Anchor of Hope (24 page)

His eyes searched hers.

Then she said the words she had been longing to say for far too long. “I love you, too.”

He pulled her close and kissed her tenderly. She felt all of the tension and fear drain out of her body as love took its place.

Never in all her life had she felt this kind of love, this kind of forgiveness. With all her flaws and all her mistakes, he chose to see her beauty. Not the external beauty, but the beauty that comes from within the heart. She forgot all about how tired she was or how she was ever going to explain this to her family—or Dianne. She would get to be a part of her nieces and nephews lives, and she would be able to spend time with her mother and Martin. It was an exciting thought. Maybe Bryan might be willing to employ her at the cafe—considering she had demonstrated such capability the last time she had worked there. It wasn’t her dream job, but it was a job, and it would suffice.

She felt as though her knees might give way at any moment but she knew that wrapped in his strong, supporting arms she had nothing to fear. He would catch her if she fell.

She felt his lips form a smile and she pulled away to see him grinning from ear to ear.

“What?” she asked, perplexed.

“Do you still think I’m crazy?” He cocked one eyebrow, smirking.

She frowned, not understanding what he was referring to.

“You said I was delusional to expect the perfect woman to end up on my door, yet here you are.” He looked smug and  content, and she couldn’t help but smile.

“I’m far from perfect.”

“Maybe. But you’re perfect for me.”

God
did
indeed work in mysterious ways.

“But what do we do now?” Ashley asked. “You’re leaving in two days.”

Jay gave a small laugh. “Only for two weeks. We've waited almost eight years to be together, I'm sure we can wait another few weeks. Unless . . .” he smiled and shook his head, dismissing the thought.

“What?” Ashley asked, intrigued.

“It's nothing. I just had a thought. Maybe you could come to Manila with me. If you wanted to.”

Ashley had never considered that option. It would mean stepping outside of her comfort zone. “I don’t have any skills,” Ashley said. “But I do have a passport.”

“Pastor Barry is putting a team together to go over and distribute food and clean water as well as clothing and blankets. If you’re interested, we could talk to him about it.”

She swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”

“You don't have to decide right now. Come inside and we can talk about it later—
after
you’ve had some rest.”

He smiled and she knew everything was going to be all right. She was exhausted—physically, mentally and emotionally. She hadn’t slept in almost twenty-four hours.

“Welcome home.”

He held out his hand and she placed her hand in his as he held open the door, inviting her inside to rest for a while.

Before she entered, she looked towards the horizon. Dawn approached, the first rays of light spilling over into the valley, illuminating everything and expelling the darkness that had lingered for much too long. She smiled as she felt that same sensation. The unconditional love and light shining through Jay, breathing life into parts of her heart that she thought had died. There would be adventures and countless obstacles ahead, but she wouldn’t face them alone any more. She was overwhelmed by Jay’s forgiveness and willingness to accept her, regardless of her past.

Giving her a second chance at life—at love.