Pierced by Love (33 page)

“Yes, you are,” he acknowledged easily, grasping her hands lightly. “How many other women would have forgiven their sister for taking their boyfriend? It wasn’t easy for you, but you overcame your hard feelings and now you and Melody are closer than ever. I’m proud of you.”

“You are?” she breathed in disbelief.

“And you know what else?” She shook her head. “You helped me to reconnect with my dad. You handled being thrown into that lion’s den with grace and dignity. I’ll always be grateful. But that isn’t all.”

“You mean there’s more?” she joked.

He nodded seriously. “I knew that you felt uncomfortable praying beside me in the Snowflake Temple, but you did it anyway. I love your faith, Noelle, and I love your charisma. I love you,” he said emphatically.

“I love you too! And now that I know what it feels like to be truly loved, I don’t want this feeling to ever end.”

“That’s the good thing about temples, sweetheart. It doesn’t have to.” Going down on one knee, he withdrew the ring box from his pocket and opened it to her. “I love you, Noelle, and I want you to marry me. Will you become my wife?”

She looked at him uncertainly. “What about Stanford or Idaho?”

“I’m staying here.”

Her brows furrowed. “But, Pierce, this is your dream. You can’t turn them down. What will you do?”

“Noelle, I want to marry you for time and all eternity and have a family with you. If it’s right for me to pursue the biomedical engineering program, the Lord will bless us with the right opportunity. If it isn’t, then He’ll lead us another way. I’m not going to be afraid anymore, and I’m not going to let my career come between me and my family.”

“I’m not going to be afraid anymore, either.”

“Then you’ll marry me?”

“Yes,” she answered, smiling lovingly at him. After placing the ring on her finger, Pierce kissed her tenderly. “And soon.”

The longer he kissed her, the more he agreed. “The sooner the better.”

Their marriage and sealing was scheduled for eight o’clock sharp in the Gilbert Temple on this sweltering July morning. Noelle’s parents had scrambled to put together a beautiful wedding in the eight short weeks Pierce and Noelle had given them. The monsoon season was in full swing, with the humidity becoming unbearable toward the middle of the day. Thankfully, they had already taken their wedding pictures yesterday morning.

Pierce had loved seeing Noelle in her light blue bridesmaid dress for Chase and Melody’s reception. But he thought she looked absolutely gorgeous in her white gown, which was quite different from her sister’s. It matched her personality—fun with a bit of flair. The skirt was tucked at various points to create scalloped ruffles in layers that went to the floor.

Her bouquet held pale pink and white dogwood flowers that they had specially ordered. Noelle had chosen to use them in honor of Tamara’s Southern roots. “Something to remind you of home,” Noelle said as she handed the corsage and boutonniere to Jared and Tamara. Tamara’s eyes watered as she pulled Noelle into a warm hug. “Thank you so much, sugar. They must have been hard to find so late in the season. However did you manage it?”

Noelle then turned to Pierce, who caught his dad’s mischievous smile and said, “We had a little help from Dad.”

Noelle smiled and added, “We are so blessed to have three mothers instead of two.” As far as Pierce was concerned, he’d been blessed with this beautiful woman who had proven once again that her middle name was indeed a perfect match.

He’d never forget the wonder and thrill he felt as the sealer pronounced them husband and wife, sealed for time and all eternity through the sacred priesthood keys that he held. As he danced with his bride at their reception later that evening, he marveled at how far they’d come through their trials. He would forever thank God for sending Noelle into his life. This feeling of love was so much more intense than climbing up a steep rock or jumping off a bridge into frigid water. Marriage was going to be the ultimate adventure.

EPILOGUE

N
OELLE LOGAN PEERED down at her infant son, loving the feel of his tiny hand gripping her finger as he dozed. Dressed in white, his tranquility added to his angelic appearance. She glanced over at her sister, who was holding her ten-month-old daughter, Lily. They shared a smile. “It’s amazing, isn’t it, being a mother?” Melody whispered. “There’s no other feeling like it.”

