God, her Heavenly Father, who wanted to be her father.She, who had never known a father.
Oh, that warmth inside felt something like liquid love pouring over her, through her, sweeping away the muck in her heart like a tsunami of crystal clear water, filling up that emptiness she’d tried to fix by working hard, doing good, seeing others give their approval.
She didn’t have to do that.God loved her.That was enough.That waseverything.She wiped her eyes.
“Mommy, don’t be sad.”Bella hugged her.“It’s a good prayer to pray.”
“Yes.”
She kept her eyes closed, then felt heat flow through her back as Kyle placed his hand there.
“God loves you,” he murmured.
She nodded.“I know.”
“You… you do?”
She rubbed her eyes, and glanced up at where he was studying her, his own eyes red-rimmed like he’d been as touched as them in this moment.
And something like a rush of fresh and deep affection for this man, for his patience, for his kindness, flowed from her heart to him.She loved him.Lovedhim.She knew now what that word meant.Not just the heady rush of emotion but quiet love, persistent care, acts of service that went unregarded.Kyle might have come back into their lives for the sake of his daughter, but he’d demonstrated God’s love before leading them there.
“Kyle.”
“Gen.”
She didn’t know what to say.Licked dry lips.Noticed his gaze fell there.
“Mommy, are you okay now?”
Gen hugged Bella near.“I’m really good.Better than I’ve been in a long, long time.”
“Me too.”Bella beamed.“So Dad, what do I do now?”
Kyle’s gaze was soft as he glanced between them.“Well, I’ve found it’s really helpful to read the Bible, to get to know more about Jesus and what He said and how He lived, so we can understand and follow Him better.So we’ll have to get you a Bible.”
“Cool!”
“You can actually get a Bible app on your phone, but I like to have a real one too.”
“Okay.”
“And it’s important to regularly pray and talk to God, and be quiet too sometimes, so you can let Him talk to you.He wants to be your friend, and that’s what friends do, isn’t it?It’s not just one person talking at the other all the time.”
“Yeah, my friend does that sometimes and it’s kind of annoying.”
He chuckled.“And it’s good to go to church, to be with other believers who can encourage you, and help you understand your Bible.”
“Do you go to church?”Bella asked.
“I do.I can take you if you like.”He glanced at Gen.“If your mom agrees.”
Gen nodded.“I’d like that.”
“You want to come too?”Bella asked.“Awesome.”
“So awesome,” Kyle said softly, his eyes shining.
Truly awesome, she agreed.Impossibly awesome.Except this feeling in her heart was not impossible, not a fairy tale, but real; this hope was something that could never be erased.
