Genesis House Inspirational Romance and Family Drama Boxed Set: 3-in-1

by Angela Benson

  CeCe didn't know what to say. She didn't find any humor in this situation, and she didn't see how Shay could, either.

  "I've shocked you, haven't I, CeCe?"

  She nodded. What else could she do?

  Shay idly stirred her coffee. "You're not alone. I shocked myself. Marvin and I argued last night, and he said he was leaving. And you know what? I didn't cry. Not even when he packed his bags and went downstairs. He's been gone since around eleven. After he left, I checked the locks, set the security system, and went to bed. And I slept through until you got here."

  CeCe didn't understand Shay's pride in herself. She was still a bit unsure about her friend's mental state. "Nate said he tried calling you but the phone's been busy."

  Shay gave a sheepish half smile. "Oh, yeah, I forgot. I took it off the hook. If Marvin wants to talk to me, he has to come home." She reached for CeCe's hand. "I wish I could stop you and Nate from worrying about us, but I know I can't. The least you can do is not let what's happening with us cast a dark cloud over your own happiness. I believe with all my heart that Marvin and I are going to be all right, and I need you to believe it, too."

  CeCe squeezed the hand holding hers. "I'll believe with you."

  Shay smiled. "Good. Now tell me some good news about you and Nate. We can't go through the day with just the news of Marvin and me." CeCe didn't say anything, but apparently she didn't have to. "Come on," Shay said, "I can tell by your eyes that something's happened. You'd better tell me before I start guessing."

  When CeCe still didn't answer, Shay explained, "I won't be any more unhappy because of your happiness, CeCe. In fact, I want to share in your happiness, so just tell me."

  "Last night Nate told me that he loved me," she blurted out.

  Shay snorted. "Well, it's about time. A blind man could see that you two are meant for each other."

  "Is it that obvious?" CeCe asked, not bothering to hide the wonder in her voice.

  Shay laughed. "A blind man wearing a mask could see it."

  CeCe opened her mouth, and then closed it. By the time she called Nate to let him know all was well at Shay's house, she was laughing herself.

  Chapter 11

  "Nate," CeCe whispered against his mouth, "we have to stop."

  "I know." Nate pressed his mouth against hers again.

  CeCe felt herself melt against him. Kissing him this way felt so right, but she knew they had to stop. Though she knew that the love she and Nate shared was different from what she had shared with Eric, she knew that both emotions could lead to disaster. She pulled herself out of Nate's arms and settled back against the swing, her eyes closed.

  "I'm sorry," Nate said, his voice warm and comforting. "I mean, I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable but not sorry for kissing you." He chuckled softly. "I've wanted to do it for a very long time, but I promise you, CeCe, it won't go any further. I don't expect it to go any further."

  CeCe nodded, but she didn't open her eyes. "I know, Nate. I trust you." But she wondered if she could trust herself. Nate had proven he could control his passions, for he'd lived a celibate lifestyle for four years. She knew she could control hers as well, but the intensity of her feelings for this man she had come to love surprised her. Well, CeCe, she said to herself, you wondered how it would feel to kiss Nate's lips, and now you know. Maybe you would have been better off not knowing.

  "Come on," Nate teased. "Tell me what's going on behind those eyelids. I don't like it when you think so much. It usually means you're worrying unnecessarily."

  She opened her eyes, but she still didn't look at him. "You have nothing to be sorry about, Nate. I was as willing as you were. I should apologize to you. I didn't mean to lead you on."

  Nate placed his index finger on her chin and turned her face to him. "What are you talking about? You didn't lead me on. Now tell me what's on your mind."

  CeCe turned her face away from the tenderness and acceptance in his eyes. What did he really know about her, anyway? How could he love her when he didn't know her? He didn't know the awful things she'd done and the price she still had to pay because of them. Would he still love her if he knew?

  "I'm not him," he said, when she didn't speak.

  CeCe's head jerked back in his direction.

