by Pat Simmons
“Son, you have a unique blended family. You’re dealing with children with two sets of fathers. Those babies have to come first, not your pride. I brought you up right to make spiritual decisions over worldly ones…”
Why did humility come at such a high price? For the first time in his life, Christian would dread Father’s Day, if it meant he had to share.
***
Waking from her nap only reminded Joy that she had to face the real world. Hurricane Steven had made landfall at her family’s door. The man had had four years to spend time with his daughter. But no, the loser waited until after Joy got married to have a conscience.
How unfair was that? Joy had finally found happiness and the children were thriving in Christian’s love. She knew what she wanted to do, but surrendering to Christ changed things as her husband always reminded her.
Suddenly, she thought about her sister. She was the one Joy ran to whenever she had men problems. Regina’s calm nature and wisdom beyond her years gave Joy a sense of contentment. Yet, it was because of her sister’s death that she took on the burden of adding three little people to her family.
If it wasn’t for the need of assistance to feed four children, then she might not have ever met Christian. Joy’s heart fluttered. She loved him, and having made a vow to God that Christian would be the head of their home, she would concede to whatever decision he made.
The quiet house meant her family hadn’t returned. Pulling the covers back, Joy slid out of bed and padded into the bathroom, where she surveyed her appearance. Her T-shirt and shorts were wrinkled. She had freshened up seconds before the garage door was activated, indicating everybody was home.
As usual, the children were balls of energy after they left her in-laws. Francine and Philip welcomed her the day they met. They never made her to feel as though she wasn’t good enough for Christian because she was a single mother. And for their compassion, she was grateful. Joy also knew they were pulling for her and Christian to make their marriage work. They had said so.
When she and Christian finally got a moment to themselves, they were about to go to bed. “Joy,” he paused and sighed heavily. “I haven’t really prayed on it, but after listening to my dad, maybe we should allow Jada to be a part of Steven’s Father’s Day plans.”
Speechless, Joy’s jaw dropped, then she squinted. “Maybe we should pray because I’m so not feeling that. He has no right!” She was fuming, Steven ruined her life once when he walked away and now he was trying to ruin it again by walking back into it. She ignored her declaration of submissiveness she had recalled earlier. “Well, I say no way. I’m Jada’s mother.”
Oops. Joy slapped her hand over her mouth. “That didn’t come out right.” She silently begged Christian to forgive her. His blank expression didn’t give anything away as to whether or not she had hurt his feelings until he nodded and gnawed on his bottom lip.
He was thinking.
“You’re right. You are Jada’s mother and unless the papers in the safe have a typo, I’m her father. It’s best you remember that, babe.” Smacking her on the lips, he whispered his love and then rolled over on his side of the bed. Minutes later he was snoring lightly while Joy lay awake.
She couldn’t take the words back and that slip of the tongue crushed Joy. When she and Christian got engaged, she told herself she would never pull rank in regards to the children. Yet, she had. A tear fell. She quietly sniffed, but Christian must have heard her because his hand was tugging at her shoulder to turn her around to face him.
Blinking back more tears that threatened, she did. “I’m so sorry I said that. I’ll try to never say that again—ever.”
“I love you and I know you love me. This is a test and we have to pass it—together.”
He planted kisses on her eyes, nose, lips and ears. Any other time when he did that, it was a slow seduction, but at the moment, the dam burst and Joy sobbed uncontrollably.
As Christian shushed and rocked her, Joy admitted she had to surrender to her husband’s decision. “I concede to you, but I just want to make it known that I don’t want Steven to interfere with my—our—family.”
CHAPTER 4
“Father’s Day, as in this coming, six days away Father’s Day?” Kara quizzed Joy the next day at work. Her eyes bucked then crossed before she blinked. “Well, there goes your celebration.” She threw an arm up in the air in disbelief as if she was the affected one. “Man, I hate it when a plan doesn’t come together. I was living vicariously through you.”
Joy planted a fist on her hip. “I’m not about to let him run the show. Sunday is about Christian. I couldn’t ask for a better dad for my baby.” She paused and frowned. “You know, it’s strange. For Bethani’s sake, I’m hoping Langston will come through for his little girl, but not Jada. I know I sound like a hypocrite.”
Kara shrugged. “It sounds like you’re confused and a bit revengeful, but I’m sure you and your hubby will work out the kinks.” She disappeared into the break room for her morning java.
Revengeful? Joy rolled her eyes in frustration. Lord, how can I show Kara the love of Christ when I can’t even show her respect for my ex? She dropped her face in her hands. Truly, the little member in her mouth was causing big problems in her life.
***
Ouch. Christian still felt the sting of his wife’s words from the previous night. His first Father’s Day was turning out to be anything but idyllic. His heart was unbearably heavy to do the right thing, which as a man of God, appeared to demote his parental role to that of a stepfather—on the sidelines never to have the last word. That left a nasty taste in his mouth like some off-brand coffee his secretary had made once.
