“She does. Actually, Travis doesn’t. It’s hard to believe those good people once broke the law and served time for it. Asa’s wife has a rough history too. He even arrested her once before they knew each other.”
Zach’s eyes widened. “You’re kidding.”
“I’m not. She turned her life around so completely that it’s almost impossible to believe she almost died of a drug overdose. It wasn’t easy. She’s told me about some of the things she had to go through. It’s one of the reasons I know that no one is too far gone to be redeemed. That’s in the Bible too, in case you wanted to know.”
Zach’s chin was tilted down as he watched their hands move slowly together. “What does that have to do with a church?”
“All of those people have struggled to step into a church building. I can imagine you don’t like the idea of being looked at, and if that’s the thing that’s keeping you back, I want to erase it.”
“That’s part of it. Mostly I think I don’t belong there.”
“But would you feel like you belong in Matt and Tammy’s living room? Did you know that the church building isn’t the church? The church is the people. All of us together. We are the body of Christ on this earth. We’re the hands and feet of Jesus every time we help our neighbor or pray for a friend. The Bible tells us that where two or more are gathered in God’s name, He will be there. Maybe one day you’ll feel comfortable going to a church in town, but I don’t want that to stop you from learning about God.”
Zach gave a small nod but didn’t look up at her. “Okay. I think I could do that.”
She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t speak for a few seconds while the pounding of her heart roared in her ears. “What?”
“I’ll go. To Matt and Tammy’s. As long as someone will walk me through it and…start small.”
Lauren launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as he caught her against his chest. The pulling in her arm was white-hot, but the joy in her heart burned hotter.
“Easy, angel. Don’t hurt yourself,” Zach said as his arms settled around her.
“You won’t regret this. We’re going to have so much fun,” she said as she nuzzled against his neck.
“You know we’re talking about church, right?” Zach asked, still holding her tight.
If it were up to her, they would stay like this. Her basking in the joy of his trust and him stepping out on faith and trying something new. They’d been through so much, together and apart.
Zach pulled back and brushed her hair away from her face. “You need to go to bed.”
Lauren sat back, knowing how easy it would be to lean in right now. “You’re right. You should get some sleep too.”
He stood, stretching his arms above his head. His arms and shoulders strained against the fabric of his shirt. “What can I get you before I go?”
Good grief. How was she supposed to resist him when he was being sweet and attentive? “I’m fine, but thanks for being here tonight. It was nice to not be alone.”
That was the difference. She had plenty of friends, but she’d closed herself off for years, obsessing over things she couldn’t control. With Zach here, she felt safe and seen for the first time, and she didn’t want him to leave.
30
Zach
Zach shook his head as he drove toward the cabin in the woods. Smoke billowed from the chimney, drifting slowly around the bare branches above it. “I can’t believe you kept this from me.”
Lauren scoffed from the passenger seat. “I didn’t keep it from you. It was a surprise.”
“Those are the same. I really had no idea I was renovating this cabin to be a church.”
Lauren clapped her hands in front of her chest. “Surprise!”
Three other trucks were parked in front of the cabin, and Bella paced on the front porch, bouncing Ariana in her arms. She waved, then stuck her head inside, probably to let everyone know the heathen was arriving.
Lauren waved back. “Thank you for giving this a shot. It means a lot to me.”
“What means a lot to you? I drive you around all the time since your car decided to be a piece of trash.”
“Not that. For coming. I don’t want to push you, but…”
