The Nature of Love (Love in the Spotlight #3)

Chapter 42

Forty-Two

Married?

Hadn’t he had the same thoughts? But hadn’t he also wondered if it was too soon to propose and if he was actually ready?

Chris stared into Erykah’s beautiful eyes. “I’ll pray about it.”

“Oh good.” She let out a breath. “I was afraid you’d think the suggestion was out of left field or...”

He shook his head. “No. I’ve had similar thoughts but haven’t come to any conclusions yet.”

“Great minds?” She chuckled, then laid her head back down on his chest. “I don’t know if it’s the right answer. I don’t know if the idea is strictly because I don’t want to part from you, even if it’s temporary and one day we get married.”

Hadn’t he contemplated the same thing? “I completely understand. Do you want to pray now?”

“Yes.” She sat up. “Want to hold hands?”

“Definitely.”

She placed her soft hands in his, and Chris bowed his head. He loved that she trusted him to pray and suggested it first. “Lord, we come to You today asking for Your divine wisdom and guidance. Please give us ears to hear, eyes to see, a heart that’s understanding, and a spirit that’s willing. We want to obey Your direction, whatever it may be.”

He paused, gathering his thoughts. “We love each other, Lord, and we know that’s a blessing from You for both of us. We’ve become a family and want to stay united not just for us, but for Cheye and Ash as well. What would You have us do? Are we jumping the gun?”

Chris really didn’t know which direction to go. He didn’t want to think he was at a fork in a road with only two choices. God was so good at straightening a path. On their own merits, people had chosen to marry for less than love and kids. On the flip side, couples had stayed together in a loveless marriage for kids. Chris needed to clear his mind of what others did and focus on what God wanted for them.

“God,” Erykah said quietly, reverently, “You’ve shown me You hear us and You answer prayers. All we’re asking is that You show us what the answer is in this situation. Please help our love for each other and our own desires not impede us from hearing You. And if You ask us to separate, please help us express to Cheyenne how that’s not a permanent solution but one that offers more time for all of us.”

“Amen,” Chris whispered.

“Amen.”

He opened his eyes. “Guess now we just wait.”

“Right.” She sighed. “How’s your leg feeling?”

“Much better. I feel foolish now thinking that pain was from the broken bone.”

“How were you supposed to know when no one told you what to watch for?” She huffed. “I should’ve done so and not depended on them to relay the correct information.”

“It’s okay.” He squeezed her. “I’m okay.”

“But you almost weren’t,” Erykah whispered, then cleared her throat. “Fortunately, God answered my prayer and healed you.”

“Is that when you decided He was real?” Chris couldn’t be happier that she’d developed a real relationship with Christ.

“He’s been showing me that He sees me in many different ways. It was actually a conversation with a coworker that tipped me over.” She smiled at him. “I felt a little na?ve about saying the salvation prayer. So I kept quiet and just continued to do the work to understand Him. I feel like my past has a purpose now.”

“Yeah? In what way?” Chris rested his chin on top of her head.

He wanted to close his eyes and go to sleep. Holding her, listening to her talk, it all relaxed him. Being with Erykah allowed him to let his guard down and truly ... rest .

I get it now. Why You had to slow me down. I was letting life pass me by.

But not anymore. He was blessed by having the girls, by this time to sit and be, like God spoke of in Psalm 46:10 when He said, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

“I don’t think it’s just one thing. I can look back and see taking care of Ellynn was one purpose. Going to medical school and then helping others heal was another. Being here and in a position to raise Cheye and Ash is also a reason.” She looked up and smiled at him. “And loving you is an added bonus.”

He placed a kiss on her cheek. “I love all of those reasons. They helped shape you into who you are today.”

“Exactly.” She snuggled closer. “Can we just sleep here?”

“As much as I would love to fall asleep with you in my arms, my forty-two-year-old back would object vehemently.”

