The Promise of Christmas

by Vanessa Miller

  “Well, I’m saved now,” David told her and I’m here to collect on my date. So, let me know what it’s going to be, woman. Will you go out with me or not?”

  After seeing what a disaster she had turned their life into, Tina should say no and then tell David to run as far away from her as he could get. But the Lord gently reminded her that she had changed. She wasn’t the same foolish woman who would burn down a house, or tear down a good man until there was nothing left of him. She was a new creation in Christ and therefore she said, “Yes, I’d love to go out with you.”

  8

  Most of the restaurants in the city had been turned into night club settings for New Year’s Eve.Tina had just given her life back to the Lord, so David doubted she would crave that kind of setting. Instead, Trinity, Tara and Theresa helped him plan a New Year’s Eve celebration that Tina would never forget.

  The girls husbands were in the car waiting on David to ask Tina out. Once she said yes, they brought in several bags and Trinity, Tara and Theresa ran upstairs to change their clothes.

  “What’s going on?” Tina asked as her eyes danced with delight.

  “You just have a seat in the living room for about an hour and let me get everything set up for our date.”

  “So, our date is going to be in my house?”

  “Woman listen, if you had accepted my offer when I first asked you out, we would’ve had to sit on your mama’s porch and share a couple of Big Macs. But don’t worry. I’m going to make this one special for us.”

  Tina then watched as Tony, Jarod and Rance brought in a small round table and set it up not three feet away from her massive dining room table that seated at least twelve. “Why can’t we just use my table?” she asked.

  “Will you let this man do what he’s gon’ do,” Tony told Tina as Jarod guided her out of the room.

  Her friend’s husbands were tripping. But Tina took it all in good fun. She sat down in her living room and picked up a magazine to read. Within a few minutes, she started hearing instrumental jazz music coming from the dining area. The door kept opening, closing and then opening again. Tina could not imagine all of what David was doing back there, but she couldn’t wait to find out.

  She read three articles. One on self-help, another about a diva actress who didn’t understand why her life was falling apart and then one on New Year’s resolutions. But when she couldn’t take anymore suspense, she got up and tried to get into the dining area. But Trinity and her husband Jarod blocked her way.

  “What are y’all, some kind of guards.” Tina put her hands on her hips getting ready to demand that they move out of her way, but then she noticed something else. “Are you dressed like a waitress?” She asked Trinity. Then as she glanced over at Jarod, and asked, “Why do you have on a tux?”

  “All in due time, my friend, just be patient,” Trinity told her.

  “You know I’m not a patient person.”

  Trinity looked her friend up and down, her lip twisted. She then grabbed her hand and walked her to the stares. “Let’s get you changed.”

  “What’s wrong with what I have on?”

