24
Andi hadn’t lived in California for a year, but she knew exactly where she was going. Knew it like she knew her own name. She gripped the steering wheel of the rental car and took the next exit.
Cody’s townhouse was two blocks away.
She’d taken the trip as soon as she could. Her mind was made up that this was the thing to do. Especially after her last conversation with Bailey. Since then she’d come to understand the truth. God hadn’t told her to stay away from Cody.
Fear had done that.
A fear that was understandable given their history, but one she had to stand up to all the same. Every day after talking to Bailey she thought about picking up the phone and calling Cody. Telling him she was sorry for making him leave . . . sorry for not hearing him out. But always she came to the same conclusion.
This conversation would be better in person.
She would’ve come sooner, but she had to wait for the floodwaters to finally dry up. Had to wait until she was sure Caleb wasn’t the guy for her. He was nice. But he wasn’t Cody Coleman. He never could be.
It took time, but in the last few weeks the people in the temporary tent housing found places to live, apartments or homes. Some moved in with friends or relatives, others found situations arranged by the city.
Only then could Andi take her month off for a job well done. Not once did Andi have to wonder where she was going to spend her time, or who she would spend it with.
As soon as she was released from her duties she caught the first flight out. She and her puppy, Max. The owners never came to claim him. Her supervisor was pretty sure the mama dog and puppy belonged to an old man killed in the flood. Andi glanced at the seat beside her. Max was in his travel crate sleeping. She smiled at him. “You’re going to like Cody’s dog, little guy. He’ll be your friend.”
Max yawned and settled into a deeper sleep.
Two more turns and Andi pulled up in front of Cody’s house. It was late afternoon. Cody had to be out of school for the summer by now, which meant he was probably home. Unless he was out running errands or hiking with Riley.
Andi stepped out of the car and headed up the walk. How many times had she come here? Nights when he made her dinner or the two of them watched a movie. Always he was sure to get her home before it got too late.
Not once had Cody put them in an uncompromising situation. Even when both of them were tempted, they never gave in. We’re going to do this God’s way, he would tell her. And so it was. Cody was strong like that.
She reached his front door and knocked. After a few seconds she heard footsteps. For days she’d been thinking about what she would say when this moment came, and now Andi wasn’t nervous. She simply couldn’t wait to be in his arms.
The door opened, but before Andi could run to him she took a step back.
The man at the door wasn’t Cody.
“Can I help you?” He waited.
Andi shook her head. “I’m . . . I’m sorry. I’m looking for Cody Coleman.”
“Oh.” The guy was in his thirties, maybe. Balding with glasses. “I worked with him at Oaks Christian. I’m staying here through the end of his lease.”
Knots began to form in Andi’s stomach. “The . . . end of his lease?” She tried to make sense of what was happening. If Cody wasn’t here, then . . . “Where is he?”
“He moved.” The man’s expression grew more serious, like he was just understanding the situation. “You’re a friend of his . . . I thought you must know.”
“I didn’t hear.” Andi felt like she was floating above herself. This was a nightmare, that’s what it was. It had to be. She forced herself to focus. “Where did he go?”
“He took a job in Montana. Left last week.” The man shrugged. “Sorry I don’t have more details.” He hesitated and then seemed to get an idea. “His mother still lives in town. She might know.”
His mother! Yes, that was it! Andi knew exactly where Cody’s mother lived. She smiled at the stranger in Cody’s doorway as she backed away from the porch. “Good idea. Thank you.” She waved and like that she was down the path and back in her car.
She was at Cody’s mother’s doorstep five minutes later. As soon as the woman opened the door, Andi didn’t hesitate. “Mrs. Coleman!”
“Andi.” Cami Coleman looked shocked to see her. “What in the world . . . ?”
They shared a quick hug. Andi didn’t have time to wait. She needed answers. Now. She searched the woman’s face. “I made a terrible mistake. Cody came to find me in Louisiana and I sent him away.”
A knowing look came over his mother’s face. “I heard about it.” There was no accusation in her tone, no finger-pointing. Just a sadness that reflected the way Andi felt. “Cody told me. You didn’t get to hear his story, his explanation.”
“No.” Andi felt terrible. What had she been thinking, not to at least hear him out? Especially when she still loved him so much?
“Come in, Andi.” Mrs. Coleman stepped to the side. “I’ll pour us some coffee.”