“You’re a better man than me,” Nathan told his brother as the two strolled to the conference room to meet with a client David had suggested they meet.
“Right,” Christian mumbled, not convinced that he would come out as the better man. Seconds later, down the hall Nathan opened the door and allowed him to enter first. Switching to his business mode, Christian pushed aside his personal concerns for the needs of the business.
The client was sitting on one side of the long table sandwiched in between two teenage boys. They were clean cut with starched white shirts and dark ties. A bit of overkill on a hot summer day to Christian. After the greetings and handshakes were out of the way, the Andersens got down to business. David opened the manila folder and scanned the sheet before handing his brothers copies of her invention pitch.
“Mrs. Rosedale, according to this proposal, you would like to oversee your sons’ invention of The Horsemen video game.”
The woman nodded. She was middle aged and her ethnicity was questionable. She was either white or a very fair-complexioned African-American woman. Her sons were much darker than her with very little resemblance.
“These are my stepsons,” she stated, answering his question without him asking.
Christian cringed at the term, a constant reminder that there was no bloodline.
“I’m committed to helping them see their dream come true.” She patted their hands. “My husband—their father—died a few years ago…”
The passion was there. The woman was not only their biological mother, but she was of another ethnicity. Christian locked in on what she was selling—her love for them more than the product.
“Misters Andersen,” she made eye contact with all three of them, “Tyrone and Kenneth are exceptional young men. They have spent every waking hour testing, tweaking and playing the game, which is educational in nature because it teaches moral lessons for teens and people skills…”
Forty-five minutes later when it appeared Mrs. Rosedale ran out of steam, their meeting concluded. The boys were too shy to offer input unless prompted. During the impressive presentation, Christian counted the number of times the woman called Tyrone and Kenneth her stepsons—five—and it didn’t seem to faze them or her.
Jesus whispered 1 Peter 4:8, Above all things, love passionately.
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After Nathan walked the Rosedales out to the lobby, David turned to him. “Wow. She believes in them.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” Among other things, which Christian didn’t voice out loud.
Nathan returned to the room rubbing his hands. A germaphobe, he was probably massaging in the hand sanitizer into every crevice. “I think we need to take this proposal to legal for patent research.”
“Sounds good.” Christian stood and grabbed his files. “I’ll be back in my office for the rest of the day until our two o’clock appointment.”
“Wait.” David eyed him strangely. “She kinda reminded me of your situation.”
“How so?”
“There was no way you could convince me that Mrs. Rosedale didn’t love those teenagers and they idolized her. Their bond was thicker than blood. God will work things out for your good.”
And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Roman 8:28. Christian recalled the well-quoted verse. Lord, let me love You like I profess. Now, give me the humility and strength to accept Your purpose in this situation. Christian nodded.
“Yep, and we’ve got your backs on this,” Nathan said, and then reminded them, “Our afternoon appointment should be interesting. Mrs. Potter believes she’s come up with an invention that will wash, dry, and iron clothes with one device.”
How could he forget that eccentric woman? Christian grunted. “Let’s see if this concoction works. Last year, she had a brainy idea of using that crazy glue substance to cause people’s shoes to get stuck when they trespass on her property.”
The Andersen response had been a resounding no. They were concerned about lawsuits, including the U.S. Post Office and the National Association of Letter Carriers. He could envision a mailman getting attacked by a dog because he couldn’t move or a child retrieving a ball from a neighbor’s yard. However, their rejection didn’t stop the woman from selling the stuff out her trunk until the Federal Trade Commission shut her down. Still, everyone deserved a second chance—right?
In his office behind closed doors, Christian folded his hands and began to pray. “Lord, I’m confessing my faults to You before I can even ask You for anything…if there is something within me that doesn’t reflect You, remove it so I can be the man of God You are calling me to be and a father to the children You’ve put me in charge of…in Jesus’ name. Amen.”
I will give you wisdom, God whispered James 3 close to Christian’s heart.
“I need it,” Christian mumbled as his administrative assistant, Desiree, knocked on his door and then peeped her head in grinning.
“Delivery,” she said and entered with a vase of flowers.
Without saying another word or teasing him about the arrangement he occasionally got from Joy, Desiree quietly left. Christian lifted the card. ‘Charity suffers long, and is kind; charity doesn’t envy; is not puffed up…’ 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. There are so many reasons why I love you. The first is you love me. Your wife.
That woman humbled him, which was why his words and actions had to be driven by love. Picking up his smartphone, Christian tapped Joy’s name and requested FaceTime. When she accepted, her smile greeted him.
“Hey baby, thank you. I guess you never got the memo that men are supposed to send the flowers,” was his customary tease, but she knew he enjoyed the attention.
“That memo doesn’t apply when it comes to my husband. The flowers are also an apology for the slip of my tongue. I know you can’t forget what I said, but I’m hoping you will forgive me for saying it.” She looked away from the phone’s camera, blinking.
“Hey…” Christian waited until she faced him again. “I don’t always say and do the right things either, babe.”