  “It’s New Year’s Eve and you have a date with a handsome, Godly man. I can’t let you go to it in a sweatsuit, no ma’am.”

  ~~~~

  After Tina showered and put on her little black dress with three inch heels and a long black scarf to match so noticed that the lights had been dimmed downstairs. But she could still see the rose pedals that had been left at the bottom of the stairs making a path all the way into the dining area.

  This time when Tina stood at the door, she was not only allowed to enter, but Jarod handed her a menu and then bowed to her. “Will it be a table for two, ma’am.”

  “I guess. I’m not really sure.” Tina didn’t know what-was-what right now. But she loved everything she was seeing.

  Jarod pointed toward the small round table. “The gentleman over there is waiting on his lady. If you’re looking for a Mr. David King, I can take you right to him.”

  Tina swallowed hard as she looked over at the scrumptious dark chocolate man who’d turned her dining area into the most romantic setting she’d ever seen. There was a white linen on the table with a vanilla scented candle in the middle. Candles decorated her counter tops and they helped light the way to her chair because all the other lights in the room had been turned off.

  David stood as she approached the table, he had a three red roses in his hand. He handed her one and said, “This rose is to thank you for being bold enough to tell me that I needed a savior.” He handed her the next rose, “This one is for your new journey in Christ.” He handed her the last rose, “And this one is for finally going out on a date with me… I pray that there will be many more.”

  Tina couldn’t help herself, tears sprang to her eyes and her voice got caught in her throat. She cleared her throat and said, “I can’t believe you did all of this for me.”

  “You deserve this and much more, Tina. I knew from the moment we met that you were special. And now that you have Christ in your life again, I just want to spend as much time as possible showing you how I feel about you.” He pulled out her seat and waited for her to sit down. He then took and seat and continued, “Truly, I thought any feelings I had for you had left long ago when I married my wife. I didn’t think anything could repair my broken heart after my wife’s death. But when you allowed me to lead you back to God just as you had helped lead me to God, I knew right then that my Lord had not forgotten my original prayer.”

  “You prayed for me?” Tina asked shyly. This was all so new to her. Because no man had ever done anything like this. She’d never felt special to anyone but her fans. Now this man was telling her how special she was. God, truly does miracles.

  “Yes, I did. However, you and I weren’t meant to be at that time. But I do believe in second chances. How about you?”

  She’d just received her second chance with her Lord and Savior, so how could she not. “Yes, David King, I do believe.”

  Trinity, Tara and Theresa walked out of the kitchen in their waitress uniforms. They were carrying plates and glasses.

  Tina told them. “I haven’t had time to look at the menu yet.”

  “Girl, there’s only one item on the menu. It’s lobster. So, take it or leave it,” Theresa said while putting the plate in front of her.

  Tina laughed and then jokingly said to David, “Your restaurant is really wonderful. But I’d suggest you fire that waitress.” She pointed at Theresa.

  “I’ve got something that will make you forget about our waitresses. He clapped his hands twice and then violins began to play. Not only were violins playing, but three men came into the room playing those instruments like it was their life’s calling to make music sound so sweet.

  Tina put a hand to her mouth. Her eyes got big as she looked at her girls. They smiled back at her. “David, this is too much.”

  He shook his head, “No Tina, it’s not enough. But for now, it’s the best I have.”

  “I’ll take it,” she told him quickly. But inside she was praying that God would give her the ability to one day do something so special for David that it would take away the ache in his heart over the loss of his wife. She wanted David to know just how special he was to God and to her. She prayed she would get the chance to put the same smile on his face that he put on hers.

  When dinner was over, Tina hugged her girls for helping David to make this a special day for her. They then moved the table and made a makeshift dance floor. The four couples danced until they heard, 10… 9… 8… 7.

  Tina didn’t know what would happen between her and David once the count reached one. Would they bring in the New Year with a hug or a kiss. But she didn’t have long to find out. Because at 2… 1, everyone shouted, “Happy New Year!”

  She watched as Trinity, Tina and Tara kissed their husbands. But then David put a hand around her and brought her close. He lowered his head and kissed her. “I want to do that every ye
ar for the rest of my life. Would that be okay with you?”

  “Better than okay,” Tina said as she went in for another kiss.

  Epilogue

  By the following Christmas the Four T’s were reunited again. This time, it wasn’t just for a Christmas Special, but they were recording again. And something else had occurred. Tina finally received that hyphen to her name. She was now Mrs. Tina Jones-King and loving every minute of it.

  The gang had gathered at her house for Christmas eve because Tina was now three months pregnant and having terrible motion sickness. But it was all good. She finally had her man, his children had grown in her heart to the point that she was able to be a mother to them, and now they were having another child to add to the mix.

  “Careful Tina, you’re going to end up with a house full like me,” Theresa joked as they mixed batter for the cookies.

  “Would that be so bad?” Tina said.

  Tara popped her upside the head, “Tina, get that look out of your eyes. We have too much work to do for you and Theresa to be populating the world.”

  “Leave them alone, Tara. Just because you and Rance only want one child doesn’t mean that everybody should feel that way.”

  Tina, Theresa and Tara swung around to stare at Trinity. “Are you?” They asked in unison.

  Trinity nodded. “We just found out last week. I’m so happy I don’t know what to do.”

  Tina smiled. “Who would have thought that all our happy endings started with one falling star and the sweet, sweet promise of Christmas.”

  The end

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  Books in the Spirit of Christmas series

  The Christmas Wish (Book 1)

  The Gift (Book 2)

  The Promise of Christmas (Book 3)