Christian Romance: Heaven on Earth... [4 Beautiful Christian Romance Stories] Read online

Joanne Sawyer

  Introduction

  Melissa George came home from London for the worst possible reason, because her father had been diagnosed with cancer. After being driven by her career, she finally returns and gives her time to family. She was met by her mother, her brother, and her childhood friend, Jordan James. But her father’s situation is worse than she was led to believe, and Melissa finds herself in the brink of despair, despite her father’s reassurances of a blessed afterlife. But her faith in God and her father’s love allow her to come to grips with all these surprises, along with Jordan, who goes out of his way to help her sort through her feelings and make her happy, becoming her shoulder to cry on...

  She Was Exhausted...

  Melissa George was dozing on the train. She’d been in transit for about a day and she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to get home and fall into a nice warm bed her mother was sure to have ready. She was coming home. There was no major holiday, her job at a prestigious hotel in England almost never allowed for that, but her father falling ill was something she had not anticipated. After working for nearly 2 years abroad as a VP and interior designer without a break, she finally used her vacation time to be with her ailing father. Her dad had been struggling with his weight as he was nearing his seventies, he had high blood pressure and he’d already had a stroke when she was just 17, but they never guessed cancer would come up. Her father had lung cancer despite the fact that he had never smoked a single cigarette in his life.

  It had surprised everyone, especially her mother. Melissa knew the people dearest to her needed her and she had to rise to the occasion.

  The train finally stopped in their town. There was a nip in the air, but the snow wouldn’t be coming until maybe a month from now. Melissa tied her beautiful auburn hair into a ponytail and checked her look. For a woman who’d just spent 3 hours on a train, she looked pretty good. She scanned the crowd, looking for a familiar face, maybe her mother, or her brother Malcolm. She’d been looking around for a few minutes, but she saw neither her mother nor her brother at the station.

  “Melissa, hey! Over here!” She turned and was quite surprise. Standing in front of her was the most attractive man she’d ever seen. He had black hair and dark brown eyes that made her want to melt into them. He didn’t look familiar to her at all.

  “I’m sorry, do I know you?” she asked politely.

  “Are you kidding me? It’s me, Jordan. I spent like half my childhood at your house,” the man said. It finally started to dawn on her. Jordan James was her brother’s best friend. She remembered what her brother had said about him before, how they went to separate colleges but ended up coming back home and working together, her brother as an engineer and Jordan as the landscaper. They even built their own little firm together and from what she recalled, their business was booming.

  “Oh wow Jordan. I didn’t recognize you now, you look so different!”

  “Yeah, I used to have braces, and horrible acne. How long’s it been, six years?”

  “That’s right, six years since I last saw you. I hear you and Malcolm are working together?”

  “Yes we are, and we’re doing pretty well too. Where are your bags?”

  “My bags?”

  “Your brother asked me to pick you up. They just brought your dad home from the hospital, so they’re a little swamped.”

  A wave of sadness flowed through her. She should have been there and helped them. Why did she have to take so long? Her little mental exchange was apparently evident to Jordan, because he suddenly said, “Hey, it’s not your fault. No need to feel guilty about it. Where are your bags again?”

  They had both brought her bags to his pickup and were now driving down the familiar road to Melissa’s childhood home.

  “So… how’s your life right now? Is there a Mrs. James waiting for you at home?” Melissa asked as they drove.

  “No, not yet. I’m not quite ready to go down that road, you know?”

  “I guess I understand, the same goes for me as well, I need to focus on my career before getting into any kind of relationship,” she said with a smile. But the truth was that Melissa was a bit lonely. Not physically, to tell the truth, she was still a virgin. She believed in saving herself before marriage, and her faith was a strong factor in her life. She had had boyfriends but they never did THAT. Melissa was lonely for some affection. She lived alone in London and didn’t have many friends. She was just too focused on her career to have any sort of social life.

  But she was home now, she was sure to get all the affection she needed.

  “So uhm, how about you? Is there some lucky Londoner waiting for you at home?” asked Jordan.

  “Oh no, I was a little too busy to go out. I spent most of my nights indoors or at the hotel, and I don’t really have a social life in England. But you know, no regrets,” she said with a smile, “How’s your business going with Malcolm.”

  “It’s going pretty great, we have a lot of loyal local customers, and we’re branching out, at least we were. I’m sort of handling most of the business right now.”

