On the Doorstep

by Dana Corbit

  She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, anything to lessen his pain, but he shook his head. He wasn’t finished.

  “But I didn’t make it right. Only God can do that. And if there’s any relationship I need to seek His help on, it’s the one with Will and Carol Fletcher of Philadelphia.” He indicated his surroundings with a slow wave of his hand. “I figured I’d get started here. I have a lot of praying to do. I like to come here to pray because God feels so close here.”

  She glanced around again at the backlit sanctuary. “I have some praying to do myself—for forgiveness. Jesus said the world would know we were Christians by our love for other people. Nobody around today would ever accuse me of being a believer.”

  Zach hated to see her hurting this way. He wished he could protect her so that she never had to cry again. But because he couldn’t, he took her by the hand and led her to the front pew. Taking a seat beside her, he placed his forefinger under her chin and tilted it up so she would meet his gaze and see that he was being sincere.

  “How could anyone not know that you’re a Christian? You of all people.”

  She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “Anyone who was within listening distance of the courtyard today would have their doubts.”

  Because she was probably right about that, he only shrugged.

  Pilar placed her elbows on her jean-clad knees and hung her head dejectedly between her fists. “I was everything you said I was. Judgmental. Unforgiving. Selfish—you didn’t say the last, but it’s true, too.”

  Zach shook his head harder with each negative adjective she used to describe herself. “You’re none of those things. You’re good and kind and caring.”

  He stopped himself then, knowing full well he could go on touting her amazing qualities until she begged him to stop. With a grin, he added, “You just lost sight of who you really were for a while.”

  “I really am sorry, Zach.”

  “No more sorry than I am. Can you forgive me? Is there a second chance?”

  “Seconds. Thirds. Whatever it takes.”

  Pilar threw her arms around his neck, nuzzling her nose against his ear. As his arms closed around her, Zach knew he’d received the most amazing gift. A do-over. And this time he’d get it right.

  When Pilar pulled away at last, she was smiling through her tears. “We really are a pair, aren’t we?”

  He grinned back, the conversation sounding familiar, so he answered as he had before. “Yes…we are.”

  But then he thought of a subject so contentious that it had rocked their barely formed foundation. As much as he hated to bring it up again and risk another tremor, he had to know the truth.

  “I’m still going to testify on Ashley’s behalf, you know.” She started to interrupt, but he lifted his hand to make her wait.

  “I have to do it. It’s the right thing. Not because of my sister and my baggage that I never should have brought to this case, but because this young woman loves her baby. She’s made mistakes, but she wants to do the right thing, and she deserves a second chance to be Gabriel’s mother.”

  He waited. His breath felt tight in his chest. Wanting for things to be right on the surface between himself and Pilar wasn’t enough. There had to be a deeper understanding between them—a respect for their different positions, even if they couldn’t agree.

  Pilar nodded, the smile never leaving her lips or her eyes. “I’ll be right there with you. Ashley’s going to need all of us to love and support her and her child. Whatever she needs…”

  When she let her words trail away, Zach studied her face. She was sincere and appeared as committed as he was.

  So this was what it felt like to be content. He liked it. He was pretty sure he could go on feeling this way for the long haul and never find a reason to complain.

  He felt connected to Pilar on a different level as they served the Father’s will together. It felt good. It felt right. It felt as if a whole other chapter of his life was opening without footnotes of earlier chapters cluttering up the pages.

  Glancing around the softly lit sanctuary, Zach’s gaze fell on the altar. An idea formed immediately, and he stood. “Come here.”

  He reached out a hand to her and waited until she curled her fingers inside his. He led her to the steps beside the altar and knelt in the same place where he’d been praying when she’d arrived. She joined him on her knees, seeming to understand without words that he wanted them to pray together.

  But as he started to lead the prayer as he’d planned, her soft, melodic voice broke the silence. “Father, You know the troubles in our hearts. Our hurts. Our fears. Please give us the strength to trust You with all of them. And Lord, let us be Your eyes and Your hands here on Earth. Direct us as we try to do Your work and to follow Your will. Amen.”

