A Trusting Heart

by Shannon Guymon

  Megan got through her floor time and then drove aimlessly around in her car. She knew Trevor was planning on calling her soon, but she couldn’t face talking to him until she had her feelings under control. Besides, what could she say to him? Yes, I realize I am a complete disaster at relationships, but I would still like you to love me enough to overlook that? She’d sound like an idiot. A pathetic idiot.

  Megan drove into a parking lot and wasn’t surprised to see the familiar temple spires. She locked her doors, turned off her cell phone, and leaned her seat back as far as it would go. She had some serious thinking to do. Could she make an eternal commitment to a man who obviously saw her as temporary? The real question was, could she walk out on another wedding? She felt the tears slip down the sides of her cheeks and was only slightly irritated when they started to pool in her ears. As she calmed down enough to pray, she felt an immediate sense of peace and calm fill her body, as if she had plugged into her very own personal space heater. Heavenly Father loved her and wanted her to be happy. But could she be happy with Trevor? An hour and twenty-two minutes later, she had her answer.

  Thirty-Four

  TREVOR LOOKED AROUND HIS empty sky-high condo and smiled. Everything was done. He was pleased that everything had gone so smoothly. Instead of flying to Utah tomorrow as planned, he had changed his ticket to that afternoon. He’d be able to watch the evening news with Megan before she kicked him out. He couldn’t wait to see her, although he was a little surprised she hadn’t called him to thank him for the bouquet he had sent. Maybe she was just busy with a client. He was certain there was a good reason. Trevor walked over to the window and took one last look out at the Puget Sound before walking out the door. He was ready to return to the mountains, and more than ready for his life with Megan to begin.

  * * *

  Five hours later, he knocked impatiently on his mother’s front door. She would know where Megan was and why she wasn’t answering her cell phone. He was starting to worry that something was seriously wrong.

  “Trevor! Come on in you darling, darling boy. Let me give you a kiss. No mother ever had a better son than you. Oh, I love you.”

  Trevor walked into his Mom’s house smiling, but bewildered. Why had it taken almost thirty years for her to come to that conclusion? He would have sent her a pre-nup contract a long time ago.

  “They’re so beautiful, I had Drew take my picture by them. I’ve taken one flower from each variety to press in my scrapbook. Oh, Trev, sometimes I’ve wondered if you ever really appreciated me, but now I know. You do, you really do. I just hope Megan knows how lucky she is to have you for a husband. You should think of sending her flowers too one of these days.”

  Trevor’s footsteps slowed down as his mother’s words sank in. His mother had received flowers from him today. His mother. It would then be logical to assume that Megan had been the one to receive the prenuptial agreement. Trevor stood in front of the largest bouquet he had ever seen in his life and knew he had messed up completely. There would be no forgiveness this time. He was going to kill Blaine. And then he was going to fire him.

  Trevor pulled a single red rose from the bouquet and looked at the perfect bud before turning and walking out of his mother’s house without saying one word.

  Cora followed him to the doorway, baffled by his behavior.

  She called out to him once, but without turning around, he got in his car and drove away. Cora shrugged and then closed the door. She’d heard jet lag could be exhausting, but this was ridiculous.

  Thirty-Five

  MEGAN PULLED OUT HER last shirt and laid it in the suitcase. It really would be nice to get away for a while. Away from all the stress. Away from problems. She could definitely use a break. Megan grabbed her favorite pair of jeans out of her closet and threw them haphazardly on top of the other clothes she had carelessly packed in her old scuffed up suitcase. The sparkle from her engagement ring caught her eye and made her pause. She frowned as she studied the brilliance of the diamond and the glow of the emeralds. She sighed sadly and went back to packing. It was better to think of other things.

  “You didn’t answer your door, so I just let myself in. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Megan gasped and turned around, frightened at being surprised.

  “What are you doing here? I didn’t think you were coming back until tomorrow.”

  Trevor’s strained face didn’t reveal any surprise at seeing Megan’s bedroom in an uproar of clothes. It looked as if she were getting ready to make a hasty get away. He didn’t blame her one bit.

