Triumphant Love: A Christian Romance (The True Love Series Book 4)

by Juliette Duncan

  Stephanie laughed. “Of course you have. Fire away.”

  Tessa drew a steadying breath. “I’ve always loved your mother’s farm. In fact, I’ve often day-dreamed about buying one just like it, but I’ve never mentioned it to Ben.” She paused and drew another breath. “What if Ben and I bought it off your mum, and turned it into a retreat? It could even be used for your disadvantaged youth.” Tessa’s heart quickened as she uttered the words. It felt so right.

  Stephanie’s face lit up. “Tess, that’s a great idea! And Mum would be so happy it was being used to help others.”

  Tessa straightened. “Ben would have to agree, of course, but I think he would. Since we’ve been back from Ecuador we’ve been praying about what we should be doing, and I think this might be the answer. I can see it already… little cabins dotted around where people can stay to unwind and spend quality time with each other and with God. A big communal area for groups, outdoor activities, and animals. Lots of animals!” Tessa couldn’t help her enthusiasm. The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became that the idea was from God.

  “It sounds great, Tess.” Stephanie beamed at her. “Now all we need to do is make it happen.”

  Tessa exhaled slowly. “Yes. We need to pray about it, and then I’ll talk to Ben. I’m sure our church would back it too, so we can talk with our Pastor.” She leaned forward again and squeezed Stephanie’s hand. “I really feel good about this, Steph.”

  “So do I, Tess.” Stephanie chuckled. “But first you’ve got to have this baby!”

  Tessa laughed. “Yes, that’s true.” She glanced down and rubbed her tummy. “And it can’t happen soon enough!”

  The waiter appeared at their table and collected their empty plates. “Can I get you two ladies anything else?”

  Tessa looked at Stephanie. “Coffee?”

  “That’d be great.”

  “Two flat whites, thanks.”

  “Coming right up.”

  As the waiter weaved his way through the tables, Tessa clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain. She breathed heavily, trying to deal with the sudden excruciating pain stabbing her stomach.

  “Tessa, what’s happening?” Stephanie wheeled her chair closer to Tessa and draped her arm across her shoulder.

  “Oh Steph…I think I’m in labour.” She clutched her stomach again as another stab of pain hit her.

  “You can’t be…it’s too early.”

  “I know… and Ben’s on his way to America. Oh… I’m going to be sick.” Tessa placed her hand over her mouth and tried to hold back the vomit rising in her throat.

  The waiter appeared out of nowhere and placed a bowl on her lap. “I’ll call an ambulance.”

  Tessa threw up her whole lunch and more before the ambulance arrived. The paramedics placed her onto a trolley bed and settled her in the ambulance. As they were closing the doors, Stephanie called out that she'd follow as soon as her mother arrived. Tessa could only nod.

  Chapter 18

  Jayden sat in the middle row of Mr. Morgan’s SUV with his arm around Angie as they sped along the main highway towards Camp Fletcher. His stomach was tight, and despite the coolness in the air, his hands were damp with sweat. In the front, Simon chatted to his father, but Jayden and Angie sat in silence. During the week they’d spent at her place, they’d skirted around the fact that their relationship as they knew it was coming to an end.

  He kissed the side of her face, his eyes lingering on the cute ringlets of red hair spiraling down her neck. She turned her head and smiled at him, sending his raw nerves into a whirl. Just as well Mr. Morgan and Simon were in the car, because it was the only thing stopping him from kissing her.

  Just as dark settled in, Mr. Morgan turned off the highway and into the entrance to the campsite. Twenty or so cars were already parked in the parking lot, and lights from the main building lit up the surrounding area. A gust of wind barreled into Jayden as he opened the car door. There’d been talk of cancelling the weekend camp because of the threat of bad weather, but the decision had been made to hold it anyway. Maybe not so wise as the wind was already whipping up a storm. He zipped his jacket up and then helped Angie out of the car. The faint tinkling of a piano reached them through the whistling wind.

