by Becky Wade
“I enjoyed the years in South Haven. But they weren’t my best years. My best years were the ones I spent with you in that condo in Detroit when you were growing up. Those . . . were my best years.”
Those had been brutal years for his dad financially, mentally. “They were?”
“Yes. Because we were together.”
Corbin was too choked up to say more. He bit down hard on his back teeth.
Joe reached toward his bedside table for his cell phone. He checked it, then looked at his watch. “In her letter, Willow asked if I’d release her from her promises to me so that she could come back.”
Hope lurched inside Corbin.
“I called her this morning and told her that I would. She got on the first plane to Seattle and texted me a little while ago to let me know that she’s almost here. Which is why I had Donna go and get you. Unless I miss my guess, Willow should be pulling up outside in the next two minutes.”
Corbin stared at him.
“Why are you still sitting here with your old dad?”
Corbin stood up so fast that his chair scraped against the carpet. He strode toward the door. His dad’s rusty laughter followed Corbin into the hallway.
Corbin banged the front door behind him and shaded his eyes as he made his way across the yard toward the driveway.
A figure came into view.
A woman. In a red coat. Walking toward him.
His breath jerked in.
His dad’s estimate of her arrival time must have been slightly off because she’d already parked. Already exited her car.
He dropped his hand and walked toward her on legs that felt weak. He could begin to make out the details of her face now, her smile. Every bit of her was so familiar. The lines of her body. Her blond hair. Her green eyes.
As soon as they were near enough, he clutched her to him.
She said nothing, and he said nothing. He simply held her, his heart pounding with deep, forceful beats. She held him, too, her arms sure and strong, clasping behind his back.
He wasn’t alone.
She was here.
She was here, thank God. Thank God.
Her body was warm and soft. She smelled like crisp perfume. And he wanted to weep because he was so rocked by thankfulness. For as long as he lived, he wasn’t going to be able to go even a week without seeing her. Ever again.
———
Willow was crying. Happy tears, yes. Even so, she hadn’t planned on crying. Corbin was the one who was losing his parent! She’d planned on being a source of comfort. Also, her mascara was going to run.
She couldn’t hold the tears back, however, because the reality of him was so mind-blowingly sweet. His body’s strength enclosed hers. His jacket smelled faintly of woodsmoke.
Her Corbin. Hers.
“Red Riding Hood,” he finally said.
“Corbin.”
He clasped her tighter and pressed kisses into her hair. She felt him raise his face and so she leaned back slightly and made a surreptitious attempt to clear the mascara. Her index fingers bore less of it than she’d feared.
“You’re crying.” Both of his big hands came up to smooth away the rest of the moisture.
“Yes. I’m just so, so glad to see you.”
“Not more glad than I am to see you.”
“Maybe it’s a tie.”
“How did you get here so fast? My dad said you guys talked just this morning.”
“I quit my job. For more than a week, I’ve been waiting in LA for the chance to come back here. As soon as Joe gave me that chance, I was on my way to the airport.”
“You quit?”
“I quit.” She adjusted the collar of his jacket, glorying in the ability to touch him. “All I’ve wanted since I left here was to come home.”
His cheeks held a few days’ worth of russet five o’clock shadow. His eyes were one shade darker than she’d remembered. His short hair had grown a fraction longer than he usually kept it.
“My dad just told me about the things he made you promise,” Corbin said.
“I couldn’t say no to him, Corbin. He was sick, and he wanted what he thought was best for you. At the time, it didn’t seem as though the promises would be hard to keep. But the opposite has been true.”
“From now on, don’t make any promises not to take me seriously or to stay away from me or not to tell me stuff. All right?”
“Well, now that you’ve specified it so clearly, I won’t.” She grinned a wobbly grin. “I’m sorry for leaving you and for staying away as long as I have.”
He smoothed a lock of hair from her eye. “I forgive you.”
“I know it must have seemed like I was abandoning you right when you needed me . . . which is exactly what I accused you of doing to me all those years ago.”
“Seemed that way. But I’ve been determined not to let you go this time.”
“Same here.” This time, when things had turned rocky, they’d found a way to hang on to each other. “I love you,” she said.
He appeared to hold his breath. Then, slowly, like honey dripping from a spoon, a lopsided smile spread across his face. “You love me?”
She laughed. “Yes, Corbin. I love you.”
“I love you, Willow. Will you stay here with me?”
“Well, not on this particular spot. We might get cold, and I bet your yard turns creepy at night. But yes, I’m going to stay in Washington with you.”
“You’re not going to leave me again?”
“Never. Will you stay here with me?” she asked, joy bubbling within her.
“Yes. I’m going to stay with you always.”
She ran her fingers into his hair, and he kissed her.
It was a kiss to end all kisses.
A kiss christened by sunshine.
A kiss seasoned with blessing and loss.
A kiss brimming with the promise of a golden future.