  “I finished early so I thought I’d hurry back. I wanted to see you.”

  Megan winced at his words and turned her back to grab a dress out of the closet.

  “Blaine’s been trying to reach you. He called here looking for you about ten minutes ago. He sounded pretty upset.”

  Trevor’s face tightened in anger at the mention of Blaine’s name. Blaine was on his own now.

  “I believe that’s the typical reaction to getting thrown out of your office by security. I really wish I had been there to see it.”

  Megan turned around, staring at Trevor in surprise. He and Blaine were like brothers. He would never fire Blaine. Would he?

  “You fired Blaine? Why?”

  Trevor walked over to Megan’s dresser and noticed she had hung her picture of the temple above it. He had known immediately she would love it. He was surprised it wasn’t sitting in the trash.

  “He made one huge mistake. A mistake that could easily cost me my happiness. He’s the one who sent you the prenuptial agreement, Megan. I told him to send it to my mother. I was worried about her relationship with Drew getting serious. You were supposed to get a rather large bouquet of flowers. He switched them. And now my mom is in heaven and you’re very, very sad. I can’t stand it that you think I would ever have you sign anything like that. That I would want you to.”

  Megan sat down on her bed, crossing her arms over her knees. Blaine had sent her the contract?

  “Are you saying this was all a mix-up? An accident?”

  Trevor felt a tremor of hope enter his heart, as he heard the doubt in Megan’s voice. Maybe it was possible to talk his way out of this one. He said a silent prayer and crossed his fingers.

  “Yes. In the biggest way.”

  Megan looked suspiciously over at Trevor, her eyes narrowed.

  “Trevor, I don’t know if I can believe you. I’ve seen plenty of evidence just in the past month alone that proves you like to manipulate people, bribe people, twist people around until they do what you want them to. How do I know this wasn’t some sick scheme or test to make sure I wasn’t marrying you for your money?”

  Trevor sighed, his hope gone. The marriage was off. He knew it.

  “Because I have faith in you. I wish you had a little in me.” Trevor turned and walked towards the door, and out of Megan’s life.

  Whack!

  Trevor felt something hit him squarely in the back of the head and turned around in surprise. He hadn’t realized Megan had a violent side. On the floor where it had fallen lay the prenuptial agreement. Trevor picked it up, just in case he ever ran into Blaine again. He would shove it in his face and demand a duel. Or something.

  “Read it, you knothead,” Megan said as she sat down in a chair.

  Trevor smoothed out the paper, wondering what horrible obscenities she had plastered on it and was surprised to see nothing. Nothing except a small signature at the bottom. She had signed the prenuptial agreement. She would have married him anyway. She was still planning on marrying him!

  Megan felt tears slide down her face at Trevor’s look of awe.

  For once in her life, she had kept the faith. Trevor said nothing as he ripped up the contract and walked over to kneel in front of Megan, resting his head on her knees.

  “I wasn’t kidding when I said I loved you. I actually meant it,” Megan said softly into his hair.

  Trevor sighed deeply, overcome and humbled by
the gift she had given him. Something much more precious than money. Her heart. Trevor lifted his head and got up from the floor and held out his hand. Megan wiped her eyes and took his hand. He pulled her gently to her feet and then cupped her face in his hands, leaning down to kiss her once on her forehead, then on both cheeks, and then pulled her into his arms.

  “I love you, Megan.”

  Megan felt the tenseness of Trevor’s muscles relax as he continued to hug her and smiled for the first time in almost nine hours. Love was a miracle. Megan tilted her head up and kissed Trevor on the chin to get his attention.

  “And I want you to forgive Blaine. It was a simple mistake.”

  Anything except that. He would never forgive Blaine. He still wanted to kill Blaine. He wanted to throw rotten fruit at Blaine. He wanted to run over Blaine’s new car with a tank. He wanted to see Blaine eat the prenuptial agreement he had ripped into pieces.

