Promise of Forever

by Patt Marr

  He shut the door behind him and walked slowly toward her. A muscle twitched in his jaw, and his eyes had the intense look of a man who had something to say, but didn’t know how to say it. She should help him.

  “I just got off the phone with Roxie Romandine in New York,” she said, trying to sound upbeat. “She’ll be in the office Wednesday. If you want the transfer to Uncle Charlie’s office, you could begin there Thursday morning.”

  He winced as if she’d struck him. “I’m not interested in working in your uncle’s office.”

  He wanted no part of her and her family?

  He sat on the edge of her desk as he had so many times before, supporting himself with that strong arm she so admired. She faked a reassuring smile. They would get through this, and then get on with life.

  “Beth, I wanted to tell you something this morning, but there was never a chance. Last night after you dropped Kendi off, I got on my knees for the first time in a long while. I told the Lord I was sorry for ignoring Him, and it would never happen again.”

  “Noah! That’s wonderful!” She could hardly believe it. It was far from what she’d expected to hear, and so much better!

  “I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw you this morning, but the day got crazy. After you left last night, I knew I had to make things right with God, or at least try. The amazing thing was I felt His presence, Beth. I knew He was listening. Whatever happens about anything else, I’ll owe you forever. Watching you love the Lord made me want to have Him back in my life.”

  That made her love him even more. There was contentment in his eyes that she’d never seen before, but she recognized it. It came with knowing the Lord.

  “I don’t know how you can forgive me for being so rude the other night. You didn’t deserve any of that attitude or those awful words. I’m so sorry, Beth.”

  “But wasn’t that a different man talking?” She smiled to let him know he needn’t worry.

  “Very different,” he agreed. His eyes moved over every inch of her face and stopped on her mouth.

  Hope exploded in her heart. It wasn’t over if he could look at her like that.

  He took a step closer. “Beth, if you’ll give me another chance, I’ll—”

  She’d heard all she needed to hear. It only took one spectacular effort to get out of her chair and into his arms, the best place on earth. He held her high, her feet off the floor, and claimed kisses that were long overdue. The feel of his mouth on hers and his arms around her was all she had hoped for.

  He buried his face in her neck and murmured, “I love you, Beth, and I need you.”

  She leaned back to look in his eyes, his beautiful eyes, so filled with love.

  “I can hardly believe I said that. From the time I was a kid I never admitted that I needed anybody, but it’s the truth. Beth, I need you.”

  “I need you, too,” she said, caressing his face. “I know you said you would only stay until—”

  “I’m not going anywhere! If you’ll have me, I’m yours every day for the rest of my life.”

  There just weren’t words to match that. She wrapped her arms around him even tighter and let her kiss say he belonged to her. That was a promise forever.

  “Do we have to have a big Brennan wedding?” he asked softly, his mouth near hers.

  That was the last thing she wanted. “If you aren’t concerned about the details of where we’ll live and all that, I’ll marry you tonight…”

  His coffee-colored eyes lit up at the thought.

  “But tonight is pizza night,” she teased, “and we shouldn’t miss that.”

  “You know that Kendi’s going to be flying high as a kite, don’t you?” he said with a grin.

  “She won’t be the only one. I think Grandpa’s going to be just as happy.”

  His eyes roved her face, looking at her with all the love any woman could ask for. “It’s your call, Beth. Do we elope and begin our life today or do we take time before making a lifetime commitment?”

  “Will you be upset if I say I’d like to pray about it?”

  “No,” he said, smiling. “But I wish I’d thought of it first. It’s my turn to pray.”

  With her arms around Noah and her head on his chest, Beth marveled at Noah’s words of surrender. This joy of being in the arms of the man she loved while he talked to the Lord…it was all she had prayed for…and more.

  Epilogue

  Three years later

  “Okay, guys, you look a lot alike, but I know which one is which, and I’m telling if you cry. I’m supposed to. I’m in charge. You’re the first real babies I’ve ever been in charge of. You’re very cute, both of you.

  “I’m only ten, and even though you’re really little, I can’t walk you around unless you’re in your stroller. But if you lay here nice on the blanket, I’ll sit with you as long as you stay awake.

  “That won’t be long, so I’d better hurry up and tell you the rest of the story.

  “Mom and Daddy didn’t get married that day, but they did get married the next week! It wasn’t like a regular wedding, like in a church.

  “The preacher was there, but the wedding was on the beach in back of Pete and Sunny’s house. All of us took off our shoes and walked across the sand to stand by the ocean. Except for Harlene. With her bunions, she needed her special shoes.

  “There were chairs for her and Grandpa, but everyone else stood—Uncle Ry and Auntie Meg, Pete and Sunny and their kids, the preacher and his wife, Mom and Daddy and me. I got to stand between Mom and Daddy, and I held the rainbow kite. There had to be a promise rainbow for the wedding.

  “Pete cooked hamburgers and corn on the cob. I told you it wasn’t a regular wedding. We talked about how Mom and Daddy fell in love. Grandpa got a present because he was the one who introduced them. Harlene got a present because, when she got sick, that’s when they started to fall in love. I got a present because I begged Daddy to ask Mom to pizza night.

