“Or a person could be distracted by the company,” said Carrie. “Especially if she kinda likes him.”
Wade swallowed the almost-melted mint. It scratched his throat going down, and he coughed twice. He searched his brain for a proper response or a way to change the subject. He liked Kristy. A lot. He’d prayed for a good hour last night, begging God to help him focus on his sermon and not their near kiss.
“Did she tell you about their parents?” asked Michael.
Carrie elbowed him in the side. “We just found out late last night.”
Wade offered a silent prayer of thanks that Michael had not caught on to Carrie’s goading. “What about them?”
“They’ll be able to come for the wedding,” said Michael.
Carrie added, “They’ve been trying to take a furlough from Brazil so they could meet Noah. It was looking like August, but when they found out about Mel, too, Dad just called a few people and made the trip happen a little bit earlier.”
“I know Kristy and Mel will be so happy to have them here. If Kaitlyn could come—”
Carrie interrupted Wade. “The military isn’t quite as easy. We are trying to figure a way that maybe we can Skype her during the wedding ceremony—”
“Wedding ceremony?” Eustace’s voice sounded from a few feet away. She touched Carrie’s arm. “Just who is getting married, dear?”
Carrie’s face reddened. Wade inwardly battled if he should just come out and tell Eustace. Kristy planned to place invitations on the welcome table the next Sunday, but so far, they hadn’t made a public announcement about the wedding. Or the pregnancy.
Michael drew his wife closer to his side in a protective motion. “Well, Joel and Mel have decided to get married.” He jutted his chin. “Kristy is giving out invitations next week.”
“Well, now.” Eustace’s face contorted into a less than Christian-like smile. She glanced behind her. “Did you hear that, Ida? Mel and Joel are getting married.”
Wade’s heart twisted. He needed to pray for this woman more. Something in her enjoyed negativity, confrontation and gossip.
“Oh.” Ida covered her mouth with her palm. “That Mel is such a beautiful girl. She’ll make a lovely bride.”
Wade exhaled as Carrie relaxed her shoulders. “Thank you, Ida.”
Eustace narrowed her gaze. “I heard there might be a reason the two are getting married so quickly.”
Anger twisted in Wade’s gut. Carrie opened her mouth, but Wade blurted out, “Eustace, I think that’s something you should ask Kristy or Mel. Or better yet, simply attend the wedding and be happy for the young couple.”
“Well.” Eustace puffed out her chest and pinched her lips together in an angry line.
Ida released a nervous laugh as she guided Eustace out the door. Wade rubbed his hands together and prayed God would temper his raging emotions. Michael and Carrie smiled, but they headed down the hall to the nursery. After a few more goodbyes from church members, Wade was able to calm his racing heart. The last time he’d felt so protective of a woman had been when he’d fallen in love with Zella. He’d sworn never to feel that way again, but his heart exposed the truth. He loved Kristy.
Chapter 14
Kristy said goodbye to Carrie, clicked her phone off, then plugged it into the charger. She fluffed the pillows and sat them up against the headboard of her bed. Grabbing a devotional magazine off the nightstand, she slid under the covers and turned to the correct date. She read the first paragraph and realized she had no idea what the author had said. She read the paragraph again and then closed the magazine in frustration.
She stared up at the ceiling, anger swelling within her at what her sister had just relayed. Eustace was such a busybody. She savored the latest gossip, then relished her disdain for whomever she deemed sinful. Shifting on the bed, she punched the pillow behind her to plump it up better. She covered her face with her hands before raking her fingers through her hair.
I didn’t want this for Mel. She gripped her hair at the base of her neck. Her mind replayed the looks cast in her direction from eighteen years ago. Pity. Anger. Disgust. Disappointment. One face after another flitted through her brain. Mel had graduated. At least she had that. She wouldn’t be a kid in high school sitting in metal desks lined in a row and raising her hand for permission to use the restroom...
She made a fist and pressed it against her lips. God, hearing the baby’s heartbeat was amazing. My precious grandchild. A tear slipped down her cheek. But I didn’t want Mel to experience what I did. The judgment of so many. People can be so…
“Mom!”
