by T. K. Chapin
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say he’s attractive.”
Savannah leaned across the table. “You’re a good person, but you trust your heart out to people too easily. Be careful.”
After their coffee and Kylie’s drive home, she asked God for help. Please, God. Lead me in the way I should go. If this man is too much of a temptation for me, let me know somehow. I want to serve You, Lord. I want to care for my sweet little man, but I don’t need more of what You don’t will in my life.
Pulling into the driveway, she shut off her car. She felt a peace fall over her anxious thoughts. Kylie knew right then that the job was right for her at the current time. As she got ready for bed that night, she got a text from Savannah.
You should start coming to Christian Singles Night at the church. It’s on Sunday evenings from 6-9. Usually, there are snacks and a fun little activity. I barely ever meet anyone there, but it’s worth a shot. Right?
You’re right. I’ll try it out. It can’t hurt to meet Christian men.
Chapter 12
WAKING ON THE MORNING OF Rose’s permanent guardianship hearing two months later, Jonathan smelled something he hadn’t in a long time—bacon. The aroma brought him out of his slumber with a smile on his face. Pushing off his comforter and sheets, he left his room. Skipping his morning workout, he hurried his steps through the hallway and down the stairs in pursuit of the delicious smell. Venturing into the kitchen, he found Kylie at the stove and Rose in the high chair a few feet from her.
“What did I do in order to be spoiled with a home-cooked breakfast?” Jonathan flashed a questioning gaze with a soft smile toward Kylie on his way to the cupboard.
“I know you’ve been a little stressed about the big court day being today. Figured a nice breakfast might set you at ease. After all, you hired me to make your life easier, did you not?” Kylie moved from the stovetop over to the counter and flopped a pair of cooked eggs onto a plate.
“Well, thank you.” Pulling down a coffee cup from the cupboard, he poured a cup of coffee. He took a sip, studying Kylie as she moved gracefully from Rose’s high chair and back over to the stove. He admired the way she moved. It wasn’t the usual forced and stressed way he seemed to do everything in life. He was always needing to get back to work in his studio. Jonathan barely had enough time to pour a cup of coffee without spilling it on the counter, let alone move through the kitchen like she did, gracefully and with a sense of purpose.
Her mouth tipped a smile as she looked over and met his gaze from the stove as he sat down. He smiled back at her. When she finally made her way over and sat with him, there was a certain feeling of rightness with it. Jonathan was getting comfortable with the three of them together and their routine.
Kylie reached out to the side and pulled Rose’s high chair closer to the table. Rose giggled as the high chair vibrated across the tile floor.
As Jonathan ate his food, he studied Kylie, watching her as she fed Rose, and looked at the comic section of the newspaper. He felt an inclination to learn more about the woman. Maybe it was the bacon that had prompted the idea, or maybe it was just the fact that she showed him kindness. Whatever the reason was, he knew he wanted to know more. “I don’t know much about you. I do know you have a son named Peter. How old is he?”
“He is two.”
“You married?”
“I was.”
“That’s a rather short answer.” Just then, he recalled not sharing about Marie when she had inquired about a Mrs. Dunken in his life. He didn’t want to share then, and he didn’t want to share now. Jonathan shifted topics quickly. “Which is fine. What else is going on with you? Do you plan to nanny forever or do you have other aspirations?” Jonathan took a bite of his toast.
Raising her eyebrows, her eyes widened and a joy lit up in them as something surfaced to her mind. “I’m taking a few online college courses to get my degree in Early Childhood Education. My passion is children.”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow, glancing at Rose for a moment, then back at her. “That explains why you’re so good with children. I really got lucky when you ended up taking my table at Ethan’s.”
“God is good all the time. Always working, never sleeping.”
Jonathan swallowed the uncomfortable lump in his throat. He slipped under his breath as he brought the fork with egg on it up to his lips, “Don’t give Him the credit.”
“Why not give Him credit?”
