Journal of a Lifetime (Journals of Love) (24 page)

S
TEVE RETURNED TO
his hotel, tired after a long day, but looking forward to tomorrow. He held the ring from Helen, and knew that it would fit Lindsey’s finger perfectly. He couldn’t wait to give it to her. She hadn’t said anything about a ring at all, which cemented the fact that she wasn’t focused on material possessions. The things that mattered to her were love and family.

His thoughts turned to the plans for tomorrow. Pete was picking him up to go for a tuxedo fitting and then Hugh would meet up with them for lunch. The men had made him feel welcomed into their family. He was sure his family would do the same for Lindsey.

After a prayer of thanks, Steve went to sleep as soon as his head rested on the pillow.

He awoke the next morning at seven to the sounds of a quiet knocking on his hotel room door. He knew the surprise he felt was showing on his face when he opened the door to Hugh.

“Can I come in?” Hugh asked.

“Sure,” Steve said as he stood back and held the door open for Hugh. “Uh, is everything ok?”

“Can I sit down?” Hugh pointed to the small round table and chairs next to the window.

Steve made a small attempt to straighten the covers on the bed. “Please. Make yourself comfortable.” He took the seat across from him.

Hugh hesitated. He opened the curtain and made a small comment about the view. He didn’t expect a reply and knew Steve would be nervous about what his future father-in-law would have to say to him.

“I’m not sure how to do this,” Hugh admitted. “Do I threaten you and tell you that if you mistreat my daughter, you’ll be the one who gets hurt? Do I appeal to your gentleman side and remind you that women deserve respect and kindness, love and protection? Or does that sound sexist?” He paused. “I have only one daughter and I’ve never done this before.”

Steve thought Hugh had accepted Lindsey’s decision and wondered what had changed. “Sir, I love your daughter with all my heart. I know this marriage decision was a quick one, but I also know that she is the one for me. There has never been, and never will be, a woman who can capture my attention like she does.”

Hugh stared into Steve’s eyes. “But she’s my little girl,” he said. “And she’ll always be my little girl. Nothing will change that and nothing can stop me from loving her. Can you say the same?”

Steve tried to swallow the lump in his throat for the concern this loyal man was showing to his child. Even though he wasn’t a father yet, he understood loyalty to family. “Sir, I believe that nothing will take away my love for your daughter. This is bigger than the both of us, and it’s evident God’s plans are in motion, here.”

Hugh interrupted him. “I hope so. I could hardly believe the story about your grandfather and Adele. Although I have many reservations about this marriage, I cannot believe that this is simply a coincidence.”

He stood up, and Steve followed suit.

“I don’t feel that I can talk to Lindsey about this. She’ll just claim I’m being overprotective, like she always says. I try to be the buffer between her and her mother, and act as if things don’t bother me, but in reality I’m thankful for her mother’s over-the-top concerns. At least then I know that Lindsey’s being cautious.”

“You two have raised a beautiful, intelligent, thoughtful and, yes, cautious daughter,” Steve assured. “She wouldn’t make a decision like this without being one-hundred percent sure that this is what God wants for her life.”

Hugh nodded. “I know you’re right, Steve, and please don’t think that this is about you personally. It would be about any man that she chose to marry. I wish we had more time to get to know one another before the wedding, but I will trust God. He hasn’t let me down before.”

The room was silent, except for the sounds of their breathing. Hugh took one more look at Steve and then extended his right hand. Steve took it and gave him a hearty handshake.

“She is my little girl. Please take care of her and protect her. Give her more love than she could ever want. She’ll take you on a lifetime of adventure if you allow her to be free and choose her own path.”

Steve nodded his head in agreement. “Thank you for trusting me, sir.”

Hugh released his hand and walked toward the door. “I know the next few days will be busy, but could you and I spend a little time together?”

“That sounds great to me,” Steve said.

“I will see you for lunch in a few hours and we’ll talk about getting together tomorrow,” Hugh said and he let himself out.

Steve released the air that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in. The conversation went better than he thought it would, but there was no way he’d be able to get back to sleep, so he changed his clothes and went out for a walk.

T
HE DAYS LEADING
up to the wedding were full of excitement. Lindsey found a beautiful, flowing, white, silk gown with removable sleeves. Ann couldn’t fight the tears from falling when she saw her daughter model the dress for her.

Steve and Pete became instant friends and spent the remaining days together, even when it wasn’t part of the wedding plans. Pete took him golfing and all the while, encouraged Steve to follow his path in life. He even found a local ranch so Steve could practice his rodeo skills, since the event was coming up next month.

Hugh and Steve managed to find a few hours to go fishing together and returned home with the shared laughter of friends.

Steve’s family arrived on Friday, so his time was spent between the airport and the hotel getting everyone situated. Lindsey and he had decided against a rehearsal dinner since their time was limited and they needed every minute to get ready for the actual ceremony.

The two didn’t have much alone time together, but they had planned on a short honeymoon to Mackinac Island. He was looking forward to spending those days with her and to seeing more of her home state.

Saturday morning came too soon for Lindsey. She felt as if she hadn’t prepared everything, but stopped herself from worrying quickly. The details weren’t important. Love was important.

