“It’s just us.” Nate tugged her toward the piano, which gleamed in the single spotlight that still shone on it. “Come here.”
She tilted her head but let him pull her onto the piano bench with him.
“Do you remember when you asked if I’d teach you to play?”
She nodded. Why was he bringing this up now? When they had a whole church to clean up, all by themselves apparently?
“I thought this could be the first song I teach you.” He positioned his hands on the keys and started to play. After a couple of notes, Violet recognized the melody as “Canon in D.”
Nate played a little more of the song, and then his hands stilled, and he turned to her with a soft smile she couldn’t quite read.
She did want to learn the piano, and she was sure he was a good teacher, but―
“That sounded kind of complicated. Shouldn’t I start with ‘Hot Cross Buns’ or something?”
Nate smiled gently and swept up both of her hands in his, holding them to his heart. “Maybe. But I think that would be an odd song to play at our wedding.”
“Our―” The electricity of the word traveled through her whole body.
Nate took one of his hands away from hers and reached behind a piece of sheet music, pulling out the saucer she’d given him from Barney and Gladys’s set. A small black box sat in the center of it.
His face swam in her vision as her eyes filled, but she was pretty sure he was smiling.
“Are those good tears?” He lifted his hand to wipe one that had fallen onto her cheek.
She sniffed and half laughed. “Very good.”
“In that case―” He slid off the piano bench, pulling her to the edge of the seat. Then he bent slowly to one knee, releasing her hands so he could open the ring box and hold it out to her.
“Violet, you helped me find my life again. And now I know that it won’t be complete without you. Will you marry me?”
Violet’s eyes traveled from the simple solitaire to her finger, where the white band that had once stood out so starkly had faded. Was she ready to put a new ring in that spot?
But she already knew.
She held out her hand to him and let him slip the ring onto it.
Before she could admire it, Nate had gathered her in his arms, almost crushing her with the force of his hug. “You are an amazing woman, Violet. Do you know that?”
Violet shook her head, raising her eyes to meet his. “You said I helped you find your life. But the truth is, you gave me mine back. I was holding onto a past that could never be again. I didn’t think I had a future.”
She lifted a hand to his face, ran it over the rough stubble on his cheek. “I didn’t think my heart would ever be whole again.”
Nate dropped his forehead to hers, his breath a whisper on her lips.
“Neither did I,” he said. “Not until you.”
The End
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed Not Until You, would you let others know by posting a short review? Your review is a blessing to me as it helps other readers find the book. And it lets me know what you love and want to see more of. Thanks so much!
And if you’re not ready to leave Hope Springs, I have good news: you don’t have to! You can read more sweet, emotional stories of faith and second chances in the other Hope Springs books. Get them in print or ebook on Amazon or read free with Kindle Unlimited today. And if you haven’t yet gotten your free copy of Not Until Christmas, be sure to join my reader group to get your free book now. Click here to join.
A sneak peek of Not Until Us (Hope Springs Book 4)
How had she messed up again?
Jade swiped at her cheeks as she slid the key into the lock of her apartment door. If the God her roommate Keira kept telling her about had any decency, Keira would still be in bed. She wasn’t in the mood to be reprimanded by her squeaky clean friend right now. She already knew last night had been a mistake.
One she’d made far too many times.
She inched the door open slowly but let out a frustrated breath as her eyes fell on her roommate, perky as ever, sitting on the couch with some kind of kale-soy-banana-protein drink in hand.
Apparently God didn’t have any decency. Or he had one wicked sense of humor.
“Good morning.” Keira eyed Jade’s clothes—the same ones she’d been wearing when she’d left for work last night.
Jade held up a hand. “Don’t say it.”
“Say what?” Keira took a long sip of her drink, still watching Jade.
“Fine. I screwed up. Again.” She tried to sound defiant, but even as the words came out, a bone-crushing weariness descended on her. She was trying to be a better person. She really was. But old habits were hard to break. Last night had been just one more name to add to her list of lifelong mistakes. Or it would be if she knew his name.
She buried her face in her hands. She was an awful person. “I don’t know why I keep doing this.” When the guy had walked into the bar, she’d told herself to ignore him. But she’d been bored. And he’d had nice eyes and witty banter. Plus, he was only passing through town on business. There was no chance things would get messy or complicated. He’d go on his way, she’d go on hers, and neither of them would worry about it again.
Besides, he’d practically challenged her to go back to his hotel room with him. What was she supposed to do?
Walk away. The voice in her head sounded an awful lot like her big sister Violet. Not that Violet had any idea what Jade’s life was like, aside from the sanitized version Jade fed her on their weekly phone calls.
