A Reason To Believe: An Inspirational Romance (A Reason To Love Book 2)

by T. K. Chapin

  “I didn’t know Margret was a believer.”

  “I don’t know if she was either. I look at it this way. I wasn’t there in those final moments of her time on earth. She went when I was out to town for groceries. I know she knew about Jesus. She could’ve had a conversation with God right before she went.” Chet was quiet for a long moment. “I guess I’ll figure it out when I get there. I have hope, though.”

  Wiping his mouth with a napkin, Tyler turned his head toward the living room. “Hope is good. What’s in the box?”

  “Oh, just pictures from the past of Margret and me. Some old memories of when we had those kids come live with us for a while.” He paused again for a long moment. “Sometimes, I wonder what life would’ve been like for the two of us if we had found the Lord earlier. I also wonder what things could’ve been like if we could’ve had our own children. I know Margret always felt bad that she couldn’t give me kids, but truly, I didn’t care. I had her, and that’s all I needed.”

  Tyler longed for a love like the one that Chet spoke of, then unwillingly, Olivia came to his thoughts.

  In the attempts to get his mind off Olivia, Tyler refocused his mind to the conversation. “Going down the road of what-ifs and what could’ve beens is a dangerous and bumpier road than your dirt driveway.”

  He let out a chuckle. “I know. Come on, finish up your sandwich and I’ll show you what I looked like forty years ago when I was your age.”

  Chapter 7

  WHEN THE SUN ROSE ON Monday morning, Olivia Montgomery was still in pain from her wreck. Despite the discomfort, she had a drive deep within her to move forward quickly with her divorce. Her father was able to retrieve the luggage from her wrecked car on Saturday after making a few phone calls to the wrecking yard. There, tucked in the front flap of her charred suitcase, were her divorce papers, still signed and ready. Her father was already gone by the time she made it out to the kitchen for breakfast that morning, but her mother was there and cooking at the stove.

  “I’ve already called and made you an OB-GYN appointment. It’s at eleven o’clock this morning.” Her mother’s words came as Olivia sat down at the kitchen table for breakfast. Her mother made her a plate of eggs, sausage, and hash browns.

  “Thank you. I was just lying in bed wondering about that.” Olivia focused her attention on the fork on the plate in front of her. She had been in this battle for three days now, the battle to feed herself and not rely on her mother to lift each bite to her lips. Every meal was a painful reminder of how broken she was, how dependent she was on her parents. She felt like a child again and it was driving her into the depths of despair. She sat at the table for a long moment, then her mother came to her side and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

  Her mother’s words were full of grace and love. “It’s okay to need help, Olivia.”

  “I want to try, Mom.” Reaching out her arm that wasn’t in a sling, she brought the casted hand down to the plate and used her thumb to pick up the fork, pressing it against her casted palm. Pushing the fork down into the eggs, it slipped out immediately and the metal clanked against the plate. Her eyes welled with tears and she peered up at her mother’s face. “Why did this have to happen to me?”

  Her mother grabbed the fork and sat down in a chair beside her. Pushing a strand of Olivia’s hair out of her eyes, she placed it behind her ear and gently brushed her fingers against her daughter’s cheek. “I don’t know why it happened, Olivia, but I do know I am here for you, and your father is too. We’re all going to get through this. You only have to wear the cast for six weeks and then you can start physical therapy. Only six weeks. Think about that, dear.”

  A pang of anxiety radiated through Olivia’s entire being. It had only been three days. How could she go six weeks? She could feel her sadness starting to weigh heavier and heavier on her soul, dragging her down into the murky depths, back to the familiar place of despair. Feeling vulnerable, she opened up to her mother.

  “Last night, I dreamed of my garden.” Her tears were now mingled with a smile on her lips as she recalled the beautiful dream. As she thought of the dream, the depression loosened its grip on her and she could feel it subside. “The tomatoes were finally ripe and I picked one and bit into it.”

  “Was it juicy?” Her mother gave her a bite of eggs and a slice of sausage with it.