Mel’s frantic scream interrupted the prayer, and Kristy jumped out of the bed.
“Mom!” Mel screeched again.
Kristy ran down the hall and into the bathroom. “What is it?”
Mel’s hands shook, and her chest heaved with sobs. “I’m bleeding!” She grabbed the front of Kristy’s nightgown. “Momma, what’s happening?”
Kristy grabbed a sanitary napkin from under the sink and handed it to Mel. “Get ready. We’re going to the hospital.”
Mel wrapped her arms around Kristy. “I’m so scared, Momma. I don’t want to lose the baby. Help me, Momma.” Her voice caught as another sob slipped through her lips.
Kristy swallowed back tears at the desperation in her daughter’s voice. She already loved the grandchild growing in her daughter’s womb. Hearing the baby’s strong and constant heartbeat had stirred her maternal instinct. She cupped Mel’s cheeks with her hands, kissed her forehead and then whispered, “God, please protect our baby.”
Without letting go of her cheeks, she looked into her daughter’s eyes. “Calm down. Get ready. We’re going to the hospital. Okay?”
Mel swallowed hard and nodded, then rushed to her bedroom. Kristy threw on a T-shirt and shorts and then slipped on her flip-flops. After grabbing a couple of towels, she picked up her purse and keys off the counter, and within minutes, they were heading to a doctor. Mel’s phone beeped every few seconds, and Kristy realized she had texted Joel.
“Is he meeting us there?” she asked.
Mel nodded, then a cry sounded from her lips. “I’m so scared.”
“God, calm Mel’s nerves,” Kristy prayed as she swerved right onto the next road. “Give the doctor wisdom—” she flipped the blinker, and then turned right again “—to know what is causing the bleeding.” She slowed down as she turned in at the hospital’s emergency driveway. “Please keep our baby safe.”
They hustled into the emergency room. The place was practically empty. Thank You, Lord. Kristy signed in and gave the clerk their insurance information. Within minutes, a nurse took them back to a makeshift room with cubicle curtains for walls. Mel was so upset that the nurse helped change her into an open-back robe and then got her situated to see the doctor.
The nurse left and then returned a moment later and assisted Mel into the wheelchair. “We’re gonna move to an ultrasound room. Okay?”
Kristy and Mel nodded and the nurse wheeled Mel out with Kristy following close behind. Within minutes, a gray-haired woman walked into the room. “I’m Dr. Stower. I’m going to go ahead and do the ultrasound myself, all right?”
Fresh tears streamed down Mel’s face, and her bottom lip quivered. Kristy tried to choke back her fear, but she didn’t know how much longer she could last. Dr. Stower patted Mel’s leg. “Settle down, sweetie. Sometimes things are perfectly fine.”
Sometimes. The doctor’s word replayed in Kristy’s mind like a broken record. Joel arrived just as Dr. Stower began the ultrasound. The screen came to life with shapes, and Kristy peered at it, trying to decipher each part of her grandchild.
The woman moved the instrument, then pointed to the small beating shape. “Strong heartbeat right there.”
Mel burst into tears, and Kristy swiped away a few of her own with the backs of her hands. Joel kissed Mel’s palm. “The baby’s okay, right?”
The doctor moved the instrument again, this t
ime showing them the baby’s profile. His or her head. Arms. Legs. Hands. Feet. The baby was perfect.
“I’m going to keep looking, but everything looks great so far.”
She measured the baby’s head from various angles. “Are you about twelve weeks?”
“Yes,” Mel whimpered. “I’m twelve weeks tomorrow.”
Joel pointed to the clock on the wall. “It’s after midnight. Actually we’re twelve weeks today.”
Kristy’s heart warmed at his words. We’re. He had no intention of leaving Mel alone through the pregnancy and childrearing. His loyalty to her daughter was something she appreciated and hoped didn’t disappear as life got more difficult.
The woman pushed a couple of buttons, and photos of the ultrasound streamed out of the bottom of the machine. She pulled off her plastic gloves. “You’ll need to call your doctor in the morning, but my guess is you’ve had some breakthrough bleeding.”
