New Beginnings Spring 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  “Good morning, good people of Red River!” Reverend Thomas sang out in a cheerful voice from the front of the church, interrupting Evelyn’s reverie.

  “Good morning, Reverend!” the people responded in unison.

  Evelyn kept her eyes fixed on the reverend as he proceeded to read several verses from the Bible. But, if she’d allowed her eyes to stray—if even for a moment—she would have noticed that Roy’s eyes were not fixed on the pulpit, but rather on her. He, too, had been struggling to find her in the crowd, and, once he had, she’d proven to be quite the distraction.

  Reverend Thomas went about services as usual. And, as usual, his congregation was inspired, enlivened, and filled with the hope and sense of common unity that only such a blessed observance could bring.

  When services were through, the flock filed out of the church, but for several people. Once nearly everyone was gone, Roy looked across the church to Evelyn again and nodded for her to join him up front.

  “Roy has told me that the two of you would like to forego a large, public ceremony and have a private one instead,” Reverend Thomas stated as Evelyn drew near.

  “Yes, sir,” she replied. “We are eager to start our family life together and don’t want a lot of pomp and circumstance to get in the way.”

  “Very well,” the reverend smiled. “A marriage is about the union of two people—or, in this case, four­—so what those people want is more important than what society might expect of them. Besides, I’ve often felt that many couples go a bit overboard these days, anyhow.”

  Evelyn smiled and bowed her head politely.

  Just then, Roy joined her at the altar. “You look very beautiful,” he said with a big smile and a rosy hue in his cheeks.

  “Thank you. You do, too,” Evelyn replied. “Er, I mean, handsome…You look very handsome.”

  Roy chuckled like a boy, and Reverend Thomas shook his head at the sweetness of this display before calling Mrs. Carey to bring the children forward.

  What happened next was a very standard and simple, though still quite lovely, ceremony. It lasted all of five minutes before Reverend Thomas asked the couple if they had rings to exchange. Expecting that they didn’t, Evelyn lowered her eyes and waited for the reverend to proceed. But, before he could, she was caught by surprise.

  Roy reached out and took hold of her hand. “With this ring, I thee wed,” he said as he slipped a ring on her finger.

  Evelyn glanced down at the ring, which was like no other wedding ring she’d seen before. Rather than a smooth band, or an elaborate diamond piece, it was a very unique item—a silver filigreed band with a heart-shaped ruby set in its center.

  “It’s…it’s…it’s incredible,” she stuttered.

  “It was my mother’s,” Roy replied. “Not a wedding ring, but just a ring she adored.”

  “And I adore it, as well,” Evelyn smiled, with tears welling in her eyes. “But I have no ring for you.”

  “That’s not a problem,” Reverend Thomas interjected. “Just repeat the words your groom just said to you—and, with the ring he gave you, you can declare your commitment to him.”

  Evelyn nodded at the reverend, then repeated, “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  “Then, by God’s grace, I declare the two of you husband and wife!” Reverend Thomas proclaimed, raising his arms in the air.

  “Yay!” Jack exclaimed from beside his mother, mimicking the reverend’s excitement and gesture in turn. “Husband and wife!”

  Evelyn and Roy both gave into laughter at that point, and then they leaned down to take turns hugging the children. Their display of joy and affection was interrupted just a few seconds later, when a young, somewhat gawky-looking man approached them.

  “Are you ready, sir?” the young man asked, pushing his spectacles back on his nose.

  “Ah, yes, yes,” Roy affirmed, smiling.

  Evelyn arched her eyebrows and looked at Roy curiously.

  “He’s a photographer,” Roy explained. “I hired him to come here and take our photograph, to commemorate this day.”

  “Oh, how splendid!” she gasped. She’d never had her photograph taken before, and couldn’t think of a better event to mark her first time.

  “Let’s step outside, then,” the young man instructed. “Reverend Thomas told me I’m not to use my camera in here; it’s against church policy, he said. But no matter; the sunlight will make for a better photograph, in any event.”