Epilogue
His dad’s grave site was hushed. And beautiful, in its way.
From where he stood, Corbin could see acres of cemetery lawn and the town of Shore Pine far below. This early April morning smelled of cut grass and damp wood and earth.
His father had died a month ago today.
Despite the grief of that, mornings kept on coming. Sunlight kept on coming. God could still be trusted. And Willow still loved him.
He watched her kneel and place the bouquet of flowers they’d brought on the base of the headstone.
As his dad’s physical condition had worsened, his dad’s soul had been more and more at rest.
Joe had been accepting. He’d griped about bad football plays he saw on TV or the fact that the curtains let in too much light or the food Corbin brought him. But he’d never second-guessed the fact that he was dying. And he’d never complained about the pain.
Joe had been calm. After a life of overblown rough patches and good patches, his dad had ended his life in a steady patch. The steady patches were the ones Corbin had always trusted most.
Throughout those final weeks, Willow had been there. Every single day. Every time he needed her. Willow and his dad had made amends, and near the end his dad had even told her that he liked her baked French toast, which was high praise, coming from him.
Corbin helped Willow up, and they stood without words, their hands interlaced.
The day Dr. Benton had told Corbin that it was time to call in hospice, Corbin had reached the conclusion that his dad’s story wasn’t going to be a miracle story.
He’d been wrong.
His dad’s story had turned out to be a miracle story after all.
God had heard Corbin’s prayers for himself and for his father. Corbin knew exactly where his dad was now, and he was holding on to the certainty that he’d see him again one day.
At some point Corbin’s own body would be lowered into a rectangular plot of ground. It was up to him to make the most of the time he had left between now and then.
He squeezed Willow’s
hand, and they made their way toward his car. “You know what I’m in the mood for?” Corbin asked.
“Shopping for housewares?”
“No.”
“Meeting with the wedding coordinator?”
He’d proposed a week ago, and she’d said yes. “No. I’m in the mood for flourless chocolate cake and whipped cream.”
“It’s ten o’clock in the morning,” she said.
“And yet I’m in the mood for flourless chocolate cake. You?”
“ . . . Yes, actually.”
“Then don’t worry, Willow. I will find us a restaurant somewhere in Washington that serves chocolate cake at this hour.”
“I don’t have a single doubt that you will.” She smiled at him so brightly it caused his pulse to skip.
His story with Willow? He knew a secret about it that he hadn’t told her yet.
Their story was a miracle story, too.
“For God in all his fullness was pleased
to live in Christ, and through him
God reconciled everything to himself.
He made peace with everything in heaven
and on earth by means of Christ’s blood
on the cross.”
COLOSSIANS 1:19–20 NLT
Questions for Conversation
Did you relate more to the cautious character of Willow or the determined character of Corbin? Explain why!
Falling for You is what romance writers call a “reunion romance” because its hero and heroine were in love once before. What do you enjoy about this type of story?
The plot of Falling for You revolves around the mystery of Josephine Blake’s disappearance. Did you enjoy uncovering clues as Willow, Corbin, and Charlotte sought to solve the mystery? If so, why was the mystery engaging? What were some of your early theories about what might have happened to Josephine?
During the course of the story, Willow and Corbin both reflect on the fact that actions and choices have consequences. Describe a time in your life when your action or choice had an unexpectedly large impact on your life, either for better or worse.
As we get to know Willow, we learn that she’s always longed to view herself as “good.” After she made mistakes, she was filled with regret. Believers understand—intellectually—that we’re saved by grace. So why do you think it’s difficult for so many of us to accept that we have no “goodness” of our own to bring to the table?
Becky added epistolary elements to the end of each chapter in the form of letters, articles, text message conversations, and more. Why do you think she chose to do that?
Aside from Willow and Corbin, who was your favorite secondary character in this story? Why?
The Lord led both Corbin and Willow to move on from very successful careers so that they could embrace the new thing He wanted to do in their lives. When has the Lord asked you to make a change and follow Him into something new? How did it turn out?
On a scale of 1–10, how romantic was Falling for You?
The theme of Falling for You is reconciliation. Can you name three reconciliations that happened in this story? Share a time when the Lord enabled you to reconcile with someone. Do you have a strong relationship with that person now?
Becky Wade is a native of California who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and moved to Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. Her humorous, heart-pounding contemporary romance novels have won the Carol Award, the INSPY Award, and the Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award for Romance. Becky lives in Dallas, Texas, with her husband and three children.
To find out more about Becky and her books, visit www.beckywade.com.
Books by Becky Wade
My Stubborn Heart
THE PORTER FAMILY NOVELS
Undeniably Yours
Meant to Be Mine
A Love Like Ours
Her One and Only
A BRADFORD SISTERS ROMANCE
True to You
Falling for You
Resources: bethanyhouse.com/AnOpenBook
Website: www.bethanyhouse.com
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Twitter: @Bethany House