by Simmons, Pat
“My lady is kicking me out.” They chuckled together as they put on their coats and exchanged holiday greetings with others as they walked to the car.
Back at Candace’s house, Lindsay opened her gifts—all three of them—from Royce while she warmed up her turkey dinner. She hoped Royce liked the nature CDs to lull him to sleep and the few other small items from her and Lindsay.
Candace watched with amusement as her daughter rewarded Royce with a death grip around his neck from her little arms for the 3-D twenty-five piece puzzle dollhouse that they had put together in record time. Lindsay bobbed her head up and down when Royce whispered something in her ear. Without speaking a word, her daughter skipped away. Royce patted the spot next to him on the love seat. “Your turn.”
CHAPTER twenty-five
Candace tried to hide her excitement. It had been five years since a man bought her any Christmas presents—gifts period. Her boss sending chocolates, cheese and nuts through the mail didn’t count.
Once she made herself comfortable, Royce cooed, “Close your eyes.”
The seat shifted seconds before she was ordered to open them. Candace’s heart pounded at the sight of Royce on one knee. So what if it was cliche-ish.
“Baby, I love you,” his husky voice began, “and that cute little girl in there.” He paused to wipe at a tear that had escaped when she blinked. “I want you, Candace, and I need you and Lindsay to make my life complete. I’m ready to be your husband and her father. Marry me.” Reaching into his pants pocket, he pulled out a tiny gift-wrapped box. “Say yes.”
Candace’s hand trembled as she pinched the tiny ribbon to untie it. Royce strong hand wrapped around hers to steady it. “Thanks,” She said as her voice cracked.
Meticulously she unfolded the gift wrap that wasn’t taped. She took a deep breath and they opened the blue velvet box together. “It’s so beautiful.”
“Like you….Will you marry me?”
Candace never thought this moment would come again. She never imagined she would ever utter, “Yes, I would be honored.”
Royce slid the ring on her finger, then kissed her hand. He admired it before turning her hand over, then brushed his lips gently across her palm. “Thank you.”
Closing her eyes, Candace leaned toward him. Royce graced her lips with a soft kiss. The sweetness lingered until she opened her eyes to meet his.
“You still want to send me home?”
“I guess you can stay fifteen minutes longer,” she teased.
Royce was about to tickle her when Lindsay appeared in the doorway. “Did Mommy say yes?” she asked excitedly.
Hmm. Candace wondered if her daughter had been watching all along. She eyed Royce with a fake frown. “You were in cahoots with my daughter?”
“Yep. This is officially a family affair.” He grinned. “Come on Lindsay, let’s tickle Mommy.”
Squealing, Candace pleaded for mercy. Royce wrapped her in his arms and Lindsay hugged her. She felt so loved. “As payback and because I care about my fiancé, I’m sending you home.”
“Yes, dear.” After treating himself to a goodbye kiss, Royce strolled out the door, whistling. “I’m finally going to get me a wife.”
Once Royce’s tail lights had disappeared around the corner and Lindsay was occupied with the dollhouse that she and Royce had put together, Candace stared at the engagement ring. It was much bigger than the one Daniel had given her. Grabbing her cordless phone, she headed to her bedroom and closed the door. She couldn’t contain her excitement when Solae answered. “I got a diamond for Christmas.”
“Me, too.”
Candace did a praise dance for both of them. Two friends, two brothers and two weddings. This was better than that old musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.
epilogue
Six months later, Candace and Royce stood at the altar with their wedding party: Solae as her maid of honor; Lindsay, the adorable flower girl and Hershel, Royce’s best man.
The sanctuary was packed with well-wishers, including a heavy dose of firefighters. When a group of them left in a hurry, she and Royce exchanged knowing glances.
Solae was teary eyed that Candace had beaten her to the altar twice, but thankfully her good friend’s day was coming. Candace refocused. She was moments away from becoming Mrs. Royce Kavanaugh.
“Therefore what God has joined together, let no dishonest man or conniving woman put asunder,” Pastor Alexander stated with a twist that had become customary for the nuptials he officiated. Her pastor took marriage very seriously and his pre-nuptial counseling proved that. Still, the look of surprise on Royce’s face was amusing.
Jesus, help us to be faithful, true and discerning about who we let into our circle, Candace silently added.
“You may now kiss your bride,” Pastor Alexander granted his permission with a nod.
