The Wonder of His Love: A Christian Romance (Fostered by Love Book 1)

by Kimberly Rae Jordan

  “Good afternoon, Rhys, darling.” She glanced down at the tray then smiled at him. “Did ye make those yourself?”

  After pouring her a cup of tea, Finn settled on a chair near hers. “Of course. I know they’re your favorite.”

  She reached out to cover his hand with hers. Finn could feel the bones of her fingers as they wrapped around his hand, a reminder of how frail she was. Her hand shook slightly, and he looked up to find her watching him.

  “How are ye, mah dear lad? Ye seem a bit sad,” she said, giving his hand one last squeeze before turning her attention to the tray with her tea and cookies.

  “Well, my gran just had a heart attack, so I suppose it’s only natural for me to be a bit sad and worried.” Finn leaned back in his chair, hoping she’d leave that particular topic alone.

  Instead, she gave him a stern look as she picked up her cup and saucer. “Don’t have a go tae put that over on me, Rhys.” She settled back in her chair and took a sip of her tea. “Tell me about her.”

  Finn considered brushing aside her inquiry, but honestly, he needed some advice. And if he’d get one thing from Isla Kinnaird, it would be brutal honesty. He knew she only wanted what was best for him, so maybe she could give him some perspective on the situation and a woman’s viewpoint.

  Taking a deep breath, he said, “Her name is Noella, and she’s beautiful.”

  “And whit’s it about the lass that has ye sad and worried?” She gave him a sharp look. “Ah hope she’s more tae ye than how she looks. Ah think we raised ye better than that.”

  Finn nodded. It was one thing his parents and Gran had drilled into all of them. People were so much more than how they looked or the size of their bank account. “Ye did. She is much more tae me than how she looks.”

  “Sae whit’s the problem?”

  Hoping no one would come and interrupt them, Finn started at the beginning and worked his way up until their date the previous week. His gran sat there, eating her cookies and sipping her tea, not asking any questions as he talked.

  “Of course, you’ll ken my biggest problem wi’ her is that she’s giving ye one mair reason tae stay so far away. Bit ither than that, she sounds like a lovely girl.” His gran’s accent when they were together often slipped back into the way she’d spoken as a child. She’d not been raised as a wealthy child and had never gone on to university. It wasn’t until she’d married his grandad that she’d moved into a different status and had learned to conduct herself accordingly. Hearing her speak this way let Finn know that she was speaking from her heart without thought to how she sounded.

  Finn frowned. “You did hear the par’ about how things went at the end of our very first date, right?”

  “I did, lad, but I also heard ye say she was a foster child. Mah guess is tha’ her circumstances hae left her wi’ the inability tae trust loue. In her mind, she may think that the folk who were supposed tae loue her—and may have tellt her they loved her—ultimately failed her. Noo it’s something she doesn’t trust. The people who loved her, failed tae take care o’ her. Ah think her reaction tae the financial situation is her effort tae take care o’ herself.”

  “But she can trust me to take care of her,” Finn said, believing it with all his heart. It was all he wanted to do.

  Gran’s hand rested lightly on his arm. “Ah ken that, lad, bit she doesn’t. You’re asking a lot from her when you ask her tae trust yer loue. It will take time, bit maybe ye kin show her that ye truly loue her by accepting her requests wi’ regards tae finances. Does she ken your worth?”

  Finn shook his head. He’d been so desperate to forge his own way, to make his own path separate from the Kinnaird name, that he’d never told anyone in Canada about his family’s money. And he’d never told anyone that he wasn’t just a mechanic but that he owned the garage where he worked. He’d also never revealed that the trailer park where he lived was also his. Noella knew none of that, and she certainly didn’t know that of the two of them, he was the one who needed the prenup more.

  “Are ye sure she’s the one fur ye, Finlay?”

