by T. K. Chapin
The boys jumped up and sprinted for the door. Lucy was a little slower. Brian came in close and pulled her in for a side hug. “I’m glad your mother let you be here this year, Princess.”
“It’s nice. I heard Mom and Conrad talking the other day, and they said they’d come to the wedding if they were invited. Are you going to invite them, Dad?”
Smiling, he nodded. “Sure! The more the merrier. Right?”
Lucy smiled and nodded, side hugging her dad a little tighter as they exited the room. It did his heart a great deal of joy to hear that the two of them wouldn’t just go to the wedding but wanted to come to it. Lifting a prayer of thanks toward Heaven, he knew it was the work of God on their hearts and an answer to prayer.
Arriving at the dining room and the head of the table, Brian stepped out of the way of Courtney as she walked in with the turkey on a platter. Setting it down on the table, she turned toward him. He slid his hand along her back and pulled her in for a kiss.
“The bird looks marvelous, dear.”
“You can thank my mother for that.” Glancing over at Rhonda, she smiled at her mom.
Brian was reminded of Lucy’s mention of Melissa and Conrad and he explained to his bride-to-be what he had learned.
Courtney nodded. “That’d be awesome if they came to the wedding!”
“It wouldn’t be weird since it’s my ex-wife?”
She shrugged. “Who cares if it’s weird?”
He smiled. “Fantastic.”
Turning to everyone, he raised his voice. “Let’s all lock hands and pray over the food.”
Everyone stood around the table holding hands as Brian led the Thanksgiving prayer. “As another year in our lives passes, Lord, let us remember to be thankful toward You. Not just today, but every day and for every day we have each other. We never know when it’s the last Thanksgiving we’ll have. We never know when it’s the last time we will see a loved one. You are so gracious, so kind, so loving to us, God. Now as we sit down and enjoy this wonderful food, let us radiate Your love in our conversations, Your love in our lives. We pray all these things in Your precious and Holy name, Jesus, Amen.”
After the meal a short while later and when everyone was heading toward that nappy feeling, the doorbell chimes rang through the house.
“That’s probably Mom.” Lucy stood from the table and pushed in her chair.
“I’ll walk you.” Brian rose from his seat. Kissing Courtney on the cheek, he accompanied his daughter to the door. Lucy ran out to the car and got in while Melissa tarried for a moment.
“How was your Thanksgiving?”
Brian smiled. “Great. I really appreciate your letting her be here this year. It was a treat having her. How was yours?”
“It was good, and you’re welcome. I think we should revisit the schedule with her. Maybe let her come over more weekends than just once a month. She was saying the other day that she’d like that.”
Raising an eyebrow, he nodded in agreement. “I like that idea too. Hey. Do you and Conrad want to come to the wedding? Courtney and I would love to have you.”
“Yeah, we would!” Melissa smiled as she looked back at the car. “Lucy told you about Conrad’s and my conversation, I take it.”
Brian laughed. “Yes, she did.”
Melissa turned to Brian as she nodded. “I see. I feel like I should tell you that I started seeing a counselor at a church recently. Conrad and I started going to church too. I’ve realized a lot of what’s been wrong with me had nothing to do with you but was about my relationship with God.”
“Wow. That’s great to hear you’re back in church, Melissa.”
“It is great, but it’s also hard to realize how wrong I was for what I did. I’m so sorry.”
Holding up his hand, Brian shook his head. “You’ve already been forgiven.”
Melissa teared up and nodded, then shifted her footing toward the car. “That means a lot. Thank you. I’d better get going. Have a good rest of your Thanksgiving.”
“Okay. Take care and have a good night.”
Shutting the door, he turned around and peered up at the ceiling. You are so amazing, God! When I just step out of the way and give things time, You resolve them in Your timing and I am able to see You work! Thank You.
Bringing his gaze down, he walked back into the dining room. He saw Courtney and Taylor laughing hysterically about something, but he didn’t know what. Peering over at Rhonda, he saw her looking at a book Todd was showing her. He smiled. These people coming together, and all of this love under one roof, was only possible and plausible by the love of God working in all of their lives. A tug on the corner of his sweatshirt pulled his attention downward. It was Blaze.
