and leaned into Ben.

  “That’s a very kind offer,” Fraser said. “Tracy and I would love to come, thank you.”

  “And so would we,” Margaret said, wiping her eyes as she reached for Harold’s hand.

  Most of the others also accepted, offering to bring food for the impromptu meal.

  Tessa thought a simple barbecue would be the easiest, and she and Ben stopped at the supermarket on the way home and bought hamburger patties and bread rolls, as well as tomatoes, lettuce and beetroot. They had plenty of onions and cheese at home. Margaret offered to bring some cake for dessert, and a few others said they’d bring drinks.

  Shortly after, when everyone arrived, Ben began cooking the hamburger patties and onions on the barbecue. Fraser, Harold, and Scott stood around the barbecue chatting and laughing. Tessa’s heart warmed as she glanced through the kitchen window while she and Margaret buttered the bread rolls. Thank you, God. This is just what Ben needs.

  “You really do have a lovely home, Tessa.” Margaret glanced around the open-plan kitchen and living area that opened out onto the timber deck surrounded by a sub-tropical garden and a large in-ground pool.

  “Thank you.” Tessa gave her an appreciative smile. “We think it’s a mansion after being in Ecuador, which it probably is, but we feel so much better about it now it’s being used for God’s work. We love having people over, and it’s been great for Bible Study.”

  “I’ve heard good things about the study Ben’s leading.”

  Tessa smiled. “Yes, he’s doing a great job. Ecuador changed him so much.” Her heart overflowed with gratitude as she gazed out at Ben. How much God had blessed them. The trip to Ecuador had been a turning point in their lives, no doubt about it. They’d both come back with a much stronger faith and understanding of what it meant to trust God, and they’d both learned to let things go. So many things that in the past would have upset them or caused them to worry, now seemed insignificant.