Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
W alking down the hallway the next morning, Ryan stopped at the boys’ bedroom door and peeked in. They were playing with toy trucks. He leaned his head against the door frame as he tried to recall his childhood memories with Jason in that exact room. They were a few years apart, but that didn’t stop them connecting, especially when they got into their teenage years. He remembered staying up half the night playing video games in the dark with the volume low on the TV, praying Dad wouldn’t catch them.
“Hi, Daddy.” Jack’s greeting stirred him out of the memories and to the present moment.
Crossing the threshold into the bedroom, Ryan met Jack’s open arms and embraced him in a hug as he smiled. Lifting his son, he tossed him over onto the bed playfully.
Conner tossed his ambulance toy on the floor and leapt at Ryan with a roar. Catching him as well, Ryan growled with joy in his heart as he tossed him on the other bed.
Suddenly, Jack jumped onto Ryan’s back and giggled hysterically as Ryan expanded his chest and then swung his body around to capture Jack once more.
As they wrestled for the next twenty minutes or so, Ryan got lost in a world of play with his boys, forgetting the world outside that bedroom and the stresses that it entailed. He, even for a moment, forgot about the fact that his father had passed away. He was simply there and enjoying the moment with his two sons.
Eventually, Ryan felt exhaustion rip at every fiber of his being as he attempted to catch his breath. Jack again jumped at him, still full of energy as if the wrestling match had just begun.
Laughing, Ryan shook his head and motioned time out with his hands. “Time out. I need to be done for now. Daddy needs to rest.”
Conner laughed and pointed at him as Ryan lay down on his bed. “Dad’s taking a nap in my bed! Silly Dad!”
Conner and Jack each took an arm and cozied in with their father as he relaxed. Giving them each a light squeeze, he kissed their foreheads. “I love you two so much.”
Coming out into the kitchen a few moments later, he caught a smile on his wife’s lips as she wiped off the counter.
“Good morning, love.” He made his way over to her, pulling her in close for a kiss. He brought his hand to the small of her back as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. Noticing a discomfort in her as the smile dropped momentarily, he brought a gentle finger to her chin to pull her gaze toward him. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head lightly. “Nothing.”
“Please? I can’t help if you don’t let me in.”
“I’m just worried.”
“About what?”
With a gentle motion, she went back to wiping cereal up off the counter. “That all this is just . . .”
Seeing her eyes glisten with tears, he came closer and placed a hand atop her hand, stopping her from cleaning. “What?”
“ Temporary. I mean, I love it. Don’t get me wrong. But I can’t help but feel it’s going to change again, Ryan. Like this is all happening because I came back and eventually, everything will just go back to like it was before.”
He came closer, placing a hand on each of her arms as he looked into her eyes. “You don’t have to worry about that happening.”
“Why? What assurance can you give me?”
Ryan smiled as he shook his head. “I can’t give you assurance of anything other than one thing. I love you. You see, Em, the way I see it is God is sovereign in and through our lives. God changed me into a man who relies on Him more fully, but only through the catalyst of all this pain and difficulty. God is good even when it hurts.”
“Okay. Thank you for sharing that.”
“By the way, Jason and I came up with a plan for Linda. Bill has some apartments in town, and he wants to help out whatever way he can.”
“Great! Does she need help moving? Like financially?”
Ryan hesitated. He didn’t want to do anything to upset the balance and fresh start with Emily. “I don’t know, but we’re not helping her.”
“Why?”
He lifted his eyebrows.
“I know in the past, I didn’t want to help like that, but I really think helping her move would be a good thing.”
“Right.” Ryan rubbed his chin as he contemplated how to help. “I can offer to rent a moving truck for her stuff. That way, it’s not just cash.”
“Great thinking.”
“I’ll run it by her.” Ryan went down the hallway and into his study to call Linda. He hadn’t told her about the job or the apartment yet, and now was the perfect time to do it.
After he got done explaining everything, he heard crying on the other end of the phone.
“What’s wrong, Linda?”
