THE TRUE LOVE SERIES BOX SET: A Christian Romance

by Duncan, Juliette

  Jayden squeezed Angie’s hand as he bowed his head. His spirit quickened as Pastor Graham began to pray.

  “Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is within this great universe, we pause to give You thanks for loving us. You know each one of us by name, You know how many hairs are on our heads, You know our thoughts before we even think them. You know our future, and You know our past. There is nothing You don’t know about us. And yet, we often struggle to trust You. We doubt Your love for us. We wonder how You can be involved in our lives when we can’t see You. And we wonder if You really care for us when things go wrong, as they so often do. Lord God, please open the eyes of our hearts to You this weekend. Reveal Yourself to us in a special way, and may we all leave this place with the profound assurance that You, the God of all creation, has written your name on our hearts, and that nothing in this world or the next can separate us from Your love, which is perfect and true in every way. Amen.”

  Jayden brushed his eyes before raising his head. He wasn’t the only one who’d been touched—Angie was wiping her eyes too.

  As Pastor Graham gave his message, Jayden listened with an eager heart. He’d heard most of it before, but had never really understood it. Tonight, it was a light bulb moment.

  “God is God. He’s the great ‘I am’. He’s sovereign. He can choose to do as he wants. Our understanding of who He is so limited. Not until we see Him face to face in eternity will we even have a glimpse of His majesty and power.

  “But despite this, God’s made it possible for us to know Him personally through a faith relationship with Jesus, His son. Only through Jesus can we be connected to God. Jesus is the door to eternal life, but He’s also given us the Holy Spirit to guide and to lead us. Through prayer and Bible study we can come closer to God, but we shouldn’t just pray when we need help. We have to develop a relationship with God, much like we develop a relationship with a friend.

  “Romans 12:2 says ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ If we follow what the world says, we’ll never grow close to God. The more we study the Bible and pray, the more we’ll learn what the will of God is in our everyday lives. Our thoughts will become more in line with God’s, and our actions and reactions will reflect His love. God wants us all to have new ways of thinking, new ways of acting. His aim is that we be transformed and freed by the truth of His word. That we allow the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, to grow in our hearts, to love Him with our whole being, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is the will of God for our lives."

  Pastor Graham paused, allowing his gaze to travel around the auditorium. “My challenge to you tonight is this—will you allow God to transform your minds as well as your hearts? I’m not going to drag this out. You’ll know if God’s working on your heart. If you want to do business with God, come forward as we sing the last song, and tell Him you don’t want to be conformed to this world any longer, but that above all, you want to live for Him, and that you’ll allow Him to transform you into the young man or woman He wants you to be. One that will show His love to the world; who’ll be compassionate and kind. To be God’s light in a world filled with darkness. To be God’s ambassador here on earth. Come now if you want to do business with God.”

  Jayden’s heart pounded as he stood and walked with Angie to their instruments. He desperately wanted to go forward, but he had to provide the music. As he played, Jayden realised he didn’t need to go to the front— he could do business with God right where he was. As he strummed the chords for “Take my Life and Let it Be”, he sang the words as well, and gave God every part of his life.

  Angie lifted her hand from the keys and wiped her eyes as she played. She was doing business with God as well.

  Later, after the evening program had ended and everyone was having supper, Jayden led Angie to a quiet corner away from the crowd. His pulse quickened at what he was about to do.

  Chapter 19

  Tessa thought she was going to die. The whole time in the ambulance she threw up, a strange thing to do if she was in labour. It didn’t make sense. Plus she had diarrhea as well as stomach cramping. In between vomiting and diarrhea bouts, one of the two paramedics wiped her forehead with a damp cloth, but said very little apart from giving her words of encouragement. As she lay there, gripping her stomach, Tessa occasionally caught the looks that passed between the two paramedics, but couldn’t work out what they meant. Were they so worried they couldn’t say anything directly to her?

  After what seemed an eternity, the ambulance pulled up outside the hospital and within moments she was being wheeled into the Emergency Department. She placed her hands on her stomach and prayed for her unborn baby before she reached for the bowl and vomited up bile. She panted hard. What was happening to her?

  A nurse took her vitals and whispered to another nurse. Stephanie and Mrs. Trejo appeared beside her. Stephanie’s face was white. A feeling of dread flowed through Tessa’s body before another stab of pain hit.

  A young female doctor entered the cubicle and placed her hands over Tessa’s abdomen. “I’m going to give you an internal, Mrs. Williams.”

  Tessa’s face fell.

  “Don’t worry, the nurse will clean you up first.”

  Relief flowed through her. She tried desperately to control her bodily functions whilst being examined. She tried picturing Ben on the plane, and where he’d be right now. Maybe flying over Fiji. She began dry retching. She pushed the vomit back, but her stomach tensed.

  “Just relax, Mrs. Williams. Take some deep breaths.”

  Tessa nodded and tried to breathe deeply, just like she’d been taught at the ante-natal classes she and Ben had been attending. She finally calmed, allowing the doctor to complete the examination.

  The doctor stepped back and pulled off her gloves. “Well, I’ve got some good news for you. You’re not in labour.” A small grin formed on the doctor’s face.