  “Mom told Grandpa she was sorry because she wasn’t going to be Dr. Brennan anymore, but Daddy said she could use her old name and her new name if she put a little line in between. That’s called a hyphen. You learn stuff like that when you’re ten.

  “Mom said she would love to be Dr. Brennan-McKnight. She wanted the same name as me ’cause I was gonna be her daughter as soon as the judge said. But I knew she was my mom when we shopped for the yellow dress.

  “Daddy helped me put Mommy Merrilee’s pictures in a book, all but one for my room. We talked about how nice it was of God to give me two mommies. I decided Merrilee would be my mommy, and Beth would be my mom.

  “She’s a really, really good mom, guys. You’re gonna love her so much! And our daddy is the best dad!

  “You look a little bit like him. Mom says a lot. I don’t know. You got his color of eyes and hair, but I don’t think he was ever as little as you.

  “Daddy found us this house, and Mom said she was proud of him for thinking outside the box. Wasn’t that a funny thing to say?

  “We moved in when Mom and Daddy got back from their honeymoon. While they were gone, I stayed with my new grandpa. I’d never had a grandpa before. He got me a doctor kit like Mom had when she was a little girl, and he pretended to be sick so I could be his doctor. I think that’s what I’m gonna be when I grow up—a doctor.

  “I’m sorry you guys won’t get to meet Grandpa, not until you’re old and go to heaven. That’s where he is now…with my mommy.

  “We have a really big house, guys. We even have a grandparent suite, which is like an apartment, and it’s for Harlene. She cried when we asked her to move with us to the new house, but we told her she was our family.

  “When you get bigger, you each get your own room like me, and we have an extra bedroom besides the one for Mom and Daddy. We’ve got our own swings and lots of stuff like a park! And we have our own swimming pool!

  “There’s somebody new to take care of you guys while Mom and Daddy are at work. Harlene is a very good babysit
ter for big kids like me, but babies need a nanny.

  “Your new nanny is Vanessa’s mother, Teresa. She stayed with Harlene and me while Mom and Daddy were at the hospital with you two. Teresa’s great! You’re gonna like her so much!

  “Teresa asked Mom if she was disappointed you were both boys, but Mom said she already had the best little daughter a mother could ask for.

  “That’s me! Your big sister—Kendra!”

  Dear Reader,

  If this story touched your heart or if you smiled once in a while, the credit belongs to the Lord. Ideas for the story came out of nowhere—or that’s what we say when we forget that we’ve prayed for those very ideas.

  The starting point was Beth Brennan, a pediatrician in my Love Inspired novel Man of Her Dreams (February 2005). I thought she should have a male office nurse, and, for no particular reason—or so I thought—I named him Noah. With his name came the promise of a rainbow and the assurance that God has everything under control.

  Like Noah, I was raised by a grandparent. When my mother died at Merrilee’s age, Granny Beth adopted me and lived to see me loved by my precious family. It’s always been difficult to see God as my Father because, like Beth, I didn’t have a good dad. When she compares Noah’s feelings for his daughter to God’s feeling for Noah—that was for me.

  In this story, Kendra is very much like our granddaughter—the real Kendra who loves yellow as much as she likes to be in charge. Her parents were a big help with the story, and other parents, like Terry Logan, contributed, too.

  If you’re interested in still more personal stuff, please visit my Web site, www.pattmarr.com. You can e-mail me there, or write to me at P.O. Box 13, Silvis, IL, 61282. Hearing from you is such an encouragement that I answer every note. Tell me something about yourself, what you like to read or what you want me to pray about.

  In Him,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Compared to her family, Beth considers herself to be eccentric (her yellow sneakers; her yellow “bugster”). What made her decide to do things her own way? Have you ever experienced a family situation you wanted to run from?

  When Beth met Noah, his faith had been challenged by his wife’s death. If he had not regained his faith, should Beth have married him? Have you seen marriages that started with a difference in faith? What happens when a couple shares the same faith but later one or both of them changes?

  As a single parent, Noah struggles to keep his daughter from caring too much for Beth. Should Noah have protected Kendra in that fashion, or should he have been glad his child was being loved, regardless of the nature of the relationship between him and Beth?

  Beth is mistreated by her brother, Trey. Is it possible to have a loving relationship with a difficult parent or sibling? When, if ever, does a Christian say, “Enough,” and move out of the line of family anger?

  Have you ever had a coworker as difficult to work with as nurse Mona? Were you as long-suffering as Beth? Should Beth have given up sooner?

  Noah believes Beth is out of his league and that he isn’t good enough because of his background. Have you felt that way? Does being a Christian take that feeling away? Does it return and sweep over you like a huge unexpected wave? If it does, what brings you back to safety?

  ISBN: 978-1-4592-0133-0

  PROMISE OF FOREVER

  Copyright © 2006 by Patt Marr

  All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including xerography, photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, is forbidden without the written permission of the editorial office, Steeple Hill Books, 233 Broadway, New York, NY 10279 U.S.A.

  All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.

  This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

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