  "I'm not Eric," he repeated. "I want to marry you, CeCe, and spend the rest of my life with you. And I want everything to be right between us. That means waiting until we've said our vows before sharing any intimacies beyond the kisses we've shared. I don't want us to start our lives together with guilt or shame over sex. Our marriage is going to be a celebration of the love God has given us. We're not going to tarnish it. Neither one of us wants that." He grinned. "Even if it means we never sit on this porch alone again."

  CeCe smiled, feeling relaxed because of his obvious desire to comfort her. Nate's sensitivity to her needs and emotions made her feel cherished. She wanted him to feel the same way. "I don't think it'll come to that. I'd hate to have to give up our special place."

  He pulled her close to him and pressed a kiss on the top of her head. "Neither would I. Besides, I'm still not sure B.B. doesn't have a double-barreled shotgun aimed at me even as we speak."

  "You're so bad," CeCe said with a giggle. "You know she doesn't have a gun."

  She felt his smile against her head. "If you say so."

  They were quiet for a few moments, and then CeCe said, "Your parents will be here tomorrow."

  "They sure will."

  She waited for him to say more. When he didn't, she gave voice to the fear she'd harbored since he'd told her about the visit. "What if they don't like me?"

  "They'll like you," he said in a voice that brooked no disagreement. "In fact, I think they'll love you."

  CeCe wasn't so sure. Parents had high standards for only sons, and she was sure Nate's parents were no different. After his disaster with Naomi, they were probably even more concerned about the woman in their son's life. It didn't take a genius to figure out that most parents would not consider a single mother with a four-year-old son as prize daughter-in-law material. And if they knew the details of her past... She shook off the thought. "Aren't they going to think this is awfully soon?"

  "This what?" he asked, and again she heard the smile in his voice.

  She punched him playfully in his side. "You know what I'm talking about. What if they think our relationship is moving too fast?" In truth, CeCe had wondered that herself.

  "They won't."

  "They might."

  "They won't."

  CeCe gave a loud sigh. "How can you be so sure? I think we should talk about this."

  "We only need to talk about it if we think we're moving too quickly. We don't." He pulled back and looked down at her. "At least, I know I don't. Do you think we are?"

  CeCe didn't answer immediately, and when she spoke, her voice was soft. "It's only been about three and a half months." She felt him tense at her side, then quickly relax again.

  "If you want to be technical, I probably could have told you I loved you a month ago. Maybe even six weeks."

  "You're kidding."

  He tilted her face up to his. "Do I look like I'm kidding?"

  The love and honesty in his eyes told her he wasn't. He'd known he loved her all that time. "But how...?" she asked.

  He shrugged as if the how didn't matter. "I don't know. When God puts two people together it doesn't have to take long for them to realize it. Besides, we're not getting married tomorrow. We have a lot to do before we get formally engaged and set a date. You have to meet my parents. I have to meet yours. We have to talk to our pastors. We're going to do this right, every step of the way."

  He wants to meet my parents, CeCe thought. She didn't know why she was surprised. She should have known he'd want to meet them, that he'd have to meet them if their relationship continued to progress. So here they were. Her parents. She wondered if she could get them to make the trip up here, or if she and Nate would have to go to Alabama. She only went o
nce or twice a year—for no more than two or three days at a time—and she dreaded every trip. She didn't want to even think about taking Nate into that environment.

  She relaxed against Nate's side without commenting on his words. She'd think about all of that later. They were in no hurry to get married or formally engaged, for that matter, which meant there was no rush for him to meet her parents. Besides, she wanted to enjoy his loving her for as long as she could. Who knows what the future holds, anyway? she asked herself, but even as she asked, she prayed silently, Lord, please don't let me lose the only person I'll ever love this way. Let everything work out so that Nate and I can get married and build a life together.

  * * *

  CeCe shouldn't have been surprised at how nice the Richardsons were—given they had a son like Nate—but she was. She and Nate had met the older couple at the airport and taken them out to dinner the night before. She'd fallen in love with them over the Chinese food and laughter they'd shared. She smiled as she remembered how Mrs. Richardson had fussed over Nate and how embarrassed it seemed to make him. Mr. Richardson had been cute with the bear hug and slap on the back he'd given his only son.

