Chills raced up James’s spine as a high-pitched feminine voice gave a message in tongues. Complete silence overcame the room and a reverent hush filled the sanctuary.
The pastor interpreted. “I, the Lord God, have ordained you. I have gifted you. I have prepared you. I make this decision. It is not the whim of man but the will of God, and you will fulfill the purpose that I have set before you. And no man or woman will stop you.”
Praise filled the tabernacle. Pastor leaned down and whispered in James’s ear. “You don’t have to fear failing any longer. History will not repeat itself. That was a scare tactic used by the devil. He didn’t know who you were.” Laughter flowed through him. “But God does.”
The tongues of angels surrounded him and James lost himself in God’s glory.
When he came to himself on the altar floor, Joni’s hair fanned across the top of his leg. God reminded him of the morning after he’d met her. She blinked and stirred. Unspeakable joy swept over him. It took him a few minutes to return to reality and then he stood, pulling Joni up with him.
The congregation ignored them as people continued to pray.
James led Joni to the front pew and knelt before her. His hands trembled as he kissed hers. “I promise to search after God’s will and be the husband He wants me to be. Will you marry me, Joni?”
His breath left him until she whispered, “Yes.”
Joni leaned down and brushed her lips across his. He smiled. “I thought I couldn’t kiss you in church.”
“You didn’t. I kissed you.” Her smile matched his.
“Kiss me again.”
Her cheeks turned pink. “Later. Right now, I want my ring back.”
He’d never found a way to tell her. “I lost it the night I got saved.”
Her smile faltered and her brows rose. “Really?”
“I’ll buy you another one. You can pick it out. Anything you want.”
She rolled her eyes but her smile returned. “I get to choose.”
He’d buy her whatever she wanted as long as she married him in the end. He stood. “Let’s go ring shopping, and then we’ll tell our families the good news.”
Joni pointed to Sara and Paul talking animatedly on their phones. “Our families know.”
James laughed and pulled her to her feet. They made their way out of the sanctuary amid many well-wishes and congratulations. In the car he asked, “Lunch or ring first?”
She laughed. “Both.”
James drove toward the largest jewelry store in town. “We may have to eat a bologna sandwich after we buy the ring.”
Her face paled.
He laughed. “I was joking.” He parked and winked. “I’ve been saving up.”
She swatted him in the chest and then grinned. “Did you see me playing the piano?” He nodded and she continued. “I don’t know how it happened. I’ve tried to play church music since that first tent meeting, but I couldn’t. Hymns, yes. Classical, yes. But not church music. Something just came over me and then…it was weird.”
“Joni, the Holy Ghost can do in less than a minute what man can’t do in a lifetime.” He kissed her before he got out of the car.
A salesman nudged another as they walked in the door hand in hand. James pulled Joni to the side and caressed her cheek. “We’re doing this once. Let’s do it right. If they don’t have what you want, we’ll go somewhere else.” Her eyes sparkled and he kissed her again. “And don’t worry about the price. I dumped my entire savings into the checking account so we could use the debit card.”
Joni’s brilliant smile outshone all the gems in the store. She trailed a finger down the case and stepped over to look further. She moved to a revolving display in the center of the showroom. A saleslady followed James to Joni’s side. He laid his arm across her shoulders. “See anything you like?”
The lights shimmered in her hair. “There’s too many to choose.”
Forty minutes later, she had her choices down to three.
His stomach growled. “I’m starved. Let’s go eat, and you can think about it some more.”
The saleslady tapped her pen on the glass case. “Would you like to place a deposit to hold them until a later time?”
“No, thanks.”
In the parking lot, Joni leaned over and kissed him. “Sorry for being so picky, but they didn’t feel right. When I see the ring, I’ll know.”
He raised his brows.
“I can’t explain it.”
“You don’t have to if you kiss me again.”
