A Path Less Traveled (35 page)

“How can you even
ask me that, Trish?” The wounded expression on his face stabbed her heart. “Do
you see me acting this way with other single women and their children?”

Her mind flitted
to Carla and Brody. “I see you being kind to them.”

“Kind, yes, but
do you see me pouring my life and heart into helping them?”

“No.”

“I’m not saying
that to pressure you. I know you might not feel the same, that it might still
be too early after your husband’s death for you to even consider it. I know you
have other things you want to do with your life, besides—”

“No, I don’t.”

Andy looked up,
the surprise on his face echoing her own. “What?”

“All I ever
wanted to be is a wife and mother. Everything else is secondary.”

“But your design
work. You’re so talented.”

“Maybe so, maybe
not. My degree was something I did to appease my parents.” She hesitated,
searching for words, while a mockingbird belted out his song from a nearby
pole. “The truth is that I enjoy sharing my art skills with others, whether I
get paid or not. If anything, trying to make a living off of it has made it
less enjoyable.”

He studied her,
and she allowed it, not feeling the least bit uncomfortable.

“There’s
something I need to tell you.” His words came out throaty and husky with
emotion. “I’ve been afraid to mention it. Afraid it would be one more wedge
between us. I didn’t come from a great family like the one you have. My dad . .
.” He blinked rapidly. “My dad is an alcoholic. He’s in a nursing home here in
Morganville.”

“I know.”

“You do?”

“Yes, Matt told
me when he came to town. Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

A brief coolness
descended on his face. “I don’t know. I guess because my past really has
nothing to do with who I am today.”

“It has
everything to do with who you are, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” She
reached across the concrete picnic table and grabbed his hand, drawing his
attention. “Don’t you see that it’s made you the wonderful man you are today?”

He ducked his
head, but continued to hold her hand. Finally he looked back up at her. “I
guess I was afraid you’d dismiss me as suitable partner material if you knew.
Sounds crazy now, but that’s how I felt.”

A breeze danced
through the branches of the willow tree that stood beside the lake, and then
caressed her face. She relished it for a moment, then did a quick scan of the
playground to check on Bo. “We all deceive ourselves.” Just like she’d deceived
herself into thinking she couldn’t accept help from others. It had taken a lot
of courage for him to tell her the truth. One more thing to add to her list of
things she admired about this man sitting across from her. “In all honesty, I
wasn’t completely truthful with you, either. I didn’t want anyone to know how
bad my financial situation was.”

“It wasn’t too
hard to figure out.”

Trish laughed in
spite of the seriousness of the conversation. “I’m sure it wasn’t, but at the
time it felt like something I needed to keep hidden. Something no one could
know. Something to be ashamed of.”

In a flurry, he
moved around the table and straddled the bench next to her. He grabbed her
shoulders, his eyes inches from hers. Her pulse pounded in her throat. “Trish,
I’m tired of holding back, tired of not being completely honest with each
other. I love you and I love Bo. I’m willing to wait if that’s what you want
and need, but I refuse to continue to pretend I don’t care.”

Her heart melted
at the sincerity in his eyes. She brought a hand to cup his cheek. “Andy, I
care about you, too. I’m so grateful God sent you to me and Bo.”

The next thing
she knew, his lips were on hers. His kiss was tender, but revealed the emotion
he’d bottled for so long. She couldn’t be sure how long the kiss lasted, a
moment or several minutes, but it ended when she felt Bo’s hand on her knee.

They both looked
at him at the same time, a snaggle-toothed grin spread across his
chubby-cheeked face. “Does this mean you like each other?”

Chapter 32

T
rish leaned against
the red brick of Miller’s Creek Community Church, checked her watch, and huffed
out a disgruntled sigh. What was keeping Andy so long? He should’ve been here a
half hour ago to help with the fall decorations for Dad and Mama Beth’s last-minute
wedding. A stickler for punctuality, Andy had fallen into the habit of being
late. Especially, it seemed, when he was supposed to meet her.