  David and Miss Brinson had won the couple over and been won over by them as well. CeCe had held her breath when she'd introduced them to David, knowing she wouldn't be able to tolerate in-laws who didn't accept her son. Now as she watched David, Nate, and Mr. Richardson assemble the go-cart the three had gone out and bought earlier in the day, her heart filled up, as did her eyes.

  "What's the matter?" Mrs. Richardson asked, coming up behind her. The older woman had been out back chatting with Miss Brinson when CeCe had excused herself to check on the homemade ice cream that was cooling in Nate's freezer.

  CeCe tried to suck in her emotions. "Nothing, really," she said to Nate's mother. "I'm just happy, I guess."

  Mrs. Richardson put her arm around CeCe's shoulder. "You should be," she said. "I don't think I've seen my son this happy in a long time, CeCe. I love you for the role you played in giving him that happiness."

  CeCe turned to look back out the window at the man they were discussing. Today he and David wore matching khaki shorts and tan polo shirts. They had been dressing alike fairly often since the sleepover. She knew her son was as much in love with Nate as she was. "Well, your son is very much responsible for my happiness, and for David's. Nate is a very good man, and very, very rare."

  Mrs. Richardson's eyes crinkled at the corners as her lips curved in a proud smile. "I'm biased, I know, but I agree with you. I'm glad the woman he's chosen appreciates and loves the man he is, for Nate can be nothing other than what he is." She paused. "He's not perfect, not by a long shot, but he has a loving heart, and he can ask for forgiveness when he's wrong, and he can forgive when he's been wronged. I have no complaints with the man he's become or with the woman he's chosen."

  CeCe lowered her eyes. This woman's total acceptance of her still surprised her. She wondered if Mrs. Richardson would still think so highly of her if she knew everything about her past.

  "I don't know who's having more fun," Mrs. Richardson said, "grandpa, daddy, or son."

  CeCe's eyes filled up this time, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She turned to the woman she hoped would one day be her mother-in-law. Mrs. Richardson must have read the uncertainty only slightly masked by the tears in CeCe's eyes, because she added, "Nate told us that you two aren't officially engaged yet, but he also told us that he loves you and wants to marry you. And that you feel the same way."

  CeCe nodded through her tears. "I want to be his wife," she said.

  Mrs. Richardson placed her hands on CeCe's shoulders. "Then don't worry about David, CeCe. We already think of him as our grandson, and we'll love him just as we love our other grandchildren. You're both going to be part of our family, and we consider ourselves blessed to have you."

  "But—," CeCe began, wanting to say something but not sure what. How could this woman accept David so lovingly into her family, when his biological father and paternal grandparents had rejected him? It seemed too good to be true.

  "As I've already told Nate and Gert," Nate's mother was saying, "you all have to come to Chicago for a visit. We would all come to visit you, but Nate's oldest sister is expecting again, and she's not traveling. Nate has told them all about you, and they can hardly wait to meet you." Mrs. Richardson took a deep breath. "Now, do you need any help in here?" she asked, as if knowing CeCe was too overcome with emotion to continue their previous line of conversation. CeCe shook her head. "OK, then, I'll go back out and sit with Gert. You come back out when you're ready."

  CeCe nodded again.

  Mrs. Richardson turned back to her before she went out the door. "I'll be calling you to arrange the trip."

  CeCe watched the door long after Mrs. Richardson had gone through it. When Nate's family liked you, they really liked you, she guessed. They didn't seem to have any reservations about her relationship with Nate, which was just too good to be true. Though a part of her questioned her good fortune, CeCe decided to accept the Richardsons at their word. She wasn't going to go looking for trouble today, because she knew for a certainty that trouble knew all too well how to find her.

  "Why are you hiding out in here?" came the voice of the man she loved, the man who loved her. "We need your help with the go-cart."

