“Never.” He laid his hands on her arms. “Because of you, I now have something better.”
Her breath caught on her words. “What do you mean?”
“How would you like to stay here, in Jasper Lake and serve at First Community? Together?”
Hope burst alive in her tentative smile. “How?”
He explained the proposal Pastor Gray had detailed. “What do you think?”
“Have the best of all worlds? You, my family, and my church? How can I say no?” Her eyes narrowed. “What will your family think?”
“I’ll break the news later, but they’ll accept it. They love me and want me happy.” He pulled her into his arms. “Youmake mesohappy. Please, say the wedding’s back on?”
She nodded, and he interrupted heryeswith a thorough kiss.
Chapter Sixteen
Trixie woke up before the sun rose. Wide awake, she swung her legs over the bed and grabbed her Bible off the nightstand. Today, of all days, she needed that quiet time in the morning. Carrying the monitor with her, she tiptoed downstairs, turned on the outdoor deck light and pulled a patio chair near the light.
She didn’t search for the traditional marriage passages that she’d studied for the last month. Instead, she read through verses on restoration and stopped on 1 Peter 5:10.
Now the God of all grace, Who called you to His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will personally restore, establish, strengthen, and support you after you have suffered a little.
More than ever, the truth of this scripture seeped into her soul and her heart sang a song of praise.Thank You, Lord, for the work You’ve done in my life. All I have, and all I’ve accomplished can only be credited to Your grace. You’ve restored my relationships with my family, established my very-soon-to-be marriage to Elijah, strengthened my faith, and supported me through the difficult times. Bless my marriage and let the ministry work Elijah and I do bring glory and honor to You. Amen.
She closed her Bible and watched the sun rise over the mountain. A perfect, cloudless day emerged. Inhaling a breath of morning air, she smiled. By today’s end, she’d be a married woman and Alice would have a daddy. They’d already spoken with a lawyer and taken the first steps toward an official adoption. Within months, Alice’s last name would legally change to Brewer, and Elijah would have full parental rights.
Once inside, she fought the urge to wake up her family. She wasn’t a child, and it wasn’t Christmas, but her excitement matched that of a child on Christmas morning. She snuck upstairs and laid out her dress and the flower girl dress for Alice. Her mom had questioned the wisdom of Alice acting as a flower girl, but Trixie had found a perfect solution.
She didn’t want a large wedding party, but wanted Elijah’s sisters involved, so they would walk with Alice down the aisle and keep her from meandering wherever she pleased. She giggled to herself. His sisters might have more on their hands than they realized—Alice had learned how to run last week and practiced the skill often.
Forcing herself to eat something to keep her energy up, she sat in the kitchen nibbling on a piece of toast with peanut butter. Now that she didn’t have to eat peanut butter out of necessity, she was able to enjoy it again.
Dad joined her with a cup of coffee in his hands. “A year ago, I never would have dreamed this day was possible, but I want you to know how proud I am of you. It’s never easy to bounce back, but you did and flew high.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” She set her toast down and gave her dad a hug. “I can’t thank you enough, but I appreciate everything you and mom have done. I love you more than words can say.”
“I love you too, and I’ll tell you the same thing I told Jessa and Elijah. This home will always be yours. You and Elijah are welcome anytime without knocking like a guest.” He pulled an object from his pocket. “This is a spare key for Elijah, a small symbol of welcoming him into our family. I’ll give it to him personally this afternoon, but I wanted you to know.”
She kissed his cheek. “You are an amazing dad, but more so, a wonderful person with a big heart.”
Her dad winked. “That’s your mom rubbing off on me.”
Trixie laughed, then went upstairs to get Alice out of bed. The morning passed in a flash, and soon Trixie stood at the back of Jasper Lake First Community Church with her arm through her dad’s. Following tradition, she hadn’t seen Elijah yet today, but he’d called her earlier and they’d prayed together over the phone.
Alice, in her knee-length Persian blue dress walked down the aisle with Sara and Leah on her side, and Lydia directly behind her. Elijah’s sisters wore dresses in the same shade, but a different style than that of Jessa and Phoebe, her bridesmaids, who followed the girls.
Her turn came, and she was grateful for her dad’s physical support. Her knees trembled from the level of emotions running through her—all positive. She had every confidence in her decision to marry Elijah.
She saw the groomsmen first—Hunter and Elijah’s brother Noah—before she laid eyes on her groom. He’d trimmed his beard and was handsome in his cream-colored linen suit. An urge to throw aside her bouquet and run to him crossed her mind, but she kept pace, stopping when she and Dad reached the front row of pews.
A baby cried. Recognizing the cry, Trixie turned with her veil lifted. A red-faced Lara rocked Holden in her arms, and Trixie gave a reassuring smile from where she stood. She extended that smile to Aiden by Lara’s side, equally embarrassed. Babies were welcome at this celebration, silent or crying, especially this one. The teen mom had taken a place in Trixie’s heart as a little sister, and she wouldn’t let Lara miss the wedding because of a few squeaks from her infant.
She turned back to Elijah. In a daze, she barely heard the first words spoken by Pastor Gray, but when her mom stepped to the microphone, she snapped out of it. Half in awe at her mom’s beautiful voice and half mesmerized by how well the lyrics fit her relationship with Elijah, she listened to her mom singA Love This True.
The time came to exchange vows, and the battle not to cry ended. She let the tears fall, not caring if her makeup streaked. Marrying Elijah was all that mattered, and when Pastor Gray pronounced them husband and wife, a final weight lifted from her shoulders, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d floated off the ground with joy.
Epilogue