  “Malcolm is so lucky to have you as a friend and partner. Other people wouldn’t be so lucky.”

  “Well, he’s pretty lucky with what he’s got.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ll see when you get there. He told me he wanted to tell you in person,” said Jordan, winking at her with a glint in his eye.

  They drove through some woods and finally, the big white house slowly came into view.

  Melissa didn’t realize that she missed her home as much as she did; an overwhelming feeling of relief came over her as she saw her old home, or maybe it was the memories she had here that triggered it. There’s no place like home.

  As the car pulled up, they both saw the front door open, and Melissa saw her mother running out to meet them. Malcolm stopped at the door, there was someone else behind him, but Melissa wasn’t sure who that person might be.

  Melissa got out of the car quickly and met her mother with a fierce hug.

  “Oh mama, I missed you so much!”

  “And we missed you my little rose. Your father’s been asking for you since we told him you were coming. Oh Mels, you look so beautiful.”

  Melissa smiled after hearing that familiar nickname. She hasn’t heard anyone call her Mels in two years.

  “Hey sis, Good to finally see you,” said Malcolm coming up toward her and enveloping her in a big bear hug.

  “You too, Mal. I missed you.”

  “By the way,” Malcolm said as they pulled away from their embrace. “I have someone to introduce to you.”

  Melissa saw a woman standing behind Malcolm. She was petite and she had a sweet smile, blonde hair, and blue eyes. She was lovely.

  “I’d like you to meet Sally, my fiancée!”

  How is this?

  Melissa was stunned. She didn’t know what to say for a good 10 seconds, and then she snapped out of it and said, “Oh wow. How is this? Hello!”

  It was obviously a bit awkward, but their mom helped them breeze through the awkward situations, as she always knew how to do it.

  “Well, there’s plenty of time for us to get to know each other over the week. Melissa, Sally just helped me whip up a wonderful lunch, she’s quite the cook. And you can cook us up some of your famed roast beef, oh Sally, Melissa makes me look bad with her roast beef. You know Mels, your father has been dying to have a taste of your cooking for months now,” and all of a sudden, Mrs. Agatha George stops dead in her tracks. A simple figure of speech has struck too close to home. Everyone was immersed in icy silence. Malcolm was the first to snap out of it.

  “Hey, let’s all go inside. Dad’s been waiting for you Mels, you’re all he talks about recently.”

  They all shuffled inside, Sally holding Mrs. George’s hand, who was still pale and dazed, and leading her to the house, Melissa following behind them, eyes downcast, with Jordan and Malcolm bringing up the rear, carrying Meliss
a’s bags with them.

  “You can go right in, he’s been expecting you,” Sally said, pointing to the downstairs parlor that they must have converted into her father’s sick room.

  Melissa braced herself for what she was about to see. She knew cancer and what it could do to someone, but she wasn’t entirely sure she could bear to see it reflected in her father, the man she had leaned on and idolized all her life. Breathing deeply, Melissa finally reached out and turned the knob.

  Inside, she saw a respirator and some other hospital equipment that measured her father’s pulse and breathing. There was a white bed and tray holder where the chaise lounge and coffee table used to be, and, propped up on some pillows, was her father.

  Melissa couldn’t help stop herself from gasping. Her father was just a shadow of the man she remembered. What a nasty disease cancer was, it reduces your loved ones into vestiges of their former selves, until finally, nothing remained but a left over imprint on a mattress, and even that eventually fades.

  “Dad,” was all she could say, trying to control the tears that threatened to flow.

  “Hello, rose petal. Come over here, let me look at you,” her father said, smiling as she came closer. When she was by the bed, he reached out a bony hand toward her. She took his hand and the tears started to fall.

  “No, don’t cry petal. You’re so beautiful. My little girl’s a grown woman now. Hey come on, how can I talk to you if you keep bawling like that?”

  Melissa fought to control the tears that she couldn’t keep from falling. “Oh daddy. I’m sorry I took so long,” and she kissed her father’s hand, washing it with her tears.

  “I’m sorry I might go sooner than we wanted, too, but everything is part of God’s plan. However, I did get to spend 34 wonderful years with your mother, and I got the chance to raise the two amazing kids. I couldn’t ask for more.”

  “I could. I want more time daddy. I was going to bring you to England, take you and mama to see the Big Ben and Buckingham Palace and see some shows on the West End. I had it all planned.”

