“I can’t believe he’d just show up like this. With his kids.” His limbs constricted, and his chest clamped against his abs.
“You can do this, Seth. Don’t shut out your family.” The garage door rose when Grace pressed the remote. She parked then swiveled his way, studying him.
“I talk to Cam every day. We went deep-sea fishing last summer, golfed a couple of times.”
“Did you see his family?”
Okay, no. Seth shook his head. He’d seen Misty occasionally, but not Evie or Jonathan, except for the pictures and updates they periodically sent in a group email.
The whole herd made their way to the garage, ready to pounce when Seth exited.
“What happened to you?” Misty’s mouth fell open, but she kept her distance with the swaddled baby in her arms.
Still holding Evie’s hand, Cam headed straight for him. “Why didn’t you tell us you were on crutches, bro? A cast means you broke something.”
Every muscle in Seth’s body locked up. “I’m fine.” He shifted his gaze to Grace. “I’ve had a friend helping me.” Maybe curiosity would turn the attention her way.
“Oh, hey. Sorry to be rude.” Cam made introductions, but his attention routed around to Seth. “I knew God was leading us to come here for Christmas for a reason.”
“Christmas here?”
“Yep.” His brother gave Seth’s shoulder a firm squeeze. “We’re not leaving you down here alone again. We’re gonna do this.”
“We?” Surely not everyone.
“The whole gang. The rest will arrive tomorrow.”
Mac and Darlene both laughed. “We were coming to invite you and Grace over for Christmas lunch, but sounds like you’ll have a full house.”
“It was nice meeting everyone.” Grace edged toward the driveway, waved, and disappeared around the corner.
He wanted to call her back, but he had to let her go. Today had probably been the last time she’d come to his house. A thousand if onlys pounded into his mind, but like Grace had said, It is what it is.
GRACE HAD FINALLY GOTTEN an answer to who Seth Gibbs was. And why they’d never be together. Tears streamed down Grace’s cheeks. Continuing dinner at the restaurant after the blow had been torture. Coming to Santa Rosa had been a mistake. Through the whole mess with Alexa and Trevor, she’d never run. She’d plowed through her work and carried on with life.
Maybe she’d pack up tonight. Go home in the morning. Seth’s family could take care of him now. Mac was an honest man and could make sure the rest of the work was completed. At the door, she punched in the code. Her parents’ flight had already taken them to spend Christmas with her sister in Indianapolis, but she had friends in Atlanta. Someone would let her hang out for the holiday.
“Sweetie, wait.” Darlene’s voice caught her before she entered the beach house.
Swiping at her wet cheeks, Grace stopped. She hated to be caught blubbering like a baby.
Darlene rubbed Grace’s back. “What’s wrong, sugar?”
A humiliating sob escaped, and Grace sniffled in a vain attempt to regain control. “I’m just emotional. I’ll be fine.”
“You can still spend Christmas with us if you want to. We’d love to have you. It’s hard being away from family.”
All she managed was a nod and a squeaked out, “Thank you.”
The petite woman pulled Grace into a fierce hug. “God brought you here for a reason. He’s at work, I just know it.”
Grace pulled away to look into Darlene’s face. “Why would you say that?”
“Honey, I’ve been praying something or someone would bring that boy outta his house for three years.”
“You knew about his son Noah?”
“We’ve known Seth’s family for years. His grandparents had one of the original cottages down the road. Noah and Evelyn Gibbs. Good, solid people.”
Aww. Seth’s son had been named after his grandpa. “What happened to them?”
“Evelyn died from pneumonia one winter after a bout with the flu. Two months later, Noah died in his sleep. A heart attack, they said. I never saw a couple more in love. Sometimes when people are together that long, they do seem to become one.”
“Like you and Mac?”
“We’ve had our tough times, but we never gave up on each other.” A sheen covered Darlene’s eyes. “Infertility, heartbreaking adoption attempts that never panned out. They shattered my heart, and I got real low.”