  “We must be late.” Jayden had to shout.

  “No, they’ll just be practicing.”

  As he grabbed their luggage from the trunk, another car pulled up alongside. Gareth and his girlfriend, Rachel, climbed out.

  “Hey Jayden. Good to see you. Ready to jam?” Gareth called out above the wind.

  Jayden nodded. “Yep, can’t wait.”

  “Great. Let’s get out of this wind.”

  Inside, the main building buzzed with young people chatting and laughing. A casual supper had been prepared for those who hadn’t eaten. Jayden carried his guitar to the front of the room where the other instruments were all sitting, and then joined his group of friends around a table. He reached for Angie’s hand and held it tightly.

  “Sorry to hear about your mother, Jayden.” Rachel leaned forward across the table, a concerned look on her face.

  Jayden gulped. Word had obviously gotten around. “Thanks.” He offered a warm smile.

  “Is she going to be okay?”

  Jayden let out a breath. “I hope so.”

  “We’re all praying for her.”

  “Thanks.”

  “It’s the least we can do.”

  Gareth stood and slapped him on the back. “Come on, time to rock and roll.”

  Jayden sighed with relief. He couldn’t talk like this any longer. He needed to lose himself in some music.

  The band began to play, and before long all the chairs were filled with young people eager to join in. Jayden glanced at Angie every few seconds, his heart fluttering every time their eyes met. If only there was some way of staying. But he’d looked into it, and there really wasn’t any option. As soon as the authorities were alerted, he’d have to leave. The good news was that as he was still a minor, he may not be barred from re-entering in the future, but how could he and Angie survive with not seeing each other? His heart ached at the thought.

  He glanced up again and studied her as she played. She made it look so easy, and she played so well. There was no doubt in Jayden’s mind she’d be selected for a musical scholarship once she graduated from High School. He let out a sigh. The only way it could work would be for him to go home, finish school, and then apply for University here as well. But he wanted to study Veterinary Medicine, and it was unlikely he’d get in since places were limited, even if he studied hard. He’d have to study something else, but if it meant being with Angie again, he’d do it. He felt himself becoming anxious again, and had to remind himself to trust God, just as the words of the song they were playing said to do.

  Pastor Graham walked to the front as the song came to an end. Jayden took a seat with Angie and held her hand. He had no idea how he’d be able to concentrate on the message, but he tried to push all thoughts of leaving aside for the moment to focus his attention on the pastor. There were still a lot of unanswered questions from the study they’d been doing, and he did want to listen.

  “Welcome to Camp Fletcher, everyone. We’re going to have a great weekend of fun, fellowship and learning, despite the weather.” He glanced outside as a gust of wind howled through the trees. “Over the past couple of months, we’ve been finding out how we can be certain of God’s existence. We’ve studied the creation story, and how recent scientific discoveries are confirming that the universe as we know it was brought into existence by an intelligent being, and instead of refuting the creation story, these discoveries are confirming that it couldn’t have just happened by chance, as many scientists and others used to believe. The more they study the complexity of the universe and all the living beings within it, the more proof there is for an intelligent designer. I’m sure you’ll all agree it’s really exciting stuff. As Christians, we believe that the intelligent des
igner is God, but how is it possible for us, as mere human beings, to have a personal relationship with a God who’s so immense and so powerful? How can God have any relevance in our day to day living? That’s the topic of this camp, and I hope that by the end of it, you’ll be so in awe of God that you’ll never doubt His keen interest and involvement in your life every minute of every day. Let’s bow our heads.”

  Jayden squeezed Angie’s hand as he bowed his head. His spirit quickened as Pastor Graham began to pray.

