They all saw the relief wash over Ann’s face. Lindsey noticed Marie and Pete were doing their best to hide their smiles. Anne tried to recover her dignity by quietly smoothing her hands over her pants.
Lindsey swallowed. “Mom, really, I’m fine. I didn’t mean to upset you. The trip was great. In fact, it was better than great.” She paused for a split second, then let it out. “I met a man, Mom. His name is Steve. I fell in love with him.”
There was silence. Her mother just stared at her with her big, green eyes.
“So … ” Lindsey continued. Once she started to say it out loud, it was easier for her. “He came here and asked me to marry him. I wanted to talk with all of you first, so I’m glad you’re all together and I only have to do this once. But, I am ready to say yes.”
Ann looked at Hugh. “What does this mean?”
Lindsey was shocked by the look on her father’s face. No one said a word. The sounds from the ticking of the grandfather clock seemed loud to her ears. Hugh was completely still for a few moments, and then suddenly exploded.
“What are you thinking?” he shouted loud enough to make Lindsey jump. “What is he thinking?” He stood up and began to pace around the room. “Who is this person, and why in the world do you think I’m going to agree to this? I haven’t waited this long to see you married to someone we don’t even know. If you think I’m paying for this mistake, you are wrong!” He finished and stomped out of the room. They heard the door to the garage slam shut.
Lindsey was frozen in place for a full minute before she could move. She’d never heard her father raise his voice to her before. She reached for her cross, and sat there for a moment, Ann, Marie and Pete staring at each other in silence.
Finally, Lindsey summoned her courage, and followed him out into the garage.
“Dad?”
“Hmm?” he muttered from in front of her mother’s new clay wheel.
Lindsey slowly crossed the garage to stand in front of him. “I know this is sudden,” she started.
Hugh turned his back on her and crossed his arms over his chest.
Lindsey continued anyway. “Steve is an incredible person, Dad. He is all I could ever ask for. But, what I didn’t get a chance to tell you is that Steve’s grandfather and Nana had a relationship.”
Hugh said nothing for a moment, then turned back toward his daughter. “How is that possible?”
“When Nana went to Calgary, she met Steve senior and they fell in love. I know it’s hard to believe, but I can show you the letters from him that Nana saved.” She paused and looked directly into his blue eyes. “This is much bigger than us, Dad,” she told him. “This love is truly from God, and I know that He wants me to spend my life with Steve.”
Hugh looked at her, and sighed. “I know you’re telling me the truth, Lin, but I have my reservations … ” He shook his head and took a deep breath. “I apologize for raising my voice at you, Sugar. I will try to give him, Steve, an open mind when I meet him.”
“I can bring him over tomorrow. I think he’s going to hang around here for a little while,” Lindsey said, thankful for any attempt on her father’s part.
They walked back into the house and were met by congratulations from Marie and Pete. The three huddled together and talked about the wedding plans, until Lindsey noticed her mother hadn’t moved from her seat.
“Mom?” She knelt down beside her chair. “This is good thing, Mom. I’m happy, and he’s a wonderful man.”
Ann began to cry. “You’re moving away aren’t you?”
Lindsey nodded and her own eyes began to well up with tears. “I think so. Steve’s life is there and I can envision mine there too. It’s not that far away, and you and Dad can visit any time you want.”
Ann sniffed. “I know, but what about grandbabies?” She used the towel to wipe off her cheeks. “I’ve been waiting so long.”
Lindsey smiled. “Where I live won’t change the fact that when I have children, they’ll be your grandbabies. They will know all about you and we’ll visit here too. It’s going to be okay, Mom.” Lindsey was trying to convince herself as well, she knew.
She felt her father’s hands on her shoulders. “We knew this might happen, Ann,” he said over the top of Lindsey’s head. “But, we also know that Lindsey makes good decisions. If this is what she’s decided, we need to support her.”
Lindsey watched as her mother composed herself, at least for the moment.
