Matt considered her words and then looked away. “That’s not funny.”
“No. You’re right. It’s the unfunniest thing I ever realized about myself, Mattie. When I thought I was in love completely alone, it was torture.”
Matt grimaced. “What are you saying?”
“I love you, too, Mattie.”
“Since when?” he asked, skepticism lurching from beneath his expression.
“Since ever, I guess,” she admitted. “But then I kissed Justin and realized there wasn’t a single spark of attraction beneath it, after all that build-up…and then Rob read that verse out of First Corinthians about all the things that love is and isn’t—”
“Wait, what was that about kissing Justin?”
“I felt nothing, Mattie. Nothing at all.”
“Maybe it was a fluke.”
“It wasn’t, because I tried again.”
“And?”
“Nothing.”
“Are you sure?”
“I think I’d know if I felt something or not, Matt.”
“And you didn’t.”
“Nope.”
Matt seemed to be thinking that over, and then he moved toward her, scooped her up by the waist, and pulled her close to him. First, he smiled, and it warmed her from the top of her head to the slope of her swollen ankle. And then he moved in closer.
His lips were soft and hot, and when they touched hers, Lucy felt an ember crackling somewhere inside of her. Without any warning at all, the fire spread, and it enveloped her until Lucy actually heard herself moan softly and felt her knees go weak. Without Matt’s arm around her waist, she knew she would have fallen right back into the snow.
When he pulled away, he raised an eyebrow and grinned.
“Anything?”
“Oh yeah.”
“You’re sure?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Let’s try again,” he whispered. “Just so there is no mistake.”
Lucy thought she heard music somewhere in the distance as he kissed her again, but she forgot all about it as the butterflies in her stomach took flight, their wings fluttering against her insides.
“We’ve wasted so much time,” she told him, her eyes still closed, her head tilted backward and draped over his hand.
“Shh,” Matt said softly. “We’re here now.”
“Thank God for Wendy,” she replied on a giggle as she opened her eyes and looked at Matt.
“Thank God Himself,” he declared, and he moved in and kissed her again.
“Stop it,” she said when they parted. “I can’t breathe. You make me not breathe.”
Lucy’s heart was pounding so hard that she was certain Matt could hear it. Tiny crystals of snow fluttered downward from her lashes when she blinked, and she closed her eyes tight and leaned into his embrace.
“I love you so much,” she whispered.
“Lucy, I love you, too.”
“I don’t know how I could have missed it all these years.”
“I know what you mean.”
“Kiss me again, Mattie?”
“I thought you needed to breathe.”
“I did. Now I’m ready for you to take my breath away again.”
Epilogue
I can’t believe I’m here, Lord.
It’s six months to the day since I stood on that ridge outside and told Mattie how I felt about him and he told me that he loved me, too. Now I’m just hours away from marrying him on that very ridge, wearing the princess-cut platinum ring that he placed on my finger, while down on one knee, at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. And it only took us a couple of decades to get here! I always did like to take the scenic route.
It’s amazing how things have worked out, isn’t it? I asked Wendy to be a bridesmaid, and George Sedgewick is the Best Man…and while we’ve been planning a wedding, the two of them have been falling in love! Whoever would have thought that a pretty girl and a couple of visits to church could turn George’s whole life around this way? George has committed himself to You, and in a few months he’ll commit to Wendy. Only You could do that. I love that about You.
Lanie got in last night, and she and Wendy and I sat around in this cabin drinking tea and munching on Oreos, giggling like schoolgirls while we gave each other manicures and painted our nails. It was such fun.
Annie and her mom should be arriving in a few hours. I can’t wait for her to see the frilly pink flower girl dress I have for her!
In a few minutes, I’ll go and wake the girls so we can be ready when Betty Sue brings us breakfast. And then they’ll all help me with my hair and makeup and get me into my beautiful, antique, ivory silk taffeta gown with ruching and glass-bead accents. It’s the dress of my dreams. And Matt is the man of my dreams.
You know, it suddenly hit me like a ton of bricks in the middle of the night, but I was thinking that Lanie and Justin might make a pretty great couple. What do You think? They’ll both be at the wedding today. It couldn’t hurt to do a little suggesting, right? I’m usually pretty great at spotting a natural couple like the two of them.
Aside from the whole thing about taking decades to realize Mattie was The One, of course.
On second thought, maybe I’ll just let You do the matchmaking from now on. You seem to have a pretty good handle on that.
All matched up and happy,
Lucy Binoche Frazier
P.S. One last recipe for my prayer journal, Lord. And this one I concocted all on my own…with Your help, of course.
A Happy Life
2 cups each of understanding, love, and encouragement
1 Tbsp. pure extract of trust and loyalty
1 pinch humility
2 mustard seeds of faith
1 gallon concentrated prayer
Stir together and simmer over a low heat.
Add one best friend that you can’t live without and garnish with humor to taste.
Serves two, for life.
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Love Finds You in Miracle, Kentucky by Andrea Boeshaar
ISBN: 978-1-934770-37-5
Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas by Sandra D. Bricker
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Love Finds You in Romeo, Colorado by Gwen Ford Faulkenberry
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Love Finds You in Valentine, Nebraska by Irene Brand
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Love Finds You in Humble, Texas by Anita Higman
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Love Finds You in Last Chance, California by Miralee Ferrell
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Love Finds You in Maiden, North Carolina by Tamela Hancock Murray
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Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania by Loree Lough
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Love Finds You in Treasure Island, Florida by Debby Mayne
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Love Finds You in Liberty, Indiana, by Melanie Dobson
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Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas by Janice Hanna
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Love Finds You in Revenge, Ohio by Lisa Harris
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Love Finds You in Sisters, Oregon by Melody Carlson
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Love Finds You in Charm, Ohio by Birdie Etchison
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Love Finds You in Bethlehem, New Hampshire by Lauralee Bliss
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Love Finds You in North Pole, Alaska by Loree Lough
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Love Finds You in Snowball, Arkansas Page 21