“That had to have been difficult. No one can blame you.”
“I guess I had a right to be disappointed. But at some point, I had to let God gently pick me up, set me on my feet, and trust that He had another plan for Mac and me.” A shaky smile lifted her countenance. “And He’s filled our lives with blessing on top of blessing.”
“I may come celebrate with y’all on Christmas. I’ll let you know.” Oh, that she could absorb some of that trust Darlene had found.
“Or you could keep working with God on that boy next door.” Darlene winked and left Grace alone with her deliberations.
Chapter 17
Battling urges assailed Seth. One to throw away his crutches and run to catch Grace. The other to hop in the truck and escape his brother’s family and all the memories they shoveled to the surface. Deep down, he knew he couldn’t—shouldn’t—stay away from love or family forever. He looked into Evie’s big blue eyes framed with strawberry blond curls and tried to maintain his composure. Evelyn and Noah had been born the same year, only a month apart. Their names had been chosen to honor their grandparents. And no matter how hard he’d tried to understand why Noah was gone, his death never made sense. Would Noah have looked like her? Would they have reached the milestones around the same time? Walking, talking, smearing birthday cake all over their faces?
“Are you my uncle? You look like my daddy.” Evie’s small voice chattered, and her fingers caught his wrist.
This sweet child couldn’t help that every time he saw her, sadness overtook him for what might’ve been. Thank the Lord, she’d thrived.
“I am your uncle.” He forced his lips to smile despite the burn in his eyes and twist of his heart.
“Can we play in your house?”
God, help me. “Sure, baby. Come in.”
Misty was at his side in an instant, hugging him. “We love you, Seth.”
A vise tightened around his throat. “I know. I love y’all, too.”
Cam directed his gaze to his wife. “You want to take the kids in and get them bathed while Seth and I unload?”
Obviously, his brother planned to give him a pep talk while gathering the bags and baby equipment, because being on crutches limited the amount of unloading he’d contribute to. “Grace washed a load of towels this afternoon, so if you need more, they’re folded in the laundry room.”
Misty’s brows spiked. “This Grace sounds fascinating. I expect to hear more once these two are asleep.”
Then he’d get another talk from Misty. “We’ll see.”
“Yes, we will.” She shot him a determined look. “Let’s go, Evie. Daddy and Uncle Seth will come in a few minutes.” They disappeared inside the house, and the door clicked shut.
Seth took a deep breath, trying to gain control of the cyclone spiraling inside him.
“Grace, huh?” Cam’s voice intruded into the storm. “What’s the story?”
Explaining their messed-up relationship might be the nail in his coffin. “Complicated.”
“The short version, then.”
“We met. We really like each other. She wants kids. I don’t. The end.” He swallowed against the lump strangling him. “As of right before y’all got here.”
“No. You. Didn’t.” His brother’s forehead scrunched into a scowl, and a familiar, but hard, brotherly punch found its mark on Seth’s shoulder.
“Dude, I’m on crutches.”
“Yeah. In more ways than one.” A challenging gaze pinned him.
Like looking into a mirror. Seth had given
the same look to Cam when he’d caught him smoking weed behind one of their parents’ stores in high school. But that butt-kicking had been called for.
“Back off.” Seth’s jaw tightened as anger and grief spewed out. “You don’t get it. You can’t. Evie’s a beautiful, healthy little girl, and you’ve got Jonathan. While Noah...” His voice cracked.
That didn’t come out as he’d intended.
Cam’s stance softened. “I know you suffered an unbearable loss.” He shook his head. “But you’re my big brother who always had a strong faith, who has always been brave, always stood his ground against a bully no matter what size or how mean.” Cam rubbed the place where he’d just struck Seth. “I love you, and I want you to see that there’s a bully after you now. An evil one. He’s got you on the run with his lies, but I’ve got your back. The whole family does. And more than that, God’s got your back. You’ve got to stand firm, call him out, and live. You were meant for more than this.”