  She shook off her thoughts and greeted Nate with a grin. "Sure you do. What do you want me to do? Pass the hammer?"

  Nate chuckled, then pulled her into his arms and hugged her briefly. Setting her away from him, he said, "You can pass the nails, too."

  CeCe laughed. "So, are your parents enjoying themselves?"

  Nate hopped up on the counter and sat. "Can't you tell? If they enjoy themselves any more, I may have to pry them out of my house." He frowned at the idea, or seemed to. "Right after I pry Marvin out, that is."

  Nate had been complaining about Marvin since he'd shown up the other week. His friend had settled in for the long haul, it seemed, though he had made himself scarce since Nate's parents arrived. CeCe assumed he was at Stuart's. "I thought you said nothing could make your parents leave their grandkids in Chicago."

  "Grandkids in Atlanta might," he said, all trace of humor gone. They hadn't talked about children, and CeCe warmed to the thought of sharing a pregnancy with this man. She hadn't had a husband by her side when she was pregnant with David, and the thought of sharing that experience with her baby's father filled her heart to overflowing.

  "They'll have to wait a while on that, won't they?" she said.

  He inclined his head toward the window where they could see David with Mr. Richardson. "Seems to me they already think they have one here," he said. "But I'm sure that the more there are, the greater the chance of my parents being willing to move here. Between my three sisters, they have six—seven if you count the one on the way—in Chicago. I'd be up for trying to break that record, but I guess it would ultimately be up to you. And the Lord."

  CeCe sucked in her breath. This conversation was getting out of hand. No way could Nate be serious about the two of them having seven children. He couldn't be.

  Nate hopped down off the counter and kissed her cheek. "Don't look so worried," he said. "Seven children could take us at least seven years." At her shocked expression, he turned and, whistling, left the house.

  * * *

  David wasn't the only one sleepy when Nate took him, CeCe, and Miss Brinson home later that night. The boy and Miss Brinson immediately went off to bed, giving a tired Nate and CeCe a few quiet moments together. When CeCe yawned, Nate said, "I guess this means no sitting in the swing tonight. The honeymoon is over before it even starts."

  CeCe gave him a sassy smile and reached for the mail scattered on the kitchen counter. Nate had brought it in while she and Miss Brinson made their way into the house.

  "And now, even the mail is more important than a few quiet minutes with me," he teased. "By the time we're married, I fear you'll have forgotten
I'm alive. You'll start treating me like the furniture."

  "Stop," she said, slapping his wrist with one of her letters. "We'll have to go through the mail when we're married, so we should start practicing now."

  "All right," Nate said. "I think you have a point." He walked behind her and hugged her.

  When he massaged her shoulder, she smiled and said, "That's not exactly—"

  CeCe stopped in midsentence. Nate felt her tense against him. "What is it?" he asked, looking over her shoulder at the letter she held in her hand. "Is it bad news?" He didn't see how she could know something was wrong, because she hadn't opened the envelope, but it was clear something was dreadfully wrong.

  CeCe seemed to make an effort to relax. "It's nothing."

  "Oh no you don't," he said, turning her around. "We need to start being completely open with each other now—even before we get married. Now tell me what's wrong. Was it that letter?"

  He watched her look at the letter, and the shutter in her eyes let him know that the letter was indeed the problem. "What is it?" he asked.

  With a sigh, CeCe handed him the letter. He noticed she did it with reluctance, and he almost refused to take it. Almost. "It's from Alabama. Is that your hometown?"

  She nodded.

  There was no name on the return address, just a street and city. "So who's it from?"

  She turned away from him. "Eric's parents."

  "Oh," he said. It was all he could think to say. He'd expected the pain to be caused by her parents, not Eric's. He handed the letter back to her and watched as she tore it up without opening it.

  "Why did you do that?"

  "Because I know what they want."

  He waited for her to tell him more, and when she didn't, he asked, "What do they want?"

  She sighed as if she'd told him this story a million times before and resented having to tell it again. "They want to be part of David's life. Can you believe that?"