When All Is Said and Prayed

by E. N. Joy

  “You look disappointed,” Ryan said to Paige. “Is everything okay? Do you not like the idea?”

  “I think it’s a wonderful idea, Ryan,” Paige said. “I was just thinking to myself how I wish I’d suggested it first. Of course I would love to meet your boys.” The waiter delivered their meals as Paige continued. “I already know I’m going to love them. Look at who their daddy is. Certainly, the apples haven’t fallen too far from the tree.”

  “Great. Then it’s settled. I’ll talk to the boys, and then we’ll set something up.”

  “Yeah, great. Fine. Just let me know.” Paige couldn’t even fake that she was no longer as excited as she’d been just a couple minutes ago.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with all this? You look . . . I don’t know. Kind of disappointed maybe. Is there something going on that you need to talk to me about?”

  Paige wanted to say no and allow the two of them to just enjoy their meal and call it a night. But given the way Ryan always shared everything that was on his mind with her, Paige felt she owed him the same in return. Besides, there was no way she could fake enjoying her meal when the fact that Ryan hadn’t proposed was on her mind.

  “Actually,” Paige began, “there is something else going on. I’m actually embarrassed to say it.”

  “You know you don’t have to ever be embarrassed around me, Paige.”

  “I know. It’s just that . . . well, when you told me there was something important you had to ask me, I just thought that maybe you were going to . . .” Even though Ryan had assured her that she never had to feel funny around him, she couldn’t help it. She’d totally jumped the gun on their relationship.

  “I was going to what?” Ryan had a look on his face that reflected the fact that he was clueless about whatever it was that Paige was trying to get out.

  “That you were going to ask me to . . . marry you.” The last part of Paige’s sentence was indecipherable, as her words ran together.

  “To what?” Ryan leaned in, cupping his ear with his hand.

  Paige sucked her teeth and then spit it out. “I thought you were going to ask me to marry you.” She looked around to make sure no one else had heard her. Ryan hearing it was enough.

  “Marry me?” Ryan said. He leaned back in his seat.

  “I feel like such a fool.” Paige buried her face in her hands. She didn’t even want Ryan to be able to see the humiliation on her face.

  “No offense, but I would never ask a woman for her hand in marriage without first asking her to meet my sons.”

  “I know. I know. All that just dawned on me when you said you wanted me to meet your boys. I feel like such a bad mother, because even though my girls have met you, they haven’t met you met you. You know, as you being my man.” Paige removed her hands from her face but still refused to look up at Ryan.

  “That doesn’t make you a bad mother. It just makes you a woman who knows what she wants, and is tired of waiting to get it,” Ryan said, hoping to make Paige feel better. “I know exactly how you feel, because I’m a man who knows what he wants and who is tired of waiting to get it. Which is why I want you to meet my boys, and for all of us to get to know each other.”

  Paige nodded. “I know my girls took to you. I just hope your boys will like me.”

  “I know they will.” Ryan sounded 100 percent certain. “If I wasn’t one hundred percent certain my boys would love the woman I know God called to be my wife, then I wouldn’t have gone out and gotten this.”

  Paige looked up when she heard Ryan digging around. She looked up just in time to see him pull a little black jewelry box out of his pocket. A huge mischievous smile covered Ryan’s face.

  “Paige Vanderdale,” he stated as he stood and then walked over to Paige’s side of the table.

  “Ryan, oh, my God.” Paige’s eyes flooded with tears. She covered her mouth with her hand to hold in the yelp she wanted to let out. Tears escaped through the cracks between her fingers.

  Ryan got down on bended knee and took Paige’s hand in his. “Baby, stop crying, because I need you to hear this.”

  Paige’s shoulders were heaving, and she couldn’t stop the tears from coming out.

  Ryan gave her a minute to let it all out before he continued. “You are my wife. I found you. You are a good thing. When I told you I was going to wait on what was mine, I meant it. That was a promise. You were my promise from God, which He kept, so what kind of man would I be not to keep my promise to you? You are a survivor and an overcomer, just like me. If either one of us ever fell, it feels good to know the other will have the strength to pick the fallen one up.”