  She chewed and swallowed, then responded, smiling as she did. “Yes, the juiciest tomato I had ever had. They were big too.” Her thoughts faded from the dream, and suddenly, she was back in her parents’ kitchen and at their table. Her gaze fell to her busted hands. “I don’t know if I’ll ever have another garden of my own.”

  “Someday, you will. Think about your future garden, or about that dream every time you feel down. You have to focus on the good, dear.”

  “I’ll try.”

  After filing the divorce papers at the courthouse, her mother drove her to the OB-GYN appointment where they found out she was two months along. Afterward, they took a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up prenatal vitamins and groceries. Olivia decided to split off from her mother in the store and went into the baby section. As she looked at infant boy and girl clothing, a memory bubbled to the surface of her mind of the last time she had strolled through a baby section in a store. It had been a year and a half ago, after she and Bruce had been on good terms for a while, or at least in her mind, they were. That day, she had found an infant girl’s sunflower dress. She loved it so much that she bought it. That evening, when she attempted to show it to Bruce, he freaked, saying it wasn’t smart to buy clothing for children when she wasn’t even pregnant. The haunting memory made sense now, since she knew now that he was still with Lisa. A pregnant wife doesn’t mix well with having a girlfriend.

  Resting her hand on her two-month pregnant belly, she fought back the tears. Her heart ached bitterly, thinking of Bruce and the truth about Lisa.

  “There you are. Look what I found on clearance for seventy-five percent off!”

  Olivia turned around to find her mother holding a car seat. Reality that a child was coming into the world became more real at the OB-GYN appointment, and even more real now at seeing a car seat in front of her. Steeling her nerves, she nodded.

  “I love you, Mom.”

  Her mother tilted her head and smiled at her. “I love you too, dear. Come on, let’s get you home to eat and rest. You look tired.”

  Her mother placed the car seat in the front of the shopping cart and then put an arm around Olivia and brought her out of the baby section.

  As her mother loaded the items from the store into the trunk of the car, Olivia stood beside her and caught glances into the bags. Smoothies, some of Olivia’s favorite foods, a gallon of chocolate milk, and so on. Every item had purpose, had meaning, and came from a loving place in her mother’s heart. She was starting to see her mom in a new light, one that she was blind to years ago.

  “You’re a good mom.” Olivia had never spoken those words to her mom before. She immediately felt awkward for saying it. “Sorry, I just—”

  Her mom interrupted her by hugging her. “Thank you.”

  Her mother put the cart away in the cart return nearby and Olivia got into the car. As her mom got into the driver’s seat, Olivia turned toward her.

  “You really didn’t know you were a good mom?”

  She shrugged before turning the key over. Then, she looked over at Olivia. “It’s always nice to hear someone appreciate what you do. You know? And can I be honest for a moment?”

  “I prefer that you be that way in every moment.” Olivia smiled, and her mom laughed.

  Then, her mother lightly began to shed a few tears, and she tried to keep up with wiping them as they fell. Her voice broke apart as she spoke. “It’s been so nice having you around the house. I know these circumstances aren’t the best, but to take care of my little girl again has been so nice. It gives me a purpose. I thought after you cut off communication with us the last time, we wouldn’t see you aga
in. I felt like I did something wrong and I didn’t know what I had done.”

  Seeing her mother moved to tears caused Olivia to cry too. Her heart opened. “Honestly, it’s been hard to be home, but I love seeing you and Dad. As for cutting off communication . . . I know it’s not something you want to hear, but I just don’t believe what you and Dad believe. And truly, I’ve always felt you two viewed me differently for it and pushed me away in the process.”

  “Honey, we just want you to be happy, and it’s the way we are happy. We find so much joy and peace and love in the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about it. Don’t you want what’s best for your child growing inside your tummy?”

  “I do.”

  “Okay, then if you had something in your life that brought you immense joy, love, purpose, happiness, and peace, wouldn’t you share that with your child and want the same for them?”

  Something in Olivia’s heart and mind clicked for the first time in her life in regard to her parents and their faith in God. She nodded. “I would.”

