Chapter Thirteen
“Hi,” Maegan answered the call with enthusiasm. “Are you home?”
“Almost, but I had to stop for gas. I thought I’d make it home, but the gas needle kept dropping.” Judah coughed. “Sorry, someone drove by and blew exhaust in my face.”
“You’re not pumping gas while on the phone, are you?” She knew him better than that, her teasing tone was obvious.
“I’m already done but sitting in the truck with the windows down since it’s so nice. I thought I’d call you first and let you know I’m almost home.”
“Did you still want to get dinner out this evening?”
“Yes, please, unless you need to change plans.”
She smiled to herself. “I kept my schedule clear.”
“Good. I’m really looking forward to being home and seeing you.” His voice held a tenderness that made her heart constrict in joy. “Does seven work? That will give me time to unpack and clean up.”
“Seven is perfect. The shop is closed, and I’ll be here in the apartment.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
The connection ended, and she stood still, certain she would look ridiculous if she saw her reflection in the mirror. Her smile couldn’t possibly be as wide as it felt judging by the overworked muscles in her cheeks.
An idea popped into her head. She couldn’t wait to see him, and he’d said he couldn’t wait to see her. Sure, she’d see him in a few hours, but why not hop over to his house and be there to surprise him when he arrived home.
An old memory surfaced, fighting briefly to steal her joy.
She surprised Jess at his office once, bringing him lunch from his favorite restaurant.
It hadn’t seemed like a big deal since he’d done the same for her, but he’d been livid and accused her of crowding him.
In retrospect, she had her suspicions of why he’d been so upset.
Not that long ago, the memory would have upset her, caused a rise of shame and embarrassment.
It would have made her question her decision to surprise Judah for fear he would react similarly, especially since they were only friends.
But those insecurities were gone, and she would happily carry out her plan to see Judah earlier than he expected.
She rushed to her bedroom and went to the closet.
As much as she hated to admit it, she’d already planned out several outfit options.
She chose a rose gold knit top with a pair of dark denim wide leg jeans, finishing it with a pair of glittery ballet flats that matched her shirt.
Digging into her makeup reserves, she applied a light coverage of shimmering eyeshadow and mascara, then added a blush pink lip color.
Grabbing her keys and purse, she ran out the door and down to her car. Half the fun of surprising Judah required her to be there before him. Thankfully, Dogwood Creek rarely had traffic, even at rush hour. She made it across town and to Judah’s house, thankful she had gotten there before him.
Despite having a key still, she didn’t feel comfortable waiting inside. She’d only been given access to water his plant, and she didn’t want to overstep any boundaries. Besides, waiting outside gave her the opportunity to see him as soon as he drove in.
She sat on the front steps, fiddling on her phone to pass the time. Five minutes passed, and she doublechecked the time. He should have been here by now. Maybe he’d hit traffic at some point in that short distance.
Another ten minutes passed, and she began to worry. Five more minutes and I’ll give him a call. She played two more rounds of a word game on her phone that lasted two minutes before she gave up and called.
Her phone dialed Judah as in incoming call from him came through, and she quickly answered. “I was just calling you.”
“That must be why my first call didn’t go through. Are you okay?” he asked, a hint of concern in his tone.
“Yes, why? Are you?”
“I’m fine, but I know we agreed on seven, but I thought I’d stop and see you now as a surprise, but you aren’t home.”
Maegan burst into laughter, not stopping until tears rolled down from her eyes. “That’s because I had the same idea. I’m sitting on your front steps.”
“Are you serious? That’s funny.”
“I am. Stay put and I’ll be right there.” She leaped from the steps, ready to rush back to her apartment.
“Wait, if you don’t mind, what if I come there. You can hang out while I get ready, and we can leave from there.”
More time with Judah? What a fabulous plan. “I’ll stay put. See you in a few.”
For the second time in an hour, they hung up. She sat in the driver’s seat of her car and checked her appearance in the mirror. Satisfied other than her windswept tresses, she ran a brush through her hair several times.
Ten minutes passed exceptionally slowly.
She was convinced it was thirty but had hit a time warp.
When she heard a vehicle rumbling down the gravel road, she knew it had to be him.
There weren’t many houses along this road, and she recognized the sound of his truck’s engine.
Jumping from the car, she became self-conscious.
Should she wait by the car for him, or should she go to him once he parked?
His truck came into view as he passed the line of trees, and her heart rate doubled. She could tell the second he spotted her. A large smile came over his face, and he waved. He jerked into his driveway and parked, swung his door open.
He wasted no time hopping out and circling the front of his truck, making his way to her. Her feet didn’t question what to do. As soon as she saw him walking, she moved toward him and they met between their vehicles.
Judah stopped only long enough to gaze at her with darkened eyes before wrapping his arms around her waist and engulfing her in a sweeping hug that lifted her feet from the ground.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he whispered in her ear, setting her down but not releasing her.
Any doubt she’d fallen completely in love with him faded away as she looked into his eyes. “I’ve missed you, too.”
“There’s so much I want to tell you.” Reaching up, he brushed her cheek with the back of his hand, never taking his eyes from hers.
“We should talk.” At the scared expression appearing in his eyes, she covered his hand with hers, and she quickly clarified. “All good things.”
“Then we will talk. But first…” Sliding his hand to her neck, he gently guided her closer to him. His head lowered until their mouths were only a wisp away.
