What God Has For Me by Pat Simmons Page A

“Hey, bro. I’ve got a question about this new procedure
on the products coming from overseas.”
    “Yep.” After Zachary walked his brother
through the steps and was about to end the call, Michael stopped
him.
    “So how is everything going with
Halcyon?”
    “I couldn’t have made a wiser choice for an
office manager. She’s smart and the children are well mannered at
the store, as I expected they would be. As a matter of fact, I’m
heading over to the car business to get files for her to insert
into a new program she suggested I use.”
    “Efficient. That’s a Holland trait, but I
wasn’t talking about in a professional capacity. She was pretty
upset last night when she called Desi. She was hurting bad,
man.”
    “I know.” Releasing a heavy sigh, Zachary
squeezed his lips in frustration. “She had a setback after seeing
Scott. Just like the devil to show up when we were finally getting
somewhere as a couple. Ashanti was affected too, seeing her father
with someone else. She didn’t cry out for him, but asked me to be
her daddy.” He smiled again.
    “Halcyon really does have some good children.
So what are you going to do about being her daddy?”
    “I know what I want to do.”
    “Which is?” Michael prompted.
    “Ask her to marry me and let me adopt Ashanti
and Jonathan. That’s what I would like to do. My feelings for her
deepened when I was her coach during Lamaze classes. I shamefully
imagined what it would be like for us to have a child. That Scott
is really a piece of work…” Zachary stopped himself from saying
more, because whether he admitted it or not, he was affected
too—just in a different way.
    “Then step up to the plate, man. No matter
what, she needs you,” Michael kept harping on what he should do
until they ended the call. The tables were turned. Zachary had sat
him down and had given him the third degree after delivering an
upper cut for lending his certain body part to another woman. That
had been worth repenting for because Michael was giving the Bishops
a bad name.
    Now Zachary had to watch himself, because his
flesh wanted to lash out with a major assault on Scott. But then
God wouldn’t get the victory, and neither would he. Plus, landing
in jail with a police record would definitely smear his good name.
He had to pray from afar, because this was something Halcyon had to
figure out for herself.

Chapter 13
     
     
    “I know you don’t want to hear this,” Desi stated
while she and Halcyon hid in their mother’s kitchen, nibbling on
peanut butter cookies they had baked for their children.
    “But it looks like you’re going to tell me
anyway,” Halcyon said, resting her treat on the napkin. Lifting a
brow, she folded her arms and waited.
    “Of course, I am. You need closure, sis.”
    Closure? Halcyon shook her head. “I
had it when I moved out of the apartment more than a year ago.”
    Desi placed her hand on top of hers. “Then
why are you still hurting?” When Halcyon shrugged, her sister
pressed on. “Believe me, I know about hurting—you know I do, but
our closure came during that snowstorm when Michael spent the
night. We both laid it on the table that we had to own up to the
choices we made in life, and accept the consequences. The truth
really did make us free just as John 8:32 says.”
    Halcyon gnawed on her lips. “This isn’t the
same thing, Desi. You and Michael didn’t have any children to
complicate the situation.” She frowned. “I guess what really hurts
is we were together for years. Scott never mentioned marriage—not
once—yet he didn’t seem to have commitment issues after I left. Why
do men do that?” Maybe she should seek a degree in psychology to
understand human behavior instead of finishing her accounting
degree. “That made me feel like something was wrong with me.”
    “Sounds like there was something wrong with
Scott!” Desi squeezed her lips shut, seemingly wanting to say more,
but thinking better of it. It was no secret