by Pat Simmons
A Christian Father’s Day
(A novella)
BY
PAT SIMMONS
~~~
Smashwords Edition
Cover design by Dark Dawn Creations
Editing by Robin Caldwell
Proofreading by Karen Rodgers
This is a work of fiction. References to real events, organizations, and places are used in a fictional context. Any resemblances to actual people, living or dead are entirely coincidental.
To read more books by this author, please visit www.patsimmons.net.
Copyright © 2013 by Pat Simmons
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Other Christian titles include:
The Guilty series
Book I: Guilty of Love
Book II: Not Guilty of Love
Book III: Still Guilty
Book IV: The Acquittal
The Jamieson Legacy
Book I: Guilty by Association
Book II: The Guilt Trip
Book III: Free from Guilt
Book IV: The Confession
The Carmen Sisters
Book I: No Easy Catch
Book II: In Defense of Love
Book III: Driven to Be Loved
Book IV: Redeeming Heart
Love at the Crossroads
Book I: Stopping Traffic
Book II: A Baby for Christmas
Book III: The Keepsake
Book IV: What God Has For Me
Making Love Work Anthology
Book I: Love at Work
Book II: Words of Love
Book III: A Mother’s Love
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Epilogue
Questions to ponder for you or your book club
About Pat Simmons
Other Christian Titles by Pat Simmons
CHAPTER 1
Newlywed Christian Andersen couldn’t wait to celebrate his first Father’s Day. As a matter of fact that was all he could think about, especially when he reflected on the fond memories of his childhood. His dad coined Father’s Day as a “boys’ day out” with his three sons.
Camping, fishing, barbecuing—you name it, the Andersen boys did it. Ultimately the outings progressed to the greens once they all became teenagers. Christian and his brothers, Nathan and David, accompanied their dad to the golf course after morning worship until dusk. They would return home famished and ready to devour the feast their mother had prepared. Yes, Father’s Day was “the holiday” in the Andersens’ book.
Countdown. In ten days, Christian would begin his own tradition with his new family. Less than a year earlier, he had married the former Joyce “Joy” Knight. The stunning beauty had the most unselfish heart of any woman he had ever met. The fact that she was a struggling single parent—three girls and one boy—didn’t deter him from pursuing her and adopting them. The children needed a father, and Christian was willing to fill that role.
“I can’t believe you’re going to be missing in action next Sunday,” Nathan said, distracting Christian from his distraction. The Andersen brothers had just dismissed their staff after the morning meeting and it didn’t take long for Christian’s mind to drift—again.
The siblings were not only business partners, but served as one another’s confidant. They were close. The only hint of resemblance among the three was in height and build. As far as facial features, Nathan, the oldest at thirty-five, was endowed with rich dark skin, a bald head, and he sported a thick beard. David was their baby brother at thirty. He possessed light skin and showed off a recent haircut and goatee. Christian was stuck in the middle at thirty-three and preferred a thin, trimmed mustache.
Christian eyed his oldest brother and grinned. As the middle son, he was the first one to get married and become a father, albeit through adoption. He loved those children as if they were his flesh and blood.
“Yep,” he answered without a tag of guilt.
“So what do Joy and the children have planned?” David rubbed his jaw as he shut down his laptop.
Folding his arms behind his head, Christian rocked in his leather chair, where wheels weren’t an option. An inch farther and his back would hit the floor.
“I’m not sure, but it’s amusing to watch them try and keep a secret, especially the little ones. I could bribe Darla and Jada with a cookie and they would spill classified information,” he chuckled. The pair were first cousins, four and three, respectively. Then there was Shane, the only boy who was a terrible two about to turn into a temper-tantrum three and his sister, Bethani—the oldest of all the children at eleven years. Only Jada was Joy’s biological child.
Nathan didn’t laugh with him, but held a blank stare, which usually meant something was on his mind. With a stubborn streak, he could be king of the hold-out.
Lifting a brow, Christian gave him a pointed look. “What?”
Nathan shrugged and looked away at the black artwork that lined the walls—oils, sketches and photographs—complementing the old black and white print photo of the founder’s portrait, their grandfather, Kaplan Andersen who started Andersen & Associates in the early 1950s. As his business grew, he continued to invest. Their grandfather’s work philosophy provided wealth for the generations that followed. The flagship company headed by their father, Philip, now boasted five thriving subsidiaries.
The three were Ivy League graduates and founded Andersen Investors & Consultants, LLC. Their firm helped entrepreneurs get funding for their invention concepts, then assisted them in getting their products mass-produced in the U.S., and marketed them in non-traditional ways like infomercials, product demonstrations at conferences and web seminars.
Christian continued to press Nathan until his brother opened his mouth and then shut it.