Her eyes held a spark he hadn’t seen before. Stretching on tiptoe, she slid her arms around his neck. Her lips hovered near his. “I love you.”
He pulled her as close as possible and wrapped her up in his arms. “Where to?”
“How about that new Mexican restaurant in the mall? There’s a jewelry store beside it.”
They stopped at two different jewelers before they made it to the mall. James was starving. Across the aisle from the restaurant, she veered toward a well-known jewelry store. James moaned. “Joni, please. Feed me first and then we’ll shop all afternoon. I promise.”
“I won’t be long.”
He rolled his eyes and followed her into the store. “Five minutes.”
A young salesman grinned at James’s comment. “He’s holding out on you, huh? No problem. Pick out your ring, tag it, and come back in a few years when he’s ready.”
James frowned at the way the lecher hovered near her. “Joni.”
She ignored him and spoke to the salesman. “He’s grumpy when he’s hungry. Oh! Let me see that one.”
“Nice choice. A little expensive, though.” The salesman held out the ring in a baby-smooth palm. He probably never worked a real job in his life.
Joni slipped the ring on and held her hand up to the light. “Oh, James. This is it.” Her smile blinded him. “This is the one.”
His heart lurched at the sight of the ring glistening on her finger. His mind traveled back to the vision of babies. It was Joni’s hand in his dream, wearing this ring. James kissed her knuckle and smiled. “Does this one come in a set?”
The salesman turned serious. “Yes.” He brought out a black case of plain, thin bands.
Joni lifted her face to James. “Perfect.” Her lips drew him in.
“Ahem.” A discreet cough, then the salesman said, “We need your ring sizes.” He measured James’s finger and twisted the ring on Joni’s. “We need to take it down a size.”
Joni nodded and slipped it off. “How soon can I have it back?”
“An hour or less.”
“Not a problem.” James handed over his card and the salesman keyed the purchase into the computer.
Joni leaned her head on James’s shoulder. “I love you.”
He kissed the top of her head and held her close. “Then feed me, woman. I’m starved.” She giggled as the salesman returned. Keeping her wrapped in his arms, James signed the receipt and folded his copy into his wallet. “What time do you close?”
“Seven on Sunday.”
“We’ll be back by five.”
Across the walk, they munched on chips and salsa. Joni reached over the table and touched his arm. “Thank you for my ring. It’s beautiful. And thank you for patiently waiting for me to choose.” She laughed. “I love you.”
He couldn’t reach her. “What are you doing way over there?” James stood and scooted in beside her. The waiter appeared with their order. When he left James said, “Eat up. I need to check on my investment.”
Joni dabbed her napkin against her mouth. “What investment?”
“Your ring.”
She paled. “How much of an investment?”
“You’re worth every penny.”
“How much?”
“I’m not gonna tell you.” James held her gaze while he drank his sweet tea.
“James?”
He pictured the future. “Until I want to buy a boat and when you tell me it’s too expensive, I’ll
tell you how much I spent on your ring.” He grinned at her shocked expression.
They finished eating and returned to the jewelry store. James slid the ring on her finger and pressed a kiss against the back of her hand. “How soon can we be married?”
Her smile was a little bit too sweet. She tilted her head and winked. “If you were in such a hurry, you should have asked me sooner.”
Epilogue
“Look who just pulled up.”
James tried to ignore the gossip session from the guys behind him as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve.
“It’s not every day you see the boss’s daughter.”
“Heard she got married.”
“Lucky guy.”
“Thanks.” All heads turned to James. He looked past their shoulders. Out the third-story window of the hotel they were building, Joni leaned against the hood of her car.
His phone chimed with her text. Where are you?
He replied. Stay put. Ill be right down
He turned to his crew. “Lunchtime. Rest up, boys; this afternoon we need to finish this entire section.”
“You’re the new husband?” The four crewmen stared. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
James had wanted to earn his crew’s respect, not inherit it from being the son-in-law. “Would it have made a difference?”