  He glanced at his gran, surprised that she had used his real name. It told him how serious her question was. “Yes, Gran. From the first moment I saw her, I ken she was someone special and gettin’ to know her more over the past year has only reinforced that. I’m just not sure she feels the same way. That she truly does have feelings for me.” He thought about her interest in Bennett and frowned. “Maybe she’s protecting her heart so she doesn’t fall in love and have to trust someone.”

  “Then ye’v got yer wirk cut oot, don’t ye?”

  Finn sighed. Yes, he certainly did. “You’ll be praying for me, Gran?”

  “Always, lad, always.” She gave him a wink. “It’s nae lik ah hae much else tae dae at mah age.”

  Finn groaned and shook his head. “You’re not that old, Gran.”

  “Ach, but I am. The days may drag, bit th’ years, they are flying.” She patted his arm. “Dinnae waste yer days, Rhys, and try not tae regret anythin’. Look at every experience—good or bad—as a learning or grawin experience.” She reached out to cup his cheek “Ah loue ye, my lad.”

  He covered her hand with his, wishing that her words didn’t sound so much like goodbye. “I love you, too, Gran.”

  With everything going on, Finn was torn between heading back to Winnipeg or staying in Scotland. He’d only texted Tennyson once to let him know he’d had to leave the city, but he’d been in regular contact with his managers at both the garage and the trailer park. Thankfully, no issues had arisen at either place which meant that he could focus on just what was going on in Edinburgh. But now that his gran was home and doing better, he had to make a decision.

  ***

  Noella shifted in her chair as she leaned forward to click through the pictures Erin had sent her of the baked goods for the day. Each day recently it had taken longer than usual to get through the process, but it had nothing to do with the pictures. Unfortunately, the cute names for the even cuter baked goods couldn’t hold her attention in the way they used to.

  Ever since Tennyson had told her that Finn had had to leave the city for a family emergency, Noella had found it hard to focus on life in general. Maybe if she’d had a chance to talk to him before he’d left, she’d feel more settled. Instead, the inevitable awkward meeting was being postponed which left her mulling it over almost constantly. If she wasn’t thinking about what that meeting would be like, she was replaying the night of their date.

  She had no illusions that there was going to be a second date. But for the sake of their friendship and that of her brothers with him, she just wanted that first awkward meeting to be over. As far as she knew, Tennyson and Forrest had no idea of what had transpired the night of the light show. When Tennyson had seen her for the first time after that night, he’d said that Finn had told him they’d enjoyed the lights. Then Tennyson had asked her if they were going on a second date.

  Noella was still surprised that her we’ll have to see when he gets back response had actually satisfied Tennyson. It probably wouldn’t have been enough for Forrest so she was grateful that Finn was actually closer to Tennyson than Forrest.

  “You’re late getting the pictures up,” Erin said as she plopped into the chair next to the desk where Noella was staring at the computer screen. “A couple of customers have commented on it.”

  That the customers were noticing should have been a good thing but not when it was because Noella was doing a poor job. “I’ll have the first ones up in a minute.”

  “It’s not a big deal, sweetie. I just thought it was nice that people are actually paying attention to the work you do on social media for this place.”

  Erin fell silent for a moment, and Noella glanced at her briefly before turning her attention back to the program she used to post the pictures across all of their social media. “I enjoy doing it. Just running a little late today.”

  “We’ve got a steady stream of customers toda
y. This is our busiest holiday season yet.” Erin’s excitement and joy over that was evident in both the tone of her voice and the smile on her face.

  “Are you having more multiple sales? A dozen of a product instead of just one or two?” Noella clicked to post the second picture.

  “Yep. Definitely. Did you get Jesse’s email about ordering more boxes?”

  Noella nodded as she posted the last of the pictures. “I took care of that as soon as I got in. We’re still okay for stickers?”