“Ah, nothing,” Nathan paused, and then gave Christian a look of awe. “I still can’t get over the fact that you’re a ready-made daddy. I’m glad those little crumb snatchers are lovable. To be honest, I never thought any of us would marry a woman who had another man’s kids. I guess it’s the relationship norm of the day.”
“However you meant that, it didn’t come out right.” Now Christian wished Nathan hadn’t voiced his comment. He frowned and took a deep breath. It wasn’t as if Christian hadn’t heard the murmur before, but coming from his oldest brother, it pricked his heart. “I thought you liked Joy and the children.”
“I do. The girls are well-mannered and little Shane is the spoiled baby brother like you knuckleheads used to be.” He tilted toward David who shrugged his indifference. “You’re doing a good job as a stepdad.”
Drumming his fingers on the table, Christian wouldn’t allow Nathan to backpedal on this one. “I love you, bro, but I don’t do step—not for my wife or my children,” he said, thumping his chest.
“I meant no disrespect.” Nathan nodded. “That came out wrong. I admire you. I just don’t think I could have gotten serious about a woman with a child. All I would have seen were diapers and baby bottles
.”
Instead of feeling insulted, Christian had to smile because that’s exactly how he had met Joy—in the checkout line—buying training pants for Shane. Even with her coupons and mental calculations, she had come up short and Christian had stepped in. The rest, as they say, was history.
“Sometimes, the love of your life will come in a different package. My beautiful wife came with four more presents.”
David spoke up and slapped Nathan on his bulky back. “You and your stipulations. Didn’t you learn anything from me? I almost lost Valerie because of my hang-ups. Relationships don’t come in neat little gift boxes anymore.”
Nathan grunted. “I can’t believe my younger brothers are giving me dating advice.”
Stretching out his legs, Christian shook his head. “I’m not dispensing anything. I’m praying as I go along to make the right decisions. Yes, the thought of being an instant father was scary, but eventually I was going to be one anyway, so what if it’s sooner rather than later.” And he hadn’t regretted his decision.
The room was quiet as the cooling system’s humming serenaded their private thoughts. “I’m going to say this and then leave it alone,” Nathan said, then added, “But what are you going to do when they grow up and throw ‘You ain’t my daddy and you can’t tell me what to do’ in your face?”
David seemed to be waiting for his answer, too. “You know Philip Andersen didn’t tolerate disrespect from us, so I’m wondering the same thing.”
He tried not to entertain such thoughts. “I have to trust God that if I nurture a fatherly relationship in a Christian setting, then that won’t be an issue, but I do know how to handle disrespect—blood or no blood.”
Lord, I’m trusting You to be the anchor in the storms of my life. Since everyone is watching me, let them see You, he quietly prayed. Although Christian knew his brothers and parents supported his choice for a wife, they tried to prepare him for the unknown.
All conversation ceased when Christian’s smartphone alerted him that Joy had sent him a text. He scanned the message and immediately stood. “I’ll look forward to seeing the new proposals for the inventions we discussed in the meeting later today.” Excusing himself, Christian tapped her name on his phone as he headed back to his office. Yes, there was more pressure for being a good father, but he refused to neglect his wife’s need while focusing on the other aspects of his family. Whenever she called, he made himself available.
“Do you think Bethani is responsible enough to babysit tonight? I mean, she’s only ten.”
He restrained laughing at her needless concern. Joy’s niece was respectful and very mature beyond her pre-teen years. “Baby, as of a week ago, Bethani is eleven years old. The little ones practically follow her instructions now. She’ll be fine. Plus, mom and dad will be in constant Skype with her. Let’s enjoy our date night with no worries.” He imagined her full lips pouting.
Joy didn’t respond right away. She sighed heavily in the phone. “You’re right.”
“We agreed before we exchanged our vows that we will always find ‘us time.’”
“Okay…then it’s your turn to serve me dessert in bed.”
“My pleasure. I love you.”
He entered his office as she blew him a kiss over the phone. “I love you back.” Once he was comfortable behind his desk, he and Joy dueled in a round of who loved the other more until they disconnected. He would prove to the doubters, whether family or friends, that a blended family could be blissful.
CHAPTER 2
On Monday morning, Joy didn’t realize she was beaming until her coworker bumped her chair. Her mind had been elsewhere, like on the bouquet that had been delivered minutes earlier. She loved orange and pink flowers and her arrangement was bursting with those colors.
“So how was your date night?” Kara Kennedy asked on her way to the break room. She was one of Joy’s three senior account executives for Gamble Radio Group.
Joy had hired her the previous year when she expanded her sales division. Since that time they had become good friends, despite Joy being her supervisor. To be honest, Kara reminded Joy so much of her late sister Regina. She had needed a friend and Kara seemed to fill in the gap.
