by Beth K. Vogt
She cradled her phone in her hands. “Yes . . . yes, I love you.”
She could hear his exhale from thousands of miles away. “That’s all . . . need to know . . . figure everything else . . . later . . .”
Elisabeth closed her eyes, savoring the sound of his voice. “I’m sorry I didn’t e-mail you back. I was thinking. Praying. Trying to figure out what to say . . .”
“. . . you were worrying . . . you couldn’t be the right woman for me.”
“You know me better than I realized.”
“. . . had time to get to know each other.” The line crackled again. “. . . don’t have much longer to talk . . . love you, Elisabeth. God’s in this . . . Don’t doubt us.”
“I won’t. I love you, too.”
“E-mail me?”
“As soon as I get off the phone.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
After their call ended, Elisabeth lay still, her phone clasped to her heart, as if she could keep Jamie close to her that way.
Don’t doubt us.
She had a choice. Trust or doubt. Loving Jamie meant trusting him. Trusting God. Trusting that she was the woman he needed her to be. And if she wasn’t? Well then, she’d ask God to help her become that woman.
• • •
As promised, by the time he got back to his quarters, there was an e-mail from Elisabeth waiting in his inbox.
The subject line eased the ache that had been lodged in his chest for two days even as a smile curved his lips.
This is a “Dearest Jamie” letter, not a “Dear John” letter.
Jamie,
I love you. That’s the first thing I want to say.
I’m sorry I didn’t write you sooner. Like I said, I was afraid that loving you wouldn’t be enough . . . that I wouldn’t be the kind of woman you needed if we end up getting married. And I realize I’m jumping way ahead with that statement.
I also realized I’ve always felt a little less than you, Jamie. You were always this amazingly popular guy in school. Everyone liked you. Teachers. Classmates. All the girls. And I was lucky enough to be your girlfriend.
But I didn’t ever feel good enough.
So when you said you’d fallen in love with me again, I got scared. I doubted that we could have a future together because of me.
Since I got your e-mail, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking. Praying. Missing you. A lot. Thank you for reminding me that God is the only one who could have brought us together again. And that it’s not about being good enough for you—or you being good enough for me. It’s about loving each other the best we know how today and loving each other better tomorrow.
So, to answer your question again, yes, I love you. And yes, I think there’s a chance for us, so long as we trust God to help us.
With all my love,
Elisabeth
For the first time since he sent the e-mail to Elisabeth, he could breathe. He could think of her and imagine the future . . . their future. He could . . . he could . . .
He could e-mail her again.
Nothing held back. Nothing left unsaid.
TEN
October
Woodland Park, Colorado
It’s nice of you and Reid to do the chauffeuring tonight for the high school reunion dinner.” Elisabeth pulled her fitted herringbone coat from the closet.
“We’re glad we all get to go together, Lis.” Bellamy managed to look trendy in her pale pink lace maternity dress and leather boots. “I’m glad we came in a couple of days early so we could see my family, too.”
“I’m sure they were happy to see you.” Elisabeth buttoned up her coat and then took another quick look at the time before slipping her phone into her purse. “I don’t know why Jamie didn’t want me to meet him at the airport—”
“Yes, you do. His flight’s late, and he doesn’t want you to miss any of the reunion fun because you’re waiting for him.”
“But I’ll be watching the clock while I’m there—”
“I know that, but at least you can pretend you’re enjoying yourself.” Bellamy opened the front door. “Now come on, let’s get going so we can watch our classmates arrive and see how much people have changed in ten years.”
Elisabeth patted her friend’s tummy. “There’s no denying you look a little different.”
“True, true.”
As she slid into the backseat of the car Reid had rented for the weekend, Elisabeth leaned forward. “So are you flying back to San Diego right after things end on Sunday morning?”
“No . . .” Bellamy searched through her purse. “Do you happen to have a mint or a piece of gum by any chance?”
“I think so.” Elisabeth dug through her purse until she found half a roll of peppermint Life Savers.
Bellamy half turned to face her. “You’ve got next week off, right?”
“Yes. Jamie’s staying in town after all the reunion fun, so of course I took time off, too. He said one good thing about being deployed for eight months is that he’s saved up a bunch of leave.”
“What are you and Jamie going to do?”
“Besides enjoying talking face-to-face, you mean? We’ll relax. Go hiking. Out to dinner. See a couple of movies. In other words, we’ll date like a normal couple.”
“And then?”
“And then . . . he goes back to Ohio and I stay here in the Springs and we keep doing the long-distance-relationship thing. We’ve gotten quite good at it.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“I hope we don’t do this forever, but one thing I’ve learned is you can’t hurry love. I’m committed to this relationship. No quitting. I’m waiting on God and on Jamie. He’s just gotten back stateside, so I’m not pushing him for a commitment. But the minute he wants to, I’m ready to start talking about marriage—”
“Who knows? Maybe next year will be your year.”
Next year. She could wait that long. If she trusted herself. And Jamie. And their love for each other. And she trusted God meant for them to be together now. And believed that this crazy long-distance relationship with Jamie Travers was better than no relationship with him.