He knew what she was doing by asking why. She was leading him, trying to unravel his personal history. Jonathan could’ve gotten up and left the kitchen at that particular moment, but he did not. He stayed. Taking a drink of his coffee, he chose his words carefully. “Kylie. With all due respect, it’s a coincidence that you were there and I was there. You simply desired a new job and I had one for you.” Jonathan shrugged. “Just a chance meeting.”
“Who are you trying to convince? I’ve seen you these last two months. Every time I even hint at faith or God, you recoil and remove yourself from the conversation or steer it elsewhere.”
“Yeah? I don’t like talking about God. Faith is a crutch for the weak-minded.”
“But you believe, Jonathan. I see it in your face every time I mention Jesus’s name. Sure, there’s pain mingled in there, but you know that name.”
His soul stirred, just like it did every time he heard the name of Jesus. It wasn’t by choice, for his heart and emotions were deadened by years of running. He didn’t respond to her comment but just focused on his meal before him. He didn’t want to keep talking about God, talking about Jesus, or anything else. He just wanted to eat.
A blush settled into her cheeks. His silence must’ve unnerved her. She reached over beside her chair and pulled from her tote bag a few children’s books. She laid them across the table. “Now that we’re on the topic, I’ve been meaning to talk to you. These are faith-inspired Children’s books. I didn’t want to overstep my bounds by assuming they’re okay. If they’re not, I’ll put them back in my bag and leave them at home.”
Standing up, Jonathan peered over at Rose. His heart loved her, cared for her, wanted what was best. Deep down, he knew it was right for her to have a knowledge of God, a knowledge of His creation. “Yes, those are fine for Rose.”
Finished, he took his plate to the sink. As he set it down, Kylie caught his ear. “Can I still mention God? Or would that be too offensive to you?”
Jonathan couldn’t forbid it. “It’s okay to mention God whenever you feel moved to. Just don’t expect me to care or engage. I have to go get ready for court now. Thanks again for breakfast.”
“Okay. By the way, Tyler called. He said he’ll meet you at the courthouse a few minutes to ten. Also, I’m going to take Rose down the block to have lunch with my Grandma around noon.”
“Sounds good. Thanks for letting me know about Tyler.”
Leaving the kitchen, Jonathan headed upstairs to shower and get dressed for his day in court. He had a sneaking suspicion that Rose’s mother, Shawna, might try to show up in court and fight for custody. The CPS lawyer assured him that there was nothing that she could do at this point, but that did little to ease the worry pressing against his thoughts and mind. He had barely slept the last week leading up to this day. He was ready for his day in court to be over before it had even begun.
Chapter 13
Kylie - Age 13
THE COURT DATE WAS SET for Kylie’s adoption by Grandma Faith. Kylie had lost hours, days, weeks, and months of sleep in anticipation. A part of her prayed her mother would show up and fight for her, but in her heart, she knew it wasn’t possible. Her mother had been dead from an overdose for six years. She had died from Meth, or as Grandma Faith called it, the devil’s vomit. The day she had looked up her mother’s name on the computer, she read an article from the local news detailing her mother’s untimely end. She didn’t cry but felt numb all over for the first couple of days. Then she cried a sad cry as she mourned the loss of her mother. She couldn’t und
erstand why her mother would do it, how she could pick drugs over her, but the cold reality was that she had.
In the courtroom, with all her grief and emotions running high within her heart, Kylie’s eyes glistened as the judge granted adoption to Grandma Faith. She didn’t like Grandma Faith much, but she was starting to appreciate the fact that she had taken her in. She wouldn’t have ever met Betty, her now best friend, who had also lost her mother to drugs. They spent hours beneath the jungle gym, sharing in one another’s pain. Betty understood her hurt more than anyone else at The Faith House, or at least that’s how Kylie felt.
After court, all the girls from The Faith House went out to eat, an occasion that rarely happened in the household. Kylie got to pick the place to eat, so she picked her favorite place in the world to go, Old Country Buffet. She wasn’t a big eater, but she did love the endless glasses of chocolate milk that were at her disposal when they went there. Grandma Faith let the girls eat and drink whatever they wanted when they went to a buffet. She found it easier that way than trying to micromanage all eight of the girls at one time.