“I’d like to meet him. Steve,” Anne finally said. “I’ll put together an engagement party for tomorrow night. Let’s say around six?”
Her mother’s way of dealing with things was to stay busy. That was fine with her.
“Thanks, Mom.” She smiled and stood up to hug her. “I guess now, the only thing left to do is to tell the groom!” she exclaimed.
“You haven’t accepted yet?” Marie asked her.
“I was still upset over the way things were left, but it had all been a huge lie. Steve’s friend Don lied to both of us in an attempt to break us up. It worked, but fortunately, the truth finally came out. Steve flew all the way here to ask me to marry him, and I didn’t give him an answer yet.”
It suddenly occurred to her that he must be feeling very anxious and upset right now. “I have to go,” she said as she grabbed her keys off the coffee table. “I’ll see you all tomorrow night!”
Twenty-Seven
LINDSEY RETURNED HOME to retrieve the paper with Steve’s hotel information on it. She was ninety-nine percent sure that the decision she was making was the right one. She had only one more thing to do to change that to a perfect one-hundred.
She grabbed her laptop out of her briefcase, set it on the kitchen table and quickly pulled up the information she had found on Don’s sister Julie. The nagging questions about Julie were still rumbling around in her mind, and she didn’t want to be with Steve and have doubts about him.
“May I speak with Julie, please,” she said to the gentleman who answered the phone.
“Sure. Hold on a sec.” He set down the phone. “Jules! Phone!” he yelled.
Lindsey heard feet running down the stairs in the background, and continued to wait. Her heart was pounding in her ears and she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to hear a word of what Julie was going to say.
“Hello?”
“Is this Julie Freedmont?”
“Yes. Who is this?”
Lindsey swallowed in an attempt to gain her composure. “I don’t know if you’ll know who this is. Maybe you will? But, this is Lindsey Waters,” she paused waiting for some acknowledgement of recognition. When Julie didn’t say anything she continued. “I live in Michigan, but was on the tour last week with Steve and Don.” And again she waited for a response. Still nothing.
“Well, Steve and I started spending time together and we really hit it off.”
Julie finally responded. “That’s great ma’am, but … like … I don’t really understand why you’re telling me this.”
Lindsey reacted to the ‘ma’am’ and the ‘like’ by asking, “How old are you?”
“Seventeen last month. Why?”
“Oh my goodness. I am so sorry to bother you. I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I do want to meet you soon though, as Steve and I are going to be married.” It sounded so good to say it out loud.
“Well, congratulations ma’am. I have to go now.”
“Thank you, Julie,” she said into an empty phone line.
Lindsey’s joy could hardly be contained. She ran up the stairs and put on a flattering turquoise top that enhanced the color of her eyes and paired it with black linen pants and a simple turquoise heart pendant around her neck. She slid her feet into a pair of black sandals on her way out the door and drove quickly, but carefully to Steve’s hotel.
Her heart was pounding once again and she wiggled her finger to her ear in an attempt to clear from it the pulsing sound. She wanted to hear everything that Steve had to say.
The conci
erge wouldn’t tell her what room Steve was in, but he did call up to Steve’s room to tell him he had a visitor.
Steve dashed out of his room, forgetting to put on his shoes in his haste, which he noticed only when he was halfway down the stairs.
It was at that same moment that he saw Lindsey, and shoes became the last thing on his mind. He slowed his pace to expand the moment. He wasn’t sure he wanted to hear her answer. He didn’t know what he would do if she didn’t accept.
Lindsey wasn’t going to waste another minute though. She saw his hesitation, so she took the lead and ran over to him. She took his hands into hers and looked into his eyes.
“Yes.”
“Yes?” he questioned.
“Yes, yes, yes, a hundred times yes! I will be your wife!”
He had never heard such wonderful words. He knew in that moment that he could ride the bull for eight seconds, he could rope a steer quicker than any other competitor, and he could even free-climb Devil’s Gap. Energy surged through his body like never before. He gathered her into his arms and swung her around as they laughed. Then he set her down and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.
