The past four months had been the best of her life. She'd worked hard to grow her business, and she now had enough to sustain her without dipping into her savings too much. Things were
going well for the farm too. She'd designed a websiteâsnowy blue with white and silver. It had turned out great, and Beau's online business was up and running.
Riley had returned home for his ten-day leave after boot camp in March. The time had gone by too fast, and before they knew it he was on his way to Camp Geiger in North Carolina for School of Infantry. He finished that in late May and was now stationed in Afghanistan. They'd heard from him twice so far. The family worried, but he seemed to be thriving as a marine.
Micah was also flourishing. He'd made friends in their neighborhood and was due to start kindergarten in the fall at the school where her dad worked. Her son had started seeing a counselor, and Eden was beginning to see more of the old, carefree Micah once again.
She was experiencing a little of that herself. Beau had been a big part of it. He listened to her when she needed to talk, played with her when she needed to laugh. He called her just to say he missed her and did crazy things like waking her during the predawn hours to watch the sunrise together.
She still struggled with some issues. When he was moody she sometimes felt anxious, and when he got into his caretaker mode, it made her feel smothered. But they talked it out and worked to resolve the issues. Beau was good at solving problems. He had patience. It was her new favorite trait.
He tightened his arms around her, and she snuggled in closer. His breath warmed her temple, sending a shiver down her arms.
He rubbed the gooseflesh away. “Cold?”
“Nope.” She replaced the empty thermos lid and curled her arms around his, perfectly content in his embrace.
Shades of periwinkle appeared in the sky now, swathed in
purple. Pink and yellow began washing over the sky. It seemed to grow brighter by the second, the pink glowing so brilliantly it almost hurt her eyes. The colors were reflected in the harbor, turning the water a radiant shade of purple. The light silhouetted the boats moored there, their masts pointing like skinny fingers toward the sky.
Just when she thought the view couldn't be any more impressive, a sliver of pink slipped over the horizon.
“Beautiful,” she whispered, not wanting to break the spell.
He pressed a kiss to her temple. “New beginnings usually are.”
They watched in silence as the sliver turned into a semicircle, and the semicircle became a glowing pink globe, balanced on the horizon. She was in awe of the beauty. Of the very idea that this happened every morning behind the scenes while she slept.
Beau shifted, his hand leaving her stomach, and she missed it. But it returned a moment later, holding something small and square.
He opened the box, and her eyes widened. She sucked in a breath.
A solitaire diamond winked back, reflecting the pink rays of dawn. She turned and met his eyes, those beautiful brown eyes, focused solely on her.
“I love you, Eden Martelli,” he said in that low, smoky voice. “I love your beautiful smile and the way your laugh brightens the whole room. I love your warm heart and your quiet strength. I love how tender you are with Micah.”
She placed her palm over her aching heart, catching her breath as he continued.
“I want nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to cherish you every day. I want to laugh together and
celebrate every new beginning together. I want to be Micah's daddyâand maybe give him a brother or sister or two . . .” His lips kicked up at the corners.
They went flat again as a somber look washed over his eyes. “You're the love of my life, Eden. Will you marry me?”
“Oh, Beau . . .” He took her breath away. He made her believe in new beginnings and happily-ever-afters.
“I don't want to rush you. We can be engaged for as long as you want, but you're it for me. You're the one. There'll never be another.”
“Yes,” she breathed. “I want all of that, and I want it with you.”
The smile that curled his mouth was priceless. Love shone in his eyes as he lowered his lips to hers, brushing them ever so tenderly. His kiss was a soft exploration, a confident proclamation, a gentle promise. She absorbed it all, welcomed it, gave it right back.
When his arms tightened around hers she forgot all about the ring. All about the sunrise and the birds awakening nearby. She forgot about everything but the man holding herâthe one who'd shown her what love could be. What love was supposed to be.
Another beautiful day had begun. It was the beginning of many more, and she could hardly wait to see what each one held.