  Evelyn, Roy, and the children followed the young man outside of the church, where he positioned them along the steps in a very lovely pose. Evelyn and Roy stood beside each other, with the children standing between them, on a higher step.

  “Smile!” the young man shouted from beneath the cloth that encased his camera.

  The foursome did as they were told. A split-second later, a light flashed, and the sound of glass shattering pinged through the air.

  “I’m sure this will turn out wonderfully,” the photographer remarked, stepping back from his contraption.

  “I sure hope so,” Evelyn sighed. She was still so delighted to have had their family photograph taken. This day is just full of surprises, she thought to herself with a smile. First this lovely ring. Then we have our photograph taken. I can only dare to imagine what will happen next!

  But, sadly, what happened next was something that Evelyn couldn’t have imagined—and, though it came as a bit of a surprise, it wasn’t a pleasant one at all.

  “Process that photograph as quickly as possible,” Roy stipulated, walking over to the young man. “I don’t care about the cost. Make it your top priority.”

  “Yes, sir,” the photographer answered.

  “I’ll want two copies of the photograph, if possible,” Roy went on. “I’d like one of a size appropriate for placing on my mantle, and another of a much smaller size…But, if it comes down to the wire, and you can only produce one, the smaller one is more important.”

  Evelyn was still standing on the steps in front of the church, now very confused.

  “What size do you want, sir?” the photographer asked. “A term such as ‘small’ can mean many things.”

  “I need one about the size of a quarter of a sheet of paper,” Roy clarified.

  “All right,” the young man chimed back. He turned from Roy and started packing up his things.

  Roy turned and walked back toward Evelyn and the children. “Just wait until my…until Andrew Sullivan gets a glimpse of this!” he exulted.

  “Andrew Sullivan?” Evelyn asked, still confused.

  “Yes, Andrew Sullivan,” Roy replied. “He’s the head magistrate in Fort Smith—the man who will be determining who will fill the current sheriff’s shoes once he retires…I thought it would be wise to include a photograph of my family with my application for the post. Once he sees how accomplished I am in both the professional and personal aspects of my life, he’s sure to be impressed, and I’m sure to get the job.”

  “Oh,” Evelyn returned, otherwise at a loss for words. All of those good feelings she’d just felt seemed to instantly wash away, and she realized that the photograph they’d taken—just like the books on Roy’s shelves, the candelabra on his mantle, and the ukulele in his living room—was for nothing but show.

  EIGHT

  As unceremonious as Evelyn and Roy’s wedding was, the next week was even more so. Whereas most other newlywed couples typically spent this time celebrating or taking a special trip on their own, things went back to “business as usual” in the Martin home….though that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

  Roy promptly returned to work the next morning, and, as usual, he performed exceptionally well. Evelyn and the children continued to acquaint themselves to their new life, with Mrs. Carey’s occasional help. The family’s days were spent apart, but their evenings were spent together, sharing meals, conversations, and what turned out to be good times.

  Roy continued to exhibit a true affection for Jack and Julie, and his eagerness to lear
n parenting skills only grew stronger with time. Sure enough, he was turning out to be an excellent father—and an excellent man—and Evelyn couldn’t help but be impressed. So, too, was Roy impressed by Evelyn. Her love for and dedication to her children moved him in immeasurable ways.

  Beyond these practical aspects, there was also another affinity that began to take shape between the couple. But, truth be told, Evelyn was quite cautious of it, for she feared that it, too, might be some form of pretense on Roy’s part. And, from time to time, it seemed that this might very well be the case.

  “You look quite lovely in that dress,” Roy swooned at Evelyn as soon as he got home from work one day. “You should wear something like that if Andrew Sullivan wants to meet you before giving me the sheriff’s job,” he added a moment later.

  “Ah! If only Sullivan could see me doing this!” he quipped another evening, while playing cops and robbers with Jack. “Here I am, training our next generation of lawmen!”