Candace felt like a princess when Royce gathered her in his arms, tilted her back and smothered her with a kiss hot enough to ignite a fire that would stop traffic.
If you enjoyed this story, please post a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or BN.com and tell a couple of friends. A humble thank you for your support!
www.patsimmons.net
Coming next,
Hershel and Solae’s story, tentatively titled, A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS, Book II of the Love at the Crossroads series.
Other Books/eBooks by Pat Simmons
Christmas will never be the same for Joy Knight if Christian Andersen has his way.
Not to be confused with a secret Santa, Christian and his family are busier than Santa's elves making sure the Lord's blessings are distributed to those less fortunate by Christmas day.
Joy is playing the hand that life dealt her, rearing four children in a home that is on the brink of foreclosure. She's not looking for a handout, but when Christian rescues her in the checkout line; her niece thinks Christian is an angel. Joy thinks he’s just another man who will eventually leave, disappointing her and the children. Although Christian is a servant of the Lord, he is a flesh and blood man and all he wants for Christmas is Joy Knight. Can time spent with Christian turn Joy’s attention from her financial woes to the real meaning of Christmas—and true love? A Christian Christmas is a holiday novella to be enjoyed any time of the year.
***Look for A CHRISTIAN EASTER in Spring 2014***
Three fathers, one Father’s Day and four children. Will the real dad, please stand up.
It’s never too late to be a father—or is it?
Christian Andersen was looking forward to spending his first Father’s day with his adopted children---all four of them.
But Father’s day becomes more complicated than Christian or Joy ever imagined. Christian finds himself faced with living up to his name when things don’t go his way to enjoy an idyllic once a year celebration. But he depends on God to guide him through the journey.
Sometimes a woman just wants to surge on something new, especially when she’s about to attend an event with movers and shakers. Find out what happens when Pepper Trudeau is all dressed up and goes to the ball, but another woman is modeling the same attire.
At first, Pepper is embarrassed, then the night gets interesting when she meets Drake Logan. Her Dress is a romantic novella about the all too common occurrence—two women shopping at the same place. Maybe having the same taste isn’t all bad. Sometimes a good dress is all you need to meet the man of your dreams.
(Book I of Making Love Work series)
How do two people go undercover to hide an office romance in a busy television newsroom? In plain sight, of course.
Desiree King is an assignment editor at KDPX-TV in St. Louis, MO. She dispatches a team to wherever breaking news happens. Her focus is to stay ahead of the competition. Overall, she's easy-going, respectable, and compassionate. But when it comes to dating a fellow coworker, she refuses to cross that professional line.
Award-winning investigative reporter Bryan Mitchell makes life challenging for Desiree with his thoughtful g
estures, sweet notes, and support. He tries to convince Desiree that as Christians, they could show coworkers how to blend their personal and private lives without compromising their morals.
(Book II of Making Love Work series)
Call it old fashion, but Simone French was smitten with a love letter. Not a text, email, or Facebook post, but a love letter sent through snail mail. The prose wasn’t the corny roses-are-red-and-violets-are-blue stuff. The first letter contained short accolades for a job well done. Soon after, the missives were filled with passionate words from a man who confessed the hidden secrets of his soul. He revealed his unspoken weaknesses, listed his uncompromising desires, and unapologetically noted his subtle strengths.
Yes, Rice Taylor was ready to surrender to love. Whew. Closing her eyes, Simone inhaled the faint lingering smell of roses on the beige plain stationery. She had a testimony. If anyone would listen, she would proclaim that love was truly blind.
(Book III Making Love Work series) To Jillian Carter, it’s bad when her own daughter beats her to the altar, but in less than ninety days, that is exactly what will happen between Shana and Trent Harris. Jillian became a teenage mother when she confused love for lust one summer. Despite the sins of her past, Jesus forgave her and blessed her to be the best Christian example for Shana.
Jillian is not looking forward to becoming an empty-nester at thirty-nine. The old adage, she’s not losing a daughter, but gaining a son-in-law is not comforting as she braces for a lonely life ahead. What she doesn’t expect is for two men to vie for her affections: Shana’s biological father who breezes back into their lives as a redeemed man and practicing Christian. Not only is Alex still goof looking, but he’s willing to right the wrong he’s done in the past. Not if Dr. Dexter Harris has anything to say about it. The widower father of the groom has set his sights on Jillian and he’s willing to pull out all the stops to woo her. Now the choice is Jillian who will be the next mother’s love” a closet Christian or a man who is willing to declare the good news about his salvation.