1. Who was your favorite character? Why? Who did you most relate to?
2. What was your favorite scene in the book? Why?
3. Riley's way of dealing with Beau and Paige's relationship was to join the military. Have you ever run from a problem? How did that work out?
4. After Beau's mom died, the Callahans let Christmas traditions fall by the wayside. Have you ever faced painful reminders of the past? How did you deal with them?
5. It took Eden awhile to trust again after her experience with Antonio. Discuss how trust is built and lost.
6. Eden had been married to a man who controlled her every move. Discuss his methods of control and why you think Eden may have been susceptible to them.
7. Antonio used scripture to justify his abuse. Does this happen in the church today? What would you do if you were in Eden's marriage?
8. Discuss the role of the husband according to scripture.
9. If you discovered a friend was suffering under a controlling husband, what advice would you give? How would you help her?
10. Eden thought she'd be free at Loon Lake but discovered fear was holding her captive. Discuss a time when fear held you
captive
. How did you overcome it?
W
riting a book is a team effort, and I'm so grateful for the fabulous team at HarperCollins Christian Fiction, led by publisher Daisy Hutton: Ansley Boatman, Katie Bond, Amanda Bostic, Karli Jackson, Kristen Golden, Elizabeth Hudson, Jodi Hughes, Ami McConnell, Becky Monds, Becky Philpott, Kerri Potts, and Kristen Ingebretson.
Thanks especially to my editor, Ami McConnell: friend, advocate, and editor extraordinaire. I'm constantly astounded by your gift of insight. Thanks also to editor LB Norton, who has saved me from countless errors and makes me look so much better than I am.
Author Colleen Coble is my first reader. Thank you, friend! Writing wouldn't be nearly as much fun without you!
I'm grateful to my agent, Karen Solem, who's able to somehow make sense of the legal garble of contracts and, even more amazing, help me understand it.
Thank you to Mainer Susan Faloon, who kindly agreed to read this manuscript to make sure I'd gotten the setting details right. Any errors that made it into print are mine alone.
Kevin, my husband of twenty-six years, has been a wonderful support. Thank you, honey! To my sons, Justin, Chad, and Trevor: you make life an adventure! It's so fun watching you step so boldly into adulthood. Love you all!
Lastly, thank you, friend, for letting me share this story with you. I wouldn't be doing this without you! I enjoy connecting with friends on my Facebook page, www.facebook.com/authordenisehunter. Please pop over and say hello. Visit my website at the link www.DeniseHunterBooks.com or just drop me a note at [email protected] I'd love to hear from you!
L
ayla O'Reilly squeezed into a corner of the bustling kitchen of Cappy's Pizzeria and leaned into the receiver.
“No, no, no. You cannot cancel on me now. The wedding's in five hours.
Five hours
, Cooper.” She wound the spiral cord around her fist, a sweat breaking out on her forehead.
“Layla, Iâ”
“Don't even tell me you have to work. I asked you over a month ago. You said you got the night off.”
“If you'd just let me talk. I have
strep
, Layla. I'm contagious. I have to be on an antibiotic for at least twenty-four hours beforeâ”
“I'll risk it.” She didn't care if he had malaria. She was going to this wedding, and she was going with a date. Nothing said
See, I've moved on
like an attractive man draped on your arm.
“I feel like trash. I have a 102-degree fever and barbed wire in my throat.”
Layla took a deep breath, the familiar aromas of garlic and oregano filling her nose. She couldn't believe this was happening. “Now that you mention it, you don't sound so good.”
“I'm sorry,” he said. “I know tonight's a big deal.”
She closed her eyes. “It's not your fault. The strep or the wedding.” She banged the receiver against her temple once, twice, three times. “I'll bring you chicken soup tomorrow.”
“My sister's already on it; don't worry about it. What are you going to do about tonight?”
“I don't know.”
“Just don't go. You don't need them.”
“My whole family will be there.”
“This isn't about your family and you know it,” he said. “This is about you having something to prove.”
She knotted her fist around the cord. Nothing stung as long and hard as betrayal. “Shut it, Cooper.”