She nodded and frowned. “It’s just that Steven’s call shocked me and then his request threw me off—and he called me again minutes before you did.”
Christian gritted his teeth to keep from snapping, but his nostrils flared. God, why so soon after my communion with You does the devil have to show up? “I’ll put an end to that. I don’t like another man calling my wife,” he calmly responded. “If he wants anything concerning Jada, let him speak father to father on it. I think it’s time for all of us to sit down and talk.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” After getting his number from her and exchanging a few ‘I love yous,’ Christian ended one call to make another.
When Steven answered, Christian didn’t dispense any pleasantries past the greeting. “I understand you want to see Jada on Sunday. I suggest we—meaning my wife and I—meet with you tomorrow after work.”
“This is simply a yes—”
He cut Steven off. “There are no simple answers when it comes to Jada. I hope you can make it tomorrow night, seven, at Cini. Do you know where that is?”
“Yeah,” Steven grunted, clearly displeased.
After saying their goodbyes, Christian tried to put aside thoughts of his impending dinner and focus on work. He sat in on their two o’clock appointment with a clear mind and a definite no on Mrs. Potter’s new idea. Although the concept was intriguing, it appeared years off with the technology design to pull it off.
That night as he was snuggled with his wife, discussing what to do about Steven, Christian whispered, “Babe, are you up to fasting tomorrow?”
Joy hesitated as if she was mentally checking her schedule. With a determined glint in her eyes she smiled. “I’ll make time. This is too important to get it wrong.”
Gazing into his wife’s eyes, he felt a contentment that he doubted any other woman could give him. After God, he loved her more than anything. His family—his children—were worth fighting for.
The next morning, Joy was careful when she prepared breakfast. If Bethani thought either one of them were fasting, she would want to join them. The child was a God and people pleaser with such innocence in her heart.
Christian tried to explain that fasting was not for public knowledge but between a person and God. Bethani said she understood after he explained Matthew 6:18 to her, but she thought it didn’t apply if she asked someone versus a person boasting about it.
Bethani eyed them as Joy slid two pancakes on each child’s plate. “Aren’t you and Mr. Andersen going to eat?”
“Not right now,” Joy whispered.
“Are you fasting?” Bethani seemed to have a burst of energy as if she downed a protein shake.
So much for doing things in secret, Christian mused. When Joy nodded, Bethani eyed her favorite breakfast. She shut her eyes tight and then exhaled. “Okay, me too, Auntie.”
Springing from her seat, she hugged Joy. Christian was next in line for her affection. After smacking a kiss on his cheek, Christian winked. One day. There was no doubt in his mind that God was really going to use Bethani’s willing heart in a big way.
Watching the interchange with interest, the other children scrambled out of their seats with their offerings of sticky kisses. Then Joy ordered them to finish eating.
“It’s okay to skip breakfast to pray, but if you start to get a headache like you did the last time, I want you to eat a light snack or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Okay?”
She bobbed her head. “Yes, Mr. Andersen.”
Christian would never get used to hearing his surname from her when he preferred to have the title of pop, dad, daddy, or anything besides this mister. He kissed her forehead. “Thanks.”
“I want to pray for my daddy, too.”
Her whimsical expression tugged at Christian. Was Bethani calling him daddy so vital to him being a father to her when she needed one? Lord, adjust my attitude. “I’ll pray for him, too.”
His reward was Bethani’s arms squeezing him around his neck until he gasped for air. Joy laughed and so did the children.
At work, Christian’s hunger increased as the day dragged. At one point, the smell of burnt popcorn enticed him. Thank God for prayer partners
. He and Joy made an agreement that if they could, they would set aside three minutes each hour to pray together. It worked.
He and Joy were famished when they arrived home minutes apart. Bethani met him at the door.
“I only had a half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich,” she informed him. “That’s it!” she was quick to add on how she survived her fast day.
“Did you save the other half for me?” Christian teased, smacking his lips as if he could taste the salt and sugar.
Giggling, Bethani shook her head.
“Okay, let’s end our fast with prayer.” In the living room, Christian read the verse from Isaiah 58:6. The little ones joined them with their mock version of a shouting church service as they worshipped and praised God. After Christian said amen, his next words were “Let’s eat!”
CHAPTER 5
Since she and Christian were eating dinner out, they opted for a small salad and bread. After their hunger was quenched, Joy showered and applied her makeup. With her hands on her hips, she stood inside her walk-in closet, perusing her wide selection of clothes. Joy hadn’t seen Steven in years. They say dress to impress.
Without making a sound, Christian slipped an arm around her waist. When his lips began to nibble on her neck, Joy closed her eyes and relaxed against his strong chest. She missed their affection during the fast. She giggled.
“That vanilla scent does me in every time. I couldn’t resist.”
Enjoying being Christian’s center of attention, Joy turned into his arms. Staring into his brown eyes tempted Joy to cancel the meeting and spend time alone with her husband. Cuddle, kiss, and bond. She sighed.
“What’s taking you so long to put on something?” Christian’s voice was low and enticing.