They were still staring at her, waiting for her to answer. She looked into Sarah’s eyes and said, “Yes, I do accept you as my mother.”
With that, Sarah was out of her chair, around the desk, and gathering Alison into her arms, hugging her tightly. Alison felt tears dropping on her shoulders. Whose were they? When they stepped back, she realized that they both had tears streaming down their cheeks.
Sybil was there, as always, with tissue and then after mopping up the tears from both her sister’s and her niece’s faces, she led Sarah back to her chair.
After allowing a moment for composure, Sybil stood back up and leaned on Alison’s desk to get right in her face again. “Then, if that’s the case, you need to discuss your marriage plans with your mother.”
Both Sarah and Kelly had shocked looks on their faces now and Kelly said, “You’re getting married? You didn’t tell me that Stan asked you to marry him.”
Alison felt the tears coming back and tried to laugh them off. “He didn’t. But if he doesn’t ask me today, I’m going to ask him.”
Kelly giggled and said something softly which Alison thought sounded like, “You go girl.”
Alison turned to Sarah and for the first time said, “Mom, would you like to help me plan my wedding?”
Sarah’s face registered shock at first then she burst into tears again. Sybil wrapped her arms around her sister.
Sarah composed herself enough to look at Alison and say, “You can’t imagine how much I’ve hoped and prayed that you would call me that again, and then to someday ask me that question. But, to get them both in one sentence, all I can say is thank you.” She wiped more tears with a tissue Sybil handed her. “Yes, of course, I would love to help you with your wedding.”
Kelly was giggling again. “I hate to be the one to spoil all this talk of planning a wedding, but shouldn’t we wait until we know there’s going to be a wedding before we start planning it?”
They all laughed, some more successful than others.
Sybil was the first to speak. “Ladies, I hate to be the one to further spoil all of this, but I think that there is still one more question that needs to be answered.”
When they all turned toward her, she turned back to Alison. “Is Stan a Christian?”
No one moved or even breathed for a long moment. Then Sybil said, “I know Stan rather well. He practically grew up at my house the same as you and Grant, Alison. And I love him to pieces. But don’t you think you should find that out first?”
Alison felt like she’d been hit over the head. She fell back in her desk chair and closed her eyes. Placing the fingertips of both hands on her temples, she thought back to the time when both she and Grant had accepted the Lord and been baptized. Didn’t Stan do the same? But, she couldn’t remember him being baptized. He didn’t!
She looked at Sybil when she spoke. “Remember when Grant and I were baptized, I couldn’t understand why Stan wasn’t too?”
Sybil brightened. “Yes, of course, I remember now. Stan had been with the two of you and had prayed to accept the Lord the same time you did. But his grandparents wouldn’t let him be baptized. They weren’t much for church at the time.”
Everyone seemed to be thinking about this new development. Alison knew she was.
Alison spoke first. “Okay, if all of you would like to wait in the outer office, I’m going to call Stan in here. I’m going to make sure he’s a Christian first. Then if he doesn’t take the hint, and ask me to marry him, I’ll ask him myself.”
The laughter went with the other three women as they stepped out of Alison’s office.
That left Alison alone with her thoughts. What should she do? How should she handle this? She had no doubt now that she wanted to marry Stan and have babies with him. The question was how was she going to get from here to there? Was he a Christian? She knew in her heart that he was. She just had to get him to admit it.
Then she had to think of a way to get him to ask her to marry him. Babies! That’s it. She could start by telling him about Grant and Kelly going to try for a baby right away. Then, she might be able to make the transition to marriage, and on from there to the two of them.
That’s it. She was ready now. She stood to call Stan into her office.
* * *
Stan had been puzzled when Sybil came tearing through the outer office, giving him an almost dirty look before disappearing into Alison’s office behind the closed door.
That was nothing to how shook up he was when Kelly and Sarah also rushed in about fifteen minutes later and went behind Alison’s closed door. At least they didn’t give him dirty looks. If anything, they looked as confused as he was.
For the next ten minutes, he could hear the sounds of their voices but couldn’t make any of it out through the closed door. Man, how he wished he could hear what they were saying. Were they talking about him? He had a strong feeling that they were doing just that.
When Alison’s door opened again, Sybil stepped out first followed closely by Sarah then Kelly and they were all laughing. Stan watched them as they filed past him without saying a word or even looking at him. They went to the front reception area where they all took a seat. Strange!
Then he turned his baffled gaze back toward Alison’s office. Her door was wide open and she was still sitting at her desk looking down. He looked back at the other women and they still wouldn’t look at him. Then when he looked back at Alison’s office, she was standing in the opening. She didn’t say anything at first, just stared at him, but he wasn’t sure she was even seeing him.
“Stan?” Her eyes focused on his face. “Would you come in here for a minute . . . please?”
Okay, he knew without a doubt that he was about to find out what had been going on behind that closed door all morning. Was he going to like it? He tried to read Alison’s face but saw nothing other than determination and was it nervousness? All that did was cause him to worry even more.
