The Pastor's Husband
Page 23
“This woman is a prophetess. But more than that, she’s my wife and I love her. She’s apologized to us. Laid her sins at our feet. If we’re striving for Christ, there’s only one option. Forgiveness. Who forgives her with me? Come to the altar and surround her with love. She needs it.”
Some people move from their seats to the front of the church, but many do not. Part of me just wants to stare at the ground, but another part of me wants to see who doesn’t forgive me. I scan the church and notice many harsh stares from founding members who always sit in the front row. They’ve been with me and Greg from the very beginning.
Perhaps my assumption was that I would confess, get the weight of my lie off me, and that it would all go away. Greg and I could be happy and our church would just move on.
I always teach that forgiveness is a process. And it is. But I never thought about that process applying to me. Some of these faces look like they’ll never trust me again.
So I will focus on the ones who do come. They close in tightly around me. There are hugs, whispered prayers, and hand squeezes letting me know that I have their support.
It fills me with hope. And with this fractured and wounded congregation, Greg and I will start over. We’ll stay strong. We’ll build again.
We have to. God gave me a vision, and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. His Word is true and His prophecies always come to pass.
EPILOGUE
Felicia sits in the quiet room at the Red Oak Psychiatric Facility. The staff always lets her have the quiet room at this time every day. She’s very difficult to handle if they don’t allow her to watch her favorite ministry channel every day at four-thirty p.m. For an entire year that has been her daily routine.
When she first arrived at Red Oak, Felicia would watch Nya’s talk show and get furious every time she saw the woman’s face on the screen. Felicia wanted Nya to lose everything, including that talk show. But she hasn’t. Nya and Greg are still preaching. Their church is still open, and from what Lena wrote Felicia in a letter, everything is back to normal except that a few members have left the church.
Now, it’s against doctor’s orders to allow Felicia to watch anything featuring Greg and Nya Hampstead, but she can, however, watch other ministers if she wishes. Her favorite one comes on at four-thirty.
To Felicia, Blaine Wilson is the epitome of preachers. He uses a cane to walk, but that doesn’t hide his charisma and it doesn’t take away from his handsome and dazzling smile. When he takes the microphone and sings, it always brings a smile to Felicia’s face.
Felicia waits patiently for the broadcast to begin and for Blaine’s handsome face to flash on the television screen. She has done her research on him. He was almost killed in a tornado right here in Dallas. It changed his life.
Felicia understands adversity and trauma. She and Blaine Wilson are kindred spirits, connected in the heavenly realm.
And the most important part is that Blaine’s wife abandoned him at his lowest point. He had to crawl back from losing everything, and now his ministry is exploding with popularity. He is anointed. He is blessed.
And he is a bachelor.
Felicia knows better than to trust any prophetic words, but she does trust the feeling in her body when she sees Blaine’s face on the television. It’s like he is speaking directly to her. Trying to reach her over the airwaves. Wanting to make a connection with her.
“Come unto me, and I will give you rest,” he says.
A smile forms on Felicia’s lips. She’d lay her burdens down for this man. All she has to do is complete her treatment plan, and she’ll be released.
Felicia feels no anxiety about the delay, though. She can feel in her spirit that this is ordained of God. And when she’s healed enough and prepared enough, she will step through the doors of Blaine Wilson’s church and claim her blessing.
This time, Felicia will be ready for the attacks of the enemy. She’ll take her time. It’s not like anything that happens suddenly can be trusted anyway.
It’s the end of the thing that matters anyhow. Not the beginning.
“The Word says that you will find comfort in Him,” Blaine says. “Eternal rest.”
The words resonate with Felicia. Eternal rest is what she needs. Blaine Wilson feels like an angel. God said He would send a comforter. Felicia always thought that scripture was about the Holy Spirit. But then again . . . the comforter could be a man, couldn’t he?
Felicia’s grin widens as she lifts one hand in the direction of the television screen.
“Yeah, God!” she whispers.
A READING GROUP GUIDE
THE PASTOR’S HUSBAND
Tiffany L. Warren
About This Guide
The following questions are intended to
enhance your group’s reading of
THE PASTOR’S HUSBAND.
Discussion Questions
1. Nya and Gregory are in ministry together as co-pastors. What do you think of that dynamic when it comes to married couples? Is a wife better suited as a first lady (in a supporting role) or as a co-pastor?
2. What do you think of Nya’s prophecy? What about Felicia’s subsequent actions? Were they reasonable?
3. Do you believe in the gift of prophecy? What about Penelope’s desire to learn how to prophesy? Do you think it’s possible to learn?
4. What do you think of Nya’s revelation at the end? Would you have admitted the lie or taken it to your grave?
5. What do you think is in the future for Nya and Gregory? What about Felicia?
Don’t miss Tiffany L. Warren’s
The Favorite Son
Available now!
PROLOGUE
Camden was not going to forever hold his peace. His brother Blaine had committed the ultimate offense. But there was a tiny window, a sliver of an opportunity to speak; to scream loud enough to reach heaven.
Camden rushed through the foyer of the church with his best friend Amber at his heels. “But Cam, Dawn said yes. She said yes! Maybe you should just walk away.”
“I left her alone with him,” Camden said as he turned the corner leading to his father’s office.
“She made a choice,” Amber protested. “Don’t make this any harder for her.”
These words stopped Camden in his tracks. “What about me? Did anyone think about how hard this would be for me?”
Amber threw her arms around Camden’s neck and pulled him into an embrace. He felt his insides shudder. The hug almost made him lose it when he was doing such a good job trying to hold it all together.