  Paige nodded as her tears continued to flow.

  “I would follow you to the ends of earth, so of course, I’ll follow you to church every Sunday, if a ‘going to church every Sunday’ kind of man is what you want. Like ole boy from the movie Jason’s Lyric says, ‘If you’re going to church, I want to be on the front pew . . . first pew. . . .’ Something like that. Heck, all I know is that I want to be wherever you are.”

  Paige had never questioned Ryan about going to church, or rather about not going to church consistently, and she had never pressured him to go. While he did go to that Catholic church every blue moon, he wasn’t a member of it. That was something she’d decided to let God work out. And so He had. Oh, He was so faithful. Paige hadn’t had to say a word.

  Ryan continued. “I don’t just want to be everything that you want. I am everything that you want. You are one of God’s best, and I know He wouldn’t give you anything less than what He knows you need. The same goes for me. You are who I want. You are who I need. I want to spend every waking and sleeping moment with you. And in order for that to happen, I need you to be my wife.” Ryan opened the box and showed Paige the stunning two-carat diamond ring.

  It wasn’t a ring that reality show divas and wives would make a fuss over. It didn’t say, “My man just spent our children’s college tuition on a ring.” Plain and simply put, it said, “I love you.”

  Paige looked up at Ryan.

  Ryan said, “I told you I would never ask a woman for her hand in marriage without first asking her to meet my sons. Well, I asked you to meet my sons, and now I’m asking you to be my wife.”

  Paige was astounded and floored. “Oh, Ryan,” she said. “I will be your wife. I will be your lover. I will be your friend. I do, and I will. In Jesus’s name!”

  Ryan stared into Paige’s eyes as he slipped the ring on her finger, all cool, calm, and collected. He then looked around the restaurant, noticed that all eyes were on them now, of course, and shouted, “She said yes!”

  Some people cheered, while “Congratulations,” could be heard from others.

  Without a care in the world, despite the fact that practically the entire room was watching, Ryan gave Paige the biggest hug and the juiciest kiss ever. “I love you, the future Mrs. Paige Coleman. I’m in love with you.”

  “I love you too, Ryan Coleman,” Paige said in return, oblivious to the onlookers. As far as she was concerned, it was just she and the man she loved in the room. “I’m in love with you.” Paige hugged Ryan around the neck and closed her eyes as tears fell from them. She exhaled, then looked up to the heavens and mouthed, “Thank you, Lord.”

  Chapter 16

  Paige was nervous as all get-out. She’d been sitting in her car outside Ryan’s house for the past five minutes. She’d arrived ten minutes early, so she still had five minutes in which to try to gather herself.

  She had never imagined she’d be so nervous to meet two nearly tween boys. Then again, yes she had. For one, boys that age were so ornery. Kids that age, period, could be so undiplomatic when expressing themselves. Paige had heard some of the craziest things come out of the mouths of some of those kids in youth church. Church was right where some of those bey-bey kids belonged, because they definitely needed Jesus . . . or for hands to be laid on them, indeed.

  What if the boys didn’t like her and had no problem expre
ssing it? What if they played mean, nasty tricks on her, like those kids in that book Operation Get Rid of Mom’s New Boyfriend? What if... what if... what if? All the what-ifs caused Paige to break out in a sweat. Paige rolled her window down to get some of that May evening breeze.

  “Lord, please just touch their hearts to receive me as their future stepmother and to feel how much I love their father and will, in turn, love them all the same. Amen.” That was the fifth quick prayer that Paige had prayed since dropping the girls off at the Vanderdales’ and driving to Ryan’s place. Prayer still worked, and “One could never pray enough,” was her current motto and reason to keep praying.

  As the clock ticked, Paige stayed seated in the car, rehearsing in her head how she would greet the boys. She thought about whether or not she should kiss Ryan on the cheek when she greeted him and wondered if that would make the boys jealous or upset. She had no idea. And as she sat in the car, trying to figuring out the answer to one question, a million others popped in her head.

