help Bella Joy find the love of a godly man, and for Anna and her husband not to be discouraged by the recent vandalism at the youth center in SoHo. They prayed for Nelly’s current relationship, that the two of them would be wise in the time they spent together, and that God would make it clear if this was a guy who would stay and not run. Finally they asked that Laura and Brad would continue to draw close to the Lord and to each other in the final weeks leading up to their wedding. And that the storybook start would, indeed, lead to the sort of happy ending only Christ could provide.
When the study was over and the girls were gone, Laura sat alone in her living room, staring out the window at the outline of trees against the moonlit sky. Her parents were out to dinner and wouldn’t be home for another hour, so for now she relished the quiet. The girls were right. Her life really was something from a storybook.
In some ways, the truth brought an uneasiness, a fear Laura couldn’t quite define. Somewhere along the path of her life, she would of course run into a bump in the road, or a broken road, for that matter. But whatever lay ahead, she had this certainty above all: Brad loved her and he loved God. He would stand beside her through the seasons of life, and when it rained … well, when it rained, he would be her shelter.
She was sure of it. And that would make it easier to love her enemies when the time came.
Laura checked her watch. Brad would call in twenty minutes, because that’s what he always did. Mondays were his day at the gym, the evening when he pushed himself the hardest. Sure enough, like clockwork, her cell phone rang just before nine o’clock. “Hey, baby,” she smiled as she answered. “Just a minute.” She ran lightly to the swing out back and settled in. From here, she had a full view of the waxing moon. “There. I took you outside. It’s too nice out to sit indoors.”
“It is.” His voice was more serious than usual. “I walked a mile on the rooftop track after my workout. I love Manhattan in May.”
“You walked on the roof?” Laura knew that wasn’t part of his routine. “Don’t you usually finish up with a swim?”
“Not tonight.” He sighed and the sound rattled with uncertainty. “I needed to think. Figured I could do that better outside.”
He needed to think? There it was again, the slight hint of concern, the suggestion that somehow six weeks before their wedding everything wasn’t as wonderful as it should be. She worked to keep her tone light. “What’d you think about?”
The silence on the other end lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like so many long minutes. “I don’t know … home, maybe. North Carolina.” He sounded confused, like he couldn’t accurately define his feelings if he tried. “The Kotton Kids campaign is still stumping me.” Another sigh. “I think I’ll take Friday off and fly to Raleigh. Spend time with my dad. Maybe I’ll find the slogan on the beach.”
Laura fought the panic welling inside her. “Do you want … me to go with you? Maybe the wedding’s getting to you.”
“It’s not that.” His tone was tired, strained. “I think I need to do this alone, Laura. I miss my dad a lot. Maybe it’s just starting this new chapter in life and losing a sense of what I left behind.” He hesitated. “Does that make sense?”
“Um … sure.” The panic grew, but she refused to acknowledge it. She wanted to know everything, every last detail of his thought process. But she didn’t want to be pushy or overbearing. The details would come. She kept her tone light. “If you need to go home … you should go.”
For the first time in the conversation, Brad seemed to understand how he must’ve sounded. “Baby,” a weak groan came from him. “Don’t think for a minute this is about you. It isn’t.”
“I don’t think that.” She tried to utter an awkward laugh, but the sound died on her lips. “I mean,” she
When the study was over and the girls were gone, Laura sat alone in her living room, staring out the window at the outline of trees against the moonlit sky. Her parents were out to dinner and wouldn’t be home for another hour, so for now she relished the quiet. The girls were right. Her life really was something from a storybook.
In some ways, the truth brought an uneasiness, a fear Laura couldn’t quite define. Somewhere along the path of her life, she would of course run into a bump in the road, or a broken road, for that matter. But whatever lay ahead, she had this certainty above all: Brad loved her and he loved God. He would stand beside her through the seasons of life, and when it rained … well, when it rained, he would be her shelter.
She was sure of it. And that would make it easier to love her enemies when the time came.
Laura checked her watch. Brad would call in twenty minutes, because that’s what he always did. Mondays were his day at the gym, the evening when he pushed himself the hardest. Sure enough, like clockwork, her cell phone rang just before nine o’clock. “Hey, baby,” she smiled as she answered. “Just a minute.” She ran lightly to the swing out back and settled in. From here, she had a full view of the waxing moon. “There. I took you outside. It’s too nice out to sit indoors.”
“It is.” His voice was more serious than usual. “I walked a mile on the rooftop track after my workout. I love Manhattan in May.”
“You walked on the roof?” Laura knew that wasn’t part of his routine. “Don’t you usually finish up with a swim?”
“Not tonight.” He sighed and the sound rattled with uncertainty. “I needed to think. Figured I could do that better outside.”
He needed to think? There it was again, the slight hint of concern, the suggestion that somehow six weeks before their wedding everything wasn’t as wonderful as it should be. She worked to keep her tone light. “What’d you think about?”
The silence on the other end lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like so many long minutes. “I don’t know … home, maybe. North Carolina.” He sounded confused, like he couldn’t accurately define his feelings if he tried. “The Kotton Kids campaign is still stumping me.” Another sigh. “I think I’ll take Friday off and fly to Raleigh. Spend time with my dad. Maybe I’ll find the slogan on the beach.”
Laura fought the panic welling inside her. “Do you want … me to go with you? Maybe the wedding’s getting to you.”
“It’s not that.” His tone was tired, strained. “I think I need to do this alone, Laura. I miss my dad a lot. Maybe it’s just starting this new chapter in life and losing a sense of what I left behind.” He hesitated. “Does that make sense?”
“Um … sure.” The panic grew, but she refused to acknowledge it. She wanted to know everything, every last detail of his thought process. But she didn’t want to be pushy or overbearing. The details would come. She kept her tone light. “If you need to go home … you should go.”
For the first time in the conversation, Brad seemed to understand how he must’ve sounded. “Baby,” a weak groan came from him. “Don’t think for a minute this is about you. It isn’t.”
“I don’t think that.” She tried to utter an awkward laugh, but the sound died on her lips. “I mean,” she
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