by Becky Wade
“What are you going to do now, Ty? Without the land?”
“I don’t know.”
“Why did you make the trade?”
“You know why. Why did you come all the way out here in this weather to find me?”
“You know why,” she said faintly.
“I’d like you to spell it out.”
Her courage faltered. Did she dare trust him with it all? Was she really going to put her life and Addie’s life in this man’s hands?
All at once and very clearly, she understood that, yes. Yes, she was.
“I love you, Ty.”
Moments passed, excruciating, while he stared at her—doing and saying nothing.
Perhaps she needed to try again, louder. “I love you—”
He swept her into his arms and kissed her with fiery possession. One of his hands clasped the back of her head. His other bound her against him.
Water. The smell of a storm. Spiraling pleasure.
He pulled back just enough to look down into her face. “I love you,” he said. Then they were kissing again, laughing breathlessly, kissing, gasping for air. Just like when Jerry had told her that Donetta was his person—Ty was hers. Her person. He was too handsome, too strong-willed, too wealthy, too daring, and otherwise not ideal. But he was, most definitely, her person.
He lowered her feet fully to the ground.
“I’m sorry about the things I said to you when we fought.” She rested her palms against his chest. “It’s no excuse, but I was scared.”
“I won’t let you down.”
“If you ever do, I’ll hurt you, Ty. I mean, really hurt you. Kill you dead. Physically.”
“I might be wrong, but weren’t you just in the middle of apologizing to me?”
“Yes. I was.” After having been so pious about withholding forgiveness, it was humbling to be the one in need of it. “Will you forgive me?”
His half smile revealed his dimple. Oh, that smile. She hadn’t seen it in days and days. It seemed as though she’d had to swim across a hostile ocean to see it again. She’d swim countless more oceans for the glory of that smile.
“I forgive you, Celia. See how easy that was? Try.”
“I forgive you, Ty.” And all through her, like the clear chime of a bell, the truth of it reverberated. She’d forgiven him, and it felt like freedom.
“I forgive you,” Ty said.
“I forgive you.”
“Good, ’cause I forgive you.”
They said it back and forth, grinning, emphasizing different words in the sentence.
“Not too painful, huh?” He pressed a featherweight kiss against her forehead.
“Oh, it’s painful all right. But it’s probably good for me to keep on practicing forgiveness if we’re going to be a couple.”
“Oh, we’re going to be a couple.”
“Addie will be thrilled.”
“She’ll say she told us so.”
He took hold of her hands, his fingers strong and warm, then brought their joined hands up behind his neck.
She saw them then the way that God did. Though neither she nor Ty had viewed their first wedding as something to be valued, God had. He respected marriages—even ones entered into rashly in Las Vegas wedding chapels. She could suddenly grasp that He’d had a plan for rescuing and repairing their marriage all along. When they hadn’t cared, He had. When they’d given up, He hadn’t. The bracelet she’d dropped back at that restaurant in Corvallis had seemed at the time like an unlucky coincidence. Now that left-behind bracelet didn’t seem like a coincidence at all. It seemed like divine intervention.
“Donetta told me that you’ve been paying half my salary—”
“What? She promised not to tell.”
“Even though you know how I feel about you buying things for me. You’ve been paying half my salary, and now you’ve bought me a bakery without my permission.”
“Sue me.”
“You’re incorrigible!”
“If I knew what that meant, I’d probably agree.”
She gave him a light-as-gossamer kiss. “You’re also kind, and you’re generous.”
“In that case, will you marry me?”
“Are you certain you don’t want to marry Tawny instead?”
“A hundred percent certain.”
“You’re choosing me this time?”
“I’m trying to choose you, but first you need to say you’ll marry me.”
“I’ll marry you. When?”
“Tonight?”
She laughed. “I’m not going to be talked into that again.”
“Will you spend the night with me?”
“When?”
“Tonight?”
She wanted to say yes more than she wanted a heartbeat.
“Technically,” he reminded her, “we’re already married.”
“Technically, before I spend the night with you, we’re going to need to get married again. This time in a church, with Addie, and a wedding dress, and flowers.”
“Will you have a baby with me?”
“I already did.”
“I want more babies.”
“We’ll have to debate that. What do you think about moving your office to the rooms on Cream or Sugar’s second story? You could help other people invest their money.”
“It’s not a bad idea.”
“You’d be close to donuts.”
“I’d be close to you. What do you think about us all living here at my house together after the wedding?”
“Also up for debate. Your house is going to require a lot of redecorating. . . . Why are you smiling?”
“Because you make me smile.”
Joy soared through her. Ty loved her. He loved her and he wanted to marry her. “You make me smile.”
“My sweet one.” His face lowered toward hers. “My calm. My only love. . . .”
“Yes?”
His lips hovered a breath above hers. “You were meant to be mine.”
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
—Ephesians 4:32
Questions for Conversation
Have you ever known anyone who was married in Vegas? What type of wedding did they have?
The setup of this novel resulted in the classic “secret baby” plotline. Have you read any other books that told the story of a baby kept secret from his/her father? Why do you think this plotline has had enduring appeal over the years?
Ty and Celia talk about whether forgiveness is a decision, a feeling, or an act. What is your opinion?
Can you share a time from your life when you struggled to forgive? How did God work in you through that season?
Which scenes made you laugh? Which made you angry? Which made you emotional?
Were you able to spot any metaphors in the novel? Hint: there were at least three.
Over the course of the story, Celia is able to realize a dream she’d left behind long before. Have you ever had the opportunity to rediscover something you once loved?
Do you think Celia is perfect for Ty or vice versa? What made them an ideal match (even though it took them both a very long time to see it)?
How are Becky Wade’s novels different from other Christian romances?
In the end, Ty sacrificed something he wanted for Celia’s happiness. Becky Wade likes to portray sacrifice in her novels because she believes it is a hallmark of true love. What’s something that someone has sacrificed for you or that you’ve sacrificed for someone you love?
Becky Wade is a graduate of Baylor University. As a newlywed, she lived for three years in a home overlooking the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, as well as in Australia, before returning to the States. A mom of three young children, Becky and her family now live in Dallas, Texas. For more information on Becky and her books, please visit her website at www.beckywade.com.
Books by
Becky Wade
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&nbs
p; My Stubborn Heart
Undeniably Yours
Meant to Be Mine
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
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