  Tessa drew her eyebrows together. “What’s wrong with me, then?”

  “You’ve got a bad case of food poisoning.”

  Tessa struggled to sit. “Food poisoning?”

  “Yes. Can you think what you’ve eaten that might have caused it?”

  A nurse arranged some pillows behind her back.

  She thought about all the food she’d eaten over the past few days. Lamb Koftas, baked Camembert cheese, roast chicken from the local store. That’s what it was. She’d had it for lunch yesterday and thought at the time it tasted a little off. Why did I eat it? She grabbed her stomach and doubled over as excruciating pain hit her again. She groaned in agony.

  The doctor placed her hand on Tessa’s back. “We’ll do some tests, and keep you in until it passes. We’ll need to monitor your baby.”

  Tessa’s head jerked up. “Is something wrong?”

  The doctor patted her arm. “No, please don’t worry. It’s unlikely there’s a problem, but best to be sure.”

  She let out a breath. “Okay.” She tried to smile. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure. The nurse will look after you. I’ll look in on you a little later.”

  “Thank you.”

  When the doctor left, Stephanie wheeled herself in and stopped beside Tessa’s bed. “Food poisoning, huh?” She angled her head, a grin forming on her face.

  “Seems that way.” Tessa reached for the bowl again. How much more vomit did she have left? She wiped her mouth and settled her breathing. “I can’t take much more of this.”

  Stephanie squeezed her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. “You’ll survive.”

  Tessa sighed. “I guess so.” She straightened. “I need to call Ben.”

  “No need to worry him. Besides, he wouldn’t answer.”

  “Mmm, you’re probably right. I’ll send him a text.”

  �
�Let me do it? You need to rest.” Stephanie picked up the damp face washer and wiped Tessa’s brow.

  Tessa lowered her head against the pillows. “Thanks. Phone’s in my bag.” Her eyes flickered and closed.

  * * *

  Ben settled into his seat for the long haul flight to Billings, Montana, via Los Angeles and Portland. As the plane banked over Moreton Bay, revealing the sprawling city of Brisbane below, he uttered a quick prayer for Tessa. He hated leaving her, especially in her condition, but there was no way either he or the doctor would have allowed her to travel. She’d told him not to bother calling until he got there, assuring him she’d be fine, but he couldn’t help being slightly concerned.

  The plane was full, and he was glad he’d chosen an aisle seat. At least he could stretch his legs a little. Once the seat belt light was switched off, he flipped open his laptop and clicked on a client file. Everyone else was busy choosing a movie to watch, but he had work to do, and this was a great opportunity to catch up. But thoughts of Jayden and Tessa kept running through his mind and he finally gave up. There was no way he could concentrate.

  Maybe he should have forewarned Jayden instead of turning up unannounced. What if Jayden didn’t want to see him? But Robert Morgan had convinced him it was the right thing to do. Ben ran his hand slowly over his head, lowered the seat back, and tried closing his eyes, but he couldn’t get comfortable. A baby a few seats further back began crying. He sat up and flicked through the movies until he found one he might like.

  The flight seemed never-ending, and this was only the first leg. He had a long lay over in L.A., but all going well, he should arrive at Billings by six p.m. Robert said it’d take two hours to drive to the camp from there.

  When Ben finally arrived at L.A International Airport early Friday morning local time, he immediately switched his phone on. The message from Stephanie alarmed him. ‘Tessa’s in hospital, but don’t worry—it’s only food poisoning. The baby’s fine.’ But hospital? Why would Tess be in hospital if it was only food poisoning? And what had she eaten? He calculated what time it was back home. It was the wee hours of the morning there. Should he call? He sighed. There was nothing he could do, anyway. Maybe he should wait until he reached Portland, although he could call the hospital. But Steph hadn’t said which hospital. Best to wait. But it was so long until he’d arrive in Billings.

  His phone dinged. He looked down. A message from Robert. His heart fell. Not more bad news, surely? He clicked on the message and opened it. His shoulders sagged. ‘Bad weather here, your flight might be delayed. Sorry. Will be in touch, Robert’. As if the flight wasn’t long enough already. He went to the Information Counter. Robert was right. All flights to Billings were currently being diverted due to bad weather. He’d need to wait in Portland until it cleared.

  No use getting upset. Nothing could be done about the weather, but he felt restless during the four-hour layover. He just wanted to get there and see Jayden. And he needed to find out what had happened to Tess. He found a seat and tried to read, and even opened his laptop again, but he still couldn’t focus. Strange how alone he felt in such a busy airport. But he wasn’t alone. God was with him, and he needed to trust that all would work out. He rested his head in his hands and prayed.

  When Ben raised his head, an older man with scruffy clothes had taken a seat opposite him. Ben’s heart quickened. Had God placed this man here for him to talk to? He smiled at the man and began chatting. The man’s face brightened. He told Ben he was on his way to see his daughter who’d just been diagnosed with cancer. Ben’s heart went out to the man, and he spent the next hour talking with him. Before the man left, Ben prayed with him—something he would never have done before Ecuador.