  “You can still do that Mels, take your mama out to London and show her a good time. It’ll be mighty lonely for her, out here alone when I’m gone.”

  “Daddy don’t talk like that. It’s unfair. You’re not going anywhere yet. You can get better. God will heal you, we just have to pray,” said Melissa, shaking her head.

  “Rose petal, I’ve got a feeling God’s got other plans for my soul. Don’t be afraid, I’m not. I’ll be with God and take my rest, but I can’t do that without being sure you’re all going to be alright when I leave. Your Mama, she’ll be fine. She’s as strong as a mule even if she looks frail, and I’m sure she’ll pull through no matter what. You’re brother got Sally now, and Jordan, he’ll be fine too. But I worry about you. You write plenty of letters but I’ve read them and read them, and all you ever talk about is work. You never mentioned a friend in any of your letters. You always go out alone. I don’t want to go to heaven thinking about you alone in a London apartment. I want to be sure you have people around you who’ll help and support you.”

  “I’ll be fine daddy, you should worry about yourself first. You’ve lost a lot of weight, is it the medication?”

  “Maybe,” he father replied with, it seemed to Melissa, a hint of irony. “I’ve come to terms with what’s about to happen petal.”

  “What?” she cried angrily, “Dad! It feels like you already gave up on getting better! Stop talking like that and concentrate on living another twenty years, please!” she implored.

  “Calm down Mels. I’ll be…” Before her father could finish the sentence, he was caught in a wave of coughing that wouldn’t seem to stop. Alarmed, Melissa rushed out and called her Mother, who came running in with Sally in tow.

  Melissa watched helplessly as Sally placed an oxygen mask over his face, while her mother rubbed her father’s back until his coughing quieted down.

  “He probably needs to sleep now. We should let him rest,” Malcolm said, taking Melissa by the shoulders and leading her out. Tears were still streaming down her face.

  They had talked and laughed...

  Melissa was back in her old room. The small double bed that she hadn’t used in almost six years still had the familiar rose-colored sheets with the floral print. Her old books where in the night stand and the beloved bible was on her dresser, her old pictures were still on the frames and everything felt really familiar to her, comforting even. She had already unpacked her things and she decided to look over some old pictures.

  There was her prom picture, her in her pale blue dress and silver shoes. Jordan had taken her to the prom and they had danced all night. She had been a bit disappointed that Jordan was her date, he was almost a permanent fixture in their home, and she had a crush on another boy, but that boy never asked her, and as a last resort she begged her brother to find her a date. They had talked and laughed, and she enjoyed herself despite her initial disappointment.

  Then, there was her sweet sixteen; she was wearing a sweet yellow dress, standing in front of a big cake and a tarpaulin that said Melissa’s Sweet Sixteen on it. Her mother, brother and father stood next to her. To the side were some of her friends in high school, as well as some of her cousins. To the far side, she saw Jordan again, skinny and awkward. Who would have guessed that he would turn into all this now? He was handsome and confident, a real catch compared to the awkward teenager he once was. She looked over to their family again. Her mother lost a bit of weight, but she looked almost the same except for the gray hairs. Malcolm had become a man and filled in his gangly frame. She was taller, and her freckles were gone, but she felt as lost as she was when she was sixteen. Her eyes turned to her father, he had a ruddy color on his cheeks and he was still big and strong, he was her hero, he still was. A searing pain went through her chest. Her mind still couldn’t believe that this big, strong man in the picture was the same person on the bed in the parlor. Her father was pale, and he must be about half his weight. He looked frail and weak, nothing like he had been in life.

  “Mels? Lunch is ready,” said Malcolm’s voice through the door.

  “I’ll be down in a minute. Okay?”

  She heard Malcolm’s foot falls go down the stairs. She took another deep breath and stood up. She wiped her eyes and applied some concealer. She didn’t want to make the lunch seem grim with her swollen eyes. She had to pull a brave face, in undoubtedly the same way as her mother and brother were. She had to be brave for her father most of all.

  The atmosphere during lunch was understandably strained. Jordan left for work, but Sally still ate with them.

  “So Mels, how’s the food? Didn’t I tell you it was good? Sally cooks exquisitely doesn’t she?”

  “Oh yeah, she really does. This is great.” Then came another awkward pause that Melissa decided to fill. “So Mal, how’d you and Sally meet? To be honest, I was a bit surprised you were engaged; I didn’t even know you had a girlfriend a week ago.”