Keira crossed the small space and pulled Jade’s hands away from her face, holding the protein drink out to her. Jade wrinkled her nose and pushed it away. After eight years in Los Angeles, she still had no interest in the stuff that passed for breakfast around here. Give her a donut and a strong cup of coffee any day.
“Change is hard.” Keira wrapped an arm over her shoulder and steered her to the couch. “You should pray about it.”
Jade shook her head. If there was anything she was less interested in than protein shakes, it was prayer. “I need to pack. My plane leaves in a couple hours.”
She still wasn’t sure what had compelled her to give in to her sister’s pleas that she spend the summer in Hope Springs. But maybe it would do her some good to get away from this town of broken dreams for a while.
Besides, the way Violet talked about Hope Springs made Jade almost homesick for it.
Almost.
Mostly, though, she was going because she owed it to Vi. After six years of completely cutting her sister out of her life, Jade didn’t deserve the second chance Vi had given her. The phone calls they’d been exchanging for the past couple years weren’t enough. The least she could do was spend the summer helping her sister finalize plans for her wedding.
“Well, look at it this way.” Keira sucked down the last of her shake. “Maybe you’ll meet a nice, wholesome man in Hope Springs, and you’ll get married and live happily ever after.”
Jade snickered. “You read too many small town romances. Trust me, there’s no one in Hope Springs I’d consider dating, let alone marrying. Besides—” She flopped onto the couch. “I’m not really the happily ever after kind of girl.”
Keira tipped her head to the side, studying Jade. “Everyone’s a happily ever after kind of girl. It just takes some of us longer to get there than others.” She moved to the cramped kitchen to rinse out her glass.
Jade stared after her. Keira could dream about happily ever after all she wanted. But Jade knew the truth. There was no such thing. She’d learned that lesson early, and she wasn’t going to forget it anytime soon.
Keep reading Not Until Us – Get it from Amazon (or read free in Kindle Unlimited)!
More Hope Springs Books
Each book in the Hope Springs series is a complete romance featuring a different couple and can be read in any order. Want to catch up on any books you may have missed? Visit the Hope Springs ser
ies page on Amazon to grab any of the books you don’t yet have with one click. Or learn more about each book below:
Not Until Christmas
A fudge shop owner dumped a week before her Christmas wedding. The best friend who has sworn never to risk his heart. A Christmas tragedy that could tie them together or pull them apart.
Christmas isn’t looking so merry and bright for fudge shop owner Ariana when her fiancé walks out of her life only a week before their Christmas wedding. As she turns to her lifelong best friend Ethan to help her pick up the pieces, she’s careful not to let the feelings she once harbored for him surface. He’s made it more than clear that he doesn’t think about her that way.
Volunteer firefighter Ethan has kept his heart in a steel cage for the past ten years—ever since his entire family was killed in a car accident. But when Ariana needs him, he knows he has to be there for her. Even if the thought of risking his heart to her leaves him quaking in his fire boots. He knows what happens when you love someone: they can be snatched from you.
Just as he finally works up the courage to take the leap, the unthinkable happens. Now Ethan has to decide: Can he trust that all things—including his relationship with Ariana—are in God's hands? Or will he be spending another Christmas alone?
Not Until Christmas is a short story in the Hope Springs series. If you love fast-paced, emotional stories filled with faith and love, you’ll love Ariana and Ethan’s story.
Get it FREE at
www.valeriembodden.com/freegift
Not Until Forever
She chose her career over him. He put his family before her. When they get a second chance, will they choose to put each other first?
As she climbs the corporate ladder, Sophie doesn’t let herself think about what she gave up when she declined Spencer’s proposal five years ago. So when she’s called home to say goodbye to her dying grandmother, she goes out of her way to avoid seeing him. Of course, that means he’s the first person she runs into. Much as she fights against it, being near him stirs up old feelings and makes her question old decisions.
Leaving college to help on the family farm cost Spencer the woman he loved. But he couldn’t turn his back on his family. Now that Sophie’s back in town, Spencer’s determined to protect his heart. Only he senses something new in Sophie—something that makes him think maybe they could have a second chance. But when his family needs him again, he feels like he’s repeating the past.
Only this time, he’s not sure what choice he should make.
Is God giving them a second chance? Or are the heartaches of the past too much to overcome?
If you love emotional stories filled with faith, forgiveness, love, and the promise of forever, then you'll love this touching reminder that it's never too late for a second chance.
Buy Not Until Forever on Amazon (or read free with Kindle Unlimited)
Not Until This Moment
She’s looking for “the one.” He knows it can never be him. Unless God has other plans for them . . .