The past few
weeks since her return to Miller’s Creek, his attention had been constant, as
if he were somehow trying to prove himself. Her emotions did battle within.
Doubts, fears, and insecurities wanted her to believe Andy didn’t care as much
as he professed. She did her best to push the imposters aside and replace them
with an image of Andy’s loving eyes and kind heart.

Her cell phone
vibrated in her hand. Andy. “Where are you? I need your help unloading the
wedding decorations.”

“I know, Trish.
I’m so sorry. I got hung up in court, and there are a few other things I’m
trying to take care of as well.”

“What things?”

“That’s for me to
know and you to find out.” A cocky smugness resonated in his tone.

Why was he being
so secretive? Doubts returned.
Enough.
She didn’t have time for this
insecurity. Nor did she have time to wait on him. “Where are you?”

“I’m on my way. I
should be there in five minutes.”

“Fine.” Feeling
more than a little snarky, she clicked the phone shut, grabbed a box that
wasn’t too heavy, and lugged it through the double wooden doors of the church.
She’d done this on her own before. No reason why she couldn’t do it again.

On her own.
Trish
shook her head. Was she doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past? Would she
ever move past her foolish tendency toward pride? She plopped down on the front
pew and bowed her head.
Lord, thank You for making me recognize when I start
to wander from Your path. Forgive me for these fears, and help me to do better.

The side door
swung open, and Andy sauntered in, his face lit with a grin that vanished when
he saw her sitting there. He hurried to her side. “Sorry I’m late, sweetheart.”
He sat down beside her and plunked a kiss on her forehead. “Will you forgive
me?”

She sent him a
sideways mock glare. “Only if you’ll tell me what you’re up to.”

He chuckled.
“Nice try, but not gonna happen. You’ll just have to trust me.”

“You, more than
anyone, should know I have trust issues.”

A teasing smirk
landed on his face. “Just think of it as practice.”

Trish glanced at
the clock. “Yikes!” She jumped to her feet and headed toward the door. “We’ve
got to get this decorating done. I already feel about two years behind, and my
to-do list is out the door.”

Andy latched on
to her hand and spun her around. “Hey, slow down. You don’t have to be in such
a mad dash.”

Her frustration
mounted. “I don’t think you realize how much I have to do. In addition to this
wedding, I have five internet orders to fill. The Dallas Art Show—which may I
remind you, you got me into—is coming up, and I want to have a booth at the
Autumn Daze festival. I don’t know when I’m supposed to get all this d—”

He clamped a palm
over her mouth. “Shhh. Chill out, Trish. Remember our pact?”

She breathed in
deep. Only after she calmed down did he remove his hand. Trish repeated the
words that they’d prayed over together. “Trust that God is only going to give
us what we can handle. Anything else is our struggle to do it on our own.”

His eyes took on
that loving look that made her go weak in the knees. The one that made her
question her resolve to move slowly in this relationship. “I love you, Trish
James, and I’m so glad God allowed our paths to collide. I don’t want to take
this journey with anyone but you.”

Trish swallowed
and lowered her head. Why was this moving so fast? The more determined she was
to pull back, the more determined Andy seemed to break down her feeble barriers.

He must have
sensed her indecision, because he pulled her to him and sealed his words with a
kiss. “Now, let’s go get that stuff and get it thrown into place.”

Trish laughed and
plopped a kiss on the end of his nose. “As I recall, that was your method of
decorating at the last wedding you helped me with.” She shot off the comment,
then noting the mischievous look on Andy’s face, she screamed and raced away
from his grasp.

He caught her
before she reached the door, and she wasn’t sorry.

* *
* * *

The next day,
Trish stood at the back of the church and viewed the decorations, chiding
herself for her frantic behavior the day before. Andy had proved to be a
capable helper, able to somehow anticipate what needed to be done, and they’d
finished in record time. Now gold, orange, and fiery-red leaves, along with
berries and sunflowers, decorated the podium and spilled over onto the pew
decorations. The fragrance of cinnamon apples and pumpkin rose from lit candles
that decorated the perimeter of the sanctuary. The results were even more
stunning than Steve and Dani’s wedding.