She laughed. “I hear you. For me, it’s my shoulders. If I sl eep on my side, I wake up feeling like my collarbone is broken.”

“The beauty of aging.”

“When do you turn forty-three?”

“Next month.”

“Really? What day?”

He stilled, swallowed. “Uh ... the fourteenth.”

“February fourteenth? Are you serious?” At his nod, Erykah smirked at him. “That must be annoying.”

“A little bit.”

She sat up. “Should we celebrate, or do you prefer a low-key day?”

“Will we be together?”

She nodded.

“Then nothing else matters. It’s all icing.”

“I love you.” She wrapped her arms around his neck.

“I love you too.”

Erykah beamed. “Okay, I’m off to bed. I’ve got an early surgery tomorrow.”

“Night, beautiful.” He placed a kiss on her forehead.

“Night, handsome.”

Chris grabbed his crutches and hobbled to the guest bedroom. Even though he and Erykah had already prayed, he would do as she’d asked and pray by himself. The thought of marrying her settled something in his insides. When he’d questioned whether he was moving too fast earlier, he’d thought about his last jaunt down the aisle, and something quaked in him. Not that he had any residual feelings for Tracey. He’d forgiven her, and he’d forgiven himself for not ending their relationship sooner when he’d felt that prompting. It was more that Chris hadn’t known exactly how Erykah felt about the subject.

Knowing she wanted to marry shifted his insides into alignment. The thought of marrying her didn’t fill him with trepi da tion. Like she said, they were already a family. The guys had told him to ask her what she wanted, and she’d delivered.

Thank You, Lord. I’m amazed. I feel loved. There’s just no other word for it.

****

The next morning, Chris spent an hour pouring out his heart and finding Scriptures to read to keep him focused on the end result: hearing from God. Just when peace settled in his heart at the assurance that God would answer, his cell phone rang.

He reached for the device, glancing at the caller ID. Today, seeing Mom flash across the screen didn’t surprise him, and it spoke of the promise that they both would continue to strengthen their relationship.

“Hey, Mom.”

“How are you feeling, son?”

Chris removed his leg from the elevation pillow Nevaeh had gifted him. “My leg is a lot better.”

“And you’re taking your meds for the clot?”

He smiled. Hearing her care about his life ... well, he’d thought he was past needing his mom’s attention, but maybe not. “I am. Erykah is also double-checking.”

“Speaking of Erykah...” She trailed off, then stayed silent.

“Is everything okay?”

“I was cleaning out some old boxes yesterday. It’s a new year, and I want to declutter.”

“Good idea. Don’t forget to donate the items that can still be used, or even sell them if you prefer.” He could never turn off the sustainability portion of his brain.

“Oh, of course. I have a donation pile and a to-sell pile.”

“Good.” Reusing stuff really did help the earth.

“However, that’s not the purpose of this call.”

His brows rose. “It’s not?” Was this just a distraction from the real issue? Had she and Erykah exchanged words or something?

“No.” She laughed. “Well, kind of. It’s all related. You’ll see if I can just figure out the right words.”

“Breathe, Mom. No need to rush through the conversation.”

“Okay.” Her inhale was audible. “I found something while I was cleaning and wondered if you might have any use for it.”

“What is it?”

“My mother’s wedding ring.”

Chris stilled. “Her wedding ring?”

“It’s circa 1930s if I remember correctly. It has that whole art deco vibe. I’m not sure if it’s your thing or if Erykah would like it.” She paused. “Am I overstepping? Are you guys dating, or is her being a friend really the end of the story?”

“Actually, I’m in love with her.” He swallowed. Had he even said those words to his mom when he got engaged to Tracey? “You’re not overstepping at all, and I’d really like to see a picture of it.”

“Hold on.” He heard a muffled sound, then her voice once more. “I just texted a picture of it.”

“Thanks.” He put her on speaker, then went to his text messages to pull up the image.

Perfect.

