Honestly, I will. But I’m thirty-two years old. I gave three children and twelve years of my life to Dan. I don’t think I have much left to offer Adam.”
“Nonsense,” Grace replied. “Give him your heart. You’ve kept it to yourself far too long.”
“Mom, how did you know…”
“Know what? That you never loved Dan? That things weren’t right between you? Honey, I knew from the start. When you finally did really care about him, it was more of a watching-over-him, wanting-to-help-him, wanting-him-to-change kind of affection.” Grace leaned forward to touch Angela’s cheek.
“I wanted to love him. He was my husband, thefather of my kids. And they loved him very much. They still do.”
“I know, but when he left you, I was glad. I knew you’d be too stubborn to ever leave him.”
“I guess I was glad when he left, too, but I didn’t want him to die. I hoped he’d be happy with Sylvia, if she was what he wanted,” Angela responded. “The Lord knows he was never happy with me.”
“But Dan is gone, regardless of how we feel about it. And you’re free to love and free to marry. So do that for me. Make your mother happy by being happy yourself for a change.” Grace smiled and stood up. “And my guess is Adam Dalton is your man.”
“I don’t know, Mom. He’s almost perfect Sometimes it scares me. How could things be so good?”
“Wait until you’ve married him. You won’t believe how good things can be,” Grace commented with a sly smile. “That’s how God intended.”
Angela reached for her glass of tea without responding. Her mother was right, she knew. She really had no idea how a relationship like that could be.
Grace frowned at the silence. “You and Adam—you’re not…”
Angela nearly choked on her iced tea. “Mom! I’m thirty-two years old!”
“I didn’t ask your age. I asked if—”
“You can’t ask me personal things like that,” Angela stated flatly.
“I can ask you anything I want. Whether you answer or not is up to you.” Grace stood, waiting for a reply.
“No, of course we’re not,” Angela said with a sigh. “Mom, give me a break, will you? I’m an intelligent woman, a mother, a Christian. Do you think I have no regard for living a Christian life-style? For myself? In front of the children? I’m not the same stupid college kid who got into trouble.”
“I know you’re not. Forgive me for asking, but I worry about you. You’re not a kid, but you’re still my child. You’ll see how this feels when Heather is grown up.” Grace sat back down, pushing some brown hair behind an ear. “Adam is exactly the kind of man I had envisioned for you to marry.”
“Well, I may not be what his mother envisioned for him, or even what he envisioned for himself—a woman with three kids to raise?” Angela ran a hand through her disheveled dark hair. “I must look awful.”
“Not awful enough to scare him away,” Grace said with a smile. “He was here all last evening helping with you and Heather, both sick with the stomach flu. If he didn’t love you, that would have been the right time to make a quick exit, don’t you think?”
“I guess you’re right. God is so good to me, I don’t know why He’d give me another chance. Especially with a man like Adam. I don’t even know if I could be a good wife to him. I’m not certain I know how.”
“You’ll figure it out, one step at a time,” Grace assured her. “I’m going to check on Heather again. I want you to sleep.”
“But what about David and Nathan?”
“They went home with him after you and I cameback from the emergency room. He’s taking them to school, as long as they both feel okay. They didn’t show any signs of catching this bug last night. Now, you get some sleep. Adam will be over later to see you, and I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” Grace stated.
“Thanks, Mom,” Angela said, and reached out to clasp her mother’s hand. “I love you.”
“I love you,
“Nonsense,” Grace replied. “Give him your heart. You’ve kept it to yourself far too long.”
“Mom, how did you know…”
“Know what? That you never loved Dan? That things weren’t right between you? Honey, I knew from the start. When you finally did really care about him, it was more of a watching-over-him, wanting-to-help-him, wanting-him-to-change kind of affection.” Grace leaned forward to touch Angela’s cheek.
“I wanted to love him. He was my husband, thefather of my kids. And they loved him very much. They still do.”
“I know, but when he left you, I was glad. I knew you’d be too stubborn to ever leave him.”
“I guess I was glad when he left, too, but I didn’t want him to die. I hoped he’d be happy with Sylvia, if she was what he wanted,” Angela responded. “The Lord knows he was never happy with me.”
“But Dan is gone, regardless of how we feel about it. And you’re free to love and free to marry. So do that for me. Make your mother happy by being happy yourself for a change.” Grace smiled and stood up. “And my guess is Adam Dalton is your man.”
“I don’t know, Mom. He’s almost perfect Sometimes it scares me. How could things be so good?”
“Wait until you’ve married him. You won’t believe how good things can be,” Grace commented with a sly smile. “That’s how God intended.”
Angela reached for her glass of tea without responding. Her mother was right, she knew. She really had no idea how a relationship like that could be.
Grace frowned at the silence. “You and Adam—you’re not…”
Angela nearly choked on her iced tea. “Mom! I’m thirty-two years old!”
“I didn’t ask your age. I asked if—”
“You can’t ask me personal things like that,” Angela stated flatly.
“I can ask you anything I want. Whether you answer or not is up to you.” Grace stood, waiting for a reply.
“No, of course we’re not,” Angela said with a sigh. “Mom, give me a break, will you? I’m an intelligent woman, a mother, a Christian. Do you think I have no regard for living a Christian life-style? For myself? In front of the children? I’m not the same stupid college kid who got into trouble.”
“I know you’re not. Forgive me for asking, but I worry about you. You’re not a kid, but you’re still my child. You’ll see how this feels when Heather is grown up.” Grace sat back down, pushing some brown hair behind an ear. “Adam is exactly the kind of man I had envisioned for you to marry.”
“Well, I may not be what his mother envisioned for him, or even what he envisioned for himself—a woman with three kids to raise?” Angela ran a hand through her disheveled dark hair. “I must look awful.”
“Not awful enough to scare him away,” Grace said with a smile. “He was here all last evening helping with you and Heather, both sick with the stomach flu. If he didn’t love you, that would have been the right time to make a quick exit, don’t you think?”
“I guess you’re right. God is so good to me, I don’t know why He’d give me another chance. Especially with a man like Adam. I don’t even know if I could be a good wife to him. I’m not certain I know how.”
“You’ll figure it out, one step at a time,” Grace assured her. “I’m going to check on Heather again. I want you to sleep.”
“But what about David and Nathan?”
“They went home with him after you and I cameback from the emergency room. He’s taking them to school, as long as they both feel okay. They didn’t show any signs of catching this bug last night. Now, you get some sleep. Adam will be over later to see you, and I’ll leave you two alone for a while,” Grace stated.
“Thanks, Mom,” Angela said, and reached out to clasp her mother’s hand. “I love you.”
“I love you,
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