“Yeah.”
Another crew member slapped the speaker across the stomach, and he changed his answer. “No.”
Sure it did, but they would’ve found out sooner or later. Whispers followed him down the stairs. Aware of the men watching, he swooped his head and kissed his wife sweetly.
Joni giggled and pushed at his chest. “You’re all sweaty.”
Sheetrock dust covered him. “You love me anyway.”
“I brought your lunch.” Her smile brought back memories of the previous night. “I know you didn’t have time to fix it before you left.”
She stepped out of his reach and rounded the car. She brought out a towel from the trunk and removed the tag. “Lucky for you, I was saving these.”
He stood still as she wiped his face and neck. Her kiss brushed his chin and she pressed the towel in his hand. “I’ve got a surprise for you.” He wiped his hands while she fished in her oversized purse. The new tablet she’d bought for school displayed her inbox. “I received an email from a very special man this morning.”
Man? He grabbed for the screen, but she held on to her end. “Let me see your fingertips.” He turned his palms up.
“No grease stains. You promise not to cry?”
“Tsk.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Real men don’t cry.”
“You will.” She pressed the tablet into his hands.
Isaac smiled in a T-ball uniform. James’s stomach clenched as if he’d been hit with the baseball bat. He swiped through the digital album. Isaac on the deck of a large boat. Isaac riding a bike with no training wheels. Isaac’s first day of kindergarten. Isaac and a dog at his side.
His lungs failed. He gasped for breath. “Joni? Where did you get these?”
“Sam. He’s invited us for a visit.”
He shook his head in disbelief. Part of him wanted to race to his truck and go see Isaac, but another part couldn’t dismiss the huge smile. Isaac was truly happy. His arms and legs were free from bruises.
Joni wiped her eyes with the towel. “Looks like I’m the one who can’t stop crying.” Her arms came around him and her head peeked around his arm.
The backpack hung past Isaac’s knees and his hair was longer than James was used to seeing, but the grin on his face was the same one he had learned to cherish.
His son.
No, not his. Isaac belonged to Sam now.
James relied on the strength in Joni’s arms. “Remember when we went daycare shopping? He was so excited about his new school.”
Joni’s finger brushed over the photo. “I remember.”
He flipped to the T-ball picture. A chuckle escaped him. “His jersey is two sizes too big.”
“I think the bat is.” Her arm rubbed against his. “I wonder if he hit the ball.”
“Of course he hit it off the tee. He could hit my pitches when he was four.” James flicked to the next picture. “Nice boat.”
“He’s losing his baby face. A lot can change in two years.” She sniffed and locked her arms around his waist.
“Isaac grew up without us.” James dropped his head. The sting behind his eyes grew. He blew out a breath, turned, and leaned against the car. With one hand, his fingers threaded through hers and held tight. The other clutched the device close to his chest. “Do you remember Andrew’s party?”
She giggled. “Yes. Mother was so angry when I refused to play unless we stopped by Sara’s on the way to Pensacola.”
Sweet memories resurfaced. “And Isaac announced to the world you were our girlfriend.”
“Yes, he did.” She bumped her shoulder playfully into his. “But I didn’t mind.” Her eyes widened and she held up a finger. “You should have been at church when he told everyone we were sleeping together.”
James sobered. “He did what?”
She laughed and continued, “Pastor kicked me off the praise and worship team. Oh, and the looks I received from Mrs. Briggs.” Joni straightened. “What’s wrong?”
“When? Why didn’t I know this?”
The hand holding his let go and covered her mouth as her eyes widened. “I forgot who I was talking to. Everyone else knows.” Delicate shoulders shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. We were sharing an apartment.” She smoothed her hair. “So it’s not like I didn’t deserve their gossip.”
“Joni.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry.” His free hand caressed her cheek. “We didn’t deserve you. I never knew how much you were hurt from being with us.”
She smiled. “It was my choice.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I knew the consequences.”