  Paige looked at the clock on her dashboard. It was 7:00 p.m. on the dot. She couldn’t stall any longer. She rolled her window up and decided to say one last prayer, for good measure. She closed her eyes, and for the next minute she prayed silently to God. Just as Paige said, “Amen,” and was about to open her eyes, there was a tap on the driver’s side window.

  Paige looked and saw two handsome young boys who looked similar to Ryan standing at her driver’s side door. All the pictures hadn’t done them justice. “Oh, my,” Paige said, a little startled. She then rolled down her window. “Hi,” she greeted, trying to suppress her nerves.

  “Hi. We’re Deron and Lionel,” the taller one said.

  “Ryan’s sons,” the other one said, nodding toward their house.

  Paige looked at the house and saw Ryan standing in the doorway. She turned her attention back to the boys.

  “I’m Deron,” the taller one said and then pointed to the other. “That’s my little brother, Lionel.”

  “Younger brother,” Lionel said, correcting him. He elbowed his brother and whispered, “I’m not little anymore, dude.”

  Deron brushed his brother off with a rolling of eyes. Paige chuckled at the little sibling spat.

  “Can we walk you up to the house?” Deron asked.

  “Absolutely.” Paige thought that was so sweet of them. Her nerves were totally wiped out by the young men’s chivalry. “Let me get my things.” Paige rolled the window up, took her keys out of the ignition, and put them in her purse. As soon as she clicked the lock to unlock her car door, the younger boy opened it for her. “Thank you,” Paige said, simply flattered. She grabbed her purse and got out of the car.

  Lionel closed the door behind her, while Deron extended his elbow for her to loop her arm through.

  “Careful,” Deron warned. “It’s been raining, so it might be slick. You could hurt yourself.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate that,” Paige said, looping her arm through his. He was about a foot shorter than her, so she bent down a little as he escorted her to the porch.

  Lionel trotted ahead of them in order to open the door for Paige.

  “Thank you so much, young man,” Paige said to Lionel as he held the door.

  “You are welcome, Miss Paige,” Lionel replied.

  Deron released Paige’s arm and allowed her to go through the doorway first. “After you,” he said. If Paige wasn’t mistaken, the boy even gave her a slight bow.

  Once she was inside the house, Ryan stood and greeted her with a bouquet of flowers. “Good evening,” he said, kissing her on the cheek and then extending the flowers to her.

  “Thank you.” Paige couldn’t stop smiling. She was getting the royal treatment. She looked around the three-bedroom ranch-style home. It had modern furnishings and nice art on the walls, and it was clean. That was something Paige just had not expected from a place that housed three males. “Nice place you fellas have here,” she complimented.

  The aroma was to die for. If Paige’s senses weren’t mistaken, they were having something Italian. There was no smell of old socks under the couch or stale tuna sandwiches that had been left out. It was totally not what she’d expected from a bachelor pad.

  “I really like the paintings on the wall,” Paige said.

  “Thank you,” Ryan said. “Deron”—he nodded toward the boy—“my oldest son, did those.”

  Paige did a double take. “Wow! I thought those were paintings bought in a store somewhere.”

  “That’s my goal.” Deron smiled. “To someday have my work in galleries across the world.” He admired the paintings himself, as if dreaming of the day he spoke about. “My art teacher said I’m the most talented fifth grader he’s ever met.”

  “I’ll have to agree with your art teacher,” Paige said. “And if you keep up that kind of work, that day of seeing your work in galleries will be here before you know it.”

  “That’s what I keep telling him.” Ryan patted his son on the back proudly.

  Not wanting to dote all on one son, Paige addressed Lionel. “And what is your thing, Lionel?”

  “Building.” His eyes lit up.

  “He started off when he was younger,” Ryan said. “That boy could duplicate any Lego design he saw just by sight. He never even had to look at the directions.”

  “I went from that to building things out of scraps and supplies,” Lionel said.