  “Lord God, Creator of heaven and earth, and all that is within this great universe, we pause to give You thanks for loving us. You know each one of us by name, You know how many hairs are on our heads, You know our thoughts before we even think them. You know our future, and You know our past. There is nothing You don’t know about us. And yet, we often struggle to trust You. We doubt Your love for us. We wonder how You can be involved in our lives when we can’t see You. And we wonder if You really care for us when things go wrong, as they so often do. Lord God, please open the eyes of our hearts to You this weekend. Reveal Yourself to us in a special way, and may we all leave this place with the profound assurance that You, the God of all creation, has written your name on our hearts, and that nothing in this world or the next can separate us from Your love, which is perfect and true in every way. Amen.”

  Jayden brushed his eyes before raising his head. He wasn’t the only one who’d been touched—Angie was wiping her eyes too.

  As Pastor Graham gave his message, Jayden listened with an eager heart. He’d heard most of it before, but had never really understood it. Tonight, it was a light bulb moment.

  “God is God. He’s the great ‘I am’. He’s sovereign. He can choose to do as he wants. Our understanding of who He is so limited. Not until we see Him face to face in eternity will we even have a glimpse of His majesty and power.

  “But despite this, God’s made it possible for us to know Him personally through a faith relationship with Jesus, His son. Only through Jesus can we be connected to God. Jesus is the door to eternal life, but He’s also given us the Holy Spirit to guide and to lead us. Through prayer and Bible study we can come closer to God, but we shouldn’t just pray when we need help. We have to develop a relationship with God, much like we develop a relationship with a friend.

  “Romans 12:2 says ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.’ If we follow what the world says, we’ll never grow close to God. The more we study the Bible and pray, the more we’ll learn what the will of God is in our everyday lives. Our thoughts will become more in line with God’s, and our actions and reactions will reflect His love. God wants us all to have new ways of thinking, new ways of acting. His aim is that we be transformed and freed by the truth of His word. That we allow the fruit of His Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, to grow in our hearts, to love Him with our whole being, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. This is the will of God for our lives."

  Pastor Graham paused, allowing his gaze to travel around the auditorium. “My challenge to you tonight is this—will you allow God to transform your minds as well as your hearts? I’m not going to drag this out. You’ll know if God’s working on your heart. If you want to do business with God, come forward as we sing the last song, and tell Him you don’t want to be conformed to this world any longer, but that above all, you want to live for Him, and that you’ll allow Him to transform you into the young man or woman He wants you to be. One that will show His love to the world; who’ll be compassionate and kind. To be God’s light in a world filled with darkness. To be God’s ambassador here on earth. Come now if you want to do business with God.”

  Jayden’s heart pounded as he stood and walked with Angie to their instruments. He desperately wanted to go forward, but he had to provide the music. As he played, Jayden realized he didn’t need to go to the front— he could do business with God right where he was. As he strummed the chords for “Take my Life and Let it Be”, he sang the words as well, and gave God every part of his life.

  Angie lifted her hand from the keys and wiped her eyes as she played. She was doing business with God as well.

  Later, after the evening program had ended and everyone was having supper, Jayden led Angie to a quiet corner away from the crowd. His pulse quickened at what he was about to do.

  Chapter 19

  Tessa thought she was going to die. The whole time in the ambulance, she threw up, a strange thing to do if she was in labour. It didn’t make sense. Plus she had diarrhea as well as stomach cramping. In between vomiting and diarrhea bouts, one of the two paramedics wiped her forehead with a damp cloth, but said very little apart from giving her words of encouragement. As she lay there, gripping her stomach, Tessa occasionally caught the looks that passed between the two paramedics, but couldn’t work out what they meant. Were they so worried they couldn’t say anything directly to her?

  After what seemed an eternity, the ambulance pulled up outside the hospital and within moments she was being wheeled into the Emergency Department. She placed her hands on her stomach and prayed for her unborn baby before she reached for the bowl and vomited up bile. She panted hard. What was happening to her?

  A nurse took her vitals and whispered to another nurse. Stephanie and Mrs. Trejo appeared beside her. Stephanie’s face was white. A feeling of dread flowed through Tessa’s body before another stab of pain hit.

  A young female doctor entered the cubicle and placed her hands over Tessa’s abdomen. “I’m going to give you an internal, Mrs Williams.”