“You’ve made me so happy, Lin. And I promise to do the same for you. Never again will we let anyone come between us. Deal?” He extended his hand.
“Deal.” She shook it.
“What do we do now?”
“My parents have offered to throw us an engagement party tomorrow night. Can you stick around for that?”
His eyes narrowed. “How did they know?”
She laughed. “I had to talk it over with them first. I left out all the bad things though, so they won’t have any tainted feelings toward you or Don. At this point, I just want to begin again with a clean slate.”
He admired her ability to forgive and forget. “I’d like that too.” He pulled her back into an embrace. His relief was so apparent in every bit of his being that he didn’t know what to say or do next.
Fortunately, Lindsey was thinking clearly. “Would you like to see my hometown?” she asked.
“Sure. Let’s go,” Steve said as he started walking towards the front door.
“Wait.” She pulled him back. “I think you’re forgetting something.” She pointed to his bare feet.
“Oh, yeah. Give me two minutes. I’ll be right back.” Steve could hear her laughter as he ran up the stairs to retrieve his shoes.
They spent the evening with Lindsey giving him a tour. They drove around town and she showed him where she had gone to school, her church, the beach, and even the library. They both were getting hungry, but didn’t want to be around a lot of people, so they stopped at the store and headed back to her house to make dinner.
“I’ve never had tofu meatballs before,” Steve admitted with his nose turned up.
She smiled. “Don’t worry. You won’t even be able to taste the difference.”
They continued to make the spaghetti sauce, noodles, and French bread in comfortable silence. They worked alongside each other as if they’d spent years learning how the other moved. It was peaceful, and Lindsey enjoyed having him in her home.
Over dinner, the conversation turned to wedding details and where they would spend their lives.
“I haven’t had much time to think about this, but let me know if this sounds okay to you,” she began. “I fell in love with you and with Calgary at the same time. I know your life is there. The connection to the earth that I felt there was enough to tell me that I belong there too.”
Steve sat up straighter in his chair. “Are you sure, Lin?” he asked. He had been willing to move here for her. The rest of his life didn’t mean anything without her.
“Positive. But … I’d like to have the wedding here around my family, if that’s okay?” She wondered how he was going to respond to her request.
He smiled, partly in relief and part in admiration. She had a way of finding the best solutions to make everyone happy.
“We can do that my lady,” he said as he waved his hand in front of her.
“Hey—” she grabbed his hand. “Where did you find this?” she asked, holding the silver ring on his finger.
“Someone left it on the bus last week.”
“That someone was me,” she laughed. “I bought it for you, but when Don told me you were already taken, I slipped it off my finger and left it on the bus.”
“It’s a perfect fit,” he joked.
“Well, take it off for now,” she pretended to scold him. “I’d like to give it to you at our wedding.”
Steve took another look at the ring on his finger. “I’d like that,” he told her as he slipped it off and placed it in her hand. Then, he realized he didn’t have a ring for her.
“Do you think your family will make the trip? Is Grandpa feeling well enough?”
“I think they will. He’s doing a lot better.” He hesitated and wondered whether or not to ask the next question. “How soon should we do this?”
“I don’t know,” Lindsey answered honestly. “I don’t want to wait too long though to begin our lives together. I feel like we’ve wasted enough time already.”
“I agree. Do you think we could pull it together this week?”
“Really?” Her eyes opened wide. “I’ll talk with Pete and see if the Triple C is available. What about your family?”
“They’ll be here. Even if it’s only for one night, they’ll make it.”
“What about Don?” She hesitated to ask, but wanted to know his thoughts.
“I think we should invite him. He’s like a brother to me and with that comes the good and the bad. I also think we should show him how strong our bond is. I know the relationship between us will be different, but I think he can accept that and will be around to support us.”
