I Know the Plans
Page 18
“Why don’t you just turn around so you don’t hit the wall?”
Brad stopped, leaned her way, and kissed her forehead. “I never want to have you out of my sight again. Or at least until we go to bed tonight,” a saucy grin crossed his lips. Typically fear followed when he looked at her that way. Not this time.
Brad sat on the couch first, still never letting go of her hands. Then, he guided her to sit on his lap instead of on the couch next to him. He wrapped his arms around her again, cradling her in his perfectly chiseled arms. Yes, this was right where she belonged.
Placing her hands on both sides of his face, she pressed her lips to his, the five o’clock shadow pricking her palms. This was real, he was real, they were real, and no one would ever take it away. Please God, don’t ever take him away again. Knowing things needed to be said, she kept the kiss quick.
“We have been handed a second chance, Tiff.”
“You said that already, sweetie.”
“It’s worth repeating. It is a gift that many don’t get.”
“Yes, it is.”
“God had a plan. Yes, it required some pretty scary moments for us, but they had to happen to put me in the same location as my rescuer.”
“And to make us see what a beautiful thing we have.”
“We were getting that bad?”
“Let’s just say that if you had not come back in the state you were in, I might have left.”
“Ouch. Then I am glad for the turmoil. It made me see you as the jewel you are. I’m sorry about the past.” His thumb ran across the skin of her waist sending a shiver to her abdomen.
“It is forgotten. I have you home and whole enough to enjoy our time together.”
The grandfather clock ticked as she relished the feel of his arms around her. There’s nothing better than being in his arms. Thank you, Lord.
“So, can we talk about this elephant in the room?”
His question, and audible frustration, boomed through the living room, making her laugh.
“And which one is that? I can think of a couple.”
“Don’t tease me, Tiffany. You know.” His stern look increased her laughter. She knew what he was referring to but was she ready to jump in?
Yes!
“Well, the way I see it, we are still married. That status never changed. But, can you humor me for a little while longer? Take me on a date or two. Get reacquainted? Then, on August sixteenth, I’ll meet you and Pastor Cross under the big oak near the river.”
Shock and awe had a whole new meaning from the look on his face. “Really?”
“Yes. We have been apart for so long; I just need this silly little renewal to happen to feel like everything is back to normal.”
“You know, that is only a couple weeks away.”
“I do and I think that will be enough time, but the sixteenth is special for us.”
Understanding reflected in his eyes as he stated, “It’s our ten year wedding anniversary.”
“Good, you remembered,” she couldn’t help but laugh at the quip.
“We did just cover that a week ago. I think it is a great idea. Can I make a few requests?”
“Yes, you may.”
“No guests except for Mike and Jill and Ryan and Emma. I don’t want a long party, just dinner here at the house. Last, I think I need to ask your brother for his couch until then. I don’t think I can keep my hands to myself that long.”
Joy overflowing, that was all she could think of as a smile spread across her face. “I think we can do that.”
The sun began to set, sending golden hues through the windows around the room. The stained glass cast colors on the walls. Life returned to the house and to her heart as she sat nestled in his embrace. Sprinkles of kisses were scattered on her neck and cheek.
All the plans she made for her life that never came to fruition were pale in comparison to the beauty God created out of their heartbreak. There would never be children that were the product of their love, but she held out hope that God would provide a way for children to fill the halls with laughter. If not children of their own, then they would enjoy plenty of nieces and nephews. At this point, she didn’t care. As long as God’s plan meant they could stay together and live side by side for the rest of their lives, she would find contentment in that. God was on the throne and He had a plan for their lives. She needed to continue to trust that plan.
EPILOGE
TIFFANY MET BRAD beneath the old oak like she promised, dressed in the prettiest shade of pale pink. The hot August air hung thick around them. They enjoyed a meal full of laughter and fellowship before the ceremony, which was pushed to the final moments of daylight. When their heads hit the pillows that night, all was right in the world again. Not a single care haunted them. All that mattered was the two of them.
They made a pact that night, in front of those they held most dear. “We will forge a path for those who cross our threshold; a path that leads each couple to God and to each other. We will serve others side by side by serving one another, always displaying the love of God for others to see. When we fail, we will forgive. When we love, we will love boldly and without fear. When one of us is too weak to walk, the other will hold him or her up until strength returns.”
