Page 102 of The Emma Special

Be still her heart. The sweet man wanted to pray with her. Of all the things she’d heard about men from her mother, James was nothing like the rest. Who was this man?

“Would you?”

James bowed his head. “Lord, Emma is scared and hurting tonight, and since You’re the great physician, I want to lift her up to You. I pray You would remind her that You are always near, and You have your hand on her as she goes through surgery. Calm her heart and ease her worries. Please give her a good night of rest and the strength to recover after the procedure. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.”

Emma blinked through the moisture on her lashes and squeezed James’s hand. “Thanks for that.”

“I’m always praying for you, princess.” He leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead.

Swoon. She was melting into a puddle of butter, and he’d barely grazed his lips against her skin. What would happen if he kissed her again? There was a chance she’d spontaneously combust.

“Good night, Mrs. Hottie,” James whispered as he rose to his feet.

“Good night, Mr. Hottie.”

He flashed her a wink as he reached for the door. “See you bright and early in the morning.”

“Oh, James.”

He turned, halfway through the doorway, and raised his brows.

“Thank you. I’m only able to have this surgery because of you, and I… I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“No need for thanks.”

He slowly closed the door, leaving her with only the soft light of the moon streaming through the curtains. She pulled the covers up to her chin and carefully adjusted her leg. The nerves from earlier were gone—nowhere to be found. Her loving husband had prayed them away.

Chapter 29

James Needs To Get Out More

James cast his line toward the point and tilted his foot to guide the trolling motor toward it. The midday sun was too hot, and the bass weren’t biting anything. The slight breeze dried the sweat on his bare back before it dripped. Daniel whistled “Friends in Low Places” as he cast a line at the bank from the other side of the boat.

James checked his phone before he reeled in his jig. Nothing from Emma yet. What exactly was he waiting on? They’d been separated for all of four hours, and he was already having withdrawals.

“Dude, stop pouting. We’re fishing. This is the happiest place on earth, and you’re moping.”

“I’m not moping. I’m…”

Missing Emma. It was ridiculous because they’d spent most of their time together since her surgery four weeks ago. He hoped he was making headway on showing her how much he cared. They’d settled into a comfortable routine at home—breakfast together, dinner together, lazy evenings watching TV, discussing books, and the mundane chores like laundry that didn’t feel so bland anymore. For one thing, the space between them on the couch continued to shrink. He’d draped his arm over her chair throughout dinner last night, and she hadn’t pulled away.

Every morning, he’d managed to get one of those extended hugs. Just hugs… but man, they were something else. Soul-feeding comfort. How had he existed without the daily physical contact before? Silently he saluted God. It was not good for man to be alone. He’d see Emma again in a few hours. He could survive without her until then.

“You’re totally moping,” Daniel said. “Katie said you’ve been hovering.”

“I’m not hovering. She said I was hovering?”

“Yep. Katie called this morning and pretty much ordered me to get you out of the house so they could have girl time.”

James lowered his rod. “Really?”

“Really. I’d take you fishing every day, so she didn’t have to push hard. But maybe you need to give Emma some space.”

“I’m not trying to suffocate her. I just want to make sure she has everything she needs.”

The first few days after the surgery had been the toughest. Seeing his lively wife navigate pain and physical limitations wasn’t something he wanted to do over. He’d done some pretty extreme things in a desperate attempt to boost her morale, including letting her teach him how to crochet little stuffed animals.

“She can walk on her own now. You’ve got to let the baby bird fly out of the nest,” Daniel said, waving one arm like a wing while holding the rod with the other.