She shook off a
chill that seemed to work its way out from a cold place inside her. Her Dad
would marry Mama Beth in a few minutes, a reality she still struggled with. Her
head knew Dad had no intention of replacing her mother with a new wife, but her
heart still ached for Mom.

Once again, all
of Miller’s Creek had turned out for the wedding, the friendly chatter in the
church louder than the soft music that spilled from the speakers. Dani sidled
up and put an arm around her shoulder. “Trish, you’ve outdone yourself again.
It’s beautiful.” She paused, her blue eyes full of concern. “I know this isn’t
easy for you, but I want you to know how much Mama Beth loves your dad.”

Trish ducked her
head to hide the tears that stung her eyes. “I know she does.”

“She’d like to
speak with you alone before the wedding, if you feel up to it.”

A knot formed in
her throat. This was something she needed to do. Dad loved Mama Beth, and it
was important that she felt welcomed into the family. She gave Dani a nod, then
made her way to the bride’s room.

Mama Beth stood
near the window, dressed in a knee-length gown of ivory lace, and turned to
face Trish as she entered the room. “I was afraid you wouldn’t come.”

Trish walked over
to give her a hug. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you,
dear.” A hand flitted nervously to the cameo at the base of her throat. “Can we
sit and talk for a few minutes?”

“Sure.”

They moved to a
pair of Queen Anne chairs. Mama Beth studied her with kind, wise eyes. “I know
I’ve already told you this, but I wanted to say it again. I’ve loved your
father my entire life. During high school, we both dreamed of the day we’d be
grown and married with children.” Her voice caught, and she lowered her head to
gather control. “But God had other plans. For reasons no one knows, God’s plan
for your father was to marry someone else.”

Trish thought
through the information, realizing again how much this woman had endured, her
dreams and expectations for life bound up in a man who took a different road.
“I’m sorry for how painful that must have been.”

Mama Beth smiled
sadly. “For a very long time I questioned why God allowed my path to be so
painful, just as I’ve seen you ask Him the very same questions.”

It was true.
She’d never seen the path of widowhood coming.

The older woman
stood and made her way to a small package nearby and brought it back to Trish.
“I made a gift for your father a very long time ago, while we were still in
high school. I made another one for you.”

Trish took the
package and gently removed the wrapping to reveal a hand-stitched bookmark
engraved with the words:
“Trust in the LORD with all you heart and lean not
on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct
your paths.”
Tears slipped down Trish’s cheeks unbidden. Mama Beth had no
way of knowing how much this very verse had impacted her life over the past few
months.

“I’m sorry,
Trish. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Trish smiled up
at her. “I’m okay. It’s just that this verse has become very special to me. I
think this bookmark is God’s way of telling me my relationship with you is
going to be very special as well.” She lifted her purse and opened it, removing
the matching bookmark Dad had given her—the one worn with time and prayers—the
one she always carried with her no matter what.

Mama Beth gasped.
“He gave it to you?”

“Loaned might be
a better word.”

A tender smile
crossed Mama Beth’s face. “Isn’t it amazing how God intersects and weaves our
paths together?”

“Andy and I have
talked about that before.”

“Speaking of
Andy.” Mama Beth laid a hand on hers. “How are things going?”

Trish frowned.
“He’s wonderful, but . . .”

“But what?”

“I just can’t get
past how quickly this has all happened.”

“I understand your
reservations, Trish, but I believe God brought that young man into your life
for a reason.” Her kind blue eyes held wisdom. “Trust Him.”

Lord, show me
how.
She faced Mama Beth again, and held out Dad’s worn bookmark. “Would
you like to carry this as your ‘something old’?”

Mama Beth’s eyes
flooded with tears and she wrapped Trish in a hug. “I’d be honored, dear.”

A few minutes
later, Trish and Andy met beneath a twinkling arch of fall leaves and berries
to once again head down the aisle.

“This seems vaguely
familiar,” Andy muttered under his breath as they headed down the aisle to
camera flashes.