CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Two months. Sonya crossed the day off on her calendar. She hadn’t heard from Brandon in two months. The longest months of her life.
She’d awakened early for a Saturday morning and now sat at her table sipping her first cup of coffee for the day. She’d worked six days straight this past week and had the next three days off. She actually dreaded them.
She didn’t normally work so much, but with Brandon’s sudden absence in her life, she needed the work to take her mind off the fact that she missed him terribly.
Lord, I lift him up to You again. I don’t understand how my heart could be so entangled in another’s this fast, but please continue to show him how much he needs to forgive and how much You love him. And as impossible as it seems, how much I love him.
She’d known him all of a month the day Don Bradley had kidnapped her from her home, but what a month that had been. She’d fought for her life and lost her heart to love in the process.
Her doorbell rang and she debated whether she felt like answering it or not. When it rang a second time, she set her cup on the table and rose.
At the door, she peeked out.
And gasped.
Brandon stood on her front porch.
When he rang the bell for the third time, she swung the door open. “What are you doing here?”
He stepped inside and kissed her. Hard. Then sweet and gentle. Sonya kissed him back, the past two months of loneliness and missing him expressed in her heartfelt response.
When he lifted his head, she saw a sheen of tears glistening in his gaze. “I’ve missed you.”
“Well, that was some kind of hello.” She grinned. “I’ve missed you, too.”
He tapped her nose with his index finger. “I’m glad. Do you mind if I come in?”
“Please do.” She stepped back and he shut the door behind him. “Come on into the kitchen. I’ve got coffee.”
He followed her and seated himself at the table. “You were right.”
She blinked at him. “About?”
“Forgiveness.”
“With your parents.”
“Yes, and Krystal, my ex-fiancée.”
“You’ve been hurt, Brandon. It’s only natural you’d build up some walls and reservations.”
“But I don’t want them anymore. They’re not worth holding on to. Those walls were hurting every relationship I have. Thanks to you, I finally realized what I was doing. Thanks to Peter, I think I’ve managed to get rid of those walls.”
Joy swept over her. He looked lighter. Happier. And at peace. “You’ve forgiven your parents, haven’t you?”
He nodded. “They’re good people. They were just too young to have so much responsibility. And they didn’t have a lot of help. On my mother’s side, my grandparents disapproved and refused to help and my father’s parents had already passed.” He shrugged. “My mom and dad did the best they could. They’re actually pretty amazing if you stop and look at how far they’ve come and everything they’ve overcome. They beat the odds and are still together. Once I stopped judging, I was able to start seeing things from another perspective. One of compassion and understanding.”
Tears filled Sonya’s eyes. “I’m so glad.”
“We’re human. We’re not perfect. I’m definitely not, but I believe you’re just right for me.” He swallowed hard. “I don’t know where we’re headed, but I want to find out. I know I don’t want to spend another day without you in my life.”
Sonya flung herself into his arms. “I’m so glad for you. For me. For us.” She laughed.
He laughed with her. “I’ve got to be honest with you, Sonya. I want to see you in a white dress, surrounded by flowers and friends, walking toward the front of the church. If you get what I mean.” He flushed and shuffled his feet. “If that’s not what you want, or not what you want with me, please tell me now.”
“I want it, Brandon. I want it more than anything. With you. Only you. These last two months have been horribly lonely without you.”
He hugged her tight again. She pressed her nose into the warm skin of his neck and inhaled. His musky scent filled her senses and she felt at peace. She was home. He was the reason God had led her to Finding the Lost. “I love you, Brandon. I know it’s fast, but I do. I really do.”
“Since when does love have a time limit?”
She giggled. “I like your reasoning.”
“So do you think we can do the dating thing for a little while?”
“Absolutely. At least for a week or so.”
He threw his head back and laughed, then wrapped his arms around her to pull her close. He placed his lips on hers and Sonya couldn’t wait to see what the future held. She thought of how pleased her mother would be that she’d met such a wonderful man. Her father would give his stamp of approval, for sure.
And for Sonya, that was enough.
Enough to make her smile.