Authors: Rhonda Gibson
Adam paced
his living-room floor. He and Jenny had gotten home the night before. He’d
asked Jenny not to go to Colleen’s before