A Rescued Heart (Rescued Heart Romance) (5 page)

“I, um, didn’t expect this. Not that you’ve done anything in the last three months that hasn’t been a surprise to me.”

“I know I’m a jerk. I just felt like you needed to know.”

“Sure.”

“I messed up so bad in the past, I wanted to be up front and honest with you now.”

He hit a nerve. “Was this really for me or just a way to cleanse your guilty conscience?” She wanted to throw something at him.

“For you, Ava, honestly it was for you.”

She didn’t believe him and yet felt a little bad about what she’d said, just not bad enough to apologize. She couldn’t let the anger and bitterness win, but it did feel good for the time being. Sh
e
neve
r
wanted to talk to him again and for that to happen she needed to end this conversation well. She didn’t want to live with remorse and then somewhere down the road have to call and apologize.

“Okay, is that all or do you have any more bombshells to throw at me today?”

“No, that’s all.”

“Then thank you for coming and telling me the truth. I might not have wanted to hear a lot of your confessions, but it’s the closure I needed.”

She stood and walked to the door. He followed behind as his footsteps dragged across the floor.

“Ava, there is just one more thing.” He looked distraught. “Do you think you will ever be able to forgive me?”

The voice in her soul spoke
,
Forgive as I forgave you.

She hesitated, struggling to find the words.

“Yes, Tim, I do forgive you. If I don’t forgive you, it will do more damage to me than you. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life feeling bitterness toward you.”

“You are going to find happiness again, Ava. God has a great plan for your life. And thank you for forgiving me. You are a better person than I will ever be.”

She wanted to agree out loud, but moved to usher him out of her life one final time. She needed to be alone.

That day
had hurt her pride and self-confidence, and it took Ava about a week to snap out of her self-pity before she began the slow, agonizing process of moving on. Through time the feelings of love she’d had for Tim diminished, along with the ill feelings toward him. Freedom did follow forgiveness.

The problem that she struggled with, that hung around her neck like a noose, was being terrified of falling in love again. How would she know if her next love truly meant what he said, or what if she was wrong again about whom she thought the Lord made for her? Heading down that road again overwhelmed her enough that she decided not to let her heart even go there.

She willed herself back to the present, grateful that the flashbacks were no longer as painful as they’d once been.

Ava headed to the bathroom to get ready for the wedding. The weatherman had been correct on the beauty of the day. The sun shined with a warm temperature, uncommon for April in northern Illinois. She chose a black strapless dress that fitted tightly and came down to the top of her knees. She put on black stilettos and her makeup a bit darker than usual. It was fun to dress up. She decided not to put on a necklace
.
Less is mor
e
was her motto. She didn’t want to look cluttered, just elegant.

She grabbed her shawl, purse, and the wedding present and walked out the door, ready to try this wedding business again.

Traffic in the city was insanely busy but sported less crazy drivers than usual. Ava only feared for her life once. The city of Rockford was split down the middle by the Rock River, with a west side and an east side. The main downtown area was dotted with businesses, government buildings, and restaurants. As the city trickled out, it became more populated with houses than businesses. If you kept going you would eventually run into miles and miles of farmland.

Ava’s apartment sat on the east side near downtown. Her school was also on the east side, but out of the city, smooshed among neighborhoods. Rockford didn’t have a history as an exciting city or drenched in historic events, but it was home. She enjoyed the river and all the events and activities that took place around it.

At the end of each summer Rockford hosted a music festival called “On the Waterfront.” It drew in many tourists and music fans. Ava usually stayed at her parents’ house that weekend to avoid the enormous crowd. Sometimes she and her friends would go to the festival and listen to the bands play and walk the streets that were blocked off for the big event. The city took pride in making it an annual success.

Ava arrived at the church right before the ceremony started. Once the wedding party made its way down the aisle, the doors closed after them and the music changed to the wedding march. The doors reopened and there stood Kate. Ava looked over at Kyle. He beamed. Her heart sank. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to walk through those doors and see the love of her life look that excited to see her, to want to make her his wife. She pushed the tears back. This day wasn’t about her.

Once pronounced husband and wife, everyone clapped as they headed down the aisle arm in arm. The pastor announced that the couple would greet everyone at the reception and to stay seated until the ushers dismissed them.

Ava walked out to her car, relieved. She had done it. She’d made it through the ceremony without any panic attacks and even looked forward to the reception.

The reception building overlooked the river. The open room had circular tables everywhere. The tables were covered in a purple cloth and seated eight guests each. The front of the room displayed a long table for the wedding party, a dance floor in front, with the DJ off to the side. Along the back of the room, a wall full of windows exposed the river below.

The seating chart assigned Ava to Table 10. She found her name tag and smiled across the table at a couple she didn’t know. She sat for a short time observing more of the room and the guests that entered until she grew curious about whom her fellow table mates would be. The name to her left was a colleague from school. She gasped out loud when she read the name at her right
:
M
atthew Thompso
n
.

Matt came to a halt in front of Table 10. Someone ran into him from behind because of his sudden stop. He quickly apologized, but still didn’t move forward. He enjoyed watching her from a distance. Matt could only see her from the side, but that was the face he’d been unable to get out of his mind all week. Not believing the opportunity that had just fallen into his lap, he approached hopeful.

“Ava.”

“Matt.”

They both laughed while she pointed to his seat. “This is such a good surprise.” He took his seat beside her. “Do you know Kyle or Kate?”

“Kate and I work together. How about you?”