He didn’t realize she was waiting for him to respond. He just kept staring at her until she cleared her throat. “Sure, let me save this file.” He hit the save key and stood to walk toward her. It was a short distance of no more than ten feet, but it was the longest ten feet he’d ever walked. What was waiting for him on the other side of that doorway?
Alison stepped aside to let him enter and closed the door. She pointed at two of the chairs that were in front of her desk. He was surprised to notice that these two were now facing each other. She sat in one and indicated that he should sit in the other. They were sitting facing each other with their knees almost touching.
He knew he had to wait for her to speak first. After all, she seemed to have something heavy to talk about. But the anticipation was killing him. When she spoke, he was shocked.
“Stan, do you remember when we were kids and Grant and I were baptized”
She waited for him again, so he nodded.
“Well, I seem to remember that when Grant and I prayed to accept the Lord, you did too. But your grandparents wouldn’t let you be baptized.”
Where in the world was all this going? He thought back to that time in their lives. Yes, he had prayed with them. He hadn’t thought about that in years. But, he also remembered that it had meant something to him then. Did it still?
He took one look into Alison’s anxious eyes and he knew it meant the whole world to him.
“Yes, Alison, I did pray with you and Grant that day, and I meant every word of it.” He paused to think and was surprised she let him. “I feel bad about it, but I haven’t lived since then like it mattered, but it did then, and now I feel that it matters . . . a lot.”
He wasn’t sure if he’d said the right thing or not, for there were tears streaking down her cheeks.
She gave him a timid smile. “Would you be willing to be baptized now?”
Wow! Talk about hitting hard, she sure was. Did he? Should he? Yes!
He looked into her eyes and said, “Yes, Alison, I think it’s time I started livin
g up to what I committed to all those years ago.”
She leaped out of her chair, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. He was so shocked that he couldn’t even respond at first, but then he met her more than half way. They kissed for what seemed like forever before she pulled back then returned to her seat.
Stan thought that he must have passed whatever test Alison and the other women had devised for him. But he soon realized that there was more.
“Stan, did you know that Grant and Kelly have decided to try to have a baby as soon as possible?”
No, he didn’t know. And he was a little hurt to think that his best friend hadn’t told him something so monumental.
His face must have given her the answer. She laughed. “Don’t look so left out. They just decided this morning at breakfast.”
He was still reeling from her last announcement when she said, “That’s what I want too.” When he just gave her a baffled look, she said, “I want a baby too, Stan.”
He knew his face was wide open to her, but he couldn’t hide his shock. Did she just say what he thought she just said? What did that mean? Did it mean she wanted to get married? It had better mean that.
He looked at her face and realized that she was waiting for him to say something and the longer he took the more her face fell.
“Alison.” He reached out both hands and she placed hers in his. “Do you want to get married?” She nodded her head. “To me?” She nodded again.
He didn’t know whether to shout from frustration or from pure joy. Alison wanted to marry him.
“Alison, I love you with all my heart, and if you love me the same way, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She jumped into his arms again and wound up sitting on his lap this time with their arms around each other. Their lips found each other again.
She broke the kiss way too soon for Stan and leaned back a couple of inches. “When?”
“When?” He thought fast. “As soon as you want to.”
Her grin made him feel terrific. “How about Saturday, the thirtieth?”
Stan thought fast. “That’s a week and a half away. Can you get everything that you women do for weddings done that fast?”
She grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. “Of course I can. Don’t you know that all of my wedding planners are out there in the reception area right now just waiting to get started planning our wedding?”
“Alison, if I didn’t already love you, all of this would make me love you for sure. I love you more because of it though.”
He could see from her thoughtful expression that there was still something else.
“Stan, you said you were ready to get baptized. The reason I said the thirtieth instead of this Saturday, is so that you could do it this Sunday.”
He knew that was a question even though it wasn’t worded that way. He smiled into her big blue eyes. “Yes, Alison, I would love to be baptized Sunday."
She stepped over to her desk. “Let me make a phone call first.”
She called her pastor and turned back to Stan. “He agreed to baptize you on Sunday but he just wants to talk to you first.”
She handed him the phone and he made an appointment to see the pastor.
When he sat back down, Alison sat back down on his lap and leaned in for another kiss. When there was a knock on the door, she jumped off to open it. When she did, all the other women were standing there with Grant looking over their shoulders.
Grant! How did he get involved in this circus?
* * *
Alison walked out through the door with Stan following her, as the others all moved aside for them to pass. She led them into the conference room next door.
Once they were all seated with Stan close to her, holding her hand, Alison said, “First, I would like for all of you to know that Stan has consented to be baptized Sunday and Pastor Caldwell has agreed.”
They all made approving comments, but she could tell that they were now eagerly anticipating another announcement.
She turned to Stan. “Would you like to tell them the rest?”
Stan started grinning again, and without preamble, he belted it out. “Alison and I are getting married on the thirtieth.”