He untangled himself from Amber’s squeeze. “I have to do this.”
“Then let me go with you,” Amber said.
Camden continued toward his father’s office, where Pastor Wilson married couples who couldn’t afford to have a real wedding, or those whose lust had left them in an undesirable predicament. Neither Camden nor Blaine was supposed to get married in the office. The two sons of the famed and illustrious Pastor B. >C. Wilson of Dallas, Texas, were practically royalty—princes of the church. Their nuptials were destined to be star-studded affairs with hundreds of guests in attendance.
Ironically, Blaine was the one who bought into that hype. Camden resisted all of the perks of their father’s position, including the girls and the cougars who stuffed panties and hotel room keys into his pocket at church conferences. He refused to make a mockery of everything holy.
Finally in front of Pastor Wilson’s office door, Camden reached for the doorknob. Amber covered his hand with hers.
“You sure, Cam?”
Camden’s nostrils flared a bit. He wished he’d told Amber to wait for him in the foyer. “I’m sure.”
Camden threw the door open and felt his resolve and determination evaporate at the sight of Dawn and Blaine. The couple stood before Pastor Wilson, gazing into each other’s eyes. His mother, Lady Wilson, stood next to Pastor Wilson, looking on quietly. Dawn held on to Blaine’s right hand for dear life.
Camden
couldn’t stop staring at Dawn’s midsection, which held the evidence of Blaine and Dawn’s lust. There was no bulge in her stomach. Not yet, but Camden knew the baby was there.
Dawn’s mouth opened slightly when she saw Camden. Then she looked away. Blaine didn’t move a muscle.
“They’re just about to recite their vows, Camden,” Pastor Wilson said. There was no emotion in his tone. No joy for the son getting married. No sympathy for the other.
“I’m sorry, Cam,” Dawn whispered.
“Do you love him?” Camden asked.
Dawn pursed her lips together tightly. Camden knew that face. She made that face when she was holding back a flood of tears.
“Of course she loves him,” Pastor Wilson said. “They’re getting married and having my first grandchild.”
Camden waved his father’s reply away with his hand. “Do. You. Love. Him?”
After a long and pregnant pause, Dawn nodded. “It doesn’t matter, Camden. I do.”
There was no conviction in her voice. To Camden, it sounded like she was still trying to convince herself that this marriage was necessary. It wasn’t.
“Son, just go,” Camden’s mother said.
Camden was at a loss. Learning about the pregnancy and their shotgun wedding had thrown him off balance, as had the sight of Dawn looking incredibly pitiful. Amber lightly tugged on his jacket.
He looked down at Amber. At six foot four inches, he towered over her, but in that moment, he was the one who felt small.
Amber mouthed the words, “Let’s go.”
Camden nodded and allowed Amber to pull him toward the door.
“Congratulations,” Amber said. “Even though you cheated me out of my chance to be a maid of honor.”
Dawn gave Amber a tiny smile. “But you’re the baby’s godmother. You can throw a baby shower.”
“That will have to do, I guess,” Amber said.
Pastor Wilson sighed loudly. “Are we ready to continue?”
“What about you, Camden?” Blaine asked, breaking his silence. “You gonna be the baby’s godfather?”
Camden was almost out of the office when Blaine asked his question. He paused for a moment, thought of an answer to that question, but decided that he wouldn’t say it in the walls of the church.
Camden stormed out of the office and out of the church. Amber couldn’t match his long strides, but she ran behind him anyway, struggling to catch her breath.
In the church parking lot, Amber caught up to Camden as he got into his car. He glared at her through the window before rolling it down.
“You knew that it was Blaine from the start. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I couldn’t. I honestly hoped that somehow you two would end up together anyway, in spite of Blaine and your father’s plans. Pastor Wilson told them they had to get married or the group would be ruined, and so would the church,” Amber said.
“All my father cares about now is the group! Isn’t that funny? He never even wanted us to sing, and now the group means more than everything. It means more than me.”
A single tear coursed down Amber’s face. “You know that’s not true, Cam. Pastor Wilson loves you.”
Camden started the car. “Good-bye, Amber. I am never coming back here. The next time I set foot in this church will be someone’s funeral, I swear on everything.”
“So you’re gonna leave the group? We need you.”
Camden looked at his father’s church and couldn’t see himself walking through the doors again. On the other side of those doors the only girl he’d ever loved was marrying his brother.
“You don’t need me. As long as you’ve got Blaine, you’ll be fine. He’s the face of the group. I just play the keyboard.”
“But you’re the heart. You brought us together. So G.I.F.T.E.D is your group.”
Camden sighed and gave Amber a weak smile. He would miss her, and Akil, but he couldn’t look at Dawn or Blaine without wanting to punch a hole in the wall. Or in his twin brother’s face.
“I’ve got to go. Call me, okay?”
Camden sped out of the parking lot with no intention of ever coming back to Graceway Worship Center. And no matter what anyone said, he wasn’t running. Camden knew his presence would make things hard for Dawn, so he would give them miles and miles of space.
Camden was closer to Dawn than anyone. He knew what she wasn’t saying—it was all over her face when she’d stared at him. Maybe she loved Blaine, and the child they’d conceived, but Dawn loved Camden still. But she hadn’t spoken up. She’d held her peace.
And so would Camden.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2016 by Tiffany L. Warren
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN-13: 978-1-61773-202-7
ISBN-10: 1-61773-202-8
ISBN: 978-1-6177-3202-7
First Kensington Electronic Edition: March 2016