by Emma Easter
His eyes danced as he looked at her. “What is this, precious?”
“A gift for you.”
“But it’s not my birthday . . .” His brows lifted in alarm, “Or have I forgotten an important anniversary?”
She giggled. “Nothing like that, Bryan. Just open the gift.”
She watched him closely as he untied the red ribbon and then unwrapped the package. For a second, he stared at the pregnancy tests with a look of confusion on his face. And then his eyes grew as round as saucers and his jaw dropped. He looked up at her and said, “You are pregnant? We are pregnant!”
She nodded. She gasped as he suddenly swept her off her feet and swung her around. She laughed when he whooped and he set her on her feet again. He kissed her hair, her nose, and her lips.
“I’m going to be a father!” he yelled, and then put his hand on her stomach. “When did you do the test?”
“Earlier today,” she answered.
He gently drew her close and kissed her. When he drew back, she frowned in concern. The worry that had shadowed his face some minutes before was back. What can possibly be so bad that even news about our coming baby can’t shake it? She took his hand and pulled him down on the sofa. She sat next to him and said, “Bryan, please tell me what’s wrong.”
He sighed. “I wanted to wait until I got the full leading from the Lord before telling you about it.”
She raised her brows. “Full leading? The Lord has given you direction about what you are supposed to do? That’s great news, isn’t it?” She took his other hand and threaded her fingers through his. “Even if you haven’t gotten the full plan for what you are meant to do yet, at least you have some idea.”
He shook his head. “I’m not worried because I haven’t gotten God’s complete direction for my life.” He sighed and then looked away from her. “I’m worried because of what he’s already told me.” He looked at her and said, “And I’m worried about what you will say when I tell you what he said to me.”
She shifted closer to him, her heart drumming. “What is it, Bryan? What did the Lord tell you to do? I promise not to say anything stupid. And you know I will always support you no matter what.”
He studied her face for a minute and then said, “Okay. The Lord wants me… us… to move to another country.”
Her mouth fell open and then she shut it. “What? Are you sure about that?”
“Positive.” He began to narrate the encounter he’d had with the Lord in his office. She listened, her stomach clenching as he talked.
She had lived in New York during her modeling years, but had never felt completely at home there. When she’d finally come back to Rosefield and then to Green Valley, she had vowed never to leave again. She was totally happy here. Besides, the thought of not seeing Trisha or Audrey for however long felt agonizing. Even the thought of not seeing Faizan, who she’d only known for about a year, made her deeply sad. The worst part, however, was picturing her dream of raising her kids in Rosefield washing away before it ever came to pass.
She and Bryan had talked about it so many times. Now he was talking about moving, not even to another state, but out of the country. It felt like a betrayal, somehow, even though she knew it wasn’t his idea to move. She tried to control her emotions as she said, “Bryan, you said the Lord hasn’t told you exactly where we are supposed to move to. Maybe it’s not really outside the country. Maybe it’s not even outside Boise. You should definitely pray about it again. Just because that scripture said ‘all nations’ doesn’t mean we are literally supposed to pack up and leave the country.”
He gave her a small smile and said, “You are right. Even though I immediately believed the Lord meant for us to move to another country when I read that verse, it might not be so. And I hope it isn’t. I’ll keep praying about it until I get a more specific word from God.”
She nodded and her anxiety eased some. She had started to feel a slight tremor in her hands and legs, signs of one of her panic attacks. She hadn’t had one since the day Derrick had kidnapped her. She couldn’t afford to ever have one again, especially carrying their baby. But the thought of moving out of Rosefield and the country was a bit too much for her. She put her hand on her belly. When Bryan put his hand on top of hers, she forced a smile.
“Remember, we now have our baby to think about,” she said. “Surely, the Lord wouldn’t ask us to pack up and go to a strange country to raise our child there. We have so much support here in Green Valley and in Rosefield.”
He smiled sadly. “We don’t get to tell the Lord what He should or shouldn’t do, Sienna. You know that.”
“I know. I just hope He puts into consideration what I just said.” In spite of herself, she laughed at the look on his face. “I know. I know. The Lord’s decisions are the best, no matter what. But I really want to raise this baby in Rosefield. I just hope the Lord feels the same way I do… even if that does sound silly.”
Chapter Three
Trisha applied a coat of lip gloss onto her lips while she asked herself what on earth she was doing. Frank was coming to visit today, and she had just taken a shower to prepare for his visit. She was supposed to wear something simple and comfortable, but here she was, dressed in a beautiful striped dress, with makeup on.
She stared at her reflection in the mirror and smiled in self-mockery. And yet you keep telling yourself you are not interested in him. She definitely didn’t look like someone who wasn’t romantically interested in the guy she was about to see. In fact, she looked like she was going on a date with him. But this was definitely not a date.
Do you want it to be a date?
She scoffed at the thought. She definitely didn’t want to go on a date with him. He was just an old friend visiting her, nothing more. She needed to remember that.
But you called him up because you missed him. Because you now realize that he’s a catch.
She groaned and put her hand on her forehead. Why was she so conflicted about this? Why couldn’t she just make up her mind about Frank?