  As the days passed, there were several other similar incidents, in which Roy said or did something that seemed loving or sincere, only to relate it to his career goals or Andrew Sullivan shortly thereafter. This behavior was really starting to bother Evelyn, for while she knew that he’d married her to help him achieve his goals, she also knew something else.

  You see, sometime during the first day or two after they became man and wife, Evelyn came to understand the reason she’d gotten so upset over what Roy had said to her about the photograph taken after their wedding, the reason she got upset every time he turned a romantic or family-like gesture into something else. Despite her intentions, better judgment, and belief that she couldn’t feel such things again, Evelyn had started to develop feelings for Roy, and she’d thought and hoped that those feelings were returned.

  Ah! She didn’t know what to think or feel anymore. She didn’t know what she wanted, and she found herself so very, very confused. Some nights, she retired to the nursery earlier than usual, just to avoid any more confusing interactions with Roy. But, most of those nights, she lay there, awake in bed, until the wee hours of the morn, pondering Roy’s intentions or fantasizing about a married life with him in which she didn’t have to consider such things.

  One night in particular, however, Evelyn did not find herself awake late and riddled with thought. It was about ten days after the couple had gotten married, and she had retired to the nursery at a typical time. After changing into her nightgown and crawling into bed, she promptly fell asleep and slept soundly for a few hours.

  But, then, sometime in the middle of the night, she heard a familiar cry coming from Jack’s room. She lay there in bed a moment longer, just in case it was an isolated noise. But, when she heard him cry out again a few seconds later, she sat up and slid her feet into her slippers.

  Evelyn couldn’t locate her robe right away, but her sense of modesty demanded that she find it before leaving the nursery. She spent only a minute or so looking for it, and ultimately found it behind her bed, where it must have fallen without her noticing it.

  In any event, she covered herself and left the room. She could still hear Jack crying, though his cries were much softer now.

  As she neared Jack’s room, she took a deep breath and prepared herself for one of those “mothering moments” that was both a burden and a pleasure at the same time. But, just as she got to the little boy’s door, she heard Roy’s voice and realized that he was already in there tending to her son.

  “It’s all right, Jack. We all have nightmares,” Roy said soothingly.

  Evelyn positioned herself just beyond the doorframe. She couldn’t see Roy and Jack, but she could hear them—and she decided to listen without making her presence known.

  “I don’t like nightmares!” Jack whined.

  “No one does,” Roy replied kindly. “But our nightmares are important. They help us realize what we’re afraid of and help prepare us to face our fears.”

  “But they’re yucky!” Jack retorted, making a very valid point.

  “Yes, yes. I suppose they are pretty yucky,” Roy admitted, holding back a chuckle. Evelyn found herself smiling, and she had to hold back her laughter, as well.

  “They make me scared and sad,” Jack went on.

  “Well, when you get scared and sad—whether because of a dream, or because of something that happened when you were awake—all you have to do is go to your mother, or come to me,” Roy assured the boy. “We’ll do all that we can to make things right.”

  Evelyn’s playful smile melted into a more heartfelt one, and she felt something swell inside of her.

  “Thanks,” Jack replied. “I feel better already because you are here.”

  “I feel better, too,” Roy admitted.

  “I got a question, though,” Jack added.

  “Yes?” Roy asked.

  “Can I call you ‘Daddy’ now?” Jack inquired.

  Roy did not answer right away, and the brief silence made Evelyn’s heart ache. She thought about interrupting the scene, so as to prevent something awkward, unfavorable, or potentially upsetting from occurring.

  But, before she could make any movement, Roy responded. “You can call me ‘Daddy Roy,’” he answered after careful thought.

  “All right,” Jack replied tentatively. “But why not just ‘Daddy’?” he asked.

  “Well, you see, Jack, you and Julie are very special children,” Roy answered. “God didn’t just give you one father…He gave you two. He gave you Paul, who helped your mother make you and Julie. And He gave you another father—me—who will help your mother raise you.”

  “But my other daddy is dead,” Jack sighed.