It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is Thy faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23
God’s mercies are sure; His promises are fulfilled; but a dawn of a new morning is God’ grace. If you need a testimony about God’s grace, then If I Should Die Before I Wake will encourage your soul. Nothing happens in our lives by chance. If you need a miracle, God’s got that too. Trust Him. Has it been a while since you’ve had a testimony? Increase your prayer life, build your faith and walk in victory because without a test, there is no testimony.
How important is a name? To the St. Louis Jamiesons who are tenth generation descendants of a royal African tribe—everything. To the Boston Jamiesons whose father never married their mother—there is no loyalty or legacy. Kidd Jamieson suffers from the “angry” male syndrome because his father was an absent in the home, but insisted his two sons carry his last name. It takes an old woman who mingles genealogy truths and Bible verses together for Kidd to realize his worth as a strong black man. He learns it’s not his association with the name that identifies him, but the man he becomes that defines him.
Aaron “Ace” Jamieson is living a carefree life. He’s good-looking, respectable when he’s in the mood, but his weakness is women. If a woman tries to ambush him with a pregnancy, he takes off in the other direction. It’s a lesson learned from his absentee father that responsibility is optional.
Talise Rogers has a bright future ahead of her. She’s pretty and has no problem catching a man’s eye, which is exactly what she does with Ace. Trapping Ace Jamieson is the furthest thing from Taleigh’s mind when she learns she pregnant and Ace rejects her. “I want nothing from you Ace, not even your name.” And Talise meant it.
It’s salvation round-up time and Cameron Jamieson’s name is on God’s hit list.
Although his brothers and cousins embraced God—thanks to the women in their lives—the two-degreed MIT graduate isn’t going to let any woman take him down that path without a fight. He’s satisfied with his career, social calendar, and good genes. But God uses a beautiful messenger, Gabrielle Dupree, to show him that he’s in a spiritual deficit. Cameron learns the hard way that man’s wisdom is like foolishness to God. For every philosophical argument he throws her way, Gabrielle exposes him to scriptures that makes him question his worldly knowledge.
Two worlds apart, but their hearts dance to the same African drum beat. On a professional level, Dr. Rainey Reynolds is a competent, highly sought-after orthodontist. Inwardly, he needs to be set free from the chaos of revelations that make him question if happiness is obtainable. His father, the upstanding OB/GYN socialite is currently serving prison time after admitting his guilt in an old crime. His older sister refuses to move past the betrayal and attempts to use Rainey as a crutch, but her bitterness is only keeping the family at odds as his twin sister, Cheney Reynolds Jamieson, tries to rebuild a damaged relationship caused by decisions she made in the past. To get away from the drama, Rainey is willing to leave the country under the guise of a mission trip with Dentist Without Borders. Will changing his surroundings really change him? If one woman can heal his wounds, then he will believe that there is really peace after the storm.
Ghanaian beauty Josephine Abena Yaa Amoah returns to Africa after completing her studies as an exchange student in St. Louis, Missouri. She’ll never forget the good friends she made while living there. She couldn’t count Rainey in that circle because she rejected his advances for good causes. Josephine didn’t believe in picking up the pieces as the rebound woman from an old relationship that Rainey seems to wear on his sleeve. Although her heart bleeds for his peace, she knows she must step back and pray for Rainey’s surrender to Christ in order for God to acquit him of his self-inflicted mental torture. In the Motherland of Ghana, Africa, Rainey not only visits the places of his ancestors, will he embrace the liberty that Christ’s Blood really does set every man free.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Pat Simmons is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth. She is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She describes the evidence of the gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering experience. She believes God is the author who advances the stories she writes. Pat has a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She has worked in various media positions in radio, television, and print for more than twenty years. Currently, she oversees the media publicity for the annual RT Booklovers Conventions. She is the author of nine single titles and several eBook novellas. Her awards include Talk to Me, ranked #14 of Top Books in 2008 that Changed Lives by Black Pearls Magazine. She is a two-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance for Still Guilty (2010) and Crowning Glory (2011). Her bestselling novels include Guilty of Love and the Jamieson Legacy series: Guilty by Association, The Guilt Trip, and Free from Guilt. The Acquittal (Book 1 in A Guilty Parties series) and The Confession is her 2013 winter release. Pat loves to hear from her readers. Email her at [email protected] or snail mail at P.O. Box 1077, Florissant, MO 63031.