“You know I'm right.”
Olivia passed with a tray, nodding her head toward the back. Layla followed the direction of her nod. Cappy's bald head gleamed under the kitchen lights. He gave Layla a pointed look.
“I have to go. I'm in the middle of lunch rush.”
She took two orders, working on automatic as her mind filtered through the possibilities. She had to find someone and quick. On her break she made a few calls. No luck.
Think, Layla
.
She tidied her long brown ponytail before exiting the break room. She had two and a half more hours of work, one hour to get ready, and a half-hour drive to Louisville. Feeling desperate, she scanned Cappy's. The new busboy, David, wasn't bad looking, and he was always smiling at her. She hadn't encouraged him because he was four years younger, but no one would know. Besides, desperate times and all that.
A few minutes later she walked away from David even more
depressed. He was scheduled till closing. Worse, her invitation had encouraged him.
“You okay?” Olivia asked as she passed.
“Yeah, fine.”
“Well, order's up for table four, and a family was just seated at five.”
“Thanks.” Layla grabbed the order from the heat lampâa personal Whole Shebangâand headed toward four, her mind in overdrive.
She was tableside before she saw him. Seth Murphy recognized her at the same time. He pocketed his iPhone without taking his blue eyes off her.
“Layla,” he said in that deep voice of his.
She tipped her chin up, set the pizza down, and didn't bother serving the first slice. “Murphy.”
What was he doing here? At her station? Not that he had any way of knowing that. “Don't you have a wedding to be at?” She clamped her lips shut before anything else leaked out.
He checked his watch, a casual number with a big face and lots of dials. “Few hours.” He opened his mouth again, then wisely shut it.
She spun around to table five before he could ask her the same. She felt Murphy's eyes on her back as she took the order, making heat flood the back of her neck. She didn't run into him muchâdidn't exactly travel in the same circles. But when she did, it was awkward. No one knew better than Murphy how badly Jack had hurt her. And no one, save Jack and Jessica, was more responsible.
She brought table five their drinks and delivered the bill to a couple squeezed into one side of a two-seater booth. She briefly considered ignoring Murphy's empty glass, but her conscience kicked in.
A minute later she set down a fresh Mountain Dew and ripped the bill from the tab. Normally she didn't leave it this early, but Murphy wasn't her normal customer. It was hard to be close to him again. To stay angry at him.
“Can I get you anything else?”
He leaned back against the red vinyl booth. The light from the overhead pendant washed over his features in a flattering way. He'd always reminded her of Ryan Gosling, especially when he wasn't wearing that infernal Murphy's Hardware cap.
He opened his mouth and shut it again. She was so tired of being tiptoed around. By him. By everyone.
She pulled herself to her full five feet six and tossed her ponytail over her shoulder. “Go ahead.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Go ahead and ask.”
His gaze dropped to the half-eaten slice on his plate. He hadn't shaved yet. The five o'clock shadow only made him more handsome. “Layla . . .”
“Yes, I'm going to the wedding. Yes, I'm over him. And yes, I'm happy for my cousin. That about cover it?”
His eyes drifted to hers again. It was all she could do to hold his gaze. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel like he was seeing all the way inside. She hadn't seen that gaze since the summer they painted sets at the community theater. She'd liked it then. Now, not so much.
“I'm glad,” he said. “You deserve . . .” He struggled to fill in the blank.
She didn't need his take on that anyway. She slapped the bill facedown. “Have a
nice
afternoon, Murphy.”
Her heart was beating too fast as she spun away. Her legs
trembled as she made her way to the kitchen. If seeing Murphy had this effect, what would tonight be like? Seeing Jack and Jessica exchanging vows, kissing, dancing?
She didn't have time to worry about her feelings. She still needed a date, and the clock was ticking. She'd exhausted her contact list. She scanned the restaurant again as she carried out an order. A group of guys she didn't know had gathered around the pool table in the back room. Married couples and families filled the restaurant. She scanned the kitchen again. Three males. David, Cappy, and a man old enough to be her grandfather.