“I can’t go there, Ryan. I can’t go to Cedarwood Creek !”
Quiet filled the next moment as Ryan felt irritation creep into his heart. “Can I ask why? I mean, I set you up with a job and a place to live. We’re even renting a moving truck for you. I can’t understand this, Linda. You say you want help, but it sure doesn’t seem like that’s true. It seems to just be about getting more money.”
She became defensive. “It’s not about the money!”
“Then what is it?”
“Your family, Ryan. I don’t want everyone to hate me. I was your dad’s dirty little secret, and I just don’t think I can deal with your family and that small town drama of yours.”
He was quiet, then he let out a sigh. “I can’t promise it’ll be easy, Linda. But what I can promise is it’s a way to take care of yourself and your daughter. To give her a fresh start in a community that is good despite their flaws.”
His study’s door pushed open, pulling his attention upward. He saw Emily frowning as she came in and over to him, her eyes on the phone.
Pulling it down in front of him, he placed the call on speaker phone. “You’re on speaker phone, Linda. My wife Emily is here with me now.”
“Linda?” Emily said, her expression soft, her tone gentle.
“Yeah?”
“I will fight anyone who gives you grief in this town. I have your back.”
Linda laughed lightly through the crying and sniffled. “Why would you do that for me? You don’t even know me.”
“You’re right. I don’t know you, but what I do know is Christ died for you. And He loves you, and because of that, I love you too. There’s a lot of people here rooting for you.”
Ryan’s heart stirred with love, joy, and peace. His wife was maturing as a believer right before his eyes. Not because of anything he had done, but because of everything God had done.
That evening, after putting the boys to bed, Emily and Ryan plopped onto their couch in the living room. She laid her head gently on Ryan’s lap as she covered up with her favorite soft blanket. She was home in more ways than one. As they watched a movie together, her thoughts kept drifting to their daughter, Elizabeth. She still hadn’t arrived home from her youth group bonfire at the youth pastor’s house.
It was now just after eleven o’clock.
“You okay? You keep checking your phone.” Ryan paused the movie.
“Elizabeth’s bonfire. It was supposed to be done at ten o’clock.”
Ryan pulled his phone out and checked Elizabeth’s location. “Yep. It shows her still there. But it hasn’t updated in an hour.”
Ryan began to get up, gently moving her off his lap.
“What are you doing?”
“Going to get her.” As he reached for his shoes, the front door opened. Ryan caught his daughter’s gaze. “Hey. What’s up?”
“Nothing.” Elizabeth continued through the house, heading toward her bedroom.
As Emily saw Ryan follow after, she followed him, praying on the way.
Ryan caught up to her and stopped his daughter in the hall. “You okay?”
“What?” Elizabeth folded her arms and looked at him. It was easy to see that she had been crying.
“I asked if you were okay. It looks like you might be a little upset.”
Elizabeth tilted her head slightly, then looked over at Emily briefly, then back at her dad. “This guy I like was there and talking to a different girl. It hurt my feelings.”
“I’m sorry, Princess.”
“It’s okay.” Elizabeth let her arms down and she sighed. “I was outside sitting in Megan’s car, talking to her for the last half hour. I was already home. Sorry I didn’t say anything. My phone died at the bonfire.”
“Come here.” Ryan opened his arms in an embrace and hugged her. “We just got a little worried. I’m glad you’re okay, but this guy . . . Forget about him. He’s not good enough for you if he’s going around chatting up other girls. You got me?”
Elizabeth smiled through the pain and nodded. “Thanks, Dad.”
As she went into her bedroom and shut the door, Emily looked at Ryan. “Who are you and what have you done with my husband?”
Ryan laughed and shook his head. “Whatever. I didn’t do anything you wouldn’t have done.”
“But you get so angry about stuff since . . . Never mind. It’s just weird to see you calm.”
“I got angry because I felt like I was losing control. Once you left for California, I realized I don’t have any control. Over anyone or anything. God taught me that He knows all and sees all, and I learned to trust Him through it. Even when I don’t like what I’m looking at in my life.”