  She was glad that Erin was keeping things to business. They’d talked plenty over the past week about the situation with Finn. And, because of the phone call to her mom, about that situation as well. Of all the people in her life, Erin understood the most what she’d gone through when she’d suddenly found herself without a family. She’d heard Noella cry herself to sleep at night for weeks. She’d never forced herself on Noella but had always been there with a gentle smile and a hug. She’d willingly shared the room she had at the Johnsons and had never once complained about it. It had taken a few weeks for Noella to warm up to her, but once she had, there was no looking back. They’d become best friends and talked about everything.

  Erin’s phone chirped, and she pulled it out. As she studied the screen, she said, “Yeah, we’ve…uh…yeah, we’ve got plenty of stickers. You, uh…might want to put in an order closer to um…Christmas for the new year.”

  Noella stared at Erin, watching as she tapped out a message on her phone. When she looked up, Noella asked, “Everything okay?”

  Erin slid the phone back into her pocket. “Yeah. Just someone wanting to confirm an order.”

  “Hello, ladies.”

  They both turned to see Tennyson in the doorway of the office. He wore a long, black coat and his blond curls were damp from the snow that had been falling all morning.

  “Hey, Tenn,” Erin said with a smile. “What brings you our way?”

  “We have a meeting with a company that we’ve been working with, and I thought it might be nice to bring them something from the bakery.”

  Erin wrinkled her nose as she got to her feet. “Planning to give them some not-so-great news?”

  “Yeah,” Tennyson said ruefully. “Although not sure how much we can sweeten up this bad news. Hand them a cupcake then tell them that their bottom line is so red it rivals Rudolph’s nose?”

  Erin snickered then covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. I feel badly they’re getting news like that just before Christmas.”

  Tennyson shrugged. “The timing sucks, but it was inevitable given when they hired us.”

  “Well,” Erin said as she looped her arm through Tennyson’s. “Let’s go get some sweet treats for those poor people.”

  “Hey, before that,” Tennyson glanced over his shoulder at Noella. “Are you guys coming to the hockey game tonight?”

  Noella hadn’t been planning on it, but maybe it would be something to do to get her mind off Finn. Or not, considering that was where they’d first made their mutual interest somewhat public. “Sure, I’ll be there.”

  “Me, too,” Erin said. “And I might even bring some goodies for the team.”

  “I’m sure they’ll love that,” Tennyson said with a grin. “I know I will.”

  After Tennyson and Erin had left the office, Noella did a quick check of the bakery’s social media to make sure everything had posted correctly and to see if there were comments or questions that required a response. She would continue to check periodically throughout the day as she went about her other duties. But first she had to place orders for their baking supplies. Given how busy the bakery was, there was a lot more to order than usual so they were placing larger orders to compensate.

  The day passed slowly but finally, six o’clock rolled around, and Noella went to the front to flip the sign to closed. As per Erin’s instruction, she and April, who had worked the afternoon shift, packaged up what sweets were left to take to the hockey game. Noella felt a little bad about not being able to deliver it to the shelter, but she had made a trip there just two days earlier so it wasn’t like they’d hadn’t given them anything recently.

  Once they’d loaded everything into her car, she locked up and headed for home. It took longer than usual to get there because of the condition of the roads, but Noella didn’t mind going slow if it meant arriving safely. Anticipating the late night once again, Noella ate a quick supper then laid down for an hour’s nap.

  Feeling a bit more rested when she woke, Noella pulled on a pair of jeans and a purple sweater before freshening up her makeup and making sure her hair didn’t look like she’d just crawled out of bed. She dabbed on a bit of perfume before gathering up her jacket and purse and leaving her room.

  “We’re going to take my car,” Erin said when Noella walked into the kitchen. “There’s no way I want to be riding in your car with the roads the way they are.”

  Since Erin had a newer model SUV crossover with all-wheel drive and better tires than Noella’s car, she didn’t bother to argue with her. “We’ll just have to transfer the boxes with the baked goods over to your car.”

  It wasn’t too long before they were on their way to the arena. The snow had stopped, but only the major roads had been plowed so it was slow going. Noella was glad that they’d brought Erin’s car and that Erin was the one driving. She’d bought her car mainly for the price, but on days like these, she wished she’d spent a little extra to get a car that handled better in winter.

