A Home for Her Baby

by Gabrielle Meyer

  “Good job, Tad,” Max said over the noise.

  “Thanks for coming home to coach us, Max,” Tad said. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

  The crowd started to chant Max’s name and when he was put back on the ground, he went to shake hands with the coach from the other team. After that, the organizers of the Minnesota High School League set up the awards on the field. When everyone finally calmed down, they made a formal presentation to the Timber Falls Lumberjacks and handed the large trophy to Max.

  For as long as he lived, he would hold three memories close to his heart. The day he married Piper, the day he held Lainey for the first time and the day he brought home a trophy for the Lumberjacks.

  He could hardly believe that all three had taken place in a two-week time frame.

  But, what made him truly happy was that when all the chaos and noise and celebration came to an end, the most exciting part of his day would just get started. He would go home to Piper and Lainey.

  * * *

  It was late, but Piper was still awake. The third-floor apartment where she and Max had brought Lainey home just the day before was cozy as Piper sat on the sofa, Lainey in her arms.

  No matter how much she gazed at her baby, she could never get enough of her. Lainey had already filled out so much in the two weeks since her birth. She had put on almost a pound of weight, bringing her up to six pounds. She was still a little squirt, but she was healthy and beautiful.

  A cup of hot chocolate sat on the coffee table by Piper as she softly sang to Lainey. Mrs. Anderson had been up earlier to bring Piper supper and to watch the championship game, but when the trophy had been handed to Max, and they had finished cheering and crying, Mrs. Anderson had taken the dirty dishes back downstairs, where she had probably put them in the dishwasher and then gone to bed.

  The house was full with guests, but up here, tucked into the third floor, Piper felt all alone with her baby girl as they waited for Max to come home.

  A creak at the back door made Piper’s heart skip a beat in anticipation, and a moment later, Max was there, a grin on his face as he quietly walked across the living room and set the large, championship trophy on a side table before he bent over the back of the couch to give Piper a kiss.

  “Congratulations,” she said. “It was an amazing game. I’m so proud of you.”

  His smile only grew brighter. “I’ve never been happier about a football game in my life. But winning the championship dimmed in comparison to the knowledge that I was coming home to you and Lainey. I haven’t stopped smiling since yesterday.” Max came around the couch and sat beside his wife. “I’m a little worried that I won’t ever be able to wipe this grin off my face and I’ll drive everyone crazy whenever they look at me.”

  Piper’s own smile had been a permanent fixture since yesterday, as well. “I know what you mean.”

  Max kissed the top of Lainey’s head and she wiggled in Piper’s arms.

  “How has she been?” he asked.

  “A little fussy earlier today, but really good, other than that.”

  “Can I take her?” he asked.

  She nodded and handed Lainey over to her daddy.

  Max held her in his big hands and she fit perfectly.

  Piper watched them, her heart feeling like it might explode with love. After a little while, she got up and went to the desk in the kitchen. “Liv stopped by today and dropped this off.”

  She showed the piece of paper to Max. It was a check from the Custer wedding—and it was just enough to pay off the last of Nick’s debt. “I’m putting it in the bank tomorrow and then I’m paying off the last bit of debt I owe.” She sat next to Max again and looked at the check in her hands. “I feel like God is offering us a fresh start.” She leaned on his shoulder and he rested his head on hers. “While you were gone today, I had a really good heart-to-heart with God. It was time for me to let go of the past—all of it. I’ve finally forgiven my parents and Nick, and I’m ready to move on.”

  Max kissed the top of her head. “I’m proud of you, Piper.”

  “I know old habits die hard and it’ll be a conscious decision to forgive them each time a bad memory comes up, but I know in time, the pain will heal, and I hope that one day, when I think about them, I don’t just remember the bad times. I want to remember the good times, too. And I want to think about all the positive things that came from those hard situations.”

  “Like this little girl right here,” Max said as he lifted Lainey and placed a kiss on her forehead.

  Piper touched her daughter’s soft cheek. “What the enemy intended for evil,” she whispered, “God has used for good.”

  “‘Every good and perfect gift is from above,’” Max quoted from the Book of James, “‘coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.’”

  “We should have that engraved and hang it above the door,” Piper said, “so that every day, we can be reminded that God is in the business of giving His children gifts.”

  Max kissed Piper then, and she savored the touch, allowing him to deepen the kiss until she was breathless.

  “It’s been a long day,” he said, “and this little one won’t let us sleep for long.” He stood and offered Piper his free hand, then they went into Lainey’s nursery and laid her in her bed.

  They stood by her crib for a long time, Max’s arms encircling Piper as they looked down at their child.

  She thought back to the day Max had arrived in Timber Falls, and she recalled the vast array of emotions that had filled her heart. Anger. Heartbreak. Disappointment.

  Hope.

  At the time, she’d been afraid of that final one—of hope, because she knew if her heart was broken again, she wouldn’t be able to bear up under it. But God had a different plan—not one of heartbreak, but one of redemption and healing.