The words slammed harder than any punch could ever land. Was that what he’d been doing here? Running from the devil? “Maybe you have a point. I’ll pray about it.”
“We can pray together. Now.” Cam’s hand still rested on Seth’s shoulder.
“Okay, you first.” They both chuckled at the old joke when the brothers had ever dared each other to do anything precarious.
“I got you covered.” Cam closed his eyes, and they poured out their hearts before the throne.
ALL NIGHT, GRACE THRASHED between the designer sheets until she finally got up, wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and walked out on the deck.
God, I need your help.
Her emotions crashed like violent waves in a storm, but the words Darlene had spoken swirled within the winds. Despite disappointment over being childless, God had filled their lives with blessing upon blessing.
Stars, shimmering and white, dotted the darkened sky. A sliver of moon glowed, its reflection a beacon on the Gulf. An old Bible story about Abraham came to mind. He’d been promised a baby, despite the fact he and his wife Sarah were way too old to have one. Then he was asked to have the faith to be willing to sacrifice that miracle child. God saw his faith and intervened. The Lord had promised to bless Abraham and make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. And from what she’d learned in Bible study, all who had faith in the Lord were actually considered Abraham’s descendants.
A shooting star blazed a path through the atmosphere then disappeared. Grace’s breath caught. “Amazing, God.”
What if she took all her expectations and intentions and obsessions for her life and placed them at God’s feet? What if she took one day at a time?
Maybe she didn’t have to have children. After all, she wasn’t guaranteed tomorrow, much less fertility and health and love. Those things were precious, but love was the most precious of all. And out here, just her and her God, staring at His beautiful creation, she had to face the truth. Though they’d only known each other a few weeks, what she felt for Seth was love.
Chapter 18
The knock on the door took Seth by surprise, especially since his entire family already seemed to fill every inch of his house. Man, they must’ve gotten up at the crack of dawn to make it by lunchtime. Good thing they brought coolers of food, because though Grace had stocked the refrigerator, the Gibbs brothers could put away some grub.
He leaned on one crutch to open the door. Grace stood there, a red sweater highlighting the blush on her freckled cheeks. So pretty, his heart sprinted, and his brain filled with fog. All night he’d wrestled with the words he wanted to say to her, brave words that might set things right if she’d accept them.
“I brought you something.” She held out a green gift bag stuffed with white tissue paper.
“Grace, I don’t have anything except the stuff in the garage. You can have—”
“Uh-uh. Just open the gift.” She met his gaze, pleading in her eyes.
He hobbled out and shut the door. No need for a family audience. Bracing on his crutches, he accepted the gift and removed the paper.
“I’ll hold stuff for you.” Grace took the wad and smiled, hopeful—and adorable as always.
He forced his gaze away from her and into the bag. “What in the world?” Was this a joke? He pulled out a faucet handle, a chain from inside a toilet bowl, a sand dollar, some sea shells, and that one piece of sea glass she’d found. “I don’t understand.” He looked into her deep blue gaze.
“Seth Gibbs, I’m Grace Logan. I fall down a lot. I’ve been hurt. And like you, I’ve acquired a great deal of random junk in this life. Some are pretty pieces and some are just plain old broken mess.” She stepped close and cupped his cheek, stealing his breath with her touch. “The thing is, you know how to fix things and how to make something special out of what others discard. God does that, too, with people. I got to thinking, maybe He could do that with us.”
She was so close now, her minty breath tickled his cheek. Her fingers moved to toy with the hair along his temple. “What if we gave ourselves a chance to be there to help the other up when we fall?”
He caressed her chin. Hadn’t he been praying about her all night? “What are you looking for in a man?”
“A Christian.” She took his fingers and brushed her lips over them. “Calloused hands of a man who works. Good to my family. Oh...” She raised a teasing brow. “No jewelry. I’m not a fan of man necklaces, rings, and such. That’s non-negotiable.”