“What’s that?” asked Kristy.
She looked at each of them, then focused on Mel. “If you weren’t pregnant, it would be time for your menstrual cycle. Sometimes women will experience some bleeding at that time. Did you spot at all at eight weeks?”
“No.” Mel’s lip trembled as she shook her head.
“That’s okay.” The lady patted her leg. “It’s still possible to have some bleeding now. I suggest you call your doctor in the morning and set up an appointment. Stay in a resting position, lying on your left side, until your doctor’s able to see you. Okay?”
Mel and Joel nodded at the same time. Mel got dressed, then looked at Kristy. “Mom, I’m going to ride back to the house with Joel.”
Kristy opened her mouth, then shut it. She wanted to take care of Mel, her baby.
Then Kristy nodded. Mel wasn’t her baby anymore.
* * *
When he received Joel’s text, Wade hopped out of bed and threw on some clothes. Bo barked and wagged his tail, but Wade petted his head and said, “You can’t go this time, boy. I’ll be back soon.”
His phone beeped again. He pulled over and parked in front of a house. The text read they’d left the hospital and were headed back to Kristy’s. The baby appeared to be fine. Wade bit his bottom lip, unsure what to do. Should he go home and wait until morning or head over there and offer his help in any way they needed him tonight?
His desire to protect Kristy won out, and he turned his truck toward her house. When he pulled into the driveway, Kristy was getting out of her car. Joel’s truck was already parked and empty. He and Mel must have got there before her. He waved and walked up beside her. “She’s okay?”
Kristy nodded. “They think so.”
“Joel said the baby’s okay, too.”
“Seems to be.” She opened the front door, and he walked inside. Joel sat on the couch with his elbows propped on his knees and his head in his hands. “Where’s Mel?” asked Kristy.
He looked up, and Wade saw the boy’s eyes were puffy from crying. He blinked several times as he motioned to the hall. “Putting on some pajamas.”
Kristy nodded, then looked up at him.
“I won’t stay.” He opened his hands. “I just wanted to let you all know that I’m here if you need anything at all.”
“Pastor Wade.” Wrapped in an oversize red robe Mel walked into the living room. Joel jumped off the couch, then fluffed a pillow and made her lie down. “Will you pray for our baby?”
“Absolutely.”
They joined hands, and Wade asked for God’s protection on them and for His mercy that the little boy or girl would be healthy and safe. When he ended the prayer, he wiped a tear from his eye. He’d come to love this family so much.
“Kristy, may I stay here?” Joel’s voice was low. “I can’t stand to think something could happen, and I wouldn’t be here.”
Kristy frowned and shook her head.
“Please,” Joel pleaded. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Please, Mom. I’ll feel better if Joel is here,” said Mel.
Kristy continued to shake her head. Wade knew she didn’t want to be the bad guy, but even after all that had happened, she didn’t feel comfortable having her daughter’s fiancé sleep in her home. He wasn’t sure he knew what he would say if he were in the same situation. “Tell you what. I’ll stay, too.”
He cringed as soon as the words left his lips. What was he thinking? He looked around the living room. Where would he sleep? The recliner?
“What?” the three of them asked in unison.
He cleared his throat. “Sure.” He pointed to the chair. “I’ll just sleep on the recliner. You know, stay in here with Joel. It won’t be like you’re having your daughter’s fiancé overnight. You’ll be having the pastor, too.”
A chuckle slipped from Kristy’s and Mel’s lips, and Joel laughed outright. “It might not look too good for you, the pastor, to be spending the night with two single women, either.”
He grinned. “But I’ll do it just the same.”
Kristy swatted the air and released an exaggerated breath. “Fine. You both can stay and sleep on the couch and recliner.” She took blankets out of the hall closet. “But you’re both going to have sore backs and necks in the morning.”
She helped her daughter to her feet and guided her to the bedroom. Kristy waved as she walked down the hall. “Sleep tight, boys.”