  As she climbed from the warm car when they reached the arena, Noella wrapped her scarf more tightly around her neck. As predicted, once the snow had stopped, the temperature had begun to drop. Moving quickly, she and Erin lifted the boxes from the back of the SUV then made their way into the arena. A few people were there already, but it definitely wasn’t as full as it usually was. Noella didn’t know if people were just late because of the weather or if they were smart and had decided to stay home.

  “Hi, you guys,” a voice called out.

  Noella looked up to see Makayla McFadden seated a few rows up with her sister Sammi. After greeting them, Erin set down the box she carried and flipped up the lid. It wasn’t long before they had a bit of a crowd around them. Among the people there were Bennett McFadden, and Gabe and Mitch Callaghan. It looked like it would be another win for the team that night.

  “So who do I talk to to place an order for some of your goodies?” Bennett asked as he came to stand next to Noella. “We have a Christmas party coming up, and I think these would be very well received.”

  “Erin is amazing when it comes to baking and decorating.” Noella smiled as she looked up at him. ”But unless you want something specific when it comes to decorating, you can let me know what you’d like.” She unzipped her purse and pulled out a business card. “Just give me a call or send me an email with the details of what you want and when.”

  Bennett flashed her a smile. “Thanks. I’ll get that information for you by Monday. The party is for next Wednesday. Is that too short notice?”

  “It shouldn’t be, but I’ll have Erin check our schedule to make sure she can fit you in.”

  As they stood talking, Noella realized that Bennett stirred nothing in her. His smile didn’t make her heart skip a beat. His nearness didn’t make her stomach clench with nervous anticipation. At that moment, he was nothing more than a family friend and potential customer.

  As people got their cupcake or cookie, they began to move away. Noella left Erin to talk to the few that were left and went to sit in their usual spot. She watched as the guys began to skate on the ice, shooting pucks at the goalie before circling back around. Bennett was a good hockey player, but Mitch and Gabe were even better. Noella didn’t know if it was because they were twins and could read each other so well or if it was genetic since their brother played in the NHL, but they were fun to watch on the ice.

  More people began to show up, walking in front of her as they went to their seats. Erin eventually came to join her and m
entioned that she had given out her business card to a few more people. Noella wouldn’t complain about giving stuff away for free if it brought them more business in the long run.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  At the sound of the accented words, Noella’s heart skipped a beat, and she lost her breath for a moment when she looked up to see Finn standing there. “No. No, it’s not.”

  “May I sit?”

  Noella nodded, noticing as she did that he held two cups from Tim Hortons once again. It was like déjà vu. As he settled down beside her, his arm brushed hers and something inside Noella clicked into place. Having him at her side felt right. Like it was meant to be. And when he held one of the cups toward her, Noella knew that she would do what she had to in order to keep him there if that was where he wanted to be.

  Suddenly the idea of finding a compromise didn’t seem as daunting as it once had. Seeing him again was a reminder of who she knew him to be. The man he’d shown her over the past year.

  “Thank you,” she said as she took the cup from him, their fingers brushing. She worked open the part of the plastic lid that allowed her to drink without removing the whole lid. Cupping her hands around the cup, she lifted it and took a sip. “How are you doing? Is everything okay with your family? Tennyson said you’d had a family emergency.”

  Finn nodded, his gaze on the rink. “My gran had a heart attack. I needed to go be with her until I knew she was going to be okay.”

  “And is she? Okay?”

  With a smile on his face, Finn looked at her. “Yes. She’s a tough old bird. Though it was hard at first to see her like that, I’m glad I went. We had some really good talks. I thought about staying through Christmas, but she insisted that I needed to come home.”

  “You’re her favorite, right?” Noella said, remembering a conversation they’d had.

  Another smile caused the dimples in Finn’s cheeks to deepen. “Yeah. It’s a mutual admiration, though.”