Donald nodded slowly. “SueLynn, you told her you weren’t disappointed. Was that true?”
Sue was quiet. “Yes. I’m disappointed in her actions, not in her. But I couldn’t say that tonight. She wasn’t in a place to hear it.”
“I see, I see. Do you believe, given time, she will be able to cope with the consequences—to reach the point where she can accept God’s forgiveness and grace and move forward?”
“I pray she can. She’s strong in the Lord. But she’s never faced real tragedy before. Losing your mom has been the hardest thing she’s dealt with. What do you think?”
“With God, she can weather any storm. After we meet Bryce, we’ll have a clearer picture. For now, let us retire. Shall we?”
Sue nodded and kissed his cheek. “You head up, and I’ll follow along soon. I just need a minute.”
“Very well.” Donald, only a couple of inches taller than his wife, tilted his head and kissed her temple. While Sue took a moment to herself, he quietly cleared the coffee cups from the living room, rinsed them, and loaded them into the dishwasher before going back to gather the uncut cake.
Sue stepped outside to the porch swing Beth had sat in earlier. She appreciated Donald’s questions, they always helped her think beyond emotion. She loved his insights—always thoughtful, often deeper than her own.
People sometimes wondered how a former ballerina ended up with an autistic music professor. Even Lynn had asked once. But Donald grounded her in the most beautiful way. Growing up in a household ruled by emotion, Sue hadn’t realized decisions could come from logic until she met him. Some called him robotic. To her, he was calm, consistent peace—the anchor she’d always needed.
Tonight, more than ever, she was grateful for his presence, logic, and his steadiness.
Feeling the need for solitude pass, she rose from the swing and stepped back inside. Donald was just coming out of the kitchen. She didn’t need to ask what he’d been doing—he could never sleep with dirty dishes left downstairs. Yet another perk of being his wife.
With a soft smile, she slid a hand across his shoulder, kissed his cheek, and led him upstairs to their room.
CHAPTER 5
The clock struck midnight before Beth made it home. She took a quick shower, pulled on her favorite pajamas, and curled up on the couch with yet another cup of coffee. Bryce had insisted she call, no matter how late—and Beth wanted to be firmly in her comfort zone before dialing the number he’d added to her phone.
She searched her contacts, expecting to find him under “Dr. Jensen,” and came up empty. Then she tried “Bryce”—there he was.
?First Name:Bryce
Last Name:The Secret Hubs?
Beth laughed and shook her head before editing the contact info to update the last name to simply “Jensen” just in case anyone ever saw it.
She left the selfie he’d uploaded as his contact photo, though: the two of them on the plane, her leaning back with eyes closed in dead slumber, him grinning at the camera.
That grin. It made something flutter in her chest—a feeling she’d been ignoring for years and didn’t want to start acknowledging now. He really was quite handsome.
“Please don’t answer, please don’t answer, please don’t answer,” she whispered as the phone rang.
“Hello?” His voice was groggy but alert. She’d clearly woken him.
“I’m sorry—I woke you, didn’t I?”
“Lizzy, you don’t need to be sorry. I asked you to call, no matter the time. How are you?”
The surprise in his tone told her he hadn’t expected her to actually keep the promise. Beth couldn’t blame him—she’d spent the entire drive home trying to justify breaking it.
The name he’d called her finally registered.
“Did you just call me Lizzy?” Her voice lifted, caught somewhere between startled and unsure.
There was a brief pause before his voice, husky with sleep, answered softly.
“Yes. I’ve thought of you as Lizzy for years, but it felt too personal to say out loud. Do you mind?”
Beth considered it. The nickname felt… tender. Intimate. She didn’t dislike it, but she wasn’t sure how she felt about the fluttery warmth that came with hearing it—especially after looking at his photo.