That was when everyone started talking, squealing, crying, and shouting all at once. Grant came around the table, slapped Stan on the back, and shook his hand. When he stepped behind Alison, she stood, turned, and leaped into his arms. It felt so wonderful to be in her big brother’s arms. And her fiancé was sitting there grinning at them.
Her fiancé? That sounded strange. That sounded fantastic. She didn’t realize how much she’d wanted to get married and have a family. She had all of her life but she’d always been afraid that she would pick the wrong man just as her mother had done . . . twice. Come to think of it, she almost did pick the wrong one, Spencer. Spencer?
That thought brought her down off her high. She sat back down and looked around the table at the five people she loved most in the whole world and all of a sudden, she was scared.
Stan noticed her change of mood first then Grant. Stan looked into her eyes and said, “Alison, what’s wrong?”
That stopped all conversations and brought their eyes on Alison. She stood. “What about Spencer or Wilson or whoever it is that’s trying to hurt me?”
Grant and Stan exchanged looks and Stan put his arm around Alison. “I don’t think there’s much more we can do until we can figure out who is doing all of this.” He turned to Alison. “Do you want to wait to get married until after we catch this guy?”
Alison didn’t even have to think about that. “No! I don’t want to wait. I won’t let this monster, whoever he is, win, and that’s what it would be if we let him make us change our plans.”
Stan pulled her into his arms and spoke into her ear, “I love you Alison, and I’m also very proud of you right now.”
Grant was standing on her other side. “Okay, but I think we need to take more precautions to make sure this guy doesn’t get to Alison.”
Alison was puzzled. “What more can you do. Already, Stan is with me all day, and I’m at your house all night.”
Grant gave Stan a hard look. “I think that we need to do something to draw this guy out so we can catch him. Right now, all we’re doing is sitting around waiting for him to strike again. By doing that, we’re playing right into his hands. We need to take control of the situation away from him.”
Stan seemed to be in tune with where Grant was going now. “Alison, when do you have another house showing?”
“Tomorrow evening at seven.”
“Okay, we need to set a trap for the guy.”
Grant picked up from there. “Yeah, we’ll make it look like Alison is by herself, but we’ll be all around the house waiting for the guy to make a move.”
Stan turned to Alison. “Are you okay with that, Alison?”
She tried to smile though her insides were in turmoil. “How close will you be to me?”
Stan answered, “Close enough to touch you.” He shook his head. “I’m not about to let this guy get his hands on you.”
“Okay, I’m all for it then. Let’s do it tomorrow night.”
With that, the rest left the room and Alison led Stan into her office through the connecting door. She was about to draw him in for a kiss when Mary came through the doorway shouting.
“Oh Alison, I just heard. Congratulations you two. It couldn’t have happened to a finer couple.”
Mary rushed over to them and tried to hug them both at the same time. “I’m so excited for you. Have you set a date yet?”
Alison smiled at Mary. “Saturday, the thirtieth. You’ll come won’t you Mary?”
She grinned back. “You couldn’t keep me away.”
When Mary left the room, Alison turned to Stan. “Are you as happy as I am?”
He laughed. “How could I not be? I’ve waited ten years for this.”
She kissed him and then pulled back. “Let’s sit bac
k down. We’ve got a lot of planning to do.”
She led him back to the two facing chairs they had been in before.
Alison had to laugh. Their planning had consisted of her asking Stan question after question about his preferences and then her agreeing or sometimes disagreeing and arguing with him until he changed to her way of thinking.
After a half hour of that, Alison thought they’d had enough for one day. “Why don’t you go back out to your desk and we can both try to get a little work done yet today.”
Once Stan left the room, Alison sat in her desk chair with it turned toward the window behind the desk. She just stared out the window with her mind a total blank for at least five minutes before all that had happened that morning hit her and the tears of joy began to stream down her cheeks.
When Stan took her home that afternoon, Alison was looking forward to being able to sit down with Kelly and talk. She realized that right now, Kelly was the one person she could talk to about anything, especially her upcoming wedding and subsequent marriage to Stan. Sure, she had always talked things out with Sybil, but Kelly had just gone through all of this recently.
Oh my, was it possible that it was only eleven days ago that Alison had stood to the side of the altar and watched as Kelly married her brother? Was it also possible that in only nine days she would be standing at the altar marrying Stan?
Chapter Twelve
The next morning, Stan continued to feel like he was in a dream one minute then walking on air the next. It was still so hard to believe that Alison loved him. It was even more difficult to believe that he and Alison were going to get married. Not only that but in a little over a week too. Then he thought about his meeting with the pastor later today. He wasn’t concerned about that. He knew in his heart that he was doing the right thing for the right reason. After all, hadn’t he made the commitment to be baptized before he found out that Alison wanted to get married?
He had a sobering thought. What if his answer had been different. Would Alison still have married him? Probably not! But, as he thought about it, he didn’t blame her. Right then, he made a promise to God that he would rededicate his life and start his marriage off with Alison the right way, with God in it.
Accepted Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 2) Page 17
