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I’ll give him time. Time and incessant prayer.
John
The tightness in my chest eased when Hollie readily agreed to come back to the house with me. It seized up again when Jacob promptly snatched his mother away to talk.
And I’m accused of poor timing.
Not butting in was a challenge. Hollie was beat—both of them were, a factor that could skew an already intense conversation on a hard subject.
But, with a silently floated prayer, I watched mother and son disappear down the hall and listened to the guestroom door close. I sank my tired self into my faithful old recliner and closed my eyes.
Now, there hasn’t been a sound for nearly an hour. My mind races.
I’m all in.
Mylips produced those words? The bold declaration volleys back to me like a meal that didn’t settle right.
Sort of right.
Maybe right?
I want Hollie in my life.
Sure, but…all in? Who am I kidding? Even if she feels the same when this crisis has passed, it’s looking through a murky glass to be able to see how my being in her life is a net, long-run positive. Relationships and I have a contentious past. And Tyler? He’d get a raucous belly laugh out of the suggestion of me as a husband and stepfather.
Am I hallucinating, or did the four-letterLword boldly parade itself through my thoughts at some point during the marathon night?
I press my hands into my eyes, collecting my wits. The last eighteen hours have been akin to being on assignment in the field, only this time, I’m undercover as a good guy.
A text buzzes my phone, eliciting a groan. Finch want to meet for lunch in a couple of hours. Does this mean he’s found something out?
An actual prayer trails from my heart to Heaven…
“John.”
My eyes blink me to alertness. Did I sleep?
Like the honeysuckle that grows wild near my back porch, Hollie’s fragrance wraps around me. As she approaches, I gaze as deeply as I can into her red-rimmed eyes.
Yes.
Hollie is theyesto all my questions.
Even exhausted, she’s breathtaking. Retracting the footrest, I stand and wrap my arm around her waist. “How are you?”
She smiles softly into my eyes. “I am surprisingly okay.”
I don’t see how, but there’s no arguing with the unexpected lightness in her eyes. Relief can do that, I suppose.
The smile sags about the edges. “It was awful, but…it’s done.”
“How is Jacob?”
Her eyes water. “Alright. I figure dealing with this will be up and down, though.”
I imagine so.
She explains how he found out and how she now understands his abrupt attitude shift that happened not all that long before she approached me.