  Tessa’s face fell.

  “Don’t worry, the nurse will clean you up first.”

  Relief flowed through her.

  Tessa tried desperately to control her bodily functions whilst being examined. She tried picturing Ben on the plane, and where he’d be right now. Maybe flying over Fiji. She began dry retching. She pushed the vomit back, but her stomach tensed.

  “Just relax, Mrs. Williams. Take some deep breaths.”

  Tessa nodded and tried to breathe deeply, just like she’d been taught at the ante-natal classes she and Ben had been attending. She finally calmed, allowing the doctor to complete the examination.

  The doctor stepped back and pulled off her gloves. “Well, I’ve got some good news for you. You’re not in labour.” A small grin formed on the doctor’s face.

  Tessa drew her eyebrows together. “What’s wrong with me, then?”

  “You’ve got a bad case of food poisoning.”

  Tessa struggled to sit. “Food poisoning?”

  “Yes. Can you think what you’ve eaten that might have caused it?”

  A nurse arranged some pillows behind Tessa’s back.

  Tessa thought about all the food she’d eaten over the past few days. Lamb Koftas, baked Camembert cheese, roast chicken from the local store. That’s what it was. She’d had it for lunch yesterday and thought at the time it tasted a little off. Why did I eat it? She grabbed her stomach and doubled over as excruciating pain hit her again. She groaned in agony.

  The doctor placed her hand on Tessa’s back. “We’ll do some tests, and keep you in until it passes. We’ll need to monitor your baby.”

  Tessa’s head jerked up. “Is something wrong?”

  The doctor patted her arm. “No, please don’t worry. It’s unlikely there’s a problem, but best to be sure.”

  Tessa let out a breath. “Okay.” She tried to smile. “Thank you.”

  “My pleasure, Mrs. Williams. The nurse will look after you. I’ll look in on you a little later.”

  “Thank you.”

  When the doctor left, Stephanie wheeled herself in and stopped beside Tessa’s bed. “Food poisoning, huh?” She angled her head, a grin forming on her face.

  “Seems that way.” Tessa reached for the bowl again. How much more vomit did she have le
ft? Tessa wiped her mouth and settled her breathing. “I can’t take much more of this.”

  Stephanie squeezed her hand and gave her an encouraging smile. “You’ll survive, Tess.”

  Tessa sighed. “Guess so.” She straightened. “I need to call Ben.”

  “No need to worry him, Tess. Besides, he wouldn’t answer.”

  “Mmm, guess you’re right. I’ll send him a text.”

  “Let me do it? You need to rest.” Stephanie picked up the damp face washer and wiped Tessa’s brow.

  Tessa lowered her head against the pillows. “Thanks. Phone’s in my bag.” Her eyes flickered and closed.

  Ben settled into his seat for the long haul flight to Billings, Montana, via Los Angeles and Portland. As the plane banked over Moreton Bay, revealing the sprawling city of Brisbane below, he uttered a quick prayer for Tessa. He hated leaving her, especially in her condition, but there was no way either he or the doctor would have allowed her to travel. She’d told him not to bother calling until he got there, assuring him she’d be fine, but he couldn’t help being slightly concerned.

  The plane was full, and he was glad he’d chosen an aisle seat. At least he could stretch his legs a little. Once the seat belt light was switched off, he flipped open his laptop and clicked on a client file. Everyone else was busy choosing a movie to watch, but he had work to do, and this was a great opportunity to catch up. But thoughts of Jayden and Tessa kept running through his mind and he finally gave up. There was no way he could concentrate.

  Maybe he should have forewarned Jayden instead of turning up unannounced. What if Jayden didn’t want to see him? But Robert Morgan had convinced him it was the right thing to do. Ben ran his hand slowly over his head, lowered the seat back, and tried closing his eyes, but he couldn’t get comfortable. A baby a few seats further back began crying. He sat up and flicked through the movies until he found one he might like.