  Her mother smiled, then patted her daughter’s leg lightly. “There, then you at least understand to a degree now. We love you no matter what you choose to believe, who you choose to love, or what you choose to do. Our love doesn’t stop based on something you do or don’t do.”

  Pulling into the driveway back at home a short while later, Olivia noticed Rachel’s car in the driveway. She turned to her mom.

  “Care if I get out of the house for a while with Rach?”

  “Not at all. Maybe you can get Rachel to help me get the stuff into the house before you go?”

  “Sure, Mom.”

  Arriving inside the house, Olivia found Rachel asleep on the couch and the television set blaring. Surveying the living room, she spotted the remote tucked between Rachel and the couch and snatched it up quickly. She set the remote on the coffee table and used her thumb to press the Volume Down button repeatedly.

  “Hey, I was watching that,” Rachel said with a yawn as she sat up on the couch.

  “Yeah, sure, on max volume and asleep? I’m not even sure how you were asleep with it that loud.”

  She stood up. “Have you been to Zumiez? The music is cranked all the time in there. I’m part deaf now.”

  They both laughed.

  “Hey, can you help my mom with the groceries and then we can go?”

  “Yes.”

  After the groceries were inside, Olivia found her mother in the kitchen putting the groceries away in the pantry. She tapped her shoulder.

  “We’re going to go.”

  Placing a box of rice into the pantry, she turned and looked at the two of them. “Okay. Olivia, you sure you don’t need to take some medicine before you head out?”

  “No, I’ll be fine until I get home, I think. It’s only been four hours. They last sixish.”

  “Okay. Have a good time. Take care of her please, Rachel.”

  “Will do, Aunt Kora.”

  As Olivia left out the front door with Rachel, she was reminded of her newfound appreciation of her mother. Their cry in the car earlier lingered in her heart and was cutting away at the old hard layers of anger and indignation she had been holding onto for years. Her mother, for the first time in Olivia’s life, seemed to be more of a real person instead of a tyrannical dictator. She held onto that joy as she left to go spend time with Rachel.

  Chapter 8

  UPON ENTERING HIS FLAT ABOVE the bowling alley on Wednesday afternoon, Tyler took one look around his abode and knew the time had truly come. It was time to sell. He loved his home, and he didn’t mind the bowling alley that brought in a few extra dollars each month either, but he knew after spending the last four days at Diamond Lake that it was time for a change in his living arrangements. He crossed over the threshold of his apartment and shut the door behind him. He went promptly to the laundry room across from his bedroom and tossed his dirty clothes into the washer. Recounting his time with Chet and all the fishing he had gotten in, not to mention the amazing pastor and his wife who ran the inn and church, Tyler was thankful for all God had done with his time away at the lake. Thinking more about where he would build his house, he held onto the idea of building his house right there on Diamond Lake. Chet had even offered a piece of his land to build on.

  He closed the washing machine lid and went out, flipping off the light switch and closing the door behind him. Walking into the kitchen, he went over to the counter and thumbed through his mail. He had given Vinny, the manager of the bowling alley, a key to let himself into his home to water his plants and drop off mail while he was gone. Arriving at the end of the stack of mail, he found an oversized large envelope. Opening it, he found concept art from a client. The client was no artist, but it was enough of a rough idea that it would help Jonathan with the preliminaries. After looking it over, he set it down on the counter with the rest of the mail and then walked over to his newest plant, a ficus. It was only a couple of weeks old, and it was growing into something beautiful already. Lightly rubbing a leaf between his fingers, he smiled and thought, I won’t let myself get so busy again that I can’t appreciate the smaller things in life, Lord. Teach me to always stay thankful.

  A knock came a moment later. Who could that be? He pondered on his way to answer it.

  It was a man he thought looked familiar but couldn’t place in his mind. Tall and burly, he looked like he could send Tyler, a fairly fit man, straight to the floor with a single punch. He was carrying an olive-green satchel over his shoulder. Tyler became uncomfortable and raised an eyebrow. “Yes? Can I help you, sir?”

