CHAPTER 10 #2
Composing himself, Bryce grinned. “That was some impressive flirting there, honey.”
“Oh, shut up. I’m mad at you.” Beth hid her flaming cheeks behind her fingers.
Bryce’s dimples deepened. “Are you really mad?”
“Furious,” she huffed. But she couldn’t stop smiling. “After the morning I had, I may have needed the laugh.”
“I did too.”
They sat there, simply enjoying the moment.
“Did something happen before Fred the Jeep attacked you with his door?”
Beth nodded, rolling her eyes dramatically.
Feeling more relaxed than she had all week—maybe even since before Vegas—she launched into her story. She told Bryce about oversleeping, falling out of bed, and having to run back for her ID.
Bryce laughed so hard he had to wipe his eyes. “You really fell out of bed?”
“Like Humpty Dumpty.” Beth groaned. “I’m a heavy sleeper. I didn’t realize I was tangled in the blankets until it was too late.”
Bryce shook his head, still grinning. “No wonder you were grumpy. I’d have been in a foul mood too.”
Beth gave a sheepish smile, but then it faded. “That’s not why I snapped at you. I wouldn’t have talked to Eric or any of the other doctors like that.”
His expression softened. “Why not?”
“They’re my coworkers. My superiors. I avoid confrontation at work when I can. But with you…” She hesitated, searching for the right words. “Somewhere over the past week, I stopped seeing you as Dr. Jensen. I got too comfortable and forgot where the professional lines were. It won’t happen again.”
Bryce studied her for a long moment before speaking. “I’m not worried about that,” he said quietly. “But I am glad to hear I’m not just Dr. Jensen to you anymore.”
Beth pulled her legs up onto the couch, tucking them under her. “I was up late last night. Praying. Reading. Trying to figure things out.”
His gaze never left hers. “About us?”
She nodded.
He leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees. “And?”
Beth swallowed, then reached for the notebook beside her. Without a word, she handed it to him.
Bryce’s brows pulled together as he glanced down and read the words she had written.
Donald & SueLynn Stoner
Would like to announce the marriage
of their daughter
Elizabeth Jean
To
Bryce ????
Son of
Byron & Barbara Jensen
On
May 10, 2024
Beth watched him carefully as he absorbed the words.
After a long beat, he looked up, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.
“I didn’t know if you’d want your dad’s name on it, but… oh and I don’t know your middle name, but… what do you think?” she asked softly.
He exhaled, staring at the page as if trying to memorize it. Then, finally. “My middle name is William.”
Beth’s lips parted. “I like it.”
Bryce closed the notebook, running his fingers over the cover. “Are you sure about this?” He motioned toward the book, his voice quiet.
“Positive.”
He didn’t trust himself to touch her in this moment. If he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to let her go. Instead, he simply handed the notebook back.
There were so many things he could say—wanted to say—but for now, the weight of what she just told him settled deep in his chest.
Beth, in her own shy, thoughtful way, had just told him she wanted to stay married.
He wasn’t going to mess this up.
Not with words. Not by rushing things.
“Tell me about your time in Belize,” he said instead.
The sudden change of subject made her laugh—a quiet, relieved sound.
She wasn’t sure if they were supposed to kiss, or if he was supposed to pull her into his arms, or what exactly should have happened after telling him she wanted to stay married.
But one thing she was sure of was that she wasn’t ready for him to touch her like that yet.
Not after the way her body had reacted to his teasing earlier.
So, she launched into her stories—the people she’d met, the children she’d cared for, the moments that had shaped her.
In turn, Bryce shared stories about his time working at a missionary hospital—how he, too, had served in the same region.
They discovered they had even worked with some of the same people.
The hours slipped away, the weight of the past week forgotten in the easy conversation of two people who belonged to God.
Two people slowly, steadily, learning what it means to belong to each other.
Later, as Bryce rinsed his coffee cup and placed it in the dishwasher, Beth stood in the kitchen doorway, watching him.
He turned to her, hesitant, like he didn’t want to leave.
“Lizzy…” he started then stopped.
She raised a brow.
“Will you go out with me tomorrow?”
Beth frowned. “Out where?”
Bryce’s grin returned. “See? This is why I assumed you didn’t recognize when a guy was asking you out.”
She rolled her eyes.
Bryce took a step toward her. “Will you go on a date with me tomorrow?”
“A date?”
“Yes. An all-day date.”
Beth hesitated, then smiled sweetly. “Sure.”
Returning her smile, Bryce stepped closer.
Another step.
Beth’s breath hitched, but he didn’t touch her.
He leaned in and pressed the lightest kiss to her forehead, just above the swelling—gentle, careful, deliberate.
Then—he was gone.
Bryce checked the clock on his dashboard as he pulled out of Beth’s apartment complex.
Four-thirty. If I leave now, I should have plenty of time to get to Castle Rock before the outlet shops close.
Bryce stopped by his place just long enough to change clothes and grab the debit card for his second checking account—the one he used for bigger purchases. Instead of dealing with the inevitable gridlock on I-25, he took Highway 83 north, hoping the back roads would get him there faster.
He was a man on a mission.
Bryce knew exactly what he wanted. Before their trip to Vegas, while shopping for shoes at the outlet mall, he had wandered into a jewelry store.
That’s when he saw it—the ring that practically had Beth’s name written all over it.
At the time, called himself every kind of idiot in the book for even thinking of her when he saw it.
Now, he was saying a prayer of thanks that God had given him that insight.
Their marriage had started in chaos, but Bryce was determined to lay a stronger foundation. He wanted more than a reckless Vegas wedding. He wanted to give Beth—and their future—something real. He planned to spend the rest of his life doing just that.