Her eyebrows lifted like a pair of startled crows and she gasped.
His tirade gave him strength, and when she opened her mouth to speak her mind, his hand went up. “You need to hear what I have to say, this is long overdue. You’ve been one of the least forgiving when Anna needed you the most. Lorena has picked up on that. There’s little wonder she finds our ability to forgive too hard to trust.”
Lana was done listening. “Well, I find it hard to trust her as well. Imagine her sneaking around. We didn’t even know she had a boyfriend.”
“Who’s the adult here? Who’s the mature Christian? Is it Lorena or us?”
Lana smacked her mug of tea on the counter, not caring that it splashed all over. “Lorena would not be in this situation if Anna had not been such a bad example,” she spat.
“Lorena is three months pregnant, Lana, and has had this boyfriend for six months. This happened long before the news came out about Anna’s indiscretion, so don’t even go there. Besides, there’s no one to blame for the choices our daughter made, except for her and our lack of parental guidance.”
Lana sunk into the nearby couch and began sobbing. “Where did we go wrong? Why would she do this to us?”
“This is not about us, Lana. Sure, we’re hurt and disappointed and will undoubtedly be embarrassed, but if we don’t put our own pain aside, I fear we’ll lose Lorena forever. She needs us now. She looks so fragile. If we’re not a strong example of what Christ would do in this situation, her walk with God may be lost forever.”
He dropped beside her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Our daughter needs us, honey.”
“I realize that, Tom, it’s just so hard.”
He held out the box of tissues. “Life is sometimes hard. We’ve had a fairly charmed run thus far, but we can’t fail now when the going gets tough. Everything depends on doing it God’s way at this point, and the first thing is to find it in your heart to forgive your sister. That’ll speak more to Lorena than anything at this point. Then she’ll believe and trust our love and forgiveness for her.”
“And, Lana, that means a heart-felt apology, too, because your sin of unforgiveness and gossip hasn’t been pretty.”
A weak smile broke through the tears. “I’m not sure where you’ve put Tom, and I don’t think I like this new guy much at the moment, but it is rather attractive having someone boss me around for a change.”
He pulled her close and kissed her soundly. Then proceeded to kiss every tear away.
Anna felt the throb of a headache. She pressed her fingers to her temples and began to massage gently. What a strange paradox I’m in. I want Matt, yet I know it can never be. Everything about him terrifies me. He’s an amazing father, far too good looking, younger than me, educated, rich, and successful. I know I don’t fit into his world, but his kind, gentle, persistence is wearing me down. And if I’m honest, I’d admit how much I look forward to our evenings together and the connection of something far deeper than friendship.
She didn’t have a clue how to stem the flow of her growing feelings. He weaved his way into her thoughts. He walked through her door every evening, eager to kiss his baby girl. He always wore a smile, brought a flower, or had a compliment for his two favorite girls. He was different. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but there was a peace about him that grew madly appealing.
He remained careful, caring, and courteous. He never touched her, but at times she noticed how his eyes caressed her, and when he didn’t think she noticed, they devoured her.
Just recently, he asked if she would mind if he attended church with them. He apparently had been going elsewhere but wanted to join her and Melody, if she agreed. She had hemmed and hawed, not wanting to hurt his feelings. She cared about his spirituality and wanted to encourage church, yet she was afraid of being seen as a couple when she didn’t know what they were. Or worse yet, if he told her that he became a Christian, then she’d have to face the walls that she’d erected between them with the most important one demolished.
Matt was a patient man, but his patience wore thin. He wanted answers.
When is Anna going to notice the difference in me? When will she be as attracted to me as I am to her? When will she let those walls down? When? When? When?
They talked about a host of things, but the things he really wanted to discuss with her he could not. He wanted to ask her if she still mourned her husband. He wanted assurance that when she spent time with him, she wasn’t wishing she was having a conversation with Steven.
He longed for the moment she would acknowledge a change in him so that he could give credit to God. He wanted her to see a different man, one that was not wrapped up in his own needs so much that he forgot what was proper and honorable. Did she have any idea how difficult it was to be in her presence and not succumb to the touch, the feel, the glory of the physical? If that was not a true example of power from on high, he wasn’t sure what would be.
He had been praying for God’s wisdom and opportunity to speak his mind. One evening her weird behavior triggered the timing.
He held