  Malcolm cleared his throat, fully aware of the barbed thought behind the question.

  “I’m your father’s nurse. I have been since he first started showing symptoms. I work at the hospital and I decided to work with your family full time when he was diagnosed two weeks ago,” Sally volunteered.

  “So you’ve known each other for less than a month? And you’re engaged already?”

  “No, we’ve known each other for half a year. Malcolm proposed last month.”

  Melissa saw the guilty looks from her mother and brother.

  “How can that be? You only called to tell me about dad being sick a month ago, how could you two have known each other for half a year? Have you been hiding all this from me?”

  Malcolm and her mother looked at each other, until Agatha finally cleared her throat.

  “When your father started coughing, we didn’t know what was wrong or if it was a serious disease. We didn’t want to have you worrying on the other side of the world. We went back and for
th to the hospital. When we got the diagnosis last month, we decided to let you know. We just wanted what was best for you Melissa, please don’t be angry.”

  Melissa mouth was a thin line. She felt angry and betrayed by the people she loved most and it hurt really badly. She didn’t know what to do. Finally, Melissa got up to go, but her mother stood up too, and grabbed her by the hand.

  “Mels please. We didn’t want you to worry. Your father didn’t want to say anything until we were sure what it was. We wanted to give you the chance to focus on your work and your career. Please calm down.”

  Melissa just pulled away. “You didn’t think I could handle this?”

  “Of course that’s not the reason, we just didn’t want to alarm you when there was nothing you could do,” her mother said imploringly.

  “Whatever mom, I don’t really care about your intentions. I had a right to know that my father was getting sick. What I might do with that information was my choice and you took that away. Good day mother.”

  And with that, she stormed off to her room. She took her wallet and phone and ran back down. Malcolm was at the foot of the stairs holding up the keys to his car.

  “Drive safe sis, and…” he stopped her with a hand on her shoulder, “I’m sorry about what we did. Dad made me swear not to tell you.” Melissa didn’t even look at him and Malcolm let her through.

  She ran up to his pickup and drove away.

  “I told you we should have called her.”

  “I just don’t know how she’d going to take the next bit of news. Oh Mal, I don’t know how to tell her!”

  “How can I help you miss?”

  Melissa drove into town with trembling hands. Her face had become a splotchy red color, as it does when she gets agitated over something. She didn’t know where to go so she stopped at a new looking restaurant that hadn’t been here six years ago when she first went to college. She went inside and sat down; aware of the curious glances everyone in the restaurant threw her way.

  “How can I help you miss?” asked a waitress.

  Melissa ordered a coffee and a bagel. She didn’t want to drink so early and she needed to sort through her feelings, and to do that she needed to be sober.

  Before the coffee and the bagel arrived, someone tapped her on the shoulder.

  “I take it lunch didn’t go very well?” It was Jordan again, looking sympathetically at her, gardening gloves clutched on his hand.

  “No, it didn’t go well at all. What are you doing here?” Melissa asked, eager to get the spotlight away from her.

  “I’m on my lunch break. We’re doing some landscaping now that the building’s done. This is a George and James production actually.” He meant the building. Their company had probably made the building and he was now occupied with the landscaping out front.

  “Really, Malcolm designed this building? I’m impressed.” It was a rustic little place, and it had an eye-catching woodwork design. “You’re on your lunch break, right? I’m just having coffee but you can have lunch with me if you like,” Melissa broached almost shyly.

  Jordan’s face broke out in a wide smile as he pulled up a chair. After Jordan ordered ‘his regular’ and Melissa’s coffee and bagel came, they both sat in comfortable silence for a while.

  “What do you do in London?”

  “Oh I’m junior VP in interior design for our hotel chain. I got the promotion just 4 months ago,” there was a tinge of hurt in her voice when she said this, realizing that her father was already sick when she got the promotion, and it was probably because of the promotion that they had refrained from telling her.

  “What’s wrong Mels?”

  “Nothing… no actually, everything’s wrong. My father is sicker than anyone said, and for longer than I was lead to believe, and my brother will be getting married to a woman who’s a complete stranger to me. It’s like my family went on ahead without me,” said Melissa, her knuckles white from holding her hands in tight fists.