  Zach opened his eyes and stared at her, amazed that she’d prayed for so many of the same things laying on his heart. He wanted to do God’s work, and he wanted to do it with Pilar at his side.

  Because he couldn’t imagine his life any other way, he turned to face her as she straightened and turned to sit on the step. He scooted until he was a step lower and continued kneeling. When he lifted her hand, she tilted her head and looked at him with a confused expression.

  His pulse raced and his hand became clammy, but he forced the words to come whatever way they could.

  “Pilar, I’m in love with you.” He squeezed her hand and could feel her trembling as much as he was inside.

  “I want to build a family with you.”

  Immediately, her eyes filled and she turned her head away from him. Didn’t she understand that there were some things any couple didn’t know, couldn’t know as they built a life together?

  “It doesn’t matter. Don’t you see that?” The important thing was for them to be together, but she clearly wasn’t ready to believe that. He would show her every day, if only she gave him the chance.

  Two fine lines of tears spilled over and trailed down her cheeks. “But you know going in with me that there’s a risk—”

  “Love is a risk, sweetheart. Marriage is a risk. But it’s also a decision, and I have decided to love you for the rest of my life.”

  “Marriage. Marriage.” She rolled the word on her tongue, trying it on, seeing if it fit.

  He grinned. “Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

  But she wasn’t laughing. She stared at him. “It really doesn’t matter to you.”

  “No, it doesn’t. I love you. I choose you. The rest is up to God.”

  “Up to God,” she repeated, but then her smile faltered. “But what if—”

  “I promise you this—our home will be filled with children, whether those we make together or those we choose to love.” He reached up and brushed his fingers through her hair that she’d worn loose down her back.

  “You probably even know a good Christian adoption agency we could work with.”

  She grinned. “I just might.”

  “Anyway—” he paused to shift since his knees were getting sore “—I think we should get started right away.”

  Pilar glanced at him sheepishly before hiding her face behind her free hand.

  It took a few seconds for him to realize what he’d just suggested right there in church. He chuckled. “Well, that, too. After the wedding. But that’s not what I was talking about.

  “I think we should get married soon, so we can become adoptive parents. There are a lot of older and special-needs children waiting for good homes, and I think our home would be a great place for a few of them.”

  She glanced up at him, a smile pulling on her lips. “Our home. Aren’t you getting a little ahead of yourself? We’re not even engaged yet.”

  “Well, let’s fix that because my knees are killing me.” He chuckled, but when she looked at him and smiled, his breath hitched. “Pilar, will you be my wife? Will you marry me?”

  “Yes! Yes, I’ll marry you.”

  Zach moved to sit beside her and drew
her into his arms. The kiss they shared lasted but a moment, but it seemed etched in time as they sealed the promise of their hearts at the altar.

  Pilar was still smiling when he pulled away, though tears escaped from the corners of her eyes. She brushed them away with the back of her hand.

  “I never believed this would happen.”

  “What, that I would propose to you like a cheapskate and not even have a ring yet?”

  She laughed. “No, I wouldn’t even have predicted something that awful.”

  Though she’d played along with his joke, Zach didn’t want to make light of the moment. “I never would have predicted this. I thought love was only for other people—the ones who always win at cakewalks and always have prize-patrol vans hunting them down.”

  “But God had a plan all along.”

  “He does tend to do that. But one person around here seemed to know what it was.”

  She cocked her head to the side. “Who’s that?”

  He shrugged, considering. “Or maybe two. Naomi’s a smart lady herself, but your mother definitely knew. Remember? She called me novio. Bridegroom.”

  Her eyes went wide. “You knew?” she shrieked. “If I’d have known that then, I would have died from embarrassment right there on the spot.”

  “Well, good thing you didn’t realize it then.” He lifted her hand to his lips and then pressed its softness against his cheek. “High school Spanish. I knew it would come in handy someday.”