  Max Evans was finally home and all was as it should be.

  * * *

  If you liked this story from Gabrielle Meyer,

  check out her previous Love Inspired books:

  A Mother’s Secret

  Unexpected Christmas Joy

  Available now from Love Inspired!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.

  Keep reading for an excerpt from An Unlikely Proposal by Toni Shiloh.

  Dear Reader,

  When I wrote A Home for Her Baby, I used the Waller House Inn, my favorite bed-and-breakfast, as inspiration for the Warren House Bed & Breakfast. Sadly, soon after this story was completed, the COVID pandemic spread across this planet and not one single town was spared its devastating effects. Thankfully, at the time of this writing, our small town has had few cases, but it has had an economic impact that I’m sure we’ll feel for years to come. Unfortunately, my friends at the Waller House Inn were forced to close their beautiful doors for good. I dedicated this book to my daughter, but I would like to offer an honorary dedication to Scott and Raquel Lundberg, owners of the Waller House Inn, for their amazing hospitality and dedication to our community. God’s blessings on the next leg of your journey.

  Gabrielle Meyer

  WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM

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  An Unlikely Proposal

  by Toni Shiloh

  Chapter One

  “Let’s get married.”

  Trinity Davis gaped at her best friend. “Omar, you can’t be serious. I just came over to vent, not for you to suggest some harebrained idea.”

  Okay, not completely true. She did want a solution to her problem, but not that. Never that. She still had nightmares of standing in white all alone at the altar. Ever since that
humiliating event—one that should have been the happiest day of her life—she’d steered clear of romance.

  Besides, marriage wouldn’t give her a new job. Wouldn’t provide the health insurance she so desperately—

  Okay, so Omar did solve that dilemma with his absurd suggestion.

  “Look, Trinity. Bluebonnet is a small town. What are the odds of you finding another job here? Would you want to move away just to find one?”

  She frowned, hating his sound logic.

  “You can’t mess around with your health. You need insurance.” His lips turned downward, and his goatee shifted with the movement. “Your insulin has to cost a pretty penny.”

  Another strike for logic. “They’re offering me a plan where I’d only have to pay the premiums.” Being a Type 1 diabetic meant going without insulin was not an option. Granted, she’d almost had a heart attack at the price of the insurance.

  “And how can you afford that if you have no job?”

  It was like Omar could read her mind, which was certainly possible considering they’d been friends for over twenty years. “I don’t know.” She shrugged, trying to keep her emotions at bay. Being laid off had never entered her thoughts as a possibility. “If I want to keep paying rent, something has to give.” She stuffed down a sigh as she mentally calculated her lack of income and growing expenses.

  “Exactly.” Omar sat back, giving the porch swing a gentle push. He sipped his sweet tea as if he’d done his job for the day and solved the world’s problems.

  She couldn’t help but notice his skin matched the liquid gold he’d poured in the mason jars. Focus, Trinity. What are you going to do?

  She settled into the decorative pillows on her side of the swing. “Marriage wouldn’t work, Omar.”

  “Why not? We’re best friends. You need health insurance, and I need help with Faith and Joy. It’s a solution to both of our problems.”

  Her heart melted. Those two girls were absolutely precious. Life hadn’t been the same since Omar’s wife passed away two years ago, and unfortunately, his mother-in-law, Nancy, who had been watching the girls since their mother’s death, died almost two weeks ago.

  Trinity looked at Omar. “Then you haven’t found someone to watch the girls yet?”

  “No. The home day care in town is full and the public one can’t accommodate my schedule.”

  That made sense. His firefighter schedule of twenty-four hours on and twenty-four off made normal childcare impossible.

  He twisted his tall frame, propping an arm on the back of the swing, and faced her. “If we were married, you could watch them. You’d live here so you wouldn’t have to worry about rent. And I could add you to my health insurance, effective the day we say, ‘I do.’” His lips curved. “Gotta love government insurance.”

  The summer’s heat had dampened her skin and sweltered the back of her neck. She wrapped her braids around the ponytail holder and tucked the ends under and into a bun. All this marriage talk is giving me hives.

  “You’re awfully quiet.” Omar’s warm brown eyes took in her movements.

  “I think it’s a horrible idea.” One that made her stomach drop and heave like a boat out to sea.

  “I’m not Jason.”

  Her breath shuddered out as an image of her ex battled for front and center in her mind. She swallowed. “You’re still asking me to make a commitment. To walk down a church aisle—”

  “Or go to a justice of the peace courtroom.”

  She shook her head and continued. “Say ‘I do,’ and we’ll...what, live happily ever after?” That only existed in movies and fairy tales.

  “Are you saying a life with your best friend would be miserable?” His eyes twinkled at his attempt at humor.

  He always had to make a joke, but Trinity had to admit, part of her wanted to laugh just to keep from crying. “Omar, be serious.”

  He slid a hand down his face and took on a serious expression. “Is this better?”