Lowering himself to eye level with the two-year-old, he raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, Blaze?”
“Can you make a ramp for me?” Holding out his hand, he had a little shiny silver toy car in his hand.
“Sure.” He rubbed his head. “Let’s go make one.”
Standing in front of a mirror in the dressing room at the church, Courtney smiled as she twirled her wedding dress and train. She never dreamed she’d be in another one of these, not after Drew. Her mother and Taylor were there with her, helping make sure everything was perfect for her big day.
Turning to her mother, she noticed tears.
“What’s wrong, Mom?”
Shaking her head, she came closer and touched her hand gently. “When you lost Drew, I never thought you’d be okay again. It brings my heart so much joy to see you happy.”
Taylor came over and handed Courtney a glass of sparkling cider as she smiled. “He’s perfect for you, Sis! You two are going to have tons of babies and be happy forever! Like you always wanted!”
Her heart warmed and eased the pre-ceremony jitters. “Thank you. Both of you.”
The door of the dressing room door opened and Lucy walked in.
Courtney smiled. Her and Lucy’s relationship had grown in leaps and bounds over the last few months, and while she’d never replace Melissa, nor did she want to, she knew they had a special connection.
“Good morning, Lucy. Your dress is over in the closet.”
Lucy came over to her and handed her a small white box.
“Oh? What’s this?” Taking the box, she opened it and pulled out tissue paper.
As she unfolded it, Lucy spoke. “It’s something I picked out for you and my dad.”
The gift was an ‘Our First Christmas’ ornament. Stepping down from the platform, Courtney hugged Lucy. “Thank you. That’s so sweet of you!”
“You make my dad happy and he loves you . . . and so do I.”
“Aw!” Wiping tears from her cheeks, Courtney tilted her head and smiled. “I love you too.”
After Lucy took her dress and shut the door to the bathroom, Taylor turned toward Courtney. “She’s so mature for twelve.”
“She really is, and she’s acting older a little more each day.”
Going back to the mirror, Courtney asked how much longer.
Her sister joined her gaze into the mirror. “Five minutes. Are you two going to try for a baby right away?”
“Taylor!” Rhonda scolded her.
Courtney giggled. “We’re not going to fight against it!”
After the first dance with his bride, Brian went searching for the second-most important lady in his life. Finding her sitting at the children’s table, he extended a hand to Lucy as he bowed.
“May I have this dance, Princess?”
She lit up and placed her hand in his hand. Leading his daughter to the dance floor as Butterfly Kisses began to play by his request to the DJ, they started to dance.
“Cool wedding, Dad.”
Smiling, he raised an eyebrow and glanced at her. “Yeah? You want something like this for when you get married to your future pastor husband?”
They both laughed.
Lucy rested her head against his chest as they swayed to the music. Brian’s heart was heavy k
nowing his little girl was growing up before his eyes. Memories flashed through his mind of slow dancing with her in his arms as a toddler. Slow dancing with her at their small house with wood paneling on the walls. Now he was dancing with her without having to hold her in his arms. Holding Lucy close, he prayed over her and her future.
After their dance, Brian caught up with Courtney and went around to tables talking to various guests who had come to celebrate. The majority of people who attended were members of their church. There were also a handful of employees from the warehouse and a few friends.
Finding their way to Melissa and Conrad’s table, they both sat down with them.
“Awesome wedding, man.” Conrad took a drink of his water. “I thought dancing wasn’t okay in church.”
Brian shrugged. “Some churches are stiffer about it, but this one isn’t.”
Melissa directed her gaze toward Courtney. “You look lovely. I’m so happy you’re Lucy’s stepmother. I couldn’t ask for a better woman to be a part of her life other than me.”
“Aw. That means so much to me!” Courtney stood up and they both hugged.
“Can we skip the hug part?” Brian remarked jokingly.