  “Why don’t we talk about something else? Like, why you told me you were so good at packing?”

  Megan laughed and hugged Trevor one last time before pulling out of his arms.

  “So sue me, I was under pressure. You try coming up with ten good qualities in under a minute. Hold on, you’re trying to change the subject on me.”

  Trevor grabbed Megan by the hand and pulled her out of her room and towards the front door.

  “Hey! Where are you taking me? I still have to finish packing for our honeymoon.”

  Trevor pulled her out the front door and had her in his car before answering.

  “I’m taking you to see the world’s largest bouquet of flowers. They were supposed to be yours but my mom got them instead. You’ve got to see it, but don’t burst her bubble. It takes up Mom’s whole living room, it’s so huge.”

  Megan laughed as she relaxed back into the leather seat and felt all of the tension ease out of her body. Heavenly Father was right after all. Trust and love do go hand in hand.

  “I want you to forgive Blaine. I kind of even want you to rehire him. It would make a really nice wedding present.”

  Trevor thought of the ski lodge he had just bought her for a wedding present and begged to differ.

  “Never.”

  Megan blew the hair out of her eyes in irritation. He was being really stubborn about this.

  “If I can forgive you all of your horrendous blunders, don’t you think you can forgive Blaine for one small mistake?”

  Trevor’s black eyes snapped in anger and his hands tightened on the steering wheel.

  “Small? No. That was an enormous mistake. Admit it. When you saw that pre-nup, the first thing you thought of doing was dumping me. Try and deny it.”

  Megan looked out the window, knowing her guilt was very apparent.

  “Well, that’s why I’m an adult. I think things through. I don’t make life-changing decisions on a moment’s anger. And neither should you. Besides, wasn’t it you who gave me a little speech about the Atonement and how we’re supposed to forgive everybody, everything? You wouldn’t want me to think you’re a hypocrite would you?”

  Trevor groaned and shook his head.

  “But I already got you a wedding present.”

  Megan reached over and held Trevor’s hand between the seats. He was such a little kid.

  “So give me two.”

  Trevor didn’t want to tell her she was getting approximately three hundred. It would ruin the surprise.

  “I hope you’re not going to be disappointed, but I spent practically every last cent I had on your wedding ring. I feel bad, but I don’t have a wedding present for you.”

  Trevor raised Megan’s hand to his mouth and smiled.

  “You already gave me the best wedding present there is: a trusting heart.”

  And it was true.

  Epilogue

  SATURDAY MORNING, TREVOR LED Megan into the sealing room.

  He helped her to kneel on her side of the altar and then walked around to kneel across from her.

  Megan looked contentedly around the small room at the few precious people they had invited to be there with them. Cora was the only parent there to support them. Linette was waiting for them outside in the gardens. Blaine and Drew were the witnesses. Her parents were heartbreakingly absent.

  After the ceremony, Brother Perry, their sealer, instructed them to kiss across the altar. Trevor leaned over and took her face in his hands, smiling down into her eyes with the sweetest expression she had ever seen. He loved her and he couldn’t be telling her more eloquently. He leaned down and pressed his mouth gently across hers in a pure and chaste expression of his commitment to her. She closed her eyes and accepted him. As Trevor pulled away, he kept his eyes locked on hers, letting her know that their covenant was sealed with love.

  Her heart had been broken in so many different ways, by Dylan and Taffie and by her parents. But it had been broken in such a way that true love had been able to enter in. Trevor reached for her hand and raised her from her knees. As he led her out of the sealing room and into their new life together, she knew she would keep this moment in her heart forever. And because families are forever, she knew she could.

  about

  the

  Author

  IN THE FOURTH GRADE, Shannon Guymon wandered into the school library and, figuratively, never came out again. She decided one day to take her love affair with the written word one step further and wrote her first novel, Never Letting Go of Hope.

  A Trusting Heart is her second novel.

  Shannon grew up all across the United States but has finally found her home in Alpine, Utah, where she lives with her four children and her husband, Matt. She enjoys gardening, being with her family, and, of course, writing.