Sitting at the table while all the other kids were already gone at the buffet, Kylie’s head rested on the palm of her hand as she held a sad frown. Grandma Faith noticed her and came over to sit next to Kylie. “My child, today is a good day. What is wrong?”
A sad smile on Kylie’s lips told Grandma Faith everything she needed to know.
Resting a hand on her back, she leaned slightly toward Kylie. “I know you miss your mom, and I’ll never be what you had with her. I don’t expect to be. But I will tell you one thing, child. I’m adopted too.”
Kylie’s interest was piqued, and she lifted her head up and turned to her. “You are?”
“Yes. I’ve been grafted into the family of God. All Christians are adopted by God into His family. That’s the beautiful thing about God, about adoption. Adoption means someone chose you. Just like God chose to adopt us, I chose to adopt you, Kylie. Do you understand?”
“Yes.” Kylie’s whole body tingled as her heart grabbed hold of God. This was the first time in her life that she had an interest in God. More so than any of the Bible verses and Bible stories or any of the Sunday school classes she was forced to attend. Being adopted into the family of God meant something to her in a big way. Kylie’s eyes turned to her fellow sisters in The Faith House as they piled food onto their plates. Then her gaze turned back to Grandma Faith. “So we’re all part of God’s family?”
“When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior over your life, yes, you’re adopted into the family of God. Jesus is the Son of God. He makes it possible for us to enter into the family. My child, you see this world all around you? It’s fading away, it’s running down. What you see before you will be here today and gone tomorrow, but God’s kingdom goes on forever. Our families here on earth are only temporary. The family of God goes on forever into eternity.”
Kylie had been listening to the Bible and Grandma Faith for years, but now it was making sense, starting to draw her in. Her heart pounded. “Grandma Faith?”
“Yes, child?”
“I want to make Jesus my Lord and Savior. I know the Scriptures and I know the story of Christ dying on the cross, and I’ve believed it, but I didn’t want to commit and surrender until now. I know now that I need Him. I desire to be a part of the family of God. I might not know my earthly father and I might have lost my earthly mother, but I know God is my true and heavenly Father.”
She threw up her hands and lifted her voice. “Oh, praise the Lord! Let’s pray.”
That day marked two important events in Kylie’s life. Not only had she been adopted into Grandma Faith’s family, but also into the family of God. In what she felt would be the worst day of her life, she found peace. In the chaos of the storm, she felt the calling of God on her life. She wouldn’t live a perfect life moving forward, but she’d have Jesus by her side from here to eternity.
Chapter 14
CARRYING HER PLATE WITH A peanut butter sandwich on it, Kylie gently touched Grandma Faith’s shoulder as she slept in her rocking chair. If it wasn’t for the constricting and restricting of her chest, Kylie would’ve sworn she had passed on to glory. Grandma Faith had been given only a limited time left on this earth after the cancer came back a month ago. The doctors and hospice told her it’s a matter of weeks, possibly months if she’s lucky. It tore Kylie apart inside to know the only woman to ever truly be a mother to her would soon be gone from her life, but she knew where she was heading, her new home in eternity.
“Thank you, my child.” Grandma Faith lifted the sandwich with a trembling hand to her mouth and took a bite. She set it back down on the plate and set the plate on the arm rest. “These last couple of months have really shown me what it means when the Scriptures say this body is wasting away. I feel so tired all the time.”
Kylie pushed a sad smile from her lips and rested a hand on her arm. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s going to be okay. Soon, I’ll be with Jesus and I’ll be dancing. Maybe even some of that break dancing.”
Kylie’s lips curled into a smile and she sat down on the couch. She pulled Rose from the floor and onto her lap. Jenny, Kylie’s old roommate from The Faith House, walked in from the kitchen. She had moved back to the house when Grandma Faith found out about the cancer returning. She wanted to spend her final days with her, and thankfully, she was more than willing to help with Peter too.