  He met her gaze again, and Pilar stared back at him with such love shining in her eyes that his laughter died on his lips. One day, he hoped to be the man she clearly saw when she looked at him. He wanted to become that man for her.

  An emotion he didn’t recognize expanded in his heart. Perhaps hope? Why God had chosen to bless him with someone as wonderful as Pilar, he would never know. All he could do was accept the gift and be very grateful.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Eli Cavanaugh stared at himself in the men’s room mirror on the last Saturday in September, retying his bow tie for the third time. Still, it listed to the right, and one loop remained larger than the other.

  “Whoever invented these things probably did it as a torture device for men on their wedding day,” he grumbled.

  Zach elbowed him and laughed as he tied his own bow tie in front of the next sink. He had to admit as he glanced into the mirror that, other than the ridiculous ties that both Rachel and Pilar had insisted they wear, the two of them looked downright wedding worthy in their matching black tuxedos.

  “Do you have an easier time buttoning up a lab coat, Doc? Hey, I wouldn’t complain too much. Think of the contortions our brides are doing across the hall to fasten those buttons and bustles and all that other frou-frou stuff they’re putting on.”

  Eli nodded hard enough to rustle his dark blond hair. “And we’ll be the luckiest men for all their efforts. The two most beautiful and intelligent and amazing brides around, and they’ve agreed to be bound in holy matrimony with this sorry pair.”

  “Fortunately for us, the pickings were slim in Chestnut Grove.” Zach patted him on the back good-naturedly.

  “You’ve got that right.”

  Zach became serious as he turned to his friend. “I wanted to thank you and Rachel again for letting us weasel in on your wedding at the last minute. That was really great of you guys.”

  Eli shook his head. “No weaseling at all. It was an invitation. Rachel already had a plan in mind when we left the hospital the day Ashley was there. You and Pilar hadn’t even figured out that you belonged together, and she was already thinking who she needed to call to send out last-minute changes to the invitations, making it a double wedding.”

  “Did everyone know but us?”

  Eli only grinned into the mirror.

  “Anyway, I’m amazed that Rachel would want to share her day. The wedding day is so important to some women.”

  “Her friends are important to my soon-to-be wife.”

  “You are blessed, buddy.” Zach paused, a grin forming on his face. “We both are.”

  Eli turned to him and cocked his head. “What’s this I hear about a Jamaican honeymoon?”

  Zach shrugged and grinned. “A little wedding present from my folks. They wanted to pamper the woman who smartened me up enough to finally work on our problems.”

  He didn’t have to explain about his scars now because Eli already knew. The four of them had shared a lot of time and stories while they frantically turned a wedding for two into a ceremony for four in two weeks. It was a relief no longer having to keep his secret inside.

  “Are they here today?”

  “Mom said she’d be here with bells on, and Dad said he’d be the one with a flower between his teeth.”

  Eli raised an eyebrow. “All-righty then. I’m sure I’ll be able to pick them out.”

  “I just wish Jasmine could be here. You would have liked her.”

  He patted Zach on the shoulder. “If she was anything like you, I’m sure I would.”

  Zach swallowed, pushing the heavy emotion aside. “I bet you’re looking forward to Cape Cod.”

  Eli let out a sigh. “Quiet and sand and rest. Just me and the woman I love without taking my pager or being on call. It’s the best thing I can think of this side of Heaven.”

  A knock had them both turning back toward the door.

  “Is everyone decent in there?” Naomi called through the wood. “Hope so, because I’m coming in.”

  She waited, though, for one of the men to pull open the door, and the redhead bustled through, carrying a handled basket filled with small bottles and tubes. In one of her fanciest Sunday dresses and her usual pearls, Naomi had noted the special occasion by adding fancy baubles at her ears.

  “Don’t you look lovely today,” Zach said, pretending that every day he saw a woman—and particularly the minister’s wife—in the men’s room.