  “Yes, he is,” Roy said softly. “But he is not gone. He lives on in you and Julie, and he watches over you both from Heaven. And it’s your responsibility to remember him and honor him in his absence, and to thank God for giving you two fathers—Daddy Paul and Daddy Roy.”

  “All right,” Jack repeated.

  Evelyn’s eyes were filled with tears, and she couldn’t stop them from flowing down her face.

  “I’m gettin’ sleepy again,” Jack added, yawning.

  “Good,” Roy replied. “Then go back to sleep, and have sweet dreams.”

  “I will,” Jack answered, yawning again. “I love you, Daddy Roy.”

  “I love you, too, Jack,” Roy said without pause.

  Just then, Evelyn heard shuffling inside the room, and she felt an urgency to run away from the scene, so that her eavesdropping would not be discovered. But, before she could even turn, it was too late. Roy walked out of the room and immediately saw her.

  He was shocked. But, luckily, he didn’t react. Instead, he brought his finger to his lips; whispered, “Shhh;” and gestured with his head toward the kitchen.

  Evelyn followed him, wiping the tears from her eyes along the way.

  Once they were in the kitchen, Roy turned to her. “I guess you overheard all of that?” he asked.

  She simply nodded.

  “I hope you are not bothered by what I told him,” Roy added.

  “I’m not,” Evelyn answered. “In fact, I found your words quite touching.”

  Roy found himself grinning. “Thank you,” he said. “I was worried, you know. I didn’t know what you wanted the children to call me.”

  “To be honest, I didn’t know, either,” Evelyn told him. “Jack had asked me about calling you ‘Daddy’ on the day we were married. But we were interrupted before I could completely answer him…I was grateful for the interruption at the time, and I’m even more grateful for it now. The answer you gave him was far better than any I could have mustered on the spot.”

  “Well, I’ve had plenty of time to think about it,” Roy replied. “And, sure enough, I know how important it is for a child to feel loved and have a father in his life…I haven’t told you this yet, but I was raised by a single, unmarried mother. I never met my father, and I never even knew who he was.”

  “Oh,” Evelyn gasped, a bit s
tartled by this information.

  “For many years, I felt a great void in my life,” Roy continued. “I felt ‘less than’ the other children who had two parents. I felt like a failure or disappointment, as if my father wasn’t part of my life because he didn’t want me, because I wasn’t good enough somehow. I thought that, maybe, if I’d been ‘better’ somehow, he would have married my mother and raised me.

  “Of course, I realize now that that’s all malarkey. But, nonetheless, that void, and those childhood beliefs, came to influence my life—and my goals—greatly, and, to this day, in many ways, they still haunt me…And I don’t want your children—our children—to meet a similar fate. I don’t want them to ever doubt, for any reason, that they are loved, truly wanted, and ‘good enough’ by all measures.”

  Evelyn was crying again, and she did nothing to subdue her reaction.

  “Nor do I want you to feel such doubts, Evelyn,” Roy added, stepping closer to his wife. He reached his hand up to her face, and lovingly brushed it against her moist cheek. “I know that our marriage was one initiated by convenience and unconventional priorities,” he went on. “But, over these past two weeks, it has turned into something else. Something undeniable has developed between us, despite the fact that we have both tried to avoid it.

  “I’ve come to feel a genuine love for you, and a desire for you to be my wife in more than name alone. I want to live a life with you, not just so that I can get a promotion, and not just so that our children can be secure, but also so that we can be happy. And, by God, I know that you want these things, too.

  “I only hope that you can forgive me for letting my ambitions get in the way of my emotions. And perhaps now, you can understand why that has been the case…I’ve spent much of my life dedicated to impressing the father I never had and somehow winning him over. But now, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to work on impressing you and winning you over.”

  Evelyn’s face was soaked with tears of joy, and she felt a warmth inside of her that she had not felt for years. Now, all of a sudden, so many things made sense—from Roy’s showy, ostentatious nature and professional drive to his preoccupation with Andrew Sullivan and the sheriff’s post—and Evelyn felt compassion for her husband, as well as a few other very strong emotions.