by Emma Easter
Keith shrugged. “Then it will be a double date.”
Rachel giggled. “I have never been on a date.”
“Well then, we will have to make it the best date ever,” Keith said.
They left the room hand-in-hand. Keith’s heart raced with joy and exhilaration, and he felt happier than he had ever been. Rachel had told him she loved him, and after years of waiting for the one God had chosen for him, he had finally found her. He could not wait to show her off to everyone in Destiny.
Chapter 17
It was already eleven o’clock at night before Keith got up from Paula and Eric’s living room sofa and announced that he had to leave. Eric and Paula hugged him and retired to their room, while Rachel saw him to the door.
He gave her a lopsided grin as he stepped out of the house and said, “Are you sure you won’t come back to the house with me?”
She shook her head. “You know the best thing for us right now is for me to remain here.”
His smile turned mischievous, and he said, “You are right, Rachel. It’s best you stay here. With the way you feel about me, I am pretty sure you will not be able to keep your hands off me at the house.”
She stared at him and then broke out laughing. He laughed along with her, and she said, “You are right. I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you, so for your safety, it’s best we live in separate homes.”
He chuckled and said, “I guess I have to go now.” But he did not move an inch. “I will bring your stuff for you tomorrow.”
She smiled; her eyes fixed on him. For a long moment, neither of them could take their eyes off each other, or speak. She studied him as she loved to do whenever they were together. His good looks, sparkling green eyes, and smile always melted her heart. She loved everything about him, and with all her heart she wished she could go back to his house with him so she did not have to wait until tomorrow to see him again. But it would be a really bad idea, especially right now. If only he did not have to leave. She could stay here with him forever, just gazing at him and basking in his love.
“I don’t want to go,” he said, his eyes searching hers.
She smiled sadly. “Me neither.”
He took her hand. “Let’s go for a walk.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Now?”
“Yes,” he said. He looked up at the sky and she looked up with him. The stars were generously sprinkled in the sky. “It’s so beautiful,” she said and looked at him. He was looking at her.
“Yes… it is,” he said, his eyes fixed on her.
Once again, desire ran through her body as their eyes remained fixed on each other. “Walk with me, Rachel.”
She nodded and stepped out of the living room, shutting the door behind her. They strolled on the path by the lake, sometimes looking up at the stars, but mostly just talking. They passed by houses that were still standing and well-lit, and many that were destroyed. They walked by rubble and debris and felled trees and heaps of now broken furniture swept out of homes by the flood. There were few people about and Rachel relished the moment as they walked alone through the streets. She could not remember the last time she’d felt this happy. No, ecstatic.
They talked about the town and about the brief meeting Keith had had with the Stryker brothers concerning the social media campaign to raise donations for the town. After that, Rachel told him with tears in her eyes how much she missed Emily every day. Keith stopped for a minute to wipe away her tears with his thumb and then they continued to walk again.
Their discussion soon moved to less serious things. They talked about their childhoods. Rachel told him about growing up in Glendale before her mother packed her and her brother off to Fallow Creek. “We lived near a lake, and Taylor and I liked to swim in it. Sometimes we caught small fish and then threw them back into the lake.”
She sighed sadly, remembering how much freedom she’d had at the time; how she’d laughed and played with her brother before her childhood was snatched away from her.
“Where is your mother now?” Keith asked.
Rachel felt the familiar sadness that settled in her heart whenever she thought about her mother. She said softly, “My mom died some years ago from a brain tumor.”
“I’m so sorry,” Keith said. “Mary and I lost our parents when we were very young. I hardly knew them.”
“I’m sorry,” Rachel said. “I know you told me you grew up with your grandmother. The house you live in now, she left it to you when she died?”
“Yes,” he said. “I love that house. It brings back so many happy memories with my grandmother and my sister.” He turned to look at Rachel. “Where is Taylor now?”
Rachel pursed her lips. “Taylor is still in Fallow Creek.”
Keith searched her eyes and said, “I’m really sorry, Rachel. I guess if you could, you would have gotten him out of Fallow Creek when you left.”
Rachel shrugged. “Actually, many men there seem to have comfortable lives, and Taylor especially. He’s one of the wealthiest men in Fallow Creek. He’s done very well for himself. He owns a construction company and builds all the houses in the town.” She could not hide the disgust from her voice as she said, “The last I heard, he was shopping around for a second wife. I am pretty sure he’s not planning to leave Fallow Creek anytime soon.”
“But Mike left.”
She nodded and then told him in more detail than she had before about all the circumstances that had led to their leaving the town. “I tried to run away just a week or two before we left. I was not successful.”
He grinned. “I am glad you finally succeeded in leaving or I would never have met you.”
“I am glad, too,” she said. Their conversation soon returned to Destiny and the church building project. As they talked, she began to feel chilly and wrapped her arms around herself. She paused and then looked up at the stars again.
