Jason

I shift for like the tenth or twentieth time in the five minutes I’ve been sitting here. Maybe there’s still time to bolt. The door opens. Guess not. I stand, unsure what I’m supposed to do or what I should say.

“Jason, good to see you.” We greet each other with a handshake.

“You too, sir.” I sit back down as he sits in his chair on the other side of the desk.

“Stephen is fine.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Look, son, I’m glad you finally came by. It’s been a while since we’ve had a chance to talk.”

“Yeah, I think maybe the last time was when I was fifteen. It was a warning about masturbation and the dangers of it.”

Stephen starts laughing. “Yeah, for the parents’ sake, we give all the boys around that age the same warning. If not, imagine the mess on their hands.”

I think the minister just made a joke. Am I allowed to laugh or was that a slip-up? “So we don’t go to hell for it?”

Leaning forward, he lowers his voice. “Look, masturbation is natural, but you don’t want it to control your life. Do you have a masturbation problem you’d like to discuss?”

Shaking my head, I’m horrified and squeak, “No.” Clearing my throat, I finish by saying, “That’s not why I’m here at all.”

“Why are you here?” He leans back in his chair and studies me.

“You might have heard the rumors.”

“I was happy to hear that the angels played a hand in bringing you and Delilah together again.”

I’m not sure how to say what I want versus what I should with him. “Is everything between us confidential?”

“Yes. Unless it’s illegal. I can help you repent to the Lord, but not keep you out of jail. What is it, son?”

“I’m seeking forgiveness.”

“Forgiveness from God?”

“I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but I don’t regret them either. But I also want to spend eternity with Delilah, so I’m coming to you for help.”

“Hmm. Interesting quandary. Can you elaborate?”

“Not really. I can tell you that I didn’t carry God with me while I was gone. I’d lost faith and left to find if there was still good in the world.”

“Did you find any?”

Sitting back, I cross my ankle over my knee and think about his question. “A little, and in that little good, I realized I needed faith to find the rest.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

“I had nowhere to go, but my motorcycle led me back to McKinney.”

“To McKinney or to the Noelle farm?”

“To Delilah.”

“And what did you find once you were there?”

“Myself.”

He nods with an all-knowing smile. “You don’t need to seek forgiveness. You needed to find faith, and you did. It will always lead you exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

* * *

I blame the sun for shining in my eyes and causing them to water. Not the gorgeous woman walking on the arm of her sister down a pink rose-petal aisle. I’ll never admit otherwise.

Yup, the sun.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Billy nudges me. “Are you crying?”

“Are you?” I snap back.

“Maybe. A little.”

“My soon-to-be wife is beautiful.”

“I like Shelby.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s obvious. Apparently to everyone but you. Now can we get back to my wedding?”

He nods. “Yeah, sure. Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Shh.”

The music wafts through the air from the trio playing by the barn. My eyes stay fixed on my pretty Delilah, her shoulders exposed as the lace hangs down on the sides. The dress flows around her and the flowers circling her head make her look like a goddess. My goddess.

“Do you think Shelby likes me? She flirts with me, and we hung out a few times, but—”

“Shut up, Billy.” I laugh. Right before the girls reach us, I whisper to him. “She likes you, or she wouldn’t give you the time of day. You guys need to seal this deal, once and for all. Make your move at the reception. Chicks love weddings.” I turn back in time to take the hands of my sweet girl. “Hi.”

She whispers, “Hi.”

Her hands aren’t shaking and her voice is steady. She’s confident like the girl I always knew her to be. The difference is, she’s not that girl. She’s a woman who acknowledges the challenges of her past and is choosing to focus on the future. She’s as kind as she is beautiful, accepting me with open arms despite my past. I begin to tell her all the reasons I love her, but it’s the last one that means the most to me. “When I think of love, I think of you, Delilah. Home is where the heart is and my heart is wherever you are, my soul mate, my lover, my wife, the mother of my children. You gave me a reason to stay, and in return, I pledge to you my love in this lifetime and every life after.”

“You showed up here on a motorcycle in the pouring rain. If that wasn’t a love song in the making, I don’t know what is. There you were, Jason Koster, looking at me with eyes that carried the burden of years of a broken heart. What you didn’t know was when you took a chance and came out to the farm to see me, I had a broken heart, too. You carried half with you all those miles you traveled and all the seas you sailed. We didn’t have to be together to know we were no good apart. Two halves only make a whole when the puzzle pieces fit, and we fit. Forevermore, our souls will be whole because we found our way back to each other.”

“I always did enjoy a good love song. Care to finish this melody together?”

“I do.”