Lindsey smiled. She saw the beginnings of forgiveness crossing Steve’s face which she was happy to see. She knew Don’s betrayal had to have eaten up Steve inside.
“Well?” she asked.
“Well, I’d better help you clean up this mess, find something to wear for tomorrow night, and spend tomorrow calling my family and booking flights for them.” He sighed. “This will all come together, won’t it?”
Lindsey nodded. “We’ll make it happen.”
She drove him back to the hotel, said goodnight and returned home feeling an exhilaration that she hadn’t felt in days, possibly months, if she counted the sadness from her Nana’s passing.
Her light mood was quickly replaced with sadness at the thought of leaving her house. It was one of her last tangible connections to her Nana and she regretted having to let it go, but she planned on moving most of the furniture with her and would place the house for sale as soon as possible.
“It’s time to live, Lindsey,” she heard her Nana’s voice in her head.
“I know, Nana. I know,” she said to the empty house. She smiled and made her way upstairs to bed.
Twenty-Eight
THE ENGAGEMENT PARTY was a success. Steve made a lasting impression on all her family and friends without even trying. His charm was simply a part of him.
Marie pulled Lindsey aside. “He is great,” she whispered.
“I know. I’m so lucky,” Lindsey smiled.
“We’d like to make an announcement,” Steve shouted in an effort to quiet the room. Lindsey walked over to him and he put his arm around her waist. “Lindsey and I are going to be married this Saturday!” He paused, waiting for the hoots and hollers to quiet.
It was Lindsey’s turn. “Pete will be performing the ceremony, and we’d love for you all to be there at two o’clock at the church. We’re going to have a small reception in the banquet hall after the ceremony, so bring your appetites.”
Lindsey and Steve had made all the arrangements during the day. They were somewhat surprised that everything had fallen into place, but both trusted God to guide them, and knew if they were making a wrong decision, he’d change their course, as he had with the couple who were previously going to be mar
ried on Saturday.
The groom who was supposed to get married had changed his mind, and the couple decided to postpone things for a while, so Pete was able to officiate Steve and Lindsey’s wedding, and the church was now available.
Steve returned to mingling with their guests, but Lindsey’s dad asked to speak with her alone. “Hey, Sugar. Steve has made a good impression on me. He asked for permission for your hand in marriage,” he paused. “I know it’s after-the-fact, but he didn’t have to ask at all. I think you found a good man.”
“I know Dad. I almost don’t believe it, but I’m trusting God to guide the way. I believe he sent Steve to me, and I want to hold on with all of my heart.”
“That’s a good way to feel.” He looked across the room at Ann. “After all these years, I still feel that way about your mother.”
Lindsey had always hoped to find a relationship that was as strong as her parents’ marriage had become after dedicating their lives to the Lord. After years of doubt, she finally believed it could happen.
On the other side of the room, Helen made her way toward Steve. She reached into her pocket to feel if the small box were still there. “Can I talk with you for a minute? In private?” she whispered into his ear.
He turned around in surprise. “Sure, Helen. Where can we go?”
“Why don’t you come outside into the backyard with me?”
Steve had no choice but to follow her. “What’s this about?” he asked, once they were outside. Lindsey had told him more of Adele’s relationship with his grandfather, and Steve knew that Helen had been keeping secrets. He understood why she hadn’t told anyone, but he was still cautious.
He had no need to be wary. Helen reached into her pocket and pulled out a small ring box. She opened it to reveal a single gold band with two small pear shaped diamonds and a garnet in the middle.
Steve was at a loss for words.
“Your grandfather sent this ring to Adele on the tenth anniversary of their meeting. She wore it only on special occasions, when she thought no one would notice. And she wore it in the privacy of her own home every day. When she got sick, she gave it to me for safe keeping.” Helen blinked back the tears in her eyes. “I just know, considering the circumstances, that she would want you to give this to Lindsey.” She handed him the ring.
Journal of a Lifetime (Journals of Love) Page 16