From that moment on, they opened the doors wide for any couple, military or civilian, that needed a safe place to reconnect and focus on their love for each other. One weekend a month, Pastor Cross and his wife would be on hand for those more difficult situations. That is, until both Brad and Tiffany received their degrees making it possible to counsel people.
At first, they thought the rooms would sit empty, but God provided and the rooms were booked through the winter and into the spring. It only revealed to them that many were hurting like they did and just needed a little extra encouragement.
On a snowy December evening not long after their renewal, a knock sounded heavy on the antique glass door.
“I swear, someone is going to break that glass,” Brad grumbled as Tiffany uncurled from under the blanket. The fire was plenty warm, but she knew the warmest place was in his arms.
“Hush, Bradley Jones. You never know who could be knocking. At this time of year, it could be Santa. I heard the Christmas Train going earlier.”
“Bah humbug!” he belted with laughter.
As Tiffany approached the door, the silhouette of not one but two figures appeared. One of them was all too familiar to her.
“Brad, I need you,” she called out as she swung the door open.
Ryder stood at their door, with a frail looking Julie in his arms. Her rotund belly was undeniable.
“I didn’t know where else to go. She needs help.”
Tiffany led him to the couch.
“Honey, give her the room above us. She is obviously tired,” Brad chimed in.
Ryder’s arms began to shake at the weight of the young girl. Without a harsh comment or quip, Brad took the girl and walked up the stairs. Tiffany and Ryder followed close behind.
“What happened?” she asked Ryder as she and Brad removed her coat from her limp body. “Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she was awake until about fifteen minutes ago, giving me all kinds of grief. I told her she needed to go to her sister’s but she refused. That girl is stubborn.”
“There is a lot between them. I’m not surprised,” Tiffany declared.
Tiffany took survey of Julie, checking her pulse, testing for hydration, whatever she could think of to make sure she didn’t need a doctor. She should call Mike and Jill anyway.
“She was in a dive bar in Detroit my band was performing in. She wasn’t drinking anything but a Coke, but she looked pale. After the set, we got to talking and she told me she was living with an old friend until a week ago.” Ryder’s pause forced both Brad and Tiffany to give him their full attention. “Her friend overdosed a week ago and the landlord, and the baby daddy, kicked her out in the snow. I insisted she come home. I wouldn’t let her think of any oth
er option.”
“She explained to me over the summer how dangerous the father is. Does he know it is his?” Brad asked. Tiffany would ask him later how he knew that detail.
“She didn’t say,” Ryder answered.
“He can’t know,” the faint mewing of the pregnant Julie declared from under the covers. “He can never know. He will sell her.”
Brad and Tiffany looked from Julie, whose eyes remained fixed shut, to each other. The concern and compassion she felt for the young woman reflected in Brad’s eyes.
“Please take her. She needs good parents.”
Peace filled the room as Brad and Tiffany conversed without a word. They knew what they had to do, no questions asked. They would do whatever they had to in order to protect Julie and the unborn baby, and trust God’s plan for the rest.
DEAR READER
DEAR READER,
I hope you enjoyed “I Know The Plans”. This story took much longer than I ever intended for it to take. As I wrote each chapter, I felt like it took a month to learn, one more time, about God’s plans in my life and for this book.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse that has been my go to verse in times of trouble throughout my adult life. Each year of marriage, each of the lives of my children, and even in my professional life I have had to count on the promise that God has a plan. I just needed to sit back and let Him do His thing.
If you enjoyed the story, please feel free to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or any book review site you wish. Without your reviews, many books would fail.
Thank you and God bless,
Melissa Wardwell
“God does not give his children a desire just so that it can go to waste.”
Melissa Wardwell resides in the quant town of Owosso, Michigan with her husband and their three children. She began her writing journey in August of 2014 with her debut novel “What God Brings Together”. She decided to give writing a try after she shared a story that nagged at her with a friend. Unsure in her own abilities to craft a story she plunged ahead anyway. After reading the first draft of that first book, she then understood that God had a much bigger plan. Since then, she has added several novels and taken part in two anthologies. Melissa also has a review blog titled “Back Porch Reads” and is a contributing blogger for Heart”wings” Blog.
To see the full list of her work, visit www.melissawardwell.com