The doorbell rang and she jumped. Frank was here. She gathered herself together and went out of the bedroom. Heading down the stairs, she took deep breaths until she reached the bottom. She put on a smile as she got to the door, told herself to act normal, and opened up for Frank. And then she gasped.
“Stan!” She stared at her ex-husband who had all but disappeared into thin air for more than a year. “What in the world…?”
“Trish, can I come in?” He looked past her into the living room.
She shook her head. “No. No, you can’t! I haven’t seen or heard from you for over a year, and yet you think you can just appear out of thin air and waltz into my house? You have never even laid eyes on your own daughter!”
Stan looked down and then looked up at her. His face was clouded with shame, but that did not move her. He pleaded, “Please, Trish. I know I was wrong to just disappear… just like that. But, please, I need to see her now, Trish!”
“No, you can’t see her, Stan!”
“She is my daughter too, Trish. Besides, you weren’t granted full custody of her.”
“Yes, but you abandoned her. That gives me full custody even if the courts didn’t grant it to me.”
His entire face contorted and he looked like he was about to cry. “Please, Trisha. Please let me see my daughter. I want nothing else. I was doing really badly for a long time, but I’m a changed man now. God got a hold of me and changed me.”
She tilted her head and stared. “God? You found God?”
He nodded.
She laughed incredulously. “Yeah right!”
“Is it so hard to believe?”
“I know you are a liar, dear ex-husband! You will say anything to have your way.”
“It’s true, Trisha. God changed me. I know without a doubt that I did wrong. I have to be in my daughter’s life. There is nothing I want more than to make amends now, and start to be the father I wasn’t for so long.” He stared intent
ly at her. “Our daughter needs a father, Trish. You know that.”
Trisha sighed. It was true. Hadn’t she been dreading the fact that Ruby might grow up without a father? Maybe this was God’s answer to her prayers. After all, Stan was Ruby’s biological father. She had foolishly been hoping that Frank would somehow take that role, but it belonged to no other than Stan.
“Please, Trisha,” Stan pleaded again.
Her heart melted and she said, “Okay, Stan. You can see her. But you have to promise me that you will not just suddenly disappear again. Our daughter needs a stable dad, not one that is here today and then gone tomorrow. Can you promise me that?”
He nodded vigorously. “I promise.”
She looked at him for a few seconds more and then stood aside to let him in.
He came into the house and looked around. “You’ve changed some of the furniture,” he said.
She didn’t reply. Instead, she studied him for a brief moment. He still looked the same as the last time she saw him. His dark hair was perfectly coifed. As usual, not a strand was out of place. He was dressed in his signature outfit: a white button up shirt, the buttons opened down to his chest and revealing a thin gold chain, a black blazer, black pants, and black dress shoes.
His appearance reminded her of why she’d found him intensely attractive before they got married and through most of their married life. He was always carefully groomed, his expensive clothes matching his aristocratic-looking features. Now, as she looked at him, she felt different, like his appearance was all too much; fake, somehow.
“Trisha?”
“Yes, Stan?”
“I don’t even know my daughter’s name. What is it?” He studied her face intently, as though he would find the answer to his question written on her features.
Trisha didn’t speak for a few seconds and then she answered, “Her name is Ruby.”
“Ruby. I like that name for our daughter.”
Trisha nodded and then suddenly remembered that she was expecting Frank. Her insides twisted. She didn’t want both men together in her living room. She clenched her fists nervously. If only Frank would postpone his visit.
Stan sat down on the loveseat and she said to him, “Let me go get Ruby. She’s been asleep for some hours now. I think she will soon be ready to wake up.”
He smiled and nodded.
As she started to leave the living room, the doorbell rang and her stomach flipped. Oh my Lord, Frank is here.
She sighed, went to the door without looking at Stan, and opened it.
“Hi, Trisha!” Frank had a huge smile on his face. He reached out and hugged her briefly.
She gave him a small smile and then told him to come in. She thinned her lips as he entered.
He paused when he saw Stan, and a look of consternation crept into his face. She sighed wearily again, knowing she had the same look on hers.
“Please sit, Frank. Let me go and get Ruby.”
Frank sat and she left the living room quickly, hoping both men would be civil with each other. She wasn’t worried about Frank, as he was always a perfect gentleman. But Stan scared her. Even though they were divorced now, she knew how territorial he could be. She had been lying to herself for a while now, but without a doubt, she admitted to herself that she wanted her and Frank to be more than friends. And the last thing she needed was Stan spoiling it for her.
“Lord, please help me today,” she prayed before entering Ruby’s room.
*****
Frank sat on the couch facing Stan and folded his hands, feeling uncomfortable. The last person he had expected to see here was Trisha’s ex-husband. He felt a tightness in his chest as troubling thoughts entered his mind. What if Trisha told you she missed you only to be polite? What if she is now back with Stan?
He sighed and then looked up at Stan. The man was glaring at him. Frank smiled at Stan and said, “Hi, Stan. I haven’t seen you in a long time.”
Stan gave him a dirty look and then turned away.