“How was Jonathan this morning? Did he seem stressed?”
She shook her head, smoothing her hand over Rose’s hair. “He seemed okay about that. How long ago did Peter go down for a nap?”
Jenny took a seat on the couch. Lifting her cell phone from the coffee table, she glanced at the time. “About fifty minutes ago. He woke up earlier than usual today and was tired or I would’ve kept him up for you.”
Immediately, Kylie knew it wouldn’t be until later that she’d see her little man. “Okay.”
She glanced at her phone. It was twelve thirty now. She thought of Jonathan. She hoped everything was okay at court. The hearing had started over two hours ago now and she hadn’t heard a word from him. Knowing that he had his brother with him brought a measure of comfort to her. Tyler was a good support system for him to lean on.
“You look worried.” Grandma Faith’s eyes might have been failing her, but her senses were in tip-top shape.
“I just haven’t heard from Jonathan.”
“Are you concerned for Jonathan or your boss?” Jenny implored. She had been suspicious of just how deep Kylie’s feelings went for the man ever since she arrived back at The Faith House.
Kylie could feel her eyes studying her. “Both. I’m not interested in him in that way, if that’s what you’re asking. I know he’s been stressing about court lately, and it’s been affecting his sleep.” Rising to her feet, she set Rose on her hip and grabbed the diaper bag from beside the couch. “I’m going to head back to the house. I love you both dearly. Thanks for all the help with Peter, Jenny. I don’t know what I’d do without you here the last couple of months.”
“It’s my joy to serve you in this way while I’m here.”
Leaning over, she kissed Grandma Faith’s forehead and left.
On her walk back to Jonathan’s driveway, she was stopped by two mothers with strollers.
“Cute girl. How old is she?”
“Two.” Kylie turned around to greet the woman. She fell into a light conversation and through it found out that the two of them were from down the street and around the corner. They had the daily habit of walking the sidewalks and being a sort of ‘neighborhood watch,’ though it was unofficial. Kylie suspected they were just the type of women with a lot of time to stick their noses into other people’s business.
“We should get our husbands together,” one of the ladies said. “Our two husbands get along well. Sports, current events, politics.”
“Oh, Jonathan and I aren’t married. I’m just the nanny.
He isn’t into any of those kinds of things . . . at least I don’t think.”
“My apologies for assuming.” Raising an eyebrow, the one woman who had been talking continued. “What do you mean he’s not into those things? What else is there?”
“Art. Reading. He has a massive library in the back corner of his house.”
The quiet one bit her lip as her eyes flashed with a look of lust. The other lady smacked her. “You’re a married woman, Raine!”
“I’m sorry. I can’t help but be fascinated by a man who can actually use that thing between the ears for something other than keeping batting records and yards gained in a season.” Raine came closer to Kylie, lowering her voice as she raised an eyebrow. “Is he single?”
“Yes.”
Raine slowly shook her head as she took a step backward. “Girl, you’d better nab that man before someone else does.”
Just then, Jonathan honked, startling the two woman and forcing them to carry on their way down the sidewalk. A blush formed in Kylie’s cheeks as she thought of the possibility of ‘nabbing’ him. He pulled into the driveway and she stepped into the grass. As the women went out of sight down the sidewalk, she directed her attention on Jonathan getting out of his car. She lifted Rose’s hand up to wave to Jonathan.
He tipped a forced smile and headed for the front door without a word. Kylie could tell something was wrong.
#
Silence lingered in the air between Jonathan and Kylie over dinner. Jonathan couldn’t shake what had happened in the courtroom. His mind was clouded. Sure, he had won and was awarded the guardianship over Rose, but at what cost? He relived the moment Shawna came storming into the courtroom with tears running down her cheeks. The screaming pierced through his thoughts as he tried to eat the roast Kylie had prepared.
“Jonathan?” Kylie’s voice jolted him out of his thoughts. He blinked a few extra times then looked at her with a questioning gaze. “I asked you how court went. You’ve been silent all afternoon and over dinner. It’s not like you to be this quiet.”