“Kyle. We grew up together at the same church. We attend different churches now, but we still keep in touch.”

“So where do you attend church now?”

As he told her about his church, he couldn’t believe how quickly this topic came up. It would be the deal breaker as to whether or not he pursued her. He took his faith very serious and this was something he would not waver on, despite his attraction toward her.

When he was younger faith did
not rank quite as high as a priority for him. He had a handful of serious relationships, but only a few were worthy to bring home to meet his family. Sadly, he could only think of one that he knew for sure had a relationship with the Lord. He wished he could go back in time and change that part of his past. Now that he was older and pushing thirty, it became a necessity for any potential relationship.

“Are you a believer?” He held his breath.

“Yes. I’ve attended Crossroads Christian Church since birth. It’s much smaller than yours, only a few hundred people. But it’s a good church that preaches the truth. Plus, I enjoy the fellowship and it’s nice because my entire family still goes there.”

He finally released his breath in relief. She was a believer. That was now her best quality out of the handful he already knew about her. He had been wrestling all week about wanting to track her down and ask her out. Being a cop, he had resources at his disposal. Getting back into the school in order to run into her would not have been a problem.

The music started and their attention moved to the front. He looked around
.
When did everyone get here
?
Ava saw one of her co-workers sitting at the table beside her and turned to speak with her while the DJ started introducing the wedding party.

When the clapping ceased, the food came out and Matt turned back to Ava, itching to talk with her again. “I didn’t have a chance to tell you this the other day, but I think you are a great teacher. Your students adore you and you seem to really enjoy it.” He took a mouthful of food.

“Thanks. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher.” No hesitation stalled her words or need for her to think about it. “I love being their cheerleader, giving them confidence in themselves, and making them feel special.”

“Well, they are very lucky to have a teacher who cares as much as you do.”

Her cheeks blushed a light pink. She laid her fork down and dabbed her mouth with her napkin. He hadn’t seen any food on her lips and he would know, since he’d been staring at them. She must be just covering up her embarrassment.

“This is such an important time in their lives and I want my class to be a positive impact on them. Sad but true, most kids see more of me than their parents. This is my opportunity to not only teach them, but also to make them feel loved and accepted.”

He sat mesmerized by the way she used her hands when she spoke and her facial expressions that told a story of their own. She had a rare passion. He hoped he could spend more time with her to get a better insight into what made her this incredible.

“
It’s hard knowing some kids have a rough home life, because in most situations I can’t do anything about it. Unless I can prove abuse or neglect, my hands are tied. That’s why my time with them is so precious.”

She’d struck a chord inside him, a frustration of his own. Being a cop was his passion, but having to walk into situations where children had become the victims, made the weight of this job heavy.

“I can understand that. There have been a few times I’ve had to go in with a social worker to take a child out of an abusive home. It made me sick.”

They continued to share their stories until the time came for the garter and bouquet toss. They took turns getting up for the event. Matt couldn’t help but notice that Ava hid behind all the other girls.

Ava took cover behind the squealing girls eager to grab the bouquet. She chuckled at how ironic everything had turned out. She planned on giving Kate grief for trying to set her up with Matt, but it seemed to be pure coincidence and couldn’t believe that their paths had crossed again. Ava secretly glanced back at the table, catching a quick look at Matt while a reserved smile formed across her face.

She returned to her seat, thankfully empty-handed. They hadn’t sat long when the happy couple reached their table. Ava rose up to meet Kate and gave her a big hug.

“You look beautiful, Kate.”

“Thank you. I’m so glad you’re here.” Kate looked over at Matt talking with Kyle. “I see you and Matt are hitting it off.”

Ava almost expected her to tap her fingers together in a sinister way. “Actually, we met the other day. He was the police officer who came for my professional day.” Kate’s mouth dropped open in shock while Ava laughed.

“I can’t believe it,” she said, shaking her head. “All that work to put you next to one another and here you’d already met.” Their laughter attracted the attention of the men.

“What was that about?” Matt asked when they sat back down.

“Oh, it was nothing. So now it’s your turn to talk about your job. Have you always wanted to be a cop?”

He dismissed her weak answer and responded to the change of subject. He told her that his dad had been a cop for over thirty-five years before he retired. He shared how his dad lived his life as a man of strength and dignity, and ever since he was a little boy he wanted to be just like him. He had great respect for his dad and the job he did as a cop, and then as chief of police, before he retired.

“So, I know your favorite part is the lights and going fast,” Ava teased, “but is there a certain part of your job you enjoy the most?”

“Well, I didn’t talk about this at your school, but I’m not just a police officer. I’m also on the SWAT team.”

Just when she thought she was figuring him out, he peeled back another layer of who he was. “Really … wow … that seems like an intense job.
”
Du
h
,
she wanted to smack her forehead
.
Good job, Captain Obviou
s
.

The clanging of forks against the glasses in declaration that the newlywed couple needed to kiss briefly interrupted their conversation. It did Ava’s heart good to see Kate so happy. It had been almost three years since she had seen a successful wedding. Ava quickly brushed away the thoughts before they leached themselves onto her. She turned her attention back on Matt with a follow-up question.

“Why did you choose to join the team?”

“I like the challenge and even though it’s intense, I like the chance to use my skills to help save and protect those in a horrible situation.”

“Does the SWAT team get called out very often?”

“We usually get called out a few times a month. Some have been bomb scares, a few husbands out of control, public suicide attempts, and hostage situations. We also tag along when high profile warrants need to be served and help the narcotics unit with drug enforcements.”