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Rebekah grabbed her hands. “Sarah, after all you’ve been through, you deserve to be happy. So be happy. Don’t try to second-guess things. Dan loves you. So take this time and enjoy it.”
Sarah nodded, exhaling slowly, remembering Ange had said something similar before. “I still have this fear that I’ll sabotage things or something will go wrong.”
Rebekah looked seriously at her. “Sar, keep trusting God. I know you’ve really had to learn this the hard way, but just keep trusting that He’ll work things out.”
“I’ll try.”
“Now, have some more chocolate.”
Sarah laughed and reached for another piece.
* * *
Fascinating.Sarah looked like a sleeping, flying Supergirl, lying on her stomach on the lounge, one arm outstretched, the other clenched in a loose fist. Especially with the cherry red blanket bunched up around her head, then tumbling loose around her shoulders like a cape. Her eyes were buttoned shut, and she had the edges of her mouth tucked up like she held a special secret. Cute, cute, cute.
Dan leaned back on the couch opposite the one where Sarah lay. Happiness glowed within. He still struggled to believe he was actually here. Doubt had queried whether things would be as easy as before, but as soon as she’d smiled at him at the airport, all fears had vanished. Her smile always managed to chase away the dark edges of his soul.
He wrapped the throw he’d found lying on the end of the couch around his shoulders, warding off the cool of early morning. When he’d woken way too early—gotta love such different time zones—he’d read his Bible for a while, then after throwing on some warm clothes to beat the pre-dawn chill, he’d come down to watch Sarah sleep. It seemed like a great way to not waste a second of being in her company. The different bird song and the first glimmers of sunrise hitting unfamiliar trees and buildings had been a little disorienting at first. But the peace and serenity of early morning was always good, no matter where he was in the world.
“She’s kinda cute when she’s asleep, isn’t she?”
He started and looked up. Rebekah stood nearby, amusement on her face.
“I couldn’t sleep in either. I’m the Easter bunny this year, so I have to put the eggs outside in the garden for an Easter egg hunt when the girls wake up. But first I need a cuppa. You want one?”
Maybe this need for tea was an Australian thing. His hesitation elicited a small laugh from Rebekah. “Don’t worry, you won’t be missing anything. Sarah’s been like that since a kid. She always takes ages to get to sleep, tossing and turning and twisting the bedclothes inside out. She then burrows into the pillow and doona until she can’t hear anything, but once she’s asleep, heaven help the person who wakes her up.” She chuckled. “You’re Canadian. Think bear with sore head.”
He nodded, thinking back to the morning after Sarah’s bike fall back in Muskoka. Yep, the warning on her PJs was necessary. Crabby was only part of it. He joined Rebekah in the kitchen for the cup of tea and was soon able to glean all other sorts of useful information…
Once Rebekah moved outside to begin placing the foil-wrapped chocolate Easter eggs, he shifted back to his position on the couch. Sarah moaned something from underneath the blanket. He shifted to sit on the coffee table, hunching closer to the figure sprawled on the lounge. “What’s that, Princess?”
She pulled back the blanket and yawned. “Don’t believe everything you hear.” Sarah gave him a sleepy smile. “It’s called self-preservation. I cover my ears so I don’t have to hear her girls. They’resonoisy.”
He laughed as the shrieks and stomps of little feet overhead attested to that truth.
* * *
The morning’sEaster service and subsequent lunch were another fascinating insight into this family, so different to his own. Sarah and her sister had performed an item, their voices harmonizing perfectly for the rendition of “Amazing Grace.” James led the service, warmly extolling each person to live free and forgiven, fully embracing the new life Jesus had died for. It was almost like a personal vindication from the minister regarding Dan’s own history, and he’d looked up several times to see if James was referring to him in particular.
But no, this grace thing, so contrary to his own father’s, was just part of the Maguires’ life. They’d even invited anyone from church who wanted to come for lunch to do so. The end result had been another rowdy but happy and relaxed affair, attended by several lonely people from church including a single mom and her baby, a couple of elderly gentlemen, and other people he met for the first time at lunch.
This, apparently, was normal. His mom would die of shock if asked to do something like this, but Lindy just seemed to take the extra guests in her stride. The day for her was about people, not whether the table was set fancy or not. The Maguires just practiced what they preached. Grace. Acceptance. Love for others. And, it seemed, love for him.
Later that afternoon, after the guests had all left and the cleaning was finished, the sisters looked at each other, then at him with matching smiles. “I think it’s popcorn time!”
“Uh oh.” Joe shifted from where he’d been building a Lego castle with his six-year-old daughter. He glanced across at Dan with a look of amusement. “I know that look.”
“What?”
Joe stood, giving his daughter a tickle before making a show of looking at his watch. “Would you look at the time?”
“Joseph, don’t think you’re getting out of things that easily.”
He kissed Rebekah’s cheek. “Sweetheart, once was enough. Jonno and Andy are waiting for me. Anyway, I’ve already been initiated. You need to focus all your energies on Dan here.”
Sarah drew closer with that gorgeous smile on her face. “Daniel, if you want to hang around, then it’s time to let you know about one of the traditions in the Maguire household. Every Christmas we watch a movie, but because I was away we’ve had to wait until now to watch ittogether.” She made a face at her brother-in-law. “And now they’re old enough, it’s time to indoctrinate Rebekah’s girls.”
“A movie?” He shrugged. “Sure, okay.”