  The man’s voice matched his manly appearance well, deep and rich in tone. “Yes, I’m from Crosspoint Community Church. I’m associate Pastor Carson. Can I come in?”

  “Okay.” Side-stepping to let him come in, Tyler was still confused. “What are you doing here? Did I do something?”

  Pastor Carson raised a hand and a soft smile curled on his lips. “There’s no problem, Tyler. We just like to check in with members when they haven’t been seen around church in a while. I tried stopping by yesterday, but Vinny, your manager down there in the bowling alley, said you wouldn’t be back until today. He’s a nice guy, by the way.”

  “Yeah, he is.” Tyler’s defenses calmed and he led the pastor into the living room area to sit down on the couch. He offered him a drink and he took a bottle of water. They discussed his recent trip out to Diamond Lake, and then the pastor probed further into Tyler’s life, and ultimately, his heart.

  “Our records show you haven’t been to church in over a month.”

  Tyler felt embarrassed for his lack of attendance and adjusted in his seat as he grew increasingly uncomfortable. “You really go the extra mile in keeping tabs on people, eh?”

  He shrugged, still smiling. “Pastor West sees us all as the flock, and he’s trying to help the body of Christ. We also have to keep him accountable and minister to him. We’re all in this together, and we know the difficulties that life has to offer.”

  “Can I be honest?” Tyler hesitated until the pastor nodded. “I don’t see how my church attendance has anything to do with my walk with Christ.”

  “I understand the defensiveness you’re feeling right now, Tyler. Let me ask you this. Do you believe the Bible is one hundred percent true and accurate and is the inspired Word of God?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Then, you accept the Gospels?”

  “Yes.”

  “Okay. All through the gospels, people’s walks of faith are an ongoing community project. We are blind to our own shortcomings and will make concession after concession for ourselves even for things that are blatantly sinful and wrong. When we have close brothers and sisters in Christ who can come along with us and speak truth to us in love and honesty, we are able to see that sin we are blind to. This isn’t just about you Tyler. It’s about me, it’s about Pastor West, and it’s about everybody in the body of Christ. You see, Jesus Christ is the head, and the rest of us are the body
. Galatians 6 tells us to bear one another’s burdens, 1 Corinthians 1 tells us to live in harmony, and Ephesians 4:15-16 tells us to speak truth in love to help others grow. I can keep going if you need me to?”

  Tyler shook his head, smiling as conviction was already slaying him in the moment. “That’s okay. I get it. This past Sunday, while I was out at Diamond Lake, I was actually convicted about my lack of serving at church. I want to be involved, and I do want to attend more.”

  “Serving is a great way to get plugged in. What do you think you’d like to do?”

  Tyler was quiet for a long moment as he pondered the question. Nothing came to mind outside of anything. “Anything, really. I just really have a desire to serve. You know what I mean?”

  “Good answer.” Pastor Carson jotted a note down on his notepad. “We have a few volunteer openings on Sundays, Wednesdays, and even a few other behind-the-scenes types of gigs. I’ll meet with the other pastors and discuss. Tell me, what do you do for work? What are you skilled in?”

  “I run the business side of an architecture company with my brother. I’m good at speaking with clients and negotiating.” Tyler laughed. “Not sure how that comes in handy at church. Oh, wait, I do enjoy sports and working out, so if there is any desire for something like that, I can lead it.”

  “How do you feel about young people? Like youth group stuff?”

  Tyler paused, hesitation on his heart and mind. “Well, yeah, I guess so. I was thinking adults.”

  “Adults tend to do a softball team during the spring and summer, but other than that, the youth are the ones who tend to need activities. You don’t seem confident about the youth. Is there any issue?”

  Steeling his nerves and pushing away the selfishness inside him that made him hesitant about working with kids when he wasn’t blessed with any of his own, he shook his head. “I’m okay with youth.”

  “Great.” The pastor combed through his satchel and the folders inside. Retrieving a stapled form, he handed it to Tyler. “Fill this out and get it turned in tonight at church or next Sunday, whenever you come next.”