Not only was this something old, but he had a feeling Erykah would absolutely love the ring. The idea of a family heirloom made him feel connected to his past in a way he didn’t normally experience. His mom didn’t normally share stuff like this with him.

She’s trying, remember that.

“ Are you sure you don’t want to keep this, Mom? It’s your mother’s.”

“I’m sure. I think you and Erykah have something really solid.”

Was this God’s answer? Even if it wasn’t, he knew one day he’d put this on Erykah’s finger. “Thank you so much.”

“Of course. I’ll bring this with me when I come visit at the end of the month.”

“I can’t wait.” And he couldn’t. He was actually looking forward to the visit.

Chris hung up the phone. Lord, is this You? Before he could think any further, his phone rang again. Cameron flashed on the caller ID.

“Hey, Cam, what’s up?”

Sniffles met his ear. “Hey, Chris. Um, I was calling to ask for a day off.”

He’d never seen Cameron cry, and he couldn’t remember the last time she called in unexpectedly. “Are you okay? Are you sick?”

“I ended it.”

His mouth dropped. “With Felix?”

“Yes,” she cried. “I realized that I was more in love with the wedding than I was with him. And though it feels like I’m a terrible person for ruining his life, I also feel...”

“You feel?” Chris asked cautiously.

“Relief. Awful, right?” She blew her nose right in his ear.

Oh, Cameron. “Did you pray over this?”

She sniffled. “Yes. But it doesn’t make this feel any better.”

“Did I ever tell you I was left at the altar?”

Cameron gasped. “What? No!”

“At the time, I hated that she left me there to pick up the pieces. But, Cameron...” He closed his eyes. “It was the best decision she could’ve made.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

“If it’s not right, it’s not right.” He paused. “What did Felix have to say?”

“He said he sank a ton of money for nothing. He told me to get back as much as I could, so I’ve been making phone calls since yesterday.”

Chris winced. He knew what that was like. “I’m sorry, Cam.”

“It’s okay. But I do have a problem.”

“If I can help, I will.”

“My honeymoon is nonrefundable. The only thing they said I could do was change the dates. Obviously since I’m not getting married, I don’t want to go on a honeymoon by myself or with anyone else.”

Got it. He still had no idea what that had to do with—

“Do you want the honeymoon? I mean, I know you keep saying you and Erykah are just friends, but there are some very serious nonfriend vibes going on between you two. That video y’all did together with Cheyenne directing was so adorable. You two fit , you know?”

He’d forgotten he’d shared that with the crew.

“I thought to myself, ‘Cam, one day they’re going to get married.’ Which means, if you do, you’ll need a honeymoon. So how about it?” She finally breathed.

At this point, Chris had goose bumps on his arms. Okay, Lord. I’m listening. “Cameron, that actually would be amazing.” Because now he had a ring and a honeymoon. If that didn’t seem like a sign to marry the woman he loved, he didn’t know what would. “Wait, where is it?”

Not that he really cared, but he’d like to know how to prepare for it if Erykah agreed this was the right move.

“I got a one-bedroom suite at the Sonnenalp resort in Vail. The current reservation dates are February fourteenth to the twenty-first.”

His mou th dropped. “Can you change the name the reservation is in?”

“Yes.”

“I tentatively say yes, but I need to talk to Erykah first. If we take it, we can refund you.”

“Does that mean you stopped ignoring your feelings and finally admitted them?” Cameron sounded gleeful. Her earlier sounds of crying vanished.

“I did.”

She squealed. “I’m so excited. Are you going to propose?”

“I’ve been thinking about it.” More than thinking.

“Stop thinking and do it already. You two are perfect for each other.”

He grinned. “Thanks, Cam.”

He already owned a tux. A quick internet search showed going to the county clerk’s office and signing a license automatically made them married. They didn’t even need an officiant if they didn’t want one. All they really needed was a venue, but surely that wouldn’t be hard to find.

Lord, You are amazing. He couldn’t wait to tell Erykah.