Her heart skipped a beat when his lips met hers, and she knew she’d found the one with whom her soul belonged.
When the kiss ended, he didn’t back away but rested his forehead on hers. “I’ve been dreaming of that all weekend.”
Heightened emotions spilled out in a nervous giggle. “I hope anticipation didn’t kill reality.”
Pressing a finger to her lips, he shook his head. “The dreams were great, but reality was infinitely better.”
“Oh,” she whispered breathlessly as he leaned in for another kiss that made her knees weak.
Too soon, he broke the physical connection with great reluctance echoing in his gaze. “We really should have that talk.”
She nodded in agreement. “Do you need help carrying anything inside?”
“I’ve got it, but thanks.” He went to his truck and grabbed his luggage from the back seat. Turning to her again, he flashed a smile. “Did I mention how much I missed you?”
There went her heart, fluttering away again.
“I think you might have,” she answered coyly.
Once they were inside, he dropped his keys on an end table. “Give me fifteen minutes to clean up, then we’ll talk?”
“I’ll be here.”
“The remote’s right there if you want to watch anything. There’s still tea from Thursday night in the fridge. It should still be good, but there’s also bottled water. Make yourself at home.” He disappeared down the hallway.
Collapsing on the couch after he’d left the room, Maegan sighed with complete joy and happiness. Judah’s return so far had been perfect. He might not be perfect- no one was- but he was perfect for her.
He came out thirteen minutes later with his hair damp. No longer wearing the casual business clothes he’d had on earlier, he was currently wearing a pair of jeans and a forest green t-shirt. “Hi.”
“Hi again.” She smiled shyly, still mentally adapting to the shift between them. “How was the conference?”
“Incredible.” He sat down on the other end of the sofa.
“Remember that couple I told you about, Bethany and Blaine? The department they work for was so impressed with the information Blaine passed on just from the first two days that they’re already discussing hosting a conference in the Atlanta area. ”
“That’s great. From everything you’ve told me, the conference was well run. I’m glad it’s already having an impact.”
“I’m excited to see where it leads.” He shifted positions so that he sat sideways to face her. “There is something that happened at the conference Saturday night that I didn’t tell you. I wanted to wait until we were face to face.”
Old Maegan would have immediately panicked and thought the worst-case scenario of cheating- even though he wouldn’t have been cheating since they weren’t a couple. New Maegan had complete faith in Judah and knew whatever it was wouldn’t be detrimental to her.
“What was it?”
“Of all people to also be at the conference, Grady was there.”
“Grady?” She didn’t recognize the name from any of their previous conversations.
“I tried to never speak his name. He’s the coworker Alyssa had an affair with.”
“Oh,” she drawled out, understanding.
“Yeah. I wasn’t too pleased to see him at first.” Judah crossed his arms loosely over his chest. “He asked if we could talk, and initially I said no, but I had a gut feeling that told me to hear him out.”
“That couldn’t have been easy.”
“It wasn’t. Until it was.” He made a noise that combined a short laugh and a snort.
“He apologized, but in the moment before he voiced the words, I forgave him finally. It was as though God opened my eyes, and I saw Grady as God would see him, which left me with forgiveness as the only option. Holding on to that anger had kept me from fully releasing the pain Alyssa’s betrayal caused. ”
“I’m really happy for you.” She took a deep breath. “I had a similar moment last night.”
She proceeded to tell him about discarding all the mementos of her and Jess’s relationship, then selling her ring this morning and donating the money.
Judah scooted closer and wrapped her hand in his. “If those relationships hadn’t failed, neither of us would be right here, in this moment, right now. And I, for one, wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
A silly grin curled her mouth. “Is it safe to assume we’re no longer pretending to date?”
He chuckled, then locked gazes with her. “In case there is any confusion, Maegan Hanson, will you be my girlfriend, for real this time, not because we don’t want to be set up with anyone else, but because there is no one else I want to be with except for you.”
“Since you put it like that,” she said, casting a wink his way, “I will.”
“I have something for you.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a red swatch of yarn.
“It’s not very good, but I tried. When I saw my aunt Saturday night, I asked her if she could teach me to knit because I wanted to knit a heart for you.
” He handed her the crookedest, most uneven tension, knitted heart she’d ever seen.
And she loved it. Taking hold of the heart, she clutched it against her chest. “It’s perfect.”
“There’s even a knot in it where I had to join two broken pieces.
It’s like us, two people whose trust and hearts had been broken.
But God took those pieces and brought us together to knit our hearts back to one piece.
Like the purls, there will be bumps in the road, but if we trust in Him then we will get through and thrive. ”
Emotions overwhelmed her, and happy tears welled in her eyes. Judah saw her. He understood her. He’d learned her favorite hobby and had knitted her a heart. “I love you.”
He quirked a brow. “What did you say?”
What she thought had been a silent declaration had been a whispered one. But she wouldn’t take it back. She’d meant it, and who cared who said it first. “I love you.”
“I prayed I heard that right because I love you too. I am completely, irrevocably in love with you, and I could shout it to the entire world.”
She looked at Judah, sending him a mischievous smile from the bottom of her heart. “Maybe we should start by telling Nancy.”
“And give her the satisfaction of knowing she was right all along and made yet another match?” Judah squeezed her hand. “Absolutely, let’s tell her, and while we’re at it, I’ll send her my sincere and forever gratitude.