Peyton has been looking for “the one” forever. She thought she’d finally met him when she started dating Jared. But when he told her he never planned to get married, she had to face the facts: maybe he wasn’t the one God intended for her after all. Now, she’s just trying to survive the annual ski trip with her bones—and her heart—intact.
Jared wishes he could give Peyton everything she desires. But marriage is the one thing he can never offer her. Not that it makes it easy to let her go. Especially when everywhere he turns on this ski trip, he sees her with another man—a man Jared knows can’t be trusted.
Jared may not have any business worrying about Peyton anymore. But he promised himself long ago that he’d never again stand by and watch a woman get hurt. And he’s not about to let anything happen to the woman he still loves. Even if that means losing her forever.
When a crisis rocks the trip, both have to reexamine what they want. But are their hopes for the future still too different, or can they trust that God has a plan for them?
If you love emotional stories filled with faith, hope, and the promise of second chances, Not Until This Moment will find a place in your heart.
Buy Not Until This Moment on Amazon (or read free with Kindle Unlimited)
Not Until Us
Town bad girl + local pastor = a match made in heaven?
When Jade agrees to return to Hope Springs for the summer, it’s with the hope that she might finally be able to escape her past. But small towns have long memories—and Jade knows she deserves every one of the judgmental looks the townspeople direct her way. What she doesn’t understand is the handful of people who see past her reputation, including her ex-almost-boyfriend Dan, whom she left without so much as a word of explanation eight years ago.
Newly appointed as head pastor of Hope Church to replace his deceased father, Dan is under pressure to prove he’s up to the task. He doesn’t need any distractions. Not newcomer Grace, who on paper would make a perfect pastor’s wife, and especially not Jade—who, well, wouldn’t.
But as Dan and Jade get to know one another again, they can’t deny that their relationship has grown from childhood crush to once-in-a-lifetime connection. When Jade learns a secret that could destroy both of their reputations, they have to decide: Trust God to see them through this, or walk away again?
A fast-paced, emotional story of love, forgiveness, and second chances, Not Until Us is a clean Christian romance that will touch your heart and leave you feeling uplifted and filled with hope.
Buy Not Until Us on Amazon (or read free in Kindle Unlimited)
And you can follow me on Amazon to be the first to know when the next book releases!
Acknowledgements
Forgiveness was a huge topic to write about, and I couldn’t have done it if I didn’t have the joy and peace of knowing God’s forgiveness in my life. As ever, my first and greatest thanks goes to him—first for the forgiveness he has won for me and then for giving me the privilege of sharing the great news of that forgiveness through my books. It makes my heart full every day.
Thanks also to my husband and four children, who are a constant reminder of God’s grace as they forgive my wrongs on a daily basis. What a blessing to discuss God’s love with each other every day. My favorite time each day is our evening devotion and prayer time when we all open our hearts to each other and to our heavenly Father. And thanks to my parents, in-laws, and extended family, who support my books by asking about them, reading them, cheering me on, and spreading the word.
A special thank you to Jennifer Ellenson, Rachel Kozinski, Josie Bartelt, Connie, Amber G., Patty Bohuslav, Becca, Janice Petersen, and Karen Bonner—my incredible advance reader team, who gave of their time to read the book and offer invaluable insights. You ladies are a wonderful blessing to me.
And, of course, thank you to you, dear reader! You’re the reason I do what I do! I hope this book has reminded you of God’s great love for you.
About the Author
Valerie M. Bodden has three great loves: Jesus, her family, and books. And chocolate (okay, four great loves). She is living out her happily ever after with her high-school-sweetheart-turned-husband and their four children. Her life wouldn’t make a terribly exciting book, as it has a happy beginning and middle, and someday when she goes to her heavenly home, it will have a happy end.
She was born and raised in Wisconsin, and aside from a short stint in Minnesota while her husband trained for the pastoral ministry, has lived there her entire life, in spite of an aversion to all things cold and snowy (except Christmas—a snowy Christmas is good). She periodically tries to coax her snow-loving husband and children to pack up and move to a warmer climate with her but so far has had no luck. So she tolerates the snow for them. That’s some kind of love, if you ask her.
Valerie writes emotion-filled Christian fiction that weaves real-life problems, real-life people, and real-life faith. Her characters may (okay, will) experience some hea
rtache along the way, but true to her tendencies as a hopeless romantic, she will always give them a happy ending.
Feel free to stop by www.valeriembodden.com to say hi. She loves visitors! And while you’re there, you can sign up for your free short story.
Not Until You (Hope Springs Book 3) Page 28