Thanks to the connections of one of the high school alumni’s parents, the reunion dinner was at the Falcon Stadium Press Box at the Air Force Academy. In a throwback to their senior prom, the planning committee had decorated the room in classic Hollywood style. Black tablecloths were adorned with red-carpet ribbons and centerpieces featuring movie clapboards and gold stars. Placeholders were small silver frames with each attendee’s black-and-white senior photo. In the back of the room, a rented photo booth attracted a crowd of people, all eager to have fun with the assortment of props.
All the while she greeted friends, Elisabeth alternated between watching the doorway and checking her phone for a text from Jamie. Just as they were encouraged to find their places for dinner, her phone pinged.
See you soon. Love you.
Bellamy leaned over as she slid into the chair next to her. “Was that a text from Jamie?”
“Yes.” Elisabeth muted her phone and set it beside her plate. “He said he’ll see me soon, but I don’t know if that means he just landed or what.”
“It means he’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks for that.”
After Sandie, one of the coordinators of the reunion, prayed for the meal, dinner was served.
“Jamie’s food will be cold by the time he gets here.”
“I’ll have Reid ask the waitstaff to hold his meal in the back until he arrives. Then they can reheat it.”
“Even reheated steak and mashed potatoes will taste good after being deployed.”
“You’re probably right.”
After the main course was served, Sandie returned to the podium. “While you all enjoy your dinner, I have a special presentation
to make. One of our classmates just returned from an overseas deployment. Let’s all welcome our class president, Jamie Travers, with a round of applause to let him know how grateful we are for his service to our country.”
At the mention of Jamie’s name, Elisabeth dropped her fork so that it clattered against her plate. “He’s here . . .”
Seconds later, Jamie strode to the front of the room, dressed in his desert camis and combat boots, his hair cut shorter than it had been at Christmas. When had he arrived? Why hadn’t he let her know he was there?
He gave Sandie a brief hug and then took the microphone from her. “Thank you for your support of me. I accept the applause for all of our other classmates serving in the armed forces. I’m glad I made it to our reunion—I just can’t believe it’s been ten years since we graduated. If you’ll indulge me for a few moments, I did want to say something while I had the floor.”
Why was Jamie giving some sort of speech instead of coming over here and hugging her? Kissing her?
Elisabeth leaned over to Bellamy, lowering her voice. “What’s he going to say?”
“Listen and find out.”
“I’ve been corresponding with one of our classmates while I’ve been deployed for the past eight months. She just happens to be here tonight. Elisabeth Straker, where are you?”
“Stand up!” Bellamy nudged her.
Not trusting her weak knees, Elisabeth remained seated and waved her hand. “I’m here.”
Jamie motioned her forward. “Would you mind joining me up here?”
Laughter and applause started around the room.
“O-kay.” Once she wended her way through the tables and stood next to Jamie, she whispered, “This isn’t quite how I imagined saying hello for the first time in eight months.”
“To be honest, I’ve been thinking about this for weeks.” He took her hand, his thumb caressing her skin. “A lot of you may remember that Elisabeth and I dated during high school. We broke up while we were in college and then found each other again last December. It didn’t take me long to realize I’ve never met another woman like her.”
“Jamie, what is going on?”
“Don’t rush me.” He tossed her a wink and then dropped to one knee as he pulled something from a pocket on the side of his uniform pants. “Elisabeth, in a sense, we’re back where it all began for us. I love you and I can’t imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?”
The air stilled around them and all Elisabeth could see was Jamie, kneeling before her, offering her a diamond ring that sparkled in the overhead lights.
“You’re . . . proposing?”
“Yes. Do I need to ask you again?”
“No . . . no, you don’t need to ask me again. I’d love to marry you, Jamie.”
The room rang with cheers and applause as Jamie slipped the ring on her finger and then stood to pull her into his arms. At last, he was going to kiss her. Elisabeth closed her eyes and slid her arms around his waist, holding her breath as Jamie leaned down and—finally—brought his lips to hers. His kiss was everything she’d waited for—almost. Jamie seemed restrained, the kiss ending sooner than she’d hoped.
“That was worth the wait.” Elisabeth buried her face in Jamie’s shoulder.
“Oh, believe me, that doesn’t begin to satisfy how much I’ve wanted to kiss you. An audience kind of changes things.”
“Well, you certainly surprised me, Captain Travers.”
“Complaints?”
“None at all.” As she spoke, Jamie led her into a secluded corner away from the group. “Now we have to plan a wedding—”
“No, we don’t.”
“We don’t?”
All the humor disappeared from Jamie’s voice. “How do you feel about eloping?”
“Eloping?”
“Yes. Hear me out. If you hate the idea, we’ll forget it and get married when you want.” Jamie released her, but only to gather her hands in his. “We’ve got use of Reid and Bellamy’s plane tonight. We can fly to this wonderful inn Bellamy told me about and get married this weekend in Tennessee and honeymoon there for a week. We both have next week off, right? Why not spend it together married? Then we come back here and I can stay with you until the end of October, when I have to report back to base in Ohio.”
