CHAPTER TWENTY
Not wanting to disappoint Charlotte after agreeing to talk with her, Amy slid her phone into her pocket and followed her out the back door. As they began to walk, Charlotte grasped Amy’s elbow.
“I loved my darling Delia,” Charlotte said without preamble. “She was God’s miracle gift to us when we couldn’t have children of our own.”
Not sure what to say, Amy nodded. She had heard that much already.
“When she and Will wanted to get married, Henry and I were not sure it was the best idea. Don’t get me wrong, we loved Will, but they seemed so young. Especially Delia.” Charlotte had set a slow pace as they walked the perimeter of the yard. “But we could see their determination, so we agreed.”
Amy’s resolution to keep her focus on her future was being sorely tried by Charlotte’s words.
“I am not unaware that Delia was a willful young woman. Will was so good to her, but she demanded a lot from him. Ithink his love for her blinded him to many of her shortcomings. As it should be, I suppose. Goodness knows Henry overlooks many of mine because of our love.” Charlotte chuckled. “But I was concerned that if she didn’t mature and outgrow her selfishness, there would be trouble for them. Will would never share how bad it got for them during those months of her pregnancy, but I knew. She called me every day to complain, and I know that if she did that with me, she must have been doing it with Will, too. We were responsible for that. We spoiled her, giving her everything we could because we loved her so much. Will did much the same.
“I would like to believe that had she lived, she would have realized she needed to set aside her own wants for the needs of her child and husband.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Amy asked.
Charlotte stopped walking, bringing Amy to a halt as well. “I see how Will looks at you. I see how you look at him. Maybe it’s not full-blown love yet, but there is something there between you. And I see your giving spirit. What you did for Bella was incredible. Already there is love flowing out of your heart in their direction. And when I saw Will the other day when we arrived, I praised God. For the first time in a long time, he looked happy. Happy, relaxed and content. He was showing affection to Bella like I’d never seen before. It was everything Henry and I had been praying for him. We didn’t know why, but we were grateful.”
“I know Jessa spoke with him about his relationship with Isabella,” Amy told her.
“I’m sure she did, but probably only after she saw the beginning of change in him.” Charlotte gave her a gentle smile. “You see, I was watching him when you walked into the room for the first time after we arrived. He lit up with joy like I hadn’t seen on his face in far too long. You did that for him.”
Amy bent her head, not able to stand the intensity of Charlotte’s bright blue gaze.
“So what went wrong? What happened yesterday to cause him to walk away looking as if his world had just ended?”
“Let’s sit there,” Amy gestured to the steps of the chapel not far from where they stood.
Once they were seated, at the older woman’s bidding, Amy told her everything. She rubbed the tears from her cheeks as she recounted the events of the previous day.
Charlotte leaned toward her. “I haven’t experienced what you have, so I have no advice on how to help you deal with these memories that are tormenting you. I do know from personal experience, however, that not everything that is God’s will for us comes easily. But where there are two people determined to work through the difficult times, there is joy.” Charlotte reached out and gripped her hand again. “Please give him a chance. I see in you the opportunity for him to experience that giving love that he never really truly had with Delia. I know that she loved him in her way, but the man he is now deserves so much more.”
“I don’t know. What if I can’t get past it? Then it just prolongs the hurt.”
“Or maybe you will get past it and experience the love you have always wanted with Will.”
“It’sarisk. And the longer I let it go on, the greater the hurt will be if it doesn’t work out.”
“Anything worth having is worth taking the risk. Pray about it. While you’re gone, pray about it.” When the woman’s voice cracked, Amy looked over to see tears in her eyes. “Will is the son we never had. He has treated us just like his parents ever since marrying Delia, and that didn’t change with her death. We want to see him happy again, and both Henry and I believe that God brought you into his life for a reason. Pray about it?”
Amy nodded. “I will.”
She didn’t add that she’d already been praying about it for weeks, and nothing had changed, but it was an easy promiseto make, and it made Charlotte happy.
As they continued their walk around the yard, Charlotte asked her more questions about Dallas and the job she’d had there. She didn’t mention Will again, but she didn’t have to. Amy’s thoughts were filled with him once more.
Back at the house, Charlotte went in search of Henry, and Amy went upstairs to her room. She spent part of the morning phoning the people she had hired to help with Isabella’s party to thank them. The photographer informed her that she was already working on the pictures and would have them ready in a couple of days. Amy asked her to drop the disc off at Will’s office in town. She knew that Isabella would be anxious to see them and wouldn’t want to wait until Amy was back.
After lunch, she went back to her room to pack a few things for her trip. She spent some time out in the yard with the kids while Cami and Josh went into town to the church to connect with the pastor about their concert.
As she sat watching the kids play, Amy wondered if Will was going to come to the manor that evening for dinner. No one had said anything about him, and he hadn’t shown up yet. Around four -thirty, Henry came to watch the kids while she went inside to help Charlotte get supper ready.
Josh and Cami came home, and Lance arrived shortly after that. When it was time to eat, Will was still absent, and Amy wasn’t sure if she was disappointed or relieved. After the meal was done, it became apparent that Isabella was spending the night again.
After everyone else had gone to their rooms later that evening, Amy shut off the lights in her room and sat on the window seat, staring at the nearly full moon that hung low in the sky. She thought over Charlotte’s words from earlier that day. She had made it seem so easy.Just pray about it.Well, shehadbeen praying about it, and it hadn’t made a lick of difference. All along she’d said that God would have to make it blatantly clear if He wanted them together. Unfortunately, she’d allowed herself to get involved before seeing that sign,and now she’d hurt Will.
Finally accepting that no answers were going to come as she sat there, Amy crawled into bed, half excited about the next day, half dreading it.