Conrad nodded with raised eyebrows. “We can do a fist bump.”
They fist bumped and then proceeded to laugh. Lifting a heart of thanks to God in that moment, Brian felt right then that he was experiencing the Scriptural truth that all things are possible with God. Not in a millennium would he have pictured himself casually chatting with Conrad and Melissa as if they were friends. It was an act of God that it was possible.
As the night was winding down and Brian was sitting at a table with Courtney, he looked over to the dance floor and saw Lucy with Todd and Blaze. He smiled as he saw all three of them throw their arms back and forth while they shook their bodies to the tune of the music playing.
Courtney leaned over into Brian’s ear. “That’s cute.”
Glancing at her, he nodded. “It is adorable.” Fully turning toward her, he took her hands in his. “I don’t want to wait to have kids.”
She blushed. “Neither do I.”
Chapter 15
Waking in the wee hours of the morning one December night, the year following their wedding, Courtney rolled over in bed to see Brian wasn’t there. Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and looked over at the clock on the nightstand. It was two o’clock in the morning. Pushing off the covers, she left their bedroom and traveled down the hallway. Going into her old office, she pushed open the door and peeked in.
Brian was sitting in the rocking chair by the window, feeding their two-week-old baby boy a bottle. Her heart melted knowing he had let her sleep instead of waking her.
Proceeding into the room and over to him, she peered down at the newborn baby’s face, barely visible in the low light.
Softly, she spoke. “He’s so sweet and precious.”
“I know.” Carefully standing up from the rocking chair, Brian placed the child back into the crib.
They walked out of the room together and Brian quietly shut the door behind him.
“I think I have a name I like.” Courtney hadn’t been able to settle on a name since he was born, so they were waiting to officially name the child.
“Okay. What are you thinking?”
“Isaac.”
“It’s perfect.” He leaned in and kissed her. Taking her by the hand, he led her back to their bedroom and they both fell back into slumber quickly.
That evening was Courtney’s Thursday night Bible study with the ladies. Leaving baby Isaac with Brian at home, she headed over to her sister’s house to pick her up. She had started joining her last month. Getting to the door of the apartment, she knocked and then walked inside.
“Where are Todd and Blaze?”
Taylor grabbed her purse from the counter. “At the movies with Grandma.”
“Nice. We picked a name—Isaac.”
Smiling, Taylor nodded. “I like that name. Hey. I wanted you to have this.”
Courtney watched as she walked over to a bookcase in the living room and grabbed the scrapbook Courtney had given to her.
“What? I gave that to you.”
“I know.” Handing it to Courtney, she smiled. “But during this time, the boys were yours. They weren’t mine at all. I know you cherished the time you had with them, and I think keeping this is a great way for you to do that. I loved seeing the evidence of the love and fun times they had with you while I was gone, but now it’s just a painful reminder of a bad time in my life.”
Taking the scrapbook from her sister, Courtney pulled it in close to her chest and hugged it close. “Thank you.”
“I don’t regret anything that happened, and I’m thankful for all that you did for me and the boys, Courtney. I’ll forever remember it. You gave everything while expecting nothing in return.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
“What do you mean?”
“I got to love on those boys for eleven months. I got to experience motherhood without being a biological mother. And you know what else? It led me to Brian. We both know I wouldn’t have actively dated or sought out a man, but the circumstances led me right to his arms. So really, thank you, Taylor.”
Hugging, they both lightly wept and then went to the ladies’ Bible study.
With Isaac sleeping on his chest and himself sprawled out on the couch, listening to the football game quietly on the television, Brian stared at the ceiling and thought about how wonderful God was to him. Delicately lifting Isaac from his chest, he went down to the nursery and tucked him into his crib. Before leaving, he rested the palm of his hand on Isaac’s tummy and prayed over him.
“Lord, protect him. Strengthen him. Teach his spirit Your wonderful ways. Help me to be the father You are to me. Help me to raise him in Your truth, wisdom, and power. Amen.”