  Ben called Tessa as soon as he disembarked at Portland. Although he had peace in his heart that she was okay, he couldn’t help the small amount of anxiety he felt as he waited for her to answer. When he heard her voice, he swallowed hard. “Tess, what happened?”

  “Oh Ben, I thought I was going to die. But I’m okay now. I’ll be going home shortly.” Her voice sounded weak.

  “You had me worried.”

  “I’m sorry. I thought I was in labour to start with, so at least it wasn’t that.” She let out a small chuckle.

  “Well that’s a relief. Is Stephanie with you?”

  “No, she had to go, but Mum and Dad are coming for me.”

  “I’m glad about that. So are you really okay?”

  “Yes Ben, I’m really okay. And so’s the baby.”

  He let out a relieved sigh. “Thank God for that.”

  They continued chatting for a while. He told her about the expected delay, but that he’d determined not to let it frustrate him. She told him she was praying for his meeting with Jayden. He thanked her and told her he loved her. She told him she missed him already and to call again soon.

  When he hung up, he checked the Departures Board which confirmed that his connecting flight to Billings had been indefinitely delayed due to bad weather.

  He lined up at the Information Counter and inquired about the possibility of hiring a car. The airline attendant advised against it. “It’s pretty hairy out there, sir. Best to wait for the weather to clear.”

  He let out a small sigh, and then chastised himself. Hadn’t he determined not to get frustrated? He took the attendant’s advice and accepted a hotel room for the night. Although he would have liked to have seen Jayden tonight, a good night’s sleep in a proper bed would do him good.

  He pressed the button for the elevator and got out at the fifth floor. When he opened the door to the room, he placed his suitcase on the rack, pulled out his washbag and a change of clothes, and jumped into the shower.

  As the warm water ran down his body, he closed his eyes. Never had a shower felt so good.

  Chapter 20

  Jayden wrapped his hands around his mug of hot chocolate. His heart pounded as he gazed at his gorgeous Angie.

  She took a sip of her drink and then placed her mug on the table. “What do you want to talk about, Jayden?”

  She looked so sweet, and his heart ached with love for her. He had to trust that somehow it would all work out. Lowering his mug to the table he shifted closer and took her hand. He cleared his throat. “Angie, this is the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but tonight I had a real sense that I need to go home.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “God didn’t tell me directly, but I had the strongest feeling that it was the right thing to do, and I can’t ignore it any longer.” He brushed tears from his eyes.

  Angie blinked as her eyes misted over as well. “I knew it would happen one day soon, and as much as I don’t want you to go,” her voice caught, “I agree with you—it’s the right thing to do.”

  Tears stung his eyes as his chest burned with anguish. “I love you, Angie.” His chest heaved.

  “And I love you too, Jayden.” Tears streamed down her face.

  Their eyes were locked.

  “When will you go?”

  He inhaled slowly. “After camp. Early next week.” Was he really saying this? He’d be going home so soon?

  She nodded. “God will honor your decision. He’s got good things planned for you.”

  It was Jayden’s turn to nod. He didn’t trust his voice.

  “We should pray.” Angie wiped her face.

  Jayden sniffed. “We should.” He took her hand and squeezed it before closing his eyes. “Lord God, thank You for bringing Angie into my life. You know how much I love her, and how much it’s hurting me to let her go, but I pray that You’ll bless her and that You’ll use her in whatever way you see fit in the future. She’s such a special person, Lord, and she loves You so much. Please help us both to grow in You, and to always put You first in everything we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”

  Angie leaned closer. “And Lord God, please bless Jayden’s obedience. Go with him as he returns to his family, heal their hurting hearts, and bring them closer to each other and to You.
And Lord, I pray for Jayden’s mom. Please work in her life and soften her heart. May she come to know Your love in a real way. Thank You for the time Jayden and I had together.” She paused and inhaled deeply. “You know how special he is to me, and he always will be. Look after him, Lord. Pour your blessings out on him, and wrap Your arms around him. Give him strength and wisdom as he goes home. In Jesus’ precious name, Amen.”

  He pulled her close and cuddled her. He kissed the top of her head and squeezed back tears. How could doing the right thing hurt so much?

  Moments passed. He wished time would stand still. Angie finally raised her head and looked at him. “Can you hear that?”

  He angled his head. “Hear what?”

  She chuckled. “Nothing.”

  He drew his eyebrows together. What was she talking about?

  “The wind’s stopped.”

  She was right. The only noise came from the chatter and laughter of campers. The howling had stopped. “Shall we take a walk?”

  She smiled up at him. “That would be nice.”

  He held her hand as they ventured outside.

  With the wind stopped, an eerie hush had settled. Fresh pine needles crunched under foot as he led her along the formed path toward the lookout. Not that there’d be much to see. Clouds still hovered overhead, and the only light came from his cell phone which he used to light their way. They passed one or two others on their way back, and another couple was ahead of them. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked in silence.

  They reached the lookout and stood against the metal railing. It was difficult to see where the mountains met the sky, but Angie assured him they were out there. A light mist was forming, and he pulled her closer. “Are you warm enough, Ange?”