Wade and Joel settled into their sleeping places. Wade pulled a blanket over his body and then leaned the recliner back as far as it would go.
“Thanks for offering to stay, Pastor Wade.” Joel’s words came out as half yawn. “She’d have never let me be here if you hadn’t volunteered.”
“No problem,” he answered. “I understand young love.” He thought of Zella. She had been so full of life. He’d have done anything for her. Thinking again of Wilma’s words of finally forgiving herself, he basked in God’s unexplainable ability to love him no matter what he’d done. Zella would have never wanted him to live as he had the past two decades, always striving for the unattainable—to work harder, be better, do more and never forgive himself. And she would have loved Kristy.
As Joel drifted off to sleep, Wade lay awake thinking of his newfound love for Kristy and contemplating what he should do. How he should tell her. If he should tell her.
A soft shuffle sounded against the floor. He looked up and saw Kristy in a large robe, heading to the kitchen. The back door opened, and he heard a chair move across the wooden deck. Not wanting her to know he was still awake, he feigned sleep until he heard a muffled cry.
He sat up and listened more closely. The whimper sounded again, and Wade slipped out of the chair. He wasn’t sure she’d want his company, but he couldn’t bear for her to be upset and him not help in some way.
He opened the door all the way, and Kristy gasped and hopped up. Recognition lit her eyes, and in one quick motion, she wrapped her arms around him and buried her face against his chest. Wade’s heart twisted as he held her tighter and rubbed her back.
“I was so scared,” she cried into his chest. “I already love that baby.”
He continued to hold her, relished the thought that he might be able to make her feel better or safer in the slightest of ways. After too short a time, she pulled away from him and wiped her eyes with her hands. “I’m sorry. I’ve blubbered all over you.”
He looked down at his wet shirt, then gazed back at her. “Anytime.”
She sniffed, then moved past him, back into the house. “We better get to bed. It’s going to be daylight before long.”
Wade sat back in the recliner and covered himself once again with the blanket. He wouldn’t sleep a wink tonight, and it would have nothing to do with the discomfort of the chair.
Chapter 15
“Is this close enough?” Kristy grimaced as she held up her latest attempt at an invitation. She’d taped a small photo of Joel and Mel to fuchsia card stock. Lacing pink-and-purple polka-dot ribbon through holes at the top, she’d attached the paper to the
top of a larger piece of purple card stock, which contained the actual information about the wedding.
“Mom,” Mel whined. She reached over from her chaise longue and took the invitation. “The holes don’t match. You’ve got to punch both papers at the same time. See how the words are showing.” Mel touched the bright violet page. “The photo and pink paper are big enough to cover the information on the purple paper if you position the holes right.”
Leah pointed to Kristy’s three other failed attempts at putting the homemade invitation together. “But look how much better you’re doing. The next one will be perfect.”
Her condescending tone grated on Kristy’s nerves, and she pushed away from Mel’s father and stepmother’s dining room table. “I think I need to use the ladies’ room.”
Leah motioned down the hall. “Third door on your left. You may have been there before, but we just redid it recently and moved a few things around.”
Noting the pile of thirty or more perfectly completed invitations in front of Leah, Kristy scowled as she walked down the hall and into the bathroom.
She hadn’t wanted to make invitations in the first place. She was all thumbs when it came to crafting. And yet she had to admit it had given Mel something to do while she heeded the doctor’s orders and lounged for a few days. Her obstetrician agreed with the ER doctor’s diagnosis of breakthrough bleeding. For two days, Mel had remained on her left side, but she wasn’t one for sitting still, and the invitations were keeping her hands busy.
Kristy turned on the light and mumbled, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
The half bathroom was as big as her master bath. White chair railing split the walls in half. Both top and bottom were painted a faux-marble style using tan and gold colors. The dark tile floor matched the circular mirror with ornate trim, and the brown bowl sink sat on top of a mahogany table. Orchids and three pillar candles decorated each side of the basin. A large gold-framed picture of a yellow floral design hung above the toilet. She glanced down at the baseboard. Even the baseboards were stately.
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