20. Know You Will
HILLSONG UNITED
20
KNOW YOU WILL
“Come on, Edwin! I’m counting on you!” Dakota yelled across the cornhole field, one hand holding a fruity drink, the other on his hip.
“He’s countin’ on ya, Ms. Sadie,” Theo yelled at Dakota’s side.
“Thanks, bud,” he tousled Theo’s curly brown hair and gave him a wink.
“Dakota Remillard, you need to calm yourself right down. This game literally depends on me throwin’ a bean bag. It’s not life or death! And stop teachin’ that boy your ways.”
Ginny and Caroline hissed low, identical whistles at her side. “It’s bragging rights, Sadie, and cleanup duty tomorrow morning,” Caroline explained. “This is high stakes cornhole, and Theo is supernaturally gifted at throwin’ those bags. Watch yourself.”
Sadie threw her bag, missing the wooden board completely. “I need my antacids. Y’all are stressin’ me out.”
Dakota honestly didn’t care quite as much as he was making out. Sadie looked far too adorable in bright red, star-shaped sunglasses and her Fourth of July tank top. The same patriotic shirt the entire family was wearing—with George Washington dabbing a hot dog in one hand, an American flag in the other, and an eagle resting regally on his shoulder. It read, Freedom to Dab across the top.
The tradition his mom insisted on every year usually made him cringe, but seeing the smile on Sadie’s face when she realized she'd be included with the whole family made him want to buy ridiculous matching t-shirts all year round.
International Donut Day shirts? Yes, please.
He suddenly couldn't wait for Christmas and the matching footie pajamas he was already mentally adding to cart.
“Ya know,” Lake said, “ya never told us your final tally for the Cordiality Count. Who won?” He nuzzled his face into the crook of Georgia's neck as she lay back between his legs on a beach chair, a very pregnant spectator to the competition.
“Oh, Sadie won. She gets the loft,” Dakota said, tossing a bean bag and sacking it in the hole with ease, just as Sadie announced simultaneously, “Kota won, big time.”
She froze. “Wait. What? You know I didn't win that loft.”
“You did… remember?” Dakota bounced his eyebrows a few times. “You were extra friendly.”
“Ha!” Caroline shouted. “Look who’s PDAing now!”
“I’m not PDAing, crazy woman… I’m implying.”
“Implication of PDA is PDA, Kota.” Caroline crossed her arms. “Frankly, I am disgusted.”
“Here, here,” Georgia cheered.
Sadie looked as if she’d barely heard them. “You were serious? After we… kissed?”
“I think you mean, when I kissed you with the force of a thousand suns.”
Sadie crossed her arms and jutted out her hip, all attitude and sass, unsatisfied with his charm. And now Dakota was thinking about kissing her again.
He threw another bag, wishing he weren’t having this conversation in front of his entire family, but gave into it all the same. “I told you I love you, Sadie. I meant it. I’m in this thang. And I want you to have the loft.”
His family fell silent, aside from his mama who shouted, “Finally! Hallelujah!”
“You knew they were together, Joanie,” Dakota heard his dad say over the sneers and laughter of the rest of the family.
“I know that, darlin’, but a girl can still celebrate can't she? My boy is in love.”
“Ya sure can, Babydoll.” He kissed her forehead and waved his hand. “Y’all carry on.”
“Wait!” Theo said, raising his hand. “Remi?” He put on his puppy dog eyes for the Colonel. “Before everyone starts talking ‘bout kissin’ some more, do you think you and JoJo could take me for ice cream? I want some for the fireworks.”
Dakota's mama jumped from her seat and put her hand out for Theo's without preamble. “‘Course, baby. These guys have lots to discuss, and me and Remi never turn down ice cream. How ‘bout we get two scoops?”
Theo threw his beanbags on the ground, abandoning the high stakes game.
“Hey, Theo! I thought we were a team? Brothers in arms… Comrades,” Dakota petitioned his nephew, but knew he didn't stand a chance against grandparent-spoiling.
“Sorry, Uncle Kota, I hate kissin’, but I love ice cream.” He shrugged and grabbed his Grandma Jojo’s hand. “You're on your own.”
The rest of the family uncharacteristically decided to end the game as well, far more interested in Dakota’s personal life. As usual.
Sadie brushed the sand off her hands and placed them on her hips. “I'm not takin’ the loft, Kota. As much as it pains me to admit it, you won Stella—in all her broken-down glory—fair and square.”
“I'm definitely not taking that car, Edwin. I only bet it so I could take it from ya and get her fixed. Actually, she’ll be good as new-ish in the next three to six weeks.”
“You… you fixed Stella?” Sadie stammered. Her jaw tightened, and Dakota couldn’t decipher if she wanted to throttle him or kiss him. Hopefully the latter.