  A bubble of laughter gurgled within. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “You want serious, you got it. List the reasons why this doesn’t make sense.”

  “People don’t get married for convenience anymore.”

  “Ehnt.”

  She laughed at his imitation of a game show buzzer.

  “You’re so wrong. I bet if we did an internet search right now, we’d see that’s not true.”

  She did not want to prove him right. “If you ever wanted to remarry—”

  Omar shook his head. “Christine was it for me.” His voice lowered and his gaze took on a far-off expression.

  Oh, Omar. He and Christine had been perfect for each other. She remembered how in love the two had been. How could he even suggest they marry? “How can you propose, then? You loved her so much. Wouldn’t anything else be a farce?”

  Watching Christine decline as the cancer ravaged her body had broken Trinity’s heart. She could only imagine what it had done to Omar’s.

  “No. We’re not marrying for love, Trin. It’s just a matter of convenience. Your problems would be solved by us tying the knot, and so would mine. We’re adults. We can still honor vows without making a mockery of them.”

  “How?” she whispered. Because all she could remember was the day her intended groom failed to show up.

  “By keeping God in the forefront. We’ll still seek Him first. We’ll raise the girls to do the same. The only question would be if you found someone to love.”

  “Ha.” Scorn ripped the words right from her throat. “No chance of that happening.” She wouldn’t let it. She refused to let love make a fool of her twice.

  “Trinity.” Omar’s voice coaxed her to look at him. “Not all guys are like him.”

  “I know that. You certainly aren’t.”

  “See.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Another reason to marry me.”

  She chuckled and leaned her head against his shoulder. “I love you for trying to solve my problems, but I don’t think it would work.”

  He wrapped an arm around her and squeezed her shoulder. “Then we’ll pray about it. You pray, I’ll pray and God will direct us from there.”

  Trinity didn’t want to argue with him, so she nodded. Surely God would provide for her in a different way, one that made sense and would help her walk His plan for her life. Because marrying anyone, well, that was just asinine. She’d walked down that road—aisle—before and had been thankful, after copious amounts of tears, to roll the dice and move off that space.

  “Omar?”

  “Hmm?”

  “What if I have to move? I’ve lived here all my life.”

  Nowhere else compared to Bluebonnet, Texas. The vast sky that showed the wonderful colors of the sunrise or sunset. The precious bluebonnet flowers that graced the fields. And the ability to see for miles. It spoke to her heart, soothed her soul and reminded her this was where she was supposed to be.

  “You’ll handle whatever comes your way. You always have.”

  “But what about us? How will we keep in touch?”

  “Funny thing.” He paused. “There’s this technology that allows you to video chat. Your face will pop up in this screen right here on my phone.”

  “On a phone? Get out.”

  His body shook with his laughter. “That’s right. And my face will appear on yours.”

  “You’re pulling my leg.”

  “I’ll pull your hair if you’re not careful.”

  “Ha.” She sat up, moving out of his reach. “You’re not in first grade anymore. That is not the way to get my attention.”

  “Hey, every boy knows that’s how you get a girl to talk to you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, use that newfangled technology now. My scalp doesn’t appreciate your primitive ways.”

  Crinkles appeared at the corner of
his eyes. “You’ll be fine, Trin. God’s got you.”

  “Thanks.” She let out a breath. She would have to pray and hold on to that truth.

  * * *

  Omar stared at the mess that was his living room. It looked like a tornado had ripped through, leaving bits of construction paper, stuffed animals and whatnot strewn about. How did two toddlers make such a mess? His eyebrows raised as he picked a dirty diaper up off the floor.

  What? How?

  He was pretty sure both girls had gone to sleep with a clean diaper on. Then again, his two-year-old, Joy, liked to shed hers at the most inopportune times. The stinky offender in his hands had to be hers. He searched his memory and sighed in relief. During their nap-time battle, she’d quickly escaped her clothing and ran from him, causing the diaper to slip off. Now he could recall carting her upstairs to put on a new one before he’d tucked her in the toddler bed for a much-needed nap.

  Making his way through the chaos littering his living room floor, Omar threw the diaper away in the kitchen trash can. He looked around and groaned. The mess in here was worse than the living room.

  “Why, Lord? Every day is the same. They make a colossal mess and then I clean it up.” It was like a sick version of the movie Groundhog Day.

  Maybe it had been a little selfish to invite Trinity to join his drama. Sure, she dealt with kids working at the elementary school as the librarian—or had, now that she’d been laid off—but they were potty-trained, coherent little beings. They didn’t scream at the top of their lungs if a repulsive food item landed on their dinner plate.

  Father God, I’m sorry if my proposal of marriage is out of Your will. And if it is, please give us a clear sign.

  Then he would have to find another way to get the help he so desperately needed. Joy and Faith had to have supervision. Better yet, they needed love and maternal guidance. The thought of them being raised without a woman’s nurturing ripped through him. If Trinity said yes, then they would be cared for, and he would have a partner who knew him and understood all his faults but called him friend regardless.