Keith said, “You are cold, Rachel.” He drew her close and wrapped his arms tightly around her, sending a different kind of chill, a pleasant one, through her body. She trembled when he claimed her lips, kissing her again and again.
She returned his kiss and they stood there, kissing and clinging to one another. After a long while, they pulled apart and grinned at each other.
They continued to walk through the town, talking about their aspirations and plans for the future. When the conversation moved to Emily again and how Rachel could get full custody of her, she told Keith that she was worried about how long it would take. She had to first find a job, get a house, and be fully financially independent before she could even talk about getting custody of Emily. She pressed her lips tightly together as worry and fear began to snuff away the joy she had felt just a few seconds ago. She said, “What if I have to leave Destiny since there are no jobs here?”
He blinked a few times and stared at her with a look of horror. “Well, if you were to leave Destiny, I would miss you very much.”
“You know it will be almost impossible for me to find the kind of job I need in order to have any chance to get full custody of Emily in Destiny. I will probably have to leave soon. Without a proper job, my own home, and enough money to take good care of my daughter, the chances of any court granting me custody of her will be nil.”
“No, Rachel, stop saying that. The Lord brought you here to Destiny for a purpose and he will find you a job and a house. You won’t have to leave.”
She opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn’t sure that would happen, but he said again, “Stop worrying about it, Rachel. God will work it out somehow.”
She wasn’t sure things worked that way. The fact still remained that there were no jobs in Destiny. The longer she stayed without work or a house of her own, the longer Emily stayed without her mother. Her baby needed her. She wanted to tell Keith all these things, but she did not want to put a damper on this special moment with him. She brushed away her concerns and focused solely on him.
“We haven’t raised much money yet from the social medi
a campaign for Destiny, but we’re hoping that as time goes on, more and more people will find out about it and then donate.”
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t able to get the jewelry when we went to Mike’s.” Rachel said. She recalled how angry Mike had been, how he had gone into a rage while insisting that the jewelry now belonged to him and that she could not take it. She shuddered. What would have happened if the police officer had not been there?
Keith took her hands again. “You’ve apologized before, Rachel. It wasn’t your fault. Mike was fully to blame for that. Anyway, even though the money from the jewelry would have helped some, it’s probably for the best that Mike took it back. I don’t want any money from that man. As hard as it was, I was glad when I transferred the remaining money he gave me back to his account. As soon as we get enough money from donations, I will pay him back what we’ve already spent.”
She shut her eyes. She did not want to think about Mike now or talk about him with Keith. Memories of her time with Mike seemed to soil this time with Keith. She changed the subject and asked him once more about the social media campaign for Destiny.
“I have another meeting with the brothers tomorrow. I want you to come to the meeting with me.”
She frowned.
“Don’t worry, Rachel. It’s not going to be held at my house. It will be at theirs.”
“It’s not that, Keith. I don’t know anything about social media and campaigns since we hardly used social media in Fallow Creek.”
He arched his brows and said, “You don’t need to know anything about social media. I just want you with me at the meeting. I believe you have a lot to offer Destiny.”
She doubted it but said nothing.
Keith pulled her arm around his waist and tucked her hand into his denim pocket. Her hands immediately warmed up and she smiled gratefully at him. He took her other hand and kissed the backs of her fingers.
They had taken the longer way to Keith’s house, but they finally arrived. They stood in front of his door, facing each other. Rachel felt slightly sad that their glorious time together had come to an end but comforted herself with the fact that she would see him again tomorrow.
She said sadly, “I really enjoyed our walk. I wish it didn’t have to end, but I’m glad I will see you again tomorrow.” She hugged him tightly and then drew back. Grinning at him, she said goodnight, and then started to turn around. When he held her hand and pulled her back, she smiled and looked inquisitively at him.
“Are you kidding me, Rachel? I’m not going to leave you to walk back to Eric and Paula’s by yourself.”
She gazed curiously at him. “But I can’t go in. Remember what we talked about?”
“Yes, I remember,” he said dryly. “I’m going to walk you back.”
She laughed, but he didn’t join in. “I just walked you to your house, Keith,” she said incredulously. “Now you want to walk me back and then walk back alone to your house again?”
“Yes. That’s the plan.”
She gazed at him with a smile and said, “But you don’t have to. Destiny is safe. You know that.”
“Yes, I know. Still, I’d feel much better if I walked you back and made sure you got home safely.”
She giggled when he took her hand again, excitement rushing through her. He was going to walk her back again. Their night together didn’t have to end yet.
They walked back slowly, talking about everything, completely absorbed in each other, forgetting all their troubles and everything around them. They finally reached Eric and Paula’s and Keith sighed. “Well, this is where I say a final goodbye, at least until tomorrow.”
He hugged her and they held onto each other, not wanting to let go. Finally, Keith pulled back and opened the front door. He leaned in and gave her a tender kiss and then turned around and walked away.
She kept staring at him until he disappeared from sight and then she entered the house. She made her way to the tiny room that would be hers for however long she stayed in this house. She still felt giddy from her time with Keith, but after she settled down on the cot ready to sleep, all the excitement and giddiness evaporated, and fear took over.