The only difference between Kara and Joy’s older sister was their faith in Christ. Regina had embraced it until the day she died of breast cancer. Kara didn’t claim anything except she was a good person and practiced treating others the way she would want to be treated. End of her testimony. Not pressing the issue of salvation, Joy tried to be the best example of Christ to show Kara the benefits of a spiritual commitment.
“Well…” Joy sighed and closed her eyes. Christian was a master at pampering. There were so many nuggets of their date that began before they left the house. Her husband felt she needed to relax, so he washed her back as she enjoyed a bubble bath in her favorite Bath & Body Works scent. Afterward, Christian sat patiently as she dressed. His seductive glances made her feel loved and cherished.
Of course, she couldn’t share that tidbit, so she fast forwarded to the appetizers at P.F. Chang’s. “There’s something about finger food that excites my hubby. He believes in sampling them together as if we’re nibbling off chunks of our wedding cake.” She paused and thought back to their wedding day and his vow to love her and the children unconditionally. So far she didn’t want a refund.
“We took our time eating and enjoying each other’s company. Mr. Andersen was in no rush to get home and didn’t want me to worry about Bethani’s debut babysitting her siblings and cousin. This was her prerequisite for babysitting a few times during the week this summer.” She giggled; recalling their touches, stolen kisses and flirts as if they were still dating. “Christian kept me distracted.”
Kara pouted and crossed her arms. “You make me want to get married to the first man who asks. Some women are so lucky.”
It was her friend’s common gripe. “Luck has nothing to do with it.” Joy stood and together she and Kara walked into the break room. “Be patient with God. He has the right one for you, if you ask Him.” Kara was thirty-four years old and surprisingly, despite her attractiveness, had never been asked.
She had dated men of several ethnicities, but it never went past a few dinner dates. When it came to race, they never held back their opinions. “As a white woman, you have a better chance at getting married than me.” Joy cited a study that by the age of thirty, eighty-one percent of white women would be married, compared to only fifty-two percent of black women. So in Joy’s mind, she had beaten the odds twice—married before thirty and marrying with children.
“You keep saying that…the researchers definitely left me out of the case study.” Kara twisted her lips and set her coffee mug on the counter in the office’s small kitchen. “Anyway, so while you two were on this hot date, how was your niece’s adventure in babysitting?”
“No problems.” Joy beamed. “Bethani had bribed the little ones into playing asleep before they played a game of hide-n-seek. Needless to say, they slept for two hours, and were all the way live when Christian and I returned home.”
“It’s amazing. The honeymoon really isn’t over between you two.” Kara switched subjects before Joy could blink. Her friend said she would never get enough of Joy’s happy ending.
“And I praise God for a good man to give me honeymoons every day of our marriage. That’s why his first Father’s Day has to be special. I’m truly blessed!”
Kara might not have been an avid churchgoer, but she recognized a blessing when she saw one. “Girl, you snagged an angel for real.”
Although they hit it off, Joy wasn’t quick to reveal how she went from having one child out of wedlock to having a house filled with four children. But as they built trust and confided each other’s disappointments, and highs and lows in their lives, Joy opened up. Unfortunately, whenever she talked about Regina, she couldn’t help but cry. Two years plus three months wasn’t enough time to get over the death of her only sibling.
Joy
laughed. “I told you the children called him Mr. Christmas and my niece thought he was an angel when she first met him. Bethani and Christian had found a kindred spirit in their faith in God. I think that’s what drew me in, wanting to share in that secret place…
“My daddy worked two jobs to provide for us. My mother always reminded us of that fact. When Father’s Day came, my sister and I would smother him with kisses, hugs and cookies we baked from scratch that he would eat a dozen of in one setting.”
“I’m surprising Christian with a getaway to a historic bed and breakfast and then sailing on the Lake of the Ozarks. I’ve taken the children shopping and let them buy whatever they want for him. Of course, toys were their first choice.”
“Of course.”
They filled their cups with coffee and strolled out of the break room, smiling and greeting other coworkers.
“Hopefully God will bless me before I can’t have children…” Sadness filled Kara’s eyes before she gave Joy a dazzling smile and reverted back to the previous subject. “So how’s Bethani handling her real dad not being there? What’s his name?”
“Langston,” Joy said with a bitter taste in her mouth. “When I took the children shopping for Christian’s gifts, she got something for him.”
They stopped and hovered over Joy’s desk. Joy put a hand on her hip and took a sip from her coffee mug with the other hand. “You know I was hoping Christian would fill the void of her father, but because of her age, Bethani is the one who has the best memory of Langston with his false promises and his disappearing act during my sister’s sickness. What a double blow.”
While Regina Knight Starr lay dying, her husband spent more time away, stating he couldn’t watch her fade away. The doctors had said her breast cancer had progressed and there was nothing more they could do. It was hard for Joy to watch her big sister’s earthly body waste away, but she was determined to be there until Regina’s last breath—she was and so was Bethani. They grieved together.