  “You live in London Mels, it’s what you’ve wanted since you were twelve and watched My Fair Lady on VHS. It was your dream. When you got that job and lived in a posh apartment in London, your parents didn’t want to come between you and your dreams. I think that’s why your dad didn’t want you to know. And you can still get to know Sally right?”

  “But don’t I have a right to know? I could have spent more time with them, with dad, rather than me coming just now. Right?”

  “Well, don’t you think your parents would have wanted you here? That they didn’t miss you every minute you were away? Of course they did, but maybe you don’t remember how excited you were when you got your working passport and that London internship. Mels, it was as if you could fly to the moon on your dreams alone. That’s what your parents didn’t want to disturb, you following your dreams.”

  Tears started falling in earnest again. The waitress, who came to bring Jordan’s food, glanced awkwardly at the weeping woman and shuffled away. Jordan let her cry, biting slowly into his burger and waiting for the waves of sadness to dissipate.

  After a good 5 minutes, after she was all cried out, Melissa wiped her eyes and looked shyly at Jordan, who was eating his burger quietly.

  “I don’t know why Jordie, but it was always so easy to talk to you. Thanks.”

  “No problem. We’ll be doing some gardening and I know it’s not fancy hotel decorating, but maybe it can get your mind off things.”

  “You mean help out with your landscaping?” she asked, unsure.

  “Yeah, I know you’ll do a great job.”

  Jordan brought Melissa to the back of the restaurant that was still closed off to the public. The lawn was being placed and there were cement paths there, but there was still an assortment of flowers and crotons in planters. Melissa and Jordan spent the rest of the day digging and arranging the various florae, laughing and teasing each other. It seemed as if the last six years didn’t exist at all, it was as if they were never apart. She was always close with Malcolm, but there was effortlessness in her interactions with Jordan that made her more open to him and she found herself telling him all about London, homesickness, and the emptiness of living for the job.

  “Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy and I love my job, but it kind of makes you ask yourself if that’s all there is. I go to church, but it’s not the same when you go alone, then go home to an empty apartment. I never told mom and dad, I didn’t want to disappoint them.”

  “Why would that disappoint them? It’s natural that you’d feel that way since you’re in an different country. And I have a feeling this was a choice. I’m sure you didn’t want for suitors.”

  “There were some guys, but when I told them about my faith and about abstinence they didn’t really stick around for long. If they can’t wait and respect my decision then they probably aren’t for me. I wonder if there are still any Godly men who would be willing to wait till marriage.”

  “I’m sure there are, you just have to look closer,” said Jordan quietly. A slight breeze chilled Melissa, and something in Jordan’s voice made her heart race.

  “I think we did pretty well… for a first time partnership,” Jordan said happily, as he looked over their work.

  “I’ll say. Thanks for letting me help. It was fun, and sort of therapeutic,” Melissa replied, looking over to Jordan, and then their eyes met for what seemed like an eternity.

  “Jordan, I got you and your guys some drinks.” And just like that, the spell was broken. The men who worked for Jordan came over and all picked up a glass of cool lemonade.

  Jordan got two glasses and handed one to Melissa, then he led her to wooden swing that was newly installed by one of the men.

  “This is the perfect place to watch a sunset. I saw it the minute I surveyed the area. I convinced the owners to have this swing installed.”

  Melissa smiled and sat down, but she gasped when she saw the scenery that lay before her. The sunset took her breath away.

  Melissa hadn’t real
ized that the restaurant was at the edge of town and that they actually looked over the valley and the great lake. The sun was setting and was nestled against the snow-capped mountains. The sky was colored red-orange and had flecks of pink and purple; the light reflected off the water of the lake and left the scenery with speckles of gold.

  “Oh Jordan, I never thought this place could look so beautiful.”

  “I think that a lot of people often go to other places looking for beauty, never really knowing the beauty they have at their feet.”

  “You’re a wise man Jordan James, wiser than me surely. I feel like I went around in circles but I still don’t know where I am.”

  “You’re home now.”

  And slowly, tentatively, Jordan’s hand reached out to Melissa, and before they knew it, their fingers were intertwined. Melissa could feel Jordan pulse and it comforted her. With a soft sigh, she leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling his warmth against her, comforted by the rise and fall of his chest.

  Catching a glimpse...