He pointed at her, feeling ridiculous with his pretty drink still in his hand. “Yeah. I did… Well, I didn’t. A team of well-trained, mechanical specialists are attempting to fix Stella. But this does not mean I think Stella is a suitable car. She’s ancient, and ya need something new, but clearly you’re not gonna give up on her. So, yeah, ya get your hunk o’ junk car and you get the loft… because…” He scratched his head, not fully prepared to have the conversation. “Could we maybe talk in private about this?”
“No way!” Georgia whined, sipping a bucket-sized sweet tea.
“Yeah, don't even think about it, man,” Griffin said, taking a seat on a beach chair, ready for a show. “We’re too invested. Our master plan worked. Now we gotta know the details.”
Caroline kissed her husband… on the mouth… much to Dakota’s distaste. “Goodness, I love you.”
“I love you, Honey… Maybe we should—”
“Fine!” Dakota relented, unwilling to listen to the sweet nothings between his sister and her husband that never seemed to be left for private… like decent folks would. “Okay, Edwin… here it is…”
Sadie batted her eyelashes in the get on with it way she was prone to. He wanted to kiss her. Soon.
“The big news…”
“Just get to it, Wade,” she said, looking mildly unamused.
“Why Wade? What does that mean?” Ginny asked.
“Oh,” Sadie suddenly looked far too chipper, “Wade is just the name of the—”
“I joined the Air Force!”
Everyone on the beach erupted in a cacophony of questions, excitement, and confusion. Lake and Griffin quickly shook Dakota’s hand, already secretly privy to this information. Georgia cried, her bright red cheeks rounded with a proud smile.
“What about your job?” Caroline asked.
“Oh, I quit last week. Gave my notice, and I, uh… I start all the testing and in-processing and, umm… all the medical stuff is next week.”
Ginny met Dakota's eyes, and they both looked at Sadie who hadn't removed her arms from the full body hug she looked like she was giving herself.
“Say something, Edwin,” he said, crossing the cornhole playing field and putting both hands on her arms, drawing her close.
“You… Do you feel good about this, Kota? You're happy?” she asked.
He leaned closer, almost nose to nose. “I am so at peace, Sadie, I can hardly explain it.” He kissed her forehead and pulled away long enough to shout, “Y’all give us a minute! We’ll meet you down the beach for fireworks.”
Though they grumbled, the rest of the group left them on the beach. Hand on her waist, Dakota pulled Sadie to him and ended his temporary misery, stealing a kiss before she knew what hit her.
“Man, I've been dying to do that. This whole PDA thing really makes sense.” He kissed her again, utterly grateful that he could and loving the way she allowed him to. “Don’t tell my sisters I said so.” He studied her face, running his thumb up and down her cheek. “Did you know your eyes have sunflowers in them? They’re my favorite.”
“I love you, but I won’t be distracted, Dakota Remillard.”
“I bet you could be though.” He winked and pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist and leading them closer to the water.
“Where did all this come from…? The Air Force? It seems sudden, and it’s a big deal.”
Dakota had the immediate realization that if things went how he prayed they would, this decision potentially affected Sadie’s future as much as his own.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have blurted it out back there. And,” he adjusted his hat, pulling it off and replacing it. “I… Well, it’s really your fault, if you must know.”
“My fault? How so?!”
“Time will explain…” He smiled proudly at his growing knowledge of books and Sadie’s tattoo collection.
“Jane Austen. Go on.”
“I’ve been feeling pretty unsettled for a while. Things in life… I dunno. They just felt wrong somehow.”
“Everything?”
“Nah. Not everything.” He gave her waist an affectionate squeeze. “I mean, I love my family, even if those girls drive me up the wall with their breed of crazy half the time. I’m pursuing Christ, and things are really looking up with the coffee shop manager who's been disturbing my peace for the past three years or so.”
“You love me.”
“I really do.”
“So where was the problem?”
“Mostly my job. I just felt like I wasn’t fulfilling my purpose somehow. Like I was a little lost.”
“I get that.” She let her head and hand rest on his chest, walking beside him at a slow pace, like a single unit down the sand. “But you think the Air Force is gonna solve your lost problem? Cause if so, I have thoughts and words for you…”
“I know you do.” He kissed the top of her head “That lesson you talked about that Georgia gave…”
“About God’s promises?”
“Yeah… the sprinkle war.” He winked and received a pinch on his side in return.
“I know the one.”
“That week I’d started praying this specific prayer. I don’t know my purpose, but I know Your promises. When Georgia taught that lesson, it struck my heart all over again, like the Lord was really and truly speaking to me. Then I talked to the Colonel about it all. How I felt unsure of where I was going and if I was fulfilling my purpose. But he didn’t pressure me into the Air force or anything. I don’t want you to think that—”
“Of course I don’t,” she reassured him.
