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

  “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...

  Joanne Sawyer

  Introduction

  It sometimes happens that two strangers would meet and suddenly feel like they’ve known each other all their lives. It’s a bone-deep feeling, strange and overwhelming, and often it is dismissed by those who experience it.

  For Lucy Bright and Charles Ambrose, two people of deep religious faith, this feeling that struck them upon meeting as teenagers was not something to fear and try to forget, but something to marvel at and explore. But they’d both been young and inexperienced then, and though they would have been willing to hold on to this chance and even fight for it if they had to, neither of them knew how.

  And so they parted ways, and for five long years, they didn’t see each other again. Until the day when, unlooked for, they crossed each other’s paths.

  Seeing this for what it was: God’s gift to them, a second chance to grab at what they could have together and make things right, the young pair would let nothing hinder them this time… even if the obstacle happened to be their own families...

  The Dining Hall...

  Lucy and her family were preparing to sit on their table when anoth
er party entered the dining hall. Almost every one of Lucy’s company that were facing the door glanced in that direction, but none of them were arrested by any sight that met their eyes.

  None of them recognized anybody. None received a jolt of electricity when a pair of eyes from that other party met their own. And none saw a similar instant of recognition bloom on that other person’s face. None, that is, except Lucy, who remained half-standing, half-crouching over her seat while everyone else around her got comfortable.

  “Anything wrong, Lucinda?” said her mother, seeing her state. The question caused whatever it was that had been tying Lucy’s attention in a tight hold to snap. She looked around at her table.

  “I…” she began. “I thought I saw…”

  “Helena?” someone interrupted. All of them, including Lucy, turned their heads towards a middle-aged woman walking slowly toward them, body bent forward just so, to give the illusion that she was a floor down and staring up at them, as if looking at people from below could actually help one recognize them any better when all you’ll see are their chins. “Heavens me—Helena!”

  “Margaret…” Lucy’s mother, whom the woman had been addressing, muttered uncertainly. Then her eyes widened a bit and she rose from her chair saying, “Margaret. Goodness—I almost didn’t recognize you—you look fabulous!”

  “I know! That’s what I’d been thinking about you too!” Margaret replied as she circled to where Lucy’s mother stood to give her a kiss and a hug, belying the dubiously insulting ring to both their words. She looked down at Lucy’s father. “And Rick of course! Well? Any time now, old fellow!” she said with a good-natured laugh.

  “Rick, the camp!” Helena hissed at her husband, beyond mortified at his lapse, but everyone heard her anyway. Lucy saw her fourteen year old brother bend his head and bite his lips between his knuckles. A quiet chuckle escaped his throat and that of a cousin his age when Rick’s eyes widened as he too pushed himself off the table, the movement so abrupt his chair grated loudly against the stone floor.

  “I’m sorry!” he said, frantic. “Of course. Oh, how could I forget. Oh, this is embarrassing. Margaret.”

  But Margaret only gave a trilling laugh. “Well, the last time we saw each other,” she said, “we all had stringy hair and haven’t bathed properly for two weeks. Of course you wouldn’t recognize me at once—I almost didn’t, I really almost didn’t. Excuse me, please—Noah!” Margaret called, looking over her shoulder and making her voice carry to the other end of the large room where her own party was now seated. “Come, come!” She gave a wide, swiping gesture with her arm. “It’s them—I told you it’s them. Come greet them.”

  The man in his fifties that she was talking to looked at his companion, a much younger man, and then the two of them glanced at Margaret. Her husband, Noah, sighed as he stood. The young man who could only be his son followed suit, though much more quietly. He seemed subdued, and there was something in the way he moved that told of a great reluctance… or a great and terribly contained anticipation.

  No. To anyone else it would seem like the former. Only Lucy recognized the message in that young man’s body for what it was. It was also coursing through her veins as she remained standing, facing the newcomers, never taking her eyes off the face of the young man as he drew nearer and nearer, all the while keeping his gaze politely over everyone’s shoulders.

  But then, as he and his father drew so near there was only a yard left to traverse, the young man’s gaze flicked sideways, quickly—there and gone again—to meet Lucy’s stare. She flinched and barely managed not to look away by reflex. Seeing this from the corner of his eyes, the man shifted his gaze nonchalantly, as if that was the most natural thing for him to do, to meet Lucy’s stare again—fully this time. When he’d stopped walking a step beside his mother and Lucy was still staring resolutely back at him, he smiled and was the first to look away.

  He smiled.

  He smiled. That was already more than everything they’ve ever shared before. Smiling now too, Lucy finally lifted her gaze from the man’s face.

  “I told them,” Margaret had been saying, “as soon as we stepped through the door, ‘Why, don’t I know that woman? Oh, but from where?’ And then I saw your husband and then it hit me, and I told Noah, but he was like you, couldn’t even recall what I was talking about, but I was sure, and so I came to you and—ah, here they are now. Noah! It’s Helena and Rick from that camp in Iowa—do you remember? Oh—how many years ago was it?”

  “Yes, of course. It’s five years ago now, hon,” Noah said, stepping forward to shake the said people’s hands. “You remember our son, Charleston?” he told the other couple, gesturing at the young man.

  Charleston smiled again, but it was all politeness now, nothing more of what Lucy had glimpsed there earlier. “Mr. and Mrs. Bright, it’s good to see you.”

  “Oh, this young man turned out fine, didn’t he?” said Rick, shaking Charleston’s hand.

  “Charlie, is it?” Helena asked.

  The young man smiled courteously. “It’s Charles, ma’am.”

  “Ah—and is this sweet little Lucy now?” Margaret chimed. Everyone turned to look at the older woman and Lucy, who were sharing an embrace. Over his mother’s shoulder, Lucy met Charles’ eyes and blushed slightly.

  “And Adrian, our son,” said Helena, not quite pointing but graciously trailing her fingers towards Lucy’s brother, who stood a bit nervously and nodded.

  “Ma’am. Sirs.”

  “And these are our extended family,” Helena continued, indicating the rest of Lucy’s party consisting of two pairs of aunts and uncles and three cousins, all younger than her, who all gave well-mannered nods, even the youngest, a girl of only six. “We’re here to celebrate Lucy’s birthday—she turns twenty-one today, can you believe it? Everyone, this is the Ambrose family.”

  “Happy birthday, my dear,” said Noah warmly before giving his regards to the rest of the table.

  “Oh—happy birthday, Lucy!” Margaret rejoined, touching her palms gently to Lucy’s cheeks, “Hmm—what a special age, twenty-one…” she mused, then she too turned her attention to everyone else.

  As the rest of their assemblage continued to exchange pleasantries, Charles and Lucy were forgotten on the outskirts.

  Charles didn’t step closer or otherwise move, but the space between them felt like it was shrinking. It was as if an invisible cone had manifested around them, and beyond this barrier nothing else existed.

  There was only a young man and a young woman, gazing into one another’s eyes in fathomless recognition.

  Charles said, “Lucy.”

  Lucy swallowed and replied, “Charles,” her voice barely a whisper.

  He smiled and finally approached. When he was only a foot away, he leaned down. Lucy saw what he was meaning to do and she had had time enough to dodge it, if she’d wished. She didn’t. She wished the exact opposite. She wished this. Charles kissed her on the cheek.