  It was late when Malcolm’s car finally pulled up at the front door and Melissa and Jordan got out. They had eaten dinner at Jordan’s cabin, and Jordan had offered to drive her home, as Melissa was clearly tired from the travel and emotional turmoil. She fell asleep the moment the car started to pull away and Jordan had let her sleep, only waking her when they were already home. Jordan could sleep in the guesthouse at the back like he usually did. The Georges were like his second family anyway.

  When Melissa opened the door, she found her brother sitting in the sofa watching TV, while Sally had her head on his lap, reading a book.

  She came in and cleared her throat. Sally got up abruptly; she was probably sensitive on how Melissa would react to them. But Malcolm just looked at her and Jordan questioningly, shrugged, and then pointed to the parlor door.

  Melissa went on ahead wordlessly. She opened the door and got in. catching a glimpse of Jordan sitting down in front of the TV with her brother as she closed the door.

  Inside, she found her mother sitting beside her father. They were both asleep and she decided not to disturb them. She looked around at the medicine that was on the tray and found three bottles of pain meds and anti-inflammatory drugs. A sudden movement by her mother made her jump and she dropped a bottle of pills to the floor. The noise woke her father.

  “Rose petal, we’ve been waiting for you,” he said as he gently woke his wife who sat beside him.

  “You don’t have to wake her dad. We can talk tomorrow.”

  “No we’ve put this off for too long. Honey, Mels is here,” he said again, shaking his wife gently.

  “Oh? Mels, you’re finally home, please sit down.”

  Melissa took a seat as her mother straightened in her chair. Her parents exchanged meaningful glances and, finally, her father took a deep breath.

  “Mels, we found out I had cancer more than one month ago.” Melissa started; it was a shock to know that they had kept the cancer from her for weeks before telling her. She was about to protest but her father held up his hand.

  “It was my decision not to tell you yet and I want you to listen now. Here me out and be angry if you want, but listen first. I had it in my head to tell you when I was already getting better. I didn’t want to worry you needlessly. I was diagnosed, initially, with stage 3 cancer and I had the option of chemotherapy, to see if I was responsive. We did it, it was horrible, but I felt like I could still get better. 3 weeks ago, I had another check-up with the doctor, and he told me I was non-responsive to the treatment, that it was doing more harm than good and that… there was nothing they could do.” Melissa felt like a sledgehammer slammed into her gut. Her father’s words reverberated in her head and she didn’t know what to do with the information.

  “Now,” her father continued, “I am taking medication for the pain, but nothing else. We could go for more invasive treatments, but your mother and I decided against it. There’s nothing anyone can do, it’s all in God’s hands now. When we got the news we didn’t… I didn’t… know how to tell you any of it. So we decided to have you come here, so we could tell it to you face to face and you’d at least have people around you who love you and will take care of you. I couldn’t bear to think of you grieving alone in London with no one to turn to. I’m sorry we didn’t tell you sooner petal, I really am.”

  Melissa’s eyes saw nothing anymore. She just cried and cried. There was nothing she could do, and she couldn’t be mad at father now. She just didn’t know what else to do. She never imagined, even when she found out he had cancer, that it would be hopeless right at the beginning. She understood now why he talked the way he did this morning. This was all just goodbye.

  Melissa felt hands coming toward her and pulling her toward the bed, hands that used to be so big and strong, now so thin and frail. It made her cry even more.

  “Don’t be sad petal. I lived a good many years and had a wonderfully fruitful life. I’ve had more than most and I thank God every day for blessing me with a loving wife and great kids. I’m so proud of you petal, everything you wanted you’ve got now. But I only worry that what you want might not be what you need.”

  “Daddy don’t worry anymore. About me or anyone else. I want you to think about yourself this time, think about your health. I want you to fight daddy.”

  “I don’t have to honey. I couldn’t ask anything more from my life. I’ve had enough happiness in this lifetime to spill over to the next. My cup has runneth over petal. I have you all to thank for that. But when the time comes to say goodbye, I wish I could leave you in the loving hands of a man I can trust will try to make you as happy as your mother made me.”

  “I’ll be fine. You don’t have to worry.”

  “I’m a bit tired now. But tomorrow, I want to sit at dinner, like we used to when you were kids. I want you to cook your roast beef for all of us and we’ll have an old fashioned family dinner. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

   However, her father couldn’t sit at the dinner table the next day. He was too tired. And he didn’t feel better the next day either, or the day after. In fact, her father did not get out of bed for a whole week. He simply stayed in bed, spoke some words, some made sense, some didn’t, and would go to sleep again. There were times that Melissa knew her father was in very bad pain, when Sally would go into the room and come out half an hour later looking sad and disheveled. Sometimes, Melissa heard her father cursing, but she knew it was the pain talking. After his medication, her father would often sleep for hours, even a whole day sometimes.