  “Most kids want iTunes gift cards for the holidays,” Deron said, jumping in. “But my geeky brother wants Home Depot gift cards.” He laughed. “What fourth grader do you know who likes the Home Depot versus Toys ‘R’ Us?”

  Lionel play punched his older brother in the arm, and the two boys laughed and tussled.

  “All right. That’s enough horseplay,” Ryan told them. “No broken bones before dinner.”

  Ryan and his sons laughed.

  Paige smiled at their interaction. By the way Ryan talked about his boys, she knew he was a good father who was raising two good sons. Seeing them all in action, though, was blissful validation.

  “So, I hope you’re hungry,” Ryan said, clapping his hands together. “And I hope you have a taste for Marzetti.” Ryan was referring to the dish of baked casserole with ground beef, cheddar cheese, tomato sauce, and noodles.

  “If I didn’t before I walked in that door, I do now,” Paige said. “It smells delicious.”

  “Cooking is Dad’s thing,” Deron said teasingly, looking at Ryan.

  “Yeah, he has an apron and all,” Lionel said, jumping in.

  “Shhh.” Ryan put his index finger to his lips in an attempt to hush the boy. “You think I want her picturing me in my flowered apron? That’s not sexy.”

  “Oh, yuck!” Both boys displayed their disgust by gagging or keeling over and grabbing their stomachs.

  “Oh, please, you get worse than that watching today’s television shows,” Ryan said. “Anyway, go wash your hands and then help me serve,” he told his boys.

  The boys scurried off toward the kitchen.

  “And, you,” Ryan said to Paige, “allow me to escort you to the dining area.” He used a sophisticated voice with a fake English accent, bowed, and then held his arm out to Paige.

  “You are so crazy,” Paige said, obliging.

  Ryan led Paige into the dining area, which was furnished with a table that sat six, a china cabinet, and a round wooden table with a plant on it. There was one large picture of a field of flowers beneath a sunny blue sky. Paige was about to ask if it was one of Deron’s, but then she saw the artist’s signature on it, and it didn’t match his.

  “I just love your humble abode,” Paige said as Ryan pulled out an upholstered chair for her. “It’s not what I expected a bachelor pad, or rather the home of a single father to two boys, to look like.”

  Ryan leaned down. “Right. You better clean that up,” he whispered in Paige’s ear. “Because the bachelor thing will be history soon enough.”

  Paige and Ryan were interrupt
ed by the boys as they entered the room, each with oven mitts on and carrying a dish.

  “You two still at it? Geesh!” said Deron.

  “Just set the food down and be quiet already,” Ryan ordered Deron. He looked at Paige. “I’ll be back. I’m going to go get the drinks.” He looked at his sons. “Boys, come help.”

  Deron set down the pan of Marzetti, and Lionel set down the plate with hot, fresh garlic bread on it. They then followed their father into the kitchen.

  Paige waited at the table, admiring the cheesy main dish and inhaling the smell of the garlic. A minute later, Ryan returned, carrying a pitcher of lemonade with one hand and two glasses stacked inside one another with the other hand. Deron was carrying a pot of green beans, while Lionel was carrying the other two glasses.

  The gentlemen set everything down in their respective places and then sat. Ryan was at the head of the table. Paige was to his right, and his two boys sat across from her.

  “All right. It’s time to eat,” Ryan said.

  “I’ll say grace,” Deron announced. “Dear Lord . . .”

  Paige was probably the only one who was not bowing her head, with her eyes closed, as Deron blessed the food.

  Ryan and his sons had their heads bowed, their eyes closed, and their hands folded in prayer. That sight alone almost brought a tear to her eye. Paige didn’t know many kids, and especially young men, who took the initiative to bless their food.

  They had said their amens and had stopped praying before Paige even realized they’d done so. Ryan looked up to see her appearing dumbfounded.

  “What? Just because we don’t belong to a church, you think we don’t pray?” Ryan asked Paige.

  She shook herself out of her daze. “Huh? What?” Then she realized what Ryan had said. “Oh, no, not at all.” Paige wasn’t lying. She had simply been in awe of the sight before her of three males thanking God . . . no matter what it was for.