She felt like crying as she thought about the brief troubling conversation she’d had with Keith, before his perpetual positivity had drained away her worry. Despite what he had said to try to calm her fears, she had to leave Destiny soon. She had no choice if she wanted a chance of gaining custody of Emily. She and Keith would still be together, but it would be a long-distance relationship. She had heard how difficult long-distance relationships were and everything in her dreaded the thought of being in one. Still, that would be the only option she and Keith had. Their love for each other would have to sustain them no matter where she moved. But the thought of not seeing him every day was almost unbearable.
She shut her eyes and his face immediately appeared in her mind. She had taken mental pictures of him at every moment they were together and she could see his face very clearly. She had to leave Destiny, the town she was growing to love, soon. But, hopefully, the mental pictures of him would be enough when she couldn’t see him in person. She would hold his image close to her heart and live for the moments where they would be able to see each other face to face and be in each other’s arms.
She shut her eyes and, for a long while, she could not sleep. Finally, about an hour later, she fell asleep with Keith’s face in her mind, his eyes glowing, a huge smile on his face.
Chapter 18
For the hundredth time since he’d met Rachel, Keith couldn’t get her out of his mind. He lay on his bed tossing and turning, not just because of the intensity of his feelings for her, but because of his worry. He could not forget the discussion they’d had just hours ago. She’d poured her heart out to him and told him she might leave Destiny. She had to get a job and a house in order to have any chance of gaining custody of her daughter. He couldn’t imagine her leaving when they had just found each other and had declared their love for one another.
“Lord, please don’t let her leave.”
He sat up in his bed and turned on the light, finally giving up on falling asleep. Rachel was right. There were no jobs in Destiny, especially now with the destruction caused by the hurricane. Rachel had no choice but to find a job outside of town.
An overwhelming ache settled deep in his heart as he thought about that. There had to be something he could do.
And then it came to him. He shut his eyes. The idea had been at the back of his mind when he was talking with Rachel, but he had dismissed it, thinking it was too soon. But it wasn’t. He loved her with all his heart and she loved him, too. Even though they had not known each other for very long, he knew he couldn’t live without her. He had no doubts whatsoever that she was the one for him and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.
Excitement began to run through him, and he felt like running out of the house to Eric and Paula’s now and telling Rachel what was in his heart. He could hardly contain himself.
He stood up from the bed and hurried to the room that had been his grandmother’s. The room still smelled slightly of her — powder and lavender. Opening the large mahogany wardrobe, he searched through the folded clothes until he found a small wooden box. Opening it, he brought out a smaller blue box and then opened that as well. He smiled as he gazed at the emerald ring with the gold band. The ring had belonged to his grandmother, but she had given it to him before she passed. “To propose to that special girl, when you find her,” she’d said. Now he had found that special girl, he couldn’t wait to give her the ring and ask her to marry him.
He closed the blue box and took it with him out of the room. When he got to his room, he sat on the bed again. Tomorrow, he would ask Rachel to marry him as soon as possible, and then when she did, she would come and live with him and everything he had would be hers. He didn’t earn much from his pastor’s salary, but sales from his store, which had stalled for some time, were beginning to pick up again. He stil
l didn’t have much, but all he had would be at Rachel’s disposable so she could quickly file for custody of her daughter.
He lay down on his bed again and tried to sleep now that he’d stopped worrying about Rachel. But he still couldn’t. His mind kept buzzing with anticipation. He looked at the clock beside his bed. It was only four a.m.
He kept imagining the moment when he would kneel before Rachel and ask her to marry him. The only thing he worried about was the time. He wanted them to get married as soon as possible so he could legally take care of her and then her daughter. But what if Rachel didn’t want to get married so quickly?
Stop worrying, Keith. Rachel wanted to get her daughter out of Mike’s house as soon as possible. Surely, she would see that marrying him was the best thing to do.
He felt almost giddy. After being single for years and not knowing if he would ever find the right girl for him, the Lord had literally brought Rachel to his doorstep.
Gradually, sleep took over him.
He woke up at eight o’clock in the morning and immediately went to shower. He had to get to Eric and Paula’s quickly in case Rachel planned to go out early today. He would take her to Stephanie’s for breakfast and then hopefully they would spend some time, maybe at the park or the lake, just talking and getting to know each other better. After that, he would walk her back to Eric and Paula’s and then hopefully propose to her there, because that was where they had both fully expressed their love for each other.
He dressed quickly in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved striped shirt and ran a comb through his hair. Finally, he picked up the blue box with the engagement ring in it and opened it again. He smiled as he gazed at his grandmother’s ring that would soon, hopefully, become Rachel’s. He closed the box once more. His heart started to pound as he imagined himself asking Rachel to marry him and her saying “yes,” and happily rushing into his arms. He could imagine how sweet their kiss would be as a newly engaged couple.