“I’d love to, but . . .” She looked back at her rental car. “My puppy’s sleeping, and I need to get to Cody. As fast as I can.”
The woman nodded. “Let me get the address. For the school in Montana. It’s a ranch for boys with severe emotional issues.”
Andi wasn’t surprised. It sounded like exactly the type of place Cody would be drawn to work. Her heart surged with hope. She was about to have an address! A quick drive back to the airport and she’d be on the next open flight to Montana. Even if it cost her half a month’s salary to get there.
Mrs. Coleman returned and handed her a slip of paper. “Here you go.”
Every minute counted, but suddenly Andi hesitated. She looked into the woman’s eyes. “Cody will tell me the details later, but . . . what was the reason? Why did he act so distant after we got engaged last time?”
For a moment it looked like Mrs. Coleman wasn’t going to say anything. She started to shake her head, and then she caught herself. “He can tell you more. But I’ll tell you this.” She hesitated. “It was his PTSD, Andi. He had terrible episodes after your second engagement.”
Andi felt her heart fall to the ground. Cody was suffering from PTSD that badly and he never said anything. “Why?” Tears welled in her eyes and her voice fell to a whisper. “Why didn’t he tell me?”
Cody’s mother had tears in her eyes, too. She smiled through them. “He didn’t want to burden you.”
In a single instant the entire situation made sense. Andi hugged the woman once more. “Pray for us. That I get to him as soon as possible.” She drew back and looked into the woman’s eyes. “And that he’ll forgive me for taking so long to figure it out.”
“I’ll pray.” Mrs. Coleman hugged her again. “Go. Cody’s waiting for you.”
All the way to the airport Andi thought about what his mother had said. Cody hadn’t wanted to burden her. Of course that was it. Just like Bailey had told her, Cody would lay down his life for someone he loved.
Especially Andi.
She knew enough about PTSD to know it would be part of Cody’s life forever. If he took her back, then she had to know that there could always be times when the nightmares would return, when something would trigger his memories of Afghanistan and he’d start looking for snipers in every corner of a room.
If only he would let her help him through those times, everything would be okay. They would pray for God’s mercy and rely on His strength and they would get through any episode.
Together.
• • •
AFTER A NIGHT at Los Angeles International Airport, Andi flew to Montana and drove to the boys ranch. She arrived just after ten the next morning, and parked in a lot overlooking a football field.
Immediately she spotted him.
Cody Coleman, standing in the midst of a group of football players, instructing them on the game. Andi climbed out of her car and watched him. The air around her was cool, much more so than in Louisiana or Los Angeles. Mountains ringed the area where the school was situated, and everywhere she looked the view was breathtaking.
This was where Cody belonged, here with kids who needed him most. She watched him, his strong muscled arms and the handsome shape of his face. He couldn’t see her, didn’t know she was there.
Andi slipped back in her car and took her journal from her purse. Then she wrote Cody what might be her last letter ever. Because there was no guarantee he’d forgive her. He may have moved on and decided he needed to be single.
Or he might have decided he didn’t want her, after all. Since she hadn’t been willing to hear his side of the story. Andi’s heart hurt at the reminder of what she’d done, how she had sent him away. But now there was no time to waste, so she started at the top of the page.
Dear Cody,
I’m here in Montana. It doesn’t matter how I found you, just that I did.
Cody, I’m so sorry for how I treated you. I should’ve listened to your explanation, taken your words to heart. I know now that this is about your PTSD. I’m so sorry about that. Sorry about what you went through in Afghanistan and what you are still going through now.
My heart hurts for you.
I’m including the address of my hotel. It’s a few miles away on the edge of a lake. My flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow afternoon. So if you’re willing to forgive me, if you’re willing to tell me everything that happened, I’ll be there. Helping you through your healing would be a privilege, Cody. Never a burden.
Anyway, I’ll be there. Come find me if you still want to talk. If not, I understand. After how I treated you I would understand if you let me leave tomorrow without coming by. I’m more sorry than you’ll ever know.
I love you . . . I’ll be waiting.
Love, Andi
The campus was sprawled out, so Andi drove to the front and took the letter to the main office. She asked for an envelope and slipped the note inside. Then she sealed it and wrote Cody’s name across it.
“Could you see that Cody Coleman gets this, please?” She handed it to the office manager. “It’s very important.”
The woman seemed to recognize that this was something out of the ordinary. She smiled at Andi. “I’ll make sure.”