“Noted.” He laughed. “I’ll donate my gold chain to charity. That’s a short list.” Sobering, he stared into those navy blues. “I’ll try to get over my issues, but like you said, I’ve got a lot of broken pieces. Are you sure?”
“I’m sure I can’t let you go.” She draped her arms around his neck. “We don’t know what the future holds, only God does, but I want you in mine.” Her teeth caught her lip for a moment. “Unless you don’t feel the same about me?”
“Grace, I’ve been falling for you since that first day on the beach. More than falling—sinking into the deep. I’m crazy about you.”
The door swung open behind him.
“Finally.” Cam’s voice.
“Thank you, God.” Misty giggled.
“Is that your girlfriend, Uncle Seth?” a little voice chimed in.
He turned to look over his shoulder. “Y’all are teaching my niece to eavesdrop?”
Misty stepped out with Jonathan slung over her shoulder. “Come join us for Christmas Eve food and some fierce card games.”
“I’d love to.” Grace’s smile soothed the broken places in Seth’s heart.
“Merry Christmas, Grace.” Seth caught her hand, weaving his fingers through hers. “My girlfriend, if you’ll put up with me.”
Epilogue
“Just one more box for tonight.” Grace stumbled forward into the living room, but strong arms captured and steadied her. Those sturdy, calloused hands gently squeezed her forearms. She never grew tired of seeing that gold band on his ring finger, or her own silver band that held together two pearls and a diamond. The memory of his proposal on the legislature floor was one she cherished. She could still visualize him on one knee as he held out a small oval box covered with seashells.
“Grace, your bright smile and sweetness blasted into my darkness. You’ve shown me how to live again. Will you build something new with me? Will you be my wife?”
Of course, she’d said yes. And neither one of them took their vows for granted.
“Let me take that.” Seth pressed a warm kiss to Grace’s forehead. “You shouldn’t be carrying a load.”
Heart overflowing with love, she smiled into those amazing blue eyes. “It’s not heavy. And this has to be the right container.” She and Seth carried on a silent little contest to see who was the most organized. “Yes, labeled Family Ornaments and color coded with the yellow tape.”
“Okay, but I don’t want you worn out before everyone arrives tomorrow. You’ve a
lready been cooking up a storm.” He took the box and grinned. “Not that I minded that batch of oatmeal cookies, but your husband’s going to end up with a Santa belly.”
“The cookies were for the kids, and they were made with all healthy ingredients. And I don’t mind a dad bod. I’ve got the mommy one.” She glanced down at her swollen midsection and ran her fingers across the little shelf where those nighttime kicks continued to bounce. “I think all the holiday events we’ve attended for Gibbs Hardware have worn us out. That and little Seth junior, the soccer player.”
Seth set the box on the coffee table. “He’s at it again?” Brows raising, he placed his hand on Grace’s stomach.
Her tummy jumped beneath her shirt, and Seth gasped. “That was a hard one, buddy.” His gaze met hers, tears glistening.
Grace pulled him into a hug, hoping to soothe his lingering worries. “Heather’s over a year old now, and she’s healthy. We can use an apnea monitor again.”
“I know all that in here.” He pointed to his temple. “And God’s got us covered. Sometimes, the worries still creep in, especially with this one being a boy, you know. After two years in the SIDS support group, mountains of prayers, and a healthy baby girl, you’d think I’d relax, right?”
The past couple of years together in Atlanta had been incredible. Seth’s foot had healed well enough, no pins and rods. They’d walked at Piedmont Park and hiked Kennesaw Mountain, married in Santa Rosa with a small, intimate ceremony on the beach, and started a family of their own sooner than planned or expected. Attending a SIDS support group had allowed Seth to process his guilt and fear, and they’d both gotten help shuffling through insecurities left from their past marriages. God had certainly moved in their lives.
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