Frank shrugged Stan’s hostile attitude off, but the troubling thoughts about Trisha and Stan together didn’t leave his mind. He’d been thinking about winning Trisha’s heart when it seemed she still hadn’t cut ties with her ex. But she was too special to give up on.
When she’d started dating Stan years before, he’d been heartbroken—not just because of how much he loved her, but also because he knew Stan was a no-good womanizer. He’d decided to wait for her to discover who Stan really was and leave him, but she had married him. For weeks after she’d gotten married, he had grieved almost as though he had lost a loved one. He’d asked himself what he could have done to stop the marriage. But he could not have done anything. She was madly in love with Stan.
Unfortunately, he’d been unable to move on after that. He’d dated a few times, but his heart had never been in it. Now that she was divorced and had expressed a level of interest in him, however small, his hope that he would finally be with her had been revived… until now. Stan’s presence was threatening to dash it again. But this time, he would fight for her. He would not lie down and let Stan win her over again and then treat her like dirt.
He looked up as Trisha came into the living room with Ruby in her arms. Butterflies filled his stomach as it always did whenever he saw her.
Trisha glanced at him and then at Stan and pressed her lips together. She looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here, with him and Stan. His heart went out to her. He was so worried about himself that he hadn’t considered how uncomfortable she would feel. He stood up to help her with Ruby, but Stan immediately got up and blocked his path.
“Stay away!” Stan growled. “She’s my daughter, not yours!”
Ruby, who’d been asleep in Trisha’s arms, opened her eyes and began to cry.
“Stan!” Trisha said, glaring at him. “Why did you do that?”
Stan looked apologetic. He gave Frank a forced smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I have never seen my daughter and I just want to hold her.” He looked pleadingly at Trisha and then his eyes widened as he stared at Ruby. He gasped. “She looks like me.” He held out his hand. “Please, I’m sorry, baby. Stop crying. Daddy’s here.”
Trisha had a look of sadness mixed with surprise as Ruby immediately went into Stan’s arms, as though he’d been with her since she’d been born.
Frank was surprised as well, as Audrey had told him Stan had never seen his daughter. Still, he smiled, albeit a little sadly, knowing that Stan was Ruby’s dad. Even if he finally won Trisha’s heart, Stan would remain a part of their lives. He went and sat down again while Trisha sat on the other end of the couch.
Stan sat on the loveseat again, Ruby smiling in his arms. Stan looked taken with her and said, “Can you say Daddy?”
Ruby grinned at him and said, “Da!”
His face lit up and he nodded. “That’s good, Ruby. I’m your Da.”
Frank felt his chest tighten. He took a deep breath, and then turned to look at Trisha again. The moment felt so awkward. He wondered how she was feeling now. She was watching Stan and Ruby with a big smile and a look of pride on her face. His heart thudded with a mix of despair and resignation and he suddenly felt like an intruder. He stood and forced a smile.
“Trisha, I’ve got to go.”
Trisha frowned and looked up at him. “So soon? I hope you’re not leaving for Boise today.”
He shook his head. “No. I’m still in Rosefield.” He turned toward the door and then turned to Stan. “Some other time, then.”
Stan nodded curtly.
Frank opened the door and then felt Trisha’s hand on his shoulder. He turned to her, his heart burning with his love for her.
“Will you come again tomorrow?” she asked him.
“I will,” he said immediately.
The smile on her face widened. “Good.” She looked a little uncomfortable, as though she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure she should.
He looked over at Stan and sighed. He
didn’t want to leave her with him, but it was the right thing to do now. The man needed space and time to get to know his daughter. “I’ll be here in the morning,” he said loudly so Stan would hear him. He wanted the man to know that even though he was leaving now, he wasn’t leaving Trisha’s life… unless she told him to his face that she didn’t want him.
Trisha opened the door and he walked out of the house. Before she shut the door, he said to her, “I love you, Trisha. Remember that.”
She smiled sadly. “I know.”
He turned around again and walked to the black Jeep he’d rented as soon as he’d arrived in Rosefield. He got into the car, started it, and then drove out of Trisha’s driveway. He looked out the car window and his heart skipped a beat. Trisha was still watching him. He smiled and waved at her, and she waved back.
All the way back to his parents’ house, he couldn’t wipe the smile off his face, in spite of Stan’s presence at Trisha’s. He kept picturing the look on her face when she’d smiled at him as he drove away. It said she couldn’t wait for him to come back again.
Chapter Four
Zainah came into the tent that was used as the camp kitchen and put down the bucket of water she had fetched for the women who were cooking dinner for the whole camp. She smiled at the women and went out of the tent again.
The sun was setting as she walked past several brightly colored tents, glancing at some children playing a game of hide and seek on the desert grounds. She smiled at their loud, cheery laughter despite her mood. She took the long route to the tent she shared with some other women, avoiding the shortest path as she didn’t want to pass by Miriam’s tent today. The woman was usually weaving on her loom outside her tent. Nothing awry or amiss escaped her, including the varying moods of most of the inhabitants in this camp. As Zainah headed to her tent, she thought about what Miriam had told her after Faizan left.