“I can’t do this, Joni.”
Her gaze met his. “Do what?”
“At Andrew’s party, Isaac made me promise to one day buy us a real house. He’d never had a birthday party. Not a kid one. He’d always been in a hotel room somewhere with a daddy that took him out for pizza with a bunch of construction workers as substitute friends.
“Look at him, Joni. He’s a normal kid.” He flipped through the photos of Isaac and his new family. Ever so carefully, James traced Isaac’s face and closed the cover. He leaned against the hood of Joni’s car and pulled her into his arms. “What’s your earliest memory?”
“Um.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. “I’m sitting at the piano with my mom, watching a pendulum swing.”
“Which mother?”
“The only one I remember. The only one I have.”
“We have good memories. But what about Isaac’s? The times I had to leave him to work? The long hours in a hotel room with a babysitter so he’d be safe from Kathy’s neglect? Brian torching his back?”
James shut out the images and inhaled her sweetness. “I finally understand what you did. You loved him enough to give him a chance at life, regardless of your own pain.” Her fingers tickled his jaw. “Tell Sam thanks for the pictures and ask him to please send more throughout the years, but I can’t interfere with Isaac’s new family. He deserves swings and birthday parties.”
James smiled as he remembered the dog. He smoothed Joni’s hair and kissed the exact spot where little hands had smeared icing so long ago.
Mischief danced in the depths of her eyes. “Isaac was right. You really are the best daddy in the world. Or you will be.” Her lips twitched into a secret smile. “In eight months.”
He cradled her head in his hands and prayed he’d heard right. “Joni? What are you saying? You’re expecting? I mean, we are?” As he stumbled over his words, her smile grew. He laughed as he spun her in a circle. Her flippity-flappity sandals sailed across the parking lot.
Her giggles stopped abruptly. “Ugh. Put me down
before I throw up.”
He lowered her bare feet onto his steel-toed boots and her complexion regained its natural color. “Your mother’s gonna kill me.” A vision of chubby babies returned. “Isaac made me promise to love you on both sides. I don’t think he’d mind if his brothers helped me with that.”
“Brothers?” Her arms locked around his neck. “Plural?”
“Yep.” He brushed a kiss across her parted lips. “Twins.”
Dear Reader,
I sincerely hope you enjoyed this story. If you are like James and have forsaken your Pentecostal heritage, I urge you to return to your roots. Ask Jesus to forgive you and he’ll welcome you with open arms.
Or if, like Joni, the church services depicted here, have created a curiosity to experience the presence of God, seek Him with your whole heart, and His Spirit will gently draw you into a relationship with Him. Ask the Lord to lead you to a local church, plant yourself there and grow in God.
Wherever you are in your walk with the LORD, I encourage you to communicate with God by prayer. Study the Word to familiarize yourself with the blessings that come with obeying his commandments. And seek the baptism of the Holy Ghost, for this is the power of God that can dwell in you for your help.
I am a sinner saved by grace, and I understand the temptations of this world. The Bible says we are made overcomers by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. Visit my blog to read stories of victory of others. www.bridgetthenson.com
If you have any questions, or just want to chat, I’d love to hear from you. Send me an email at
[email protected] The Whatever Series, Book 2, is now available. A preview is included in the following pages.
Your friend in Christ,
Bridgett Henson
The Whatever Series
Book Two
Whatever It Takes
Chapter One
“Joni, how could you bring her into our home?” James’s angry voice woke Cindy on the first morning of her temporary freedom.
Through the window, the dark sky had turned a dull gray. She rolled in the soft comforter and stared at the locked guestroom door as Joni’s whispers of hope echoed through the bedroom wall.
And then James’s softened tone reached her again. “Visiting her in jail is one thing, but you’re carrying the boys now. Cindy wasn’t just a user. She made a living off of other people’s addictions. I don’t want her taking advantage of you while she’s out on bail.”