  The family marched on despite the heaviness. Melissa called her company and requested for an indefinite leave of absence, because of her father’s health. They had been kind and said she could take her time, but underneath it all, she knew it was a risky move and it could mean less responsibilities for her when she went back, but she knew she’d rather be here for her family, and savor what little time she had with her father that was left.

  Needless to say, it was a difficult time for everyone. Melissa couldn’t bear to stay in the house, at times when her father was sleeping off whatever medication he had to take, and see her mother and brother silently suffering, knowing she could do nothing. The only thing that made it bearable were the daily lunches she had with Jordan, who, understanding the situation fully, offered to let her help out in the landscaping he had scheduled. It seemed almost planned out, they only ever worked in the most beautiful places, and today, as there were no waiting jobs to be done, Jordan brought her up to Drought Creek Point, a beautiful hiking trail with a lovely stream that flowed through it, at the top of which the whole valley could be seen.

  They both sat on one of the stone benches left there for hikers and stared at the scenery, eating the oranges they had brought for the trip.

  “This is really a beautiful place. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”

  “Oh it wasn’t a trail yet when we were kids. I started hiking here a few years ago, and
made the trail for some friends. More people came until the owner of the property formally called it a hiking trail and installed these chairs and some of the steps.”

  “Wow, you really have a knack for finding the most beautiful places,” she said, bumping her shoulder against his playfully. He smiled a most lovely smile, one that Melissa thought she could stare at forever.

  “Yeah, I guess you could say I have a knack for seeing potential in things.”

  “I can’t believe you still aren’t married. Girls must be falling at your feet.”

  “Well, I always believed in waiting for the right thing, and I’m a very patient man.”

  “You mean you haven’t found the right thing yet? That’s surprising, as you seem to know just where to go to find what you want.”

  He smiled and sighed at what she said, then, in a measured voice that was close to quivering, he said, “Oh I found what I was looking for a long time ago. I don’t think she was ready then, I hope she will be soon, but I can wait a bit more.”

  Melissa looked into Jordan’s eyes and the silence between them spoke volumes. Melissa recalled the past few days, how loved he had made her feel, despite the pain, and then her mind raced back years, to high school. She remembered the times when Jordan would volunteer to do things for her, being her date for prom when she was desperate and chaperoning her and her friends to their first concert, even offering to drive her to college when she moved. She realized that they hadn’t been friendly gestures, but silent confessions of love, never uttered because, as Jordan said, she wasn’t ready to hear it. But now? 

  “Jordan…my dad…”

  “No, you don’t have to say it. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. Should we be heading home?”

  Silently, Melissa turned to Jordan and kissed him on the lips, and putting her hands on the back of his neck and pulling him closer. There were no words for this moment, they pulled away from each other and stared at each other’s eyes. Then, silently, they gathered their things and headed back.

  Prologue

  Two weeks later…

  Marshall George felt the end coming, but he was content. He was surrounded with family and friends, people who truly loved him. Seeing the love in their eyes showed him how full his life had been. He looked toward his dear wife, still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen in his life. She was a blessing from God that he cherished to the last of his breath. If he was given another lifetime, he would find some way to spend it with her again. His eyes turned to his first born son. He had married the sweet and caring woman who had tried to make his father’s passing easier as much as she could. Marshall knew Malcolm would not have held up as well as he did if it wasn’t for Sally, and he was glad that, despite everything, he had managed to bring them both together.

  His eyes turned to his daughter, his most precious flower, who had been crying inconsolably and was sleeping now. Marshall felt a twinge of guilt for causing his daughter so much pain, but he was comforted with the sight of Jordan’s strong arm over Melissa’s shoulder. They had decided to get engaged a few days ago, and it news that Marshall truly welcomed. He knew Jordan had been secretly in love with his daughter since they were teens.

  Marshall was happy to see all this and felt that all was fine in the world despite the pain he felt. Come to think of it, he hadn’t felt the pain in a while now. For the last time, with a contented, beatific smile on his face, Marshall closed his eyes to meet the Lord...

  It's Only Love...