Noelle nodded her agreement, wanting this moment to last forever. Soon, however, the bishop stood and announced the baby blessing for Caleb Blake Logan. Noelle kissed his downy head before handing him to her doting husband.

Walking to the front of the chapel, Pierce tried to still the butterflies in his stomach. All of their family members had come to support them for this important occasion. He wanted to do it right.

As he waited for the others to join him in the circle, he sought Noelle’s gaze from a few rows back. She sent him an encouraging smile. She was even more beautiful now than when they’d married two years ago. She had completed her degree and been a substitute teacher for a semester, and then she taught at a local elementary school for one year while he attended classes through the post-graduate program at Arizona State University. He had received an acceptance letter from them almost immediately after turning the other two down. It was amazing what could happen when a person placed his trust in the Lord.

Chase stood to Pierce’s right between his father-in-law and Noelle’s brother, Ryan. His other brother-in-law, Blake, was standing next to Pierce’s own father almost directly across from him. Craig and his stepfather, Eric, flanked him on the other side next to the bishop and first counselor.

Pierce looked at his dad squarely and smiled his gratitude for changing his life and being here for him. His dad returned his smile meaningfully. They’d formed a stronger bond once he had let go of the regrets and hard feelings of the past. Pierce and Noelle had been in the San Diego Temple for Jared and Tamara’s sealing last year. He was thrilled for his dad. Their relationship had grown in ways that Pierce could not have imagined.

Looking around the circle, Pierce felt absolutely amazed by the miracle that been wrought among his family members. The Lord surely had melded them into a stronger and more compassionate family. The one regret Pierce felt while scanning the circle was that Gage was not in it. Though he’d cleaned up his language and appearance, he still had not accepted any of the family members’ invitations to come back to church. Something was holding him back. Gage’s brief marriage while he’d worked in Tucson for the University of Arizona’s marketing department probably had something to do with that. Pierce knew his parents were worried about him. Now, at least, Gage was living in Mesa again and working for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Pierce prayed for him every day, hoping that someone would come into his life who could encourage him in the way that he needed.

Pierce felt the power of the priesthood envelop him like a warm cloak as he held his infant son and took a calming breath before he began. When the blessing concluded, Pierce looked up at his dad and knew that he had literally come full circle. He would be a good father to his son. Sitting down next to Noelle, he vowed once again to be a good husband to his wife.

Suddenly, the baby, who had been blissfully asleep through the blessing, began to whimper. It wasn’t long before his small cries turned into ear-numbing wails. Pierce made room for Noelle to exit the pew to take care of Caleb. He caught his mother’s all-knowing grin from across the aisle and matched it with one of his own.
Let the parenting adventures begin!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Were Melody’s reservations over Pierce justified? Why or why not?
   
2. What character traits qualify Pierce to be a good partner for Noelle? What are his flaws?
   
3. Did Noelle’s parents show equal love toward their daughters? Justify your opinion.
   
4. Pierce is surprised to learn that his father married a Southern belle. Have you ever experienced a time when someone did not meet your expectations? Share how this experience affected your relationship with that person.
   
5. Have you known couples who seem to be polar opposites of each other, such as Noelle’s parents? What makes their relationship work?
   
6. Have you ever known a person like Chase? Why is it important to pay attention to a person’s nonverbal cues or small discrepancies in their dialogue?
   
7. How did you anticipate Melody and Chase’s relationship developing toward the end? Should she have married him? Why or why not?
   
8. Was Pierce’s invitation for Noelle to accompany him to California appropriate? How has society’s perception of dating changed in the past few decades?
   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

L
aura Walker grew up in southern Arizona. She met her husband, Rob, at Northern Arizona University where she earned her bachelor degree in elementary education. They are now raising six beautiful children. Her hobbies include water aerobics and sewing. At the end of the day, Laura loves to curl up with a good book or write one of her own.
Pierced by Love
is her first published novel.

© 2014 Laura L. Walker

All rights reserved.