Even though Nana was gone, Lindsey felt more love for her than ever. The strength of that love had carried her through a whirlwind vacation and all those times she thought of giving up on finding the right man. Her beliefs and faith rewarded her with the man of her dreams. The love she felt for Steve overcame any anxiety she had, plus he wasn’t really a stranger. This love went beyond the two of them.

“Thank you, Lord for always guiding my steps,” she prayed as she got dressed. “I could not have imagined this vacation turning into a wedding! Your plans and the way you choreograph the steps of all involved will never cease to amaze me. Thank you for taking care of me. Please protect our bond today and let us always be the person the other needs to succeed. I want to be my best for Steve and make him proud to be my husband.”

Husband?
She thought.
I’ll have to get used to that,
she chuckled to herself.

Marie arrived early to help her get her things to the church. “Do you really need all this stuff?” she asked Lindsey as she struggled to get the bags into the car.

“I know, I know. It seems like a lot, but it’s just what I need for today and for the honeymoon.”

“The honeymooooon . . .,” Marie teased. “How are you feeling about that?”

“I am
so
looking forward to spending time with him, alone. No distractions or intrusions. It’s going to be wonderful.”

“I hope that you two have a great time, with long walks and talks, and I hope he’ll treat you gently and with respect.”

Marie’s mood was so improved through her relationship with Pete, that Lindsey hardly believed what she heard. Marie had bashed men for so long, that Lindsey didn’t think she’d remember what a good man was about.

“I have no doubt that he will.”

They got to the church and went into the Bride’s room. They knew it would only be a little while until they were bombarded with others showing up to help, or to say their congratulations.

“Will you go check on the flowers?” Lindsey asked as she was putting on her make up. “I want to make sure the sanctuary looks good.”

“Sure. I’ll be right back.”

Two minutes later Lindsey heard a faint knock on the door.

“Come in,” she shouted.

It was Don. Lindsey immediately jumped up.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” he asked.

“What?” she said in a voice that she hardly recognized.

To her relief he didn’t come in any farther.

“I wanted to apologize for all the pain that I’ve caused you, and for threatening you like I did. I know that doesn’t even come close to what you need, but I can’t even explain why. I just got so caught up in keeping Steve to myself . . . ”

Lindsey remained calm and quiet.

“He and I had so many plans, and I didn’t want those to change. I’m so sorry, and I hope that one day you’ll forgive me.”

She didn’t respond to his request. She stared at him hard for a moment, thinking. “I need to ask you something. How did you know about Adele, Steve and your grandfather? What you said was hurtful to all of us.”

Don swallowed the lump in his throat. He looked down at his polished shoes. “I overheard your conversation with Steve senior at the hospital.”

Lindsey widened her eyes, but kept quiet.

“I know I shouldn’t have eavesdropped, but . . . my anger got the best of me. I used that love story as ammunition to drive you away from Steve . . . ” He paused and shook his head. “I don’t even know who I am anymore.” He glanced up into her eyes. “I am so sorry, Lindsey.”

He turned to go.

“Wait.” She wasn’t going to let anything get her down today. She wanted to become Steve’s wife free and clear of any animosity toward Don. “I need to forgive you, for me and for Steve. I’m sure your role in trying to tear us apart will fade as time goes on.” She smiled as best she could. “For now, let’s just begin again, ok?”

Don admired her ability to let things go. He knew he didn’t deserve it, but was thankful anyway. “Good luck today. If you need anything once you get to Alberta, please let me know. I don’t know how I’m going to make this up to you, but I promise to try.” He excused himself so she could finish getting ready for her big day.

Lindsey absently reached for a handful of Reese’s Pieces, and chewed thoughtfully. God was really going to continue to guide their lives, all three of them. She smiled at the thought of how he had already brought her and Steve so far, and prayed that he would open Don’s eyes soon to his power and love for him. It would be nice if the three of them could be friends.

Her mother walked in just then. The two had spent most of the week together and her mother’s fears had eased. Lindsey was proud that her mother was growing up, too.

“Do you need any help?”

“I think I’ve got it covered here, but could you go check on the cake?”

“Be right back, Honey.”

Lindsey didn’t mean to keep sending people away, but she did want a few moments alone with her thoughts. With the tension between her and Don somewhat lessened, her anticipation was returning, and starting to cause her heart to beat rapidly. She hoped the time would pass quickly until she walked up the aisle to her love.

Many other visitors came and went as she was trying to get ready. Martha and Joyce were there and stopped in for a quick hello and hug. Steve’s parents introduced themselves, and wheeled Grandpa Steve into the room so he could wish her luck.

She was very happy to see him. “I’m so happy that you made it!”

He stood up to give her a loving embrace. “I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” he said. “It’s nice to see where Adele lived too. I feel closer to her already.” He sat back down in his wheelchair. “Ever since my spell, I haven’t regained a lot of my strength back yet,” he explained. “But I’ll be fine.”

“I fully believe that,” Lindsey replied.

Steve senior reached behind his wheelchair into the storage bag and retrieved a shoebox of letters. He had tied a beautiful blue ribbon around the box. “Lindsey, here are Adele’s letters to me. I want you to have them as a wedding present.”