  “Knock it off, Zach. Save your flattery for your brides.” But she grinned anyway and gave them both hugs. “Now remember this.” She gave each of them a firm look. “We wives still like to hear how pretty we are, even after the wedding. And especially after the babies come.”

  Eli chuckled. “Can we at least eat some wedding cake first before we think about babies?”

  Naomi patted her index finger on her lips and rolled her eyes heavenward as if considering, and then glanced back at them. “Okay, but only a small piece.” She grinned and then pinned them with her pointed index finger. “And I’d better not see either of you smashing it in your brides’ faces and getting their veils all sticky.”

  Zach answered for them both. “We’ll be on our best behavior. We promise.”

  “Good. Now what do we have left to do here?” She studied them critically and then stepped forward. “Two bow ties coming up.”

  Marching up to Eli first, she signaled for him to bend his well-over-six-foot frame. “You didn’t think I was coming up there, did you?”

  She made quick work of Eli’s tie and moved on to Zach’s. When she was done, Zach glanced into the mirror, impressed. “Hey, you’re pretty good at that.”

  “Better than my cooking?” She lifted an eyebrow.

  He shook his head. “Oh, no…uh—”

  “I’m going to let you off the hook on that one, Zach. It’s my wedding gift to you.” She glanced at Eli. “To you, too.”

  “Now do you need anything else?” She lifted her basket. “I have travel toothbrushes, hair gel, shaving cream and a razor, safety pins, a pair of men’s black socks, tuxedo button covers, cuff links…”

  “What is all that stuff?” Eli asked.

  “The groom’s survival kit. Everyone always worries about the bride, so she’s surrounded by bridesmaids and relatives. The groom has to send all of his ushers out to work, so he’s left there alone, waiting and sweating. It’s my job to make sure the groom gets to the altar in one piece and without his shirttails hanging out.”

  “Well, we’re all tucked.” Eli
even lifted his jacket to pass inspection.

  “Good then, because there are a lot of people waiting out there to see you two.”

  “This is it.” Rachel gripped Pilar’s lace-covered arms and gave her a squeeze, careful not to muss either of their hairdos, veils or gowns. “We made it happen.”

  “We sure did.” Pilar squeezed back, taking the same care. “I still can’t believe it.”

  “This day is just perfect,” Rachel sighed.

  Pilar couldn’t help smiling at her friend. “You make a beautiful bride.”

  Instead of the elaborate updo that so many brides selected, Rachel wore her hair long and flowing with a dusting of spiral curls visible under her long veil. Loving Eli had transformed Rachel in so many ways beyond the change in both of their hearts when they returned to God. She’d never looked more beautiful or more relaxed than she did at this moment when jitters would have been expected.

  “Look who’s talking.” Rachel grinned. “Love looks good on you, girlfriend.”

  Their circle widened as the four bridesmaids gathered both of them in a loose hug of tulle, lace, white silk and rose-colored satin. Pilar smiled at their bridesmaids—each one first invited by Rachel but all she would have chosen herself. Meg stood between Kelly and Anne, and Dinah Fraser, her sweet auburn-haired friend who had vivid blue eyes just like her mother, stood on Anne’s other side. Of course, Pilar also would have included Rachel, but this idea was even better than that.

  “I’m so happy for you both,” Anne said as she gave each of her friends a squeeze.

  Pilar could see that she really meant it, too, even though her eyes were shining. She loved Anne even more for her ability to be genuinely happy when she had to be feeling lonely with all of her close friends marrying. She would have to remember to have lunches more frequently with Anne after Pilar and Zach returned from their honeymoon.

  Up the aisle, the groomsmen were already in place. Again, they were the friends she would have selected herself if she’d been the one planning the wedding from the start: Jonah Fraser, Jared Kierney and Eli’s brother, Ben. Even Ramon stood at the altar, looking suave in his tux and making the young girls swoon. Her brother caught her eye and winked. Maybe he was ready to forgive her for marrying a police officer now that Zach had talked with him and promised to meet with leaders of the Hispanic community to promote better police relations.