Andi drove to her hotel and took Max outside on his leash. The woods were thick around the edge of the water—very different from any lake she’d ever seen. And so very beautiful. Andi sat with Max on a fallen tree not far from her hotel room patio. She took a deep breath and tried not to worry. Whatever happened next, it had to be Cody’s choice.
Once and for all.
• • •
CODY READ THE letter three times before he left the parking lot. Each time he felt his heart flood with a sort of joy he’d never known. She had found him. She’d come back to him! Andi Ellison was only a few miles away!
He could hardly wait to see her, to hold her in his arms and know that the impossible had happened. Andi was ready to give him another chance.
The only one they would ever need.
He wanted to drive straight to her hotel, but he had to do something first. He had to stop off at a different hotel, the one where he was staying until his apartment would be ready next week. He moved as quickly as he could.
Andi was waiting for him
At his hotel, Cody ran in. Riley met him at the door and Cody gave him a quick break outside. Once he was back in the hotel room, Cody stopped to pet him. “I’ll be back soon, boy. Wait till you hear what happened!”
Then he rushed to his suitcase to get something very important. Something he kept with him as a reminder. A reason to pray for Andi and their future. Proof that he meant what he’d told her: He’d wait as long as it took for her to work through her fears.
Cody slipped the small velvet box into his jeans pocket.
Ten minutes later he parked his car in the lot behind her hotel. The place was situated on the edge of the lake, just like she’d said. The place was beautiful and the view was even better. Cody was about to get out of his car when he noticed someone sitting on a fallen tree near the water.
She had a puppy with her.
Like all his life had led to this moment, Cody stepped out of the car and walked toward her. He had called Andi’s parents on the way here. He had their permission. Like her father told him a few minutes ago, he would always have their permission.
Cody took in the sight of Andi, the way her hair fell over her shoulders. The lyrical sound of her voice as she talked to her puppy. He didn’t want to rush this, and he definitely didn’t want to frighten her. But as he reached her, she still hadn’t heard him approaching. Cody stopped a few feet away and called her name. Like it was the most beautiful word in all the world.
“Andi . . .”
She turned and as soon as their eyes met, she stood. “Cody . . . I’m sorry.”
“I know.” He came to her and took her in his arms while her puppy frolicked around at their feet. Cody blinked back tears. “I knew you’d come. I’ve prayed every day since I left.”
“Me, too.” Tears filled her eyes and mixed with her laughter. “I can’t believe you’re here. That you actually . . . you’re not mad at me.”
“Of course not.” He looked into her blue eyes, all the way to her kind, sincere, brave soul. He felt his smile fade a little. “And Caleb?”
“He’s not for me.” She shook her head and more tears shone in her eyes. “There will never be anyone for me, but you.”
Cody figured that much, after reading her letter. But he had to hear it from her. Like this, face to face. He smiled again. “I have so much to tell you.”
“I’ll listen, Cody. Forever.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks and as she did, he closed the distance between them and kissed her. The puppy was still playing nearby and Andi laughed. “Max, you’re okay, buddy.”
“Max.” Cody chuckled. “I like it.” Then he hugged her again and kissed her one more time. The puppy moved to a spot at the end of the log, bored with the two of them. Cody had longed for this every day for as long as he could remember. “Andi Ellison . . .” He whispered her name, his cheek against hers. Then he drew back and slowly—so he’d know he wasn’t dreaming—he dropped to one knee.
Andi gasped and covered her face with her hands. “What?” She squealed. “Cody . . . I never thought . . .”
From his jeans pocket he pulled out the ring. Not the same one he’d given her two times before. But a new one. The ring he’d bought before he moved to Montana.
Just in case she changed her mind.
“Andi . . .” Cody opened the velvet box and took the ring from inside. He slipped the box back into his pocket and held the diamond solitaire up to her. This time there were no parties, no photographers. Nothing but the two of them. “I meant these words before, but they’re different now. I understand them better. What they mean for the two of us, together.” He paused. “Andi . . . will you marry me?”
She nodded. “I will. And I’ll stay here with you in Montana. I’ll go wherever you go, Cody. And this time it will be different. I know it will.”
He stood and wrapped her into his embrace one more time. Then he slid the ring onto her finger. “Look at that.” He grinned at her. “A perfect fit.”
And so it was.
“I have an idea.” A plan was unfolding in his heart even as the words came to life. “Here, sit beside me.”
They sat together and Cody took a deep breath. “What if we . . .”