Elisabeth struggled to keep up with what Jamie was saying. “And then what?”
“Well, then we go back to doing the long-distance-relationship thing again—only we’re married. We’ll fly back and forth on weekends and figure out what comes next—”
Jamie wanted to marry her. Now. Things were making sense at last—and she had to speak up. “No. That’s not going to work.”
Some of the light dimmed in Jamie’s brown eyes, his smile disappearing. “Okay, we’re not eloping. I’ll tell Reid to cancel the plane—”
“Oh, we’re eloping, Jamie Travers. I like the idea of getting married at a Tennessee inn. It’s terribly romantic. But when we get back, I’ll talk to my boss about getting a substitute teacher to replace me for the rest of the school year as soon as possible. Hopefully I’ll be with you in Ohio by Thanksgiving.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. There’s only one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Kiss me again, please. Then I need to go tell Bellamy I’m going to miss the rest of the reunion festivities.”
ELEVEN
How many brides eloped—and took their best friends with them?
“This is the most unconventional elopement I’ve ever heard of.” Elisabeth forced herself to sit still as Bellamy put the final touches to her hair. “Although I suppose it was only right to include you since Reid let us borrow your airplane.”
“So I’m here because of the airplane, is that it?” Bellamy’s smile countered the way she stepped back and put her hands on her hips.
“And because you made our arrangements here at the Whitestone Inn. And you had several dresses waiting for me to try on. And you provided Fran as my photographer . . .” Elisabeth shook her head. “I don’t think anyone else has ever had an elopement quite like mine.”
“Oh, Elisabeth, this has almost been more exciting than my own wedding!” Bellamy hugged her close. “I’m so glad you liked one of the dresses I picked out.”
“It was like having my own private shopping trip. And this one is so different.” Elisabeth touched the delicate lace along the neckline of the sheer “coat” that went over the white silk tea-length wedding dress she’d selected from the trio Bellamy had brought along for her to choose from. “It’s like having two different dresses.”
“You can wear it now and then again at the reception your parents are hosting at Christmastime—with or without the top layer.” Bellamy pinned another one of Elisabeth’s long, loose curls into place. “I think your families are thrilled you and Jamie found each other again.”
“I know they are. They haven’t complained at all about us eloping. My mother told me that she loved me and to have fun.”
Bellamy’s laughter blended with hers. “Spoken like a good mom.”
“You know, I’ve been thinking about something.” Elisabeth turned and faced the mirror, her friend’s face reflected over her shoulder.
“And what’s that? Your husband-to-be, maybe?”
“In a way. Remember when we talked before Tori’s wedding? How I told you that I was feeling restless?”
“Yes.”
“I think it was God’s way of getting me ready for this.” Elisabeth straightened the simple diamond necklace she wore. “Not that there was any way I could imagine that marrying Jamie was what God had planned for me.”
“I have to say God surprised a lot of people with this elopement—but it’s a wonderful surprise.” Belle rested her hands on Elisabeth’s shoulders. “Okay. Your hair is done. Your makeup is d
one. Looks like there’s nothing left to do but for you to go get married. Are you meeting Jamie at the chapel?”
“No, we’re walking over there together.”
“I’ll see you there, then.” A knock sounded on the door and she motioned to the small bouquet of red roses on the table. “That’s probably Reid, who is going to walk over with me. Shall I take your bouquet?”
“Yes, please.”
A few moments later, Elisabeth waited for Jamie outside. Dusk shadowed the trees surrounding the inn property that bordered a lake, hiding the brilliant orange, yellow, and red leaves, and the fall air was crisp. As Jamie approached, he slipped off his dress jacket and placed it around her shoulders.
“Don’t want you getting chilled on the way to our wedding.” He took her hand in his, entwining their fingers. “Ready to get married?”
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“You don’t wish we were back at the homecoming football game?”
“I’m not missing it at all.” She leaned forward and kissed him, the scent of his aftershave mingling with the light fragrance of his rose boutonniere. “Will you escort me to the chapel, Captain Travers?”
“It would be my pleasure, Miss Straker.”
The ceremony at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd was intimate and brief. The old-fashioned white wooden church, topped with three green gables and adorned with gothic windows, was lit by the soft glow from old-fashioned chandeliers. Peter stood beside Jamie as his best man and Bellamy stood beside Elisabeth. The officiate led them in the traditional vows where they promised to love and respect each other. When he pronounced them husband and wife, Jamie pulled her into his arms even before the man finished saying “You may now kiss your bride.”
Jamie lifted her right off her feet and kissed her so thoroughly that she only vaguely heard the laughing congratulations from Bellamy and Reid and Peter and Tori. After sharing hugs with the other couples, Jamie announced that it was time to go, leading her out of the chapel and helping her up into the quaint horse-drawn carriage that awaited them.
“Alone at last.” He settled beside her, brushing his lips against hers. “Now this finally feels like we’ve eloped.”