Walking out of the nursery, he closed the door behind him and returned to the living room. Grabbing the television remote, he shut the TV off and walked over to the windows overlooking the back yard.
It was snowing, and the flakes caught light from the light pole out in the yard. Watching as the snow delicately fell to the ground, he thought about each flake’s unique design and creation. He was reminded of Courtney’s comment on the matter years ago when they were dating.
His lips curled into a smile. Brian knew God’s design and desires for his life were far grander and far more beautiful than he could ever dream. God’s design had led him to Courtney, led him to getting married again, and led him to having a son.
Courtney soon arrived home, breaking his thoughts and concentration away from the falling snow outside the window.
Meeting her in the kitchen as she flipped on the light, he asked how the evening went.
“Good.” She set the scrapbook down on the kitchen island.
“I thought you gave that to your sister.”
She smiled, looking at it, and then came around the island to Brian. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned up and kissed him.
“I did, but she gave it back to me. You know, I think I realized the meaning of life tonight.”
“Wow. Must’ve been some Bible study, huh?” They both lightly laughed. Then he asked, “What do you mean?”
“Life is not about the love we get from other people but the love we already have from God. It’s about a relationship with God. Then the true meaning in life comes to us as we extend that love He gives us to other people. In this way, we learn to love in His way.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Leaning in, he kissed her.
The End.
Be sure to check out book 3, “Trusting Him To Lead”
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Chapter 1
POUNDING COMING FROM THE FRONT door of his house on the South Hill woke Jonathan Dunken from sleep at three o’clock in the morning. Then the doorbell chimed, pulling him further away from h
is slumber and fully awake. He had only been asleep for an hour, as he had been up late the night before sketching building concepts for a client. He was the co-founder and sole architect of his and his brother Tyler’s company, Willow Design. A company the two of them started just a few years ago, after Marie passed and Jonathan needed more work to throw himself into.
Pushing his eyelids open, he sat up in his bed, smoothing a hand over his face. Who on earth is that? He wondered. The doorbell chimed again, and he begrudgingly emerged from his bed and left his bedroom.
He traveled out from his room, through the long hallway, and down the glass stairs. As he entered the foyer, more pounding on the door sounded, edging his already growing irritation. He was ready to rip into whoever was on the other side of that door. But when he finally opened it, his heart plunged and the wind fanning his anger fell quiet. It was his sister-in-law, Shawna Gillshock, a woman he hadn’t seen since the funeral four years ago.
Shawna looked just like he remembered her—a mess, her brunette hair disheveled, eyeliner mingled with rainwater ran down each of her cheeks. She was wearing a stained pair of ragged sweats three times too big and a ragged oversized hooded sweatshirt. He immediately noticed the sight of fresh blood on a cut near her left eyebrow.
“I need your help, Jonathan. I didn’t know where else to go.” Her voice was strained, filled with desperation. She jerked her head toward the car in the driveway. Sheets of rain and wind whipped back and forth in the night’s air, dancing across the headlights of the car. “My dad wouldn’t let me come to his house. I need a place for me and my daughter, Rose, to stay tonight. My boyfriend beat me again, and I’m leaving him for good this time. You’re the only person I know that he doesn’t know. Please?”
Jonathan was moved with compassion, though a part of him wanted to say ‘no’ to her. Deep down, somewhere beneath the pain and grief that followed losing his wife, he heard a whisper and felt a nudge. Let her stay.
“Okay. You can stay.” He helped her inside with her luggage and daughter. The luggage she had brought didn’t consist of much. A backpack and one suitcase. Once the two of them had everything inside the house in the foyer, he led the way to the guest room on the main floor of the two-story house. The room was tucked away at the end of the hallway. Opening the door, he flipped on the light switch. Two lamps, one on each nightstand on either side of the bed, turned on. Each of the nightstands, along with the dresser and crown molding, was stark white. The walls were a warm brown, not dark, but not light either. On the far side of the bedroom, near the dresser, was another doorway leading into an en-suite bathroom.
