Remember by Karen Kingsbury Page A

Kournikova, the beautiful tennis pro. Luke thought they were wrong. Reagan was far more beautiful than Kournikova. He was six feet two, and Reagan was six feet with heels. She attracted attention everywhere she went. And on top of that she was funny and sweet, and she loved a good softball game. Most important, she was committed to God, just like Luke. Everyone agreed she was perfect for him. He thought so too.
    Reagan stirred and sat up straighter in the seat. “What time is it?”
    “Almost one. Another half hour and we’ll be there.”
    “Good.” She snuggled against his shoulder, her voice sleepy. “I can’t wait for them to meet you.”
    “You’re sure they’ll like me?”
    “Silly.” She gave him a grin and tapped the end of his nose with her finger. “What’s not to like?”
    She drifted off again, and Luke thought about what she’d said. That was it, wasn’t it? He’d tried to live his entire life in a way that honored God. And as a result, his life was turning out just the way it should.
    Not like Ashley, who’d run off to Paris and gotten pregnant—and who knew what else?—before dragging herself back home. She’d been raised with the same morals, the same beliefs that he had. But she’d thrown them all away, and her life had been a mess ever since. Even worse, her choices had shamed the family.
    And what about Tim, Kari’s husband, who’d not only cheated on her but actually moved in with one of his students? He had not only disgraced the family; he’d been killed in the process! Before then, of course, Tim had come home and tried to make things work with Kari, and Luke supposed that was a good thing. But why hadn’t Kari avoided Tim in the first place? The guy had been all wrong for her, too old and academic. Especially when a guy as wonderful as Ryan Taylor had loved her all her life.
    Luke leaned back in the seat. He still wasn’t sure what he thought about Tim’s murder. It had been tragic, of course. But in the end Tim had reaped what he sowed too. Luke couldn’t help but think that Kari was better off now, no matter how hard it had been.
    Luke yawned.
    Sometimes when he thought about things this way, he wondered if he was being heartless or judgmental. Ashley certainly thought he was. But that wasn’t it, not really. It was just that he cared about obeying God and doing the right thing. Upholding the honor of his family. And it bugged him when people in his own family just didn’t bother.
    Not that he was perfect. He knew he was a sinner—everyone was. But he’d tried hard to live the way he should, the way he’d been raised. He prayed. He went to church. He’d always made a point of not drinking or partying and had done his best to avoid situations with girls who were too tempting. He felt he owed it to God and to his family. To himself, for that matter.
    And now all his efforts were paying off—that was clear. He was reaping what he had sown.
    This trip to New York was just one more bit of evidence.
* * *
    Luke felt as if he were flying—the view from the eighty-ninth floor of the north tower of the World Trade Center was that amazing.
    Reagan’s father, Tom Decker, was giving the tour, with Luke and Reagan trailing a few feet behind him.
    “I can’t believe this,” Luke whispered to Reagan.
    She giggled, her own voice barely audible. “Wait till you see his office.”
    Reagan was right. Her father led the way into a wood-paneled room, and Luke had to catch himself to keep from gasping out loud. The view was beyond anything Luke could have imagined. But he didn’t want Mr. Decker thinking he was out of his element. After all, one day soon he’d have a degree of his own and an office much like this one. At least he figured he would.
    “This is something else, sir.” Luke moved to the window and stared down. Viewing the city from eighty-nine floors up was surreal, almost like looking down from an airplane.
    “I like it.” Mr. Decker grinned. “Most people are