“He just understood. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel so alone in all my thoughts and doubts. He reminded me that my purpose—my identity—is in Christ not a calling He may provide during a particular season of life. So I kept praying that prayer, and when I did, the Air Force kept coming to my mind. Like, all of a sudden I couldn’t not think about it. Then that day at your house, you said my prayer. You recited it like it was a prayer you’d been praying, too, and everything clicked into place for me. I felt a peace about pursuing you… even if it was going to be difficult… And the idea of joining the military, of serving, and traveling, and sharing that same peace I have in Christ—maybe all over the world—it just settled over me. I prayed alone and with my parents, and I went to the recruiter. And that’s it.
“I know this is a lot, and this… us… is new. I mean, it’s not a surprise new, but fresh. It’s a fresh thing, ya know? But I want you to know that I’m open to whatever you have to say or any worries you might have with what this could mean… um, for you and me, that is. I’m in. I mean, obviously I’m in—I signed a contract—but I'm in with you. For all the more, ya know? But you didn’t sign up for this, and I’m seeing that now and feeling like a doofus, and I’m definitely rambling. But like I said, either way, the loft is yours. I already moved my stuff to my parents’ house.”
“No way. When?!”
“Middle of the night. My dad and all the Lovett boys helped. They finally agreed to a male alliance in the midst of all this crazy female energy.”
“Bleh. Stop.”
He paused on the beach, sitting in the sand to overlook the sun setting on the water, and pulled Sadie down to rest between his legs. When he pulled her close, nuzzling into the crook of her neck and smelling the sweet scent of cinnamon and coffee ingrained in the warmth of her skin, Sadie leaned in and seemed to settle herself, too. “I’ll live with my parents until OTS—Officer Training School—and then I'll know where I’m going and… Ok, I feel like I’m hanging by a thread, here. What do you think… about it all?”
“I think…” she turned and looked up at him, and Dakota swore he could feel his pulse beating in his eyeballs in those few seconds, anticipating blowback. The possibility of her not being on board—of her choosing a different path—nearly paralyzed him.
I know Your promises, he prayed.
“I think… I know… I’m so very proud of you, Kota. Proud that you were patient and faithful to wait for what the Lord has for you, even when it wasn’t clear and was far from easy. I’m thankful you prayed for a path, and that you prayed for me… I love you, Dakota. I probably always have.” A small blush flushed her cheeks. “I love your wit and your brain and your Wade collectible obsession. I love knowing the time of day you drink tea and how you take it. And the way you complain about your New Year’s Day shift or VBS or your sisters, but you always show up. Always. You are there for the people you love, Kota, and I want to be there for you. Cheering you on the whole way. I want to be the loudest.”
“Yeah…? You… you want this?” he stuttered, heart thudding rapidly in his chest for the woman who knew him and saw him and—by a gift he knew was directly from the Lord—loved him.
Sadie nodded, her hair brushing up against his cheeks. “Yeah. I want you. I think this path… the Air Force… is an adventure I want to go on together. I’m in for more, too.”
He sighed deeply, cupping her flawless face in his hands. “More means more friendliness, Sadie Edwin. Are ya up for the challenge?”
“Oh, Kota, I can totally out-friend you.”
When he smirked his provoking smile that said, prove it, Sadie wrapped an arm around his neck and showed him just how very friendly she could be. Dakota didn’t care about the PDA or the folks trickling in near them as the time for the fireworks drew closer. He thought only of the woman in his arms and the new tally he wanted to make. He’d call it the Loving Sadie List. It might even have sparkles, and he had no doubt he was gonna win.
A small crowd gathered around them on the shore, preparing for fireworks. And, of course, the rest of the Remillards found their way to Dakota and Sadie’s cozy spot on the beach, noisily filling it with excitement, congratulations, and his sisters’ incessant line of questioning that he could hardly be bothered by. Because in that moment, with the girl he’d prayed for for so long in his arms, his family surrounding them, and a future on the horizon filled with purpose and peace in his Creator—and he hoped, a whole lotta PDA—Dakota couldn’t wait for the adventure to begin.
As the sky thundered and lit up in a kaleidoscope of colors, Theo dabbed his little body to the music of the fireworks show with Ginny at his side. Georgia and Caroline nestled into their husbands, PDA-ing away, and his parents did likewise.
Dakota whispered in Sadie’s ear, completely blissed out and feeling much more than cordial, “Wanna host family Domino Night next week?”
“Definitely,” she answered, turning into him. Her sunflower eyes, lit up by the explosions of color in the sky, had a sheen of moisture he hoped meant she was as deliriously happy as he was.
“Save me a seat, Edwin? It’d be awful chummy of you…”
“Of course, Wade,” she whispered. “Always.”
Dakota leaned in, lips barely touching hers—teasing her in the best way—and breathed slowly, “Harry Potter. I know that one,” before connecting them in a soft but explosive kiss he’d most definitely always want more of.