Missy Tippens - His Forever Love (Love Inspired Series)  

To my husband for being my biggest cheerleader and promoter.

To Belinda Peterson for being a trusted, faithful friend and sister in Christ.

And, as always, to God for giving me the stories.

ISBN: 978-1-4268-3499-8

HIS FOREVER LOVE

Copyright 2009 by Melissa L. Tippens

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

This edition published by arrangement with Steeple Hill Books.

and TM are trademarks of Steeple Hill Books, used under license. Trademarks indicated with are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

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A s Lindsay drove the boys home, she fretted over their attachment to Bill.

Who are you really worried is going to get attached to him?

Still, while he'd played with them and while he'd held Chase, the look he'd had on his faceSo happy.

He deserves to be loved. The thought struck her like a voice in her head. As she parked and unbuckled the boys, the voice haunted her.

She had to get Bill out of her head.

Gregory met them at the door. "Hey, guys!"

His boys ran inside and hugged him. Chase climbed up into his arms. "We helped Bill get boxes today."

"Good for you. I'm glad you helped out."

Chase put his hands on both sides of Gregory's face, leaned in close, and whispered, "He almost kissed Aunt Windsay." Then he shivered as if it gave him the heebie-jeebies.

Lindsay wanted to sidle out the front door.

Gregory made an appropriately repulsed face. "Ooh. I bet you were glad he didn't."

He nodded, then hopped down and ran off.

"Interesting day?" he asked.

"No."

"So what's the deal?"

"There's no deal. We were talking. And I guess we were close enough that Chase thought we would kiss."

"So, would you be interested?"

"You're a smart guy. Figure it out."

"What's to figure out if you two like each other?"

"Boston. Magnolia. A million miles in between?"

"So? People do long-distance relationships all the time."

"I did. Once. Won't do that again."

"Lindsay, honey, you and Joey were kids then. The guy was a jerk. Now you're all grown-up, and Bill's a great guy."

"He left me, too, once upon a time. Little boys just grow up to be bigger boys."

Gregory tilted his head and gave her a pitying look.

She couldn't stand it. "Come on, let's go see if Dad wants to grill outside tonight."

Lord, help me to be content. Whatever my circumstances.

And she meant the prayer with all her heart. Bill and Granny Bea would be leaving in less than a week. She would know heartache, she would know grief. But she wouldn't let it steal her joy, her contentment.

Somehow, she'd get through it.

Bill woke before the sun came up Sunday, so the morning lasted an eternity. And now it was time to keep his promise to Granny.

He and Granny drove to the church together, and he helped her up the front steps. He hadn't set foot in a church building for years. And today, he couldn't escape it by sitting in the car feeling left out.

As they walked into the sanctuary, the organ began to play.

No, he couldn't hide. Today he had to face the music, so to speak.

He held tighter to Granny's arm as if he were a little boy once again, afraid to enter. Afraid of the people, and afraid of God, so big and far away, who might take away his Granny, too.

Well, today, he was a grown-up a head taller than the tallest man present. He had no reason to fear the people.

But he sensed a meeting with God.

And wasn't sure he was ready for it.

"The same pew, Granny?"

"You bet. And Mr. Kennedy is going to join us."

He gave her arm a squeeze. "I'm glad."

He escorted her down the center aisle, and wasn't imagining the heads turning, the faces staring.

At least everyone was smiling.

"Welcome home, Bill," someone called. An elderly man he didn't recognize.

He nodded each time someone spoke to them.

He couldn't help but look to the front of the church to where the Jones family always sat. And there they all were, lined up like in years past, with the addition of Hunter and Chase, of course.

As if she felt him looking for her, Lindsay turned and smiled. She waved.

He smiled back, strangely comforted by the fact that she was there.

A couple of minutes after they took their seats, the service started. During announcements, Pastor Eddie looked up from the pulpit and said, "Oh, look who's here. Bill Wellington is out there with Bea. I'm glad you were able to stay a little longer, son."

Bill smiled and gave a little wave, but his faced burned from his neck to the tips of his ears. All eyes were definitely on him now if they hadn't been before.

"I'm so proud of Bill," Pastor Eddie continued to Bill's dismay. "I recently saw where he had an article published in a professional journal. Of course I couldn't understand a word it said." He laughed. "But I know he's well-respected in the field."

The congregation clapped. Clapped! Bill wanted to crawl under the pew. Instead, he said, "Thanks, Pastor Eddie," hoping it would silence him. Luckily, it worked. They moved on to praying, singing a hymn, then to the sermon.

Pastor Eddie had really aged. His formerly jet-black hair was now salt-and-pepper, with the temples totally gray. The heavy black glasses he used to favor were now replaced with wire-rimmed frames. But he still had trouble keeping them up where they belonged. He was reaching the second point in his standard three-point sermon, when they started to slide down his nose.

Bill stifled a grin, remembering all the times the glasses had nearly slipped off the end of Pastor Eddie's nose. Bill used to lose concentration on the sermon because he always watched Lindsay as she watched the pastor's glasses. She would end up on the edge of her seat, hands gripping the pew in front of her. Then, when the pastor would finally push his glasses back up, she would sit back and heave a sigh of relief.

He chuckled. Granny gave him a dirty look. "Sorry," he mouthed.

Lindsay glanced back his way, biting the corner of her mouth, trying not to smile, it seemed. She remembered.

A punch to the diaphragm couldn't have left him more breathless.

She was so beautiful. So fun. And even though they'd never had the relationship he'd wanted, they shared a past.

Would he ever feel something like that with another woman?

He pushed aside those thoughts and focused once again on the sermon. A sermon about faith through the hard times.

Bill simply could not believe that had been today's sermon topic. Only God could have planned it. It had to be by divine appointment.

Lord, did You do this for me?

Then as surely as he knew a proton had a positive charge, he knew: God was with him. And had been with him the whole way. Even when he'd fallen away from his faith.

Bill had felt cold inside for a long time. It startled him when it seemed as if he was suddenly warm inside. He liked to imagine it was God Himself taking up residence once again.