It took little time to convince her. They held hands and prayed and made their decision. Surely they could have a wedding party later, but after all they’d been through this seemed the only right thing to do.
An hour later they stood at the county clerk’s office. Cody glanced at Andi, the love of his life. He squeezed her hand so he’d know this was real, and she was here in front of him. He had never been happier in all his life.
They filled out paperwork, paid the fee, and there—before a court justice—they promised to take each other as husband and wife, for better or worse, in sickness and health. Now and forever more.
Until their final breath.
• • •
HANNAH JENNIFER PAUL came into the world right at sunset, after eight hours of labor. The doctor and nurse worked together to clean her off, and then they laid her on Bailey’s chest. Both she and Brandon wrapped their arms around her.
Their little girl’s very first minutes on earth.
“She’s perfect.” Brandon’s tears slid down his cheeks, the same way Bailey’s did. “She looks just like you.”
“God is so good.” Bailey lifted her tiny baby and kissed her cheek. “She has your eyes. See . . .” She looked at her husband. “The deepest, most beautiful eyes.”
Across the room, Bailey’s mother stood smiling and wiping her tears, too. “She does look like you, Bailey. When you were first born.” Her mom’s voice was full of emotion. “I can’t believe I’m a grandma!”
“Come look, Mom. Hannah’s so pretty.” Bailey was grateful her mother was here. She’d been there all day, she and Brandon helping Bailey through every contraction.
Her mom came and stood on the other side of the bed. “Hannah, sweetie . . . My little grandgirl. You’re a precious miracle.” Her mother reached out and touched the infant’s small hand. Then she smiled at Bailey and Brandon. “I’ll let you three have some time. Your dad and brothers are down the hall waiting for the news.”
“Okay.” Bailey locked eyes with her mother. “Thank you, Mom. We’ve always shared everything. And now we have this.”
Brandon smiled. “Besides, I couldn’t have done this without you.”
Her mom kissed Bailey’s forehead. “That’s what family is for.” She looked at Bailey again. “I love you, honey. And your precious little family.”
When she was gone, when it was just the three of them, Bailey leaned back on her pillow. She had never been so happy, so sure that God was right here with them. He had given them their very own baby girl.
A week late, but none of that mattered anymore. Hannah was here—that’s all Bailey cared about. They were a family, like her mother said. The three of them. Brandon leaned in and kissed her. “See?”
“See what?” She let herself get lost in his eyes. Her favorite place to be.
Brandon kissed her again and then he looked at her for the longest time. “We’re still us.”
It was exactly what Bailey wanted to hear, the greatest gift Brandon could’ve given her. Other than the baby girl in their arms. Yes, life would be different and busier and even crazy at times. There would hopefully be more children in the years to come. But with God at the center of their family, what Bailey had found with Brandon would always be like this.
Long after their last child left home.
A chiming sound came from Bailey’s phone, sitting on the table a few feet away. “Probably Connor.” Bailey laughed. “Wondering when they can all pile in here.”
Brandon smiled. “Maybe give Hannah a few minutes to catch her breath.”
“Exactly.” Bailey snuggled their little girl. “Because this ‘us’ is important, too.”
“Right.” Brandon reached for her phone and glanced at the text message that had just come in. He looked at it for a few seconds and then he grinned at Bailey. “It’s from Andi.”
“Oh . . . she doesn’t know I went into labor!”
Brandon looked at the phone again and then back at Bailey. “That’s not why she texted.” He paused, and a smile filled his face. “Andi and Cody are married.”
The happiness in Bailey came out as the easiest laughter. “That’s amazing.” Joyful tears flooded Bailey’s eyes. Here, on the day her first child was born, the most wonderful thing had happened.
Andi and Cody had finally figured it out.
“I’m so happy for them.” Bailey reached for Brandon’s hand. Who could have seen this coming? Bailey having her first baby on the day Andi and Cody got married. “It all worked out, didn’t it?”
“It did, baby.” Brandon kissed her and then he kissed the top of Hannah’s little head. “It definitely did.”
The long road all of them had walked, the road of friendship and finding their way, had led to this one special day for all of them. Just like they had dreamed and prayed about all those years ago.
Once upon an adolescence.
And one day, Bailey couldn’t wait to introduce their little girl to her friends. Cody and Andi. Yes, the two of them had taken a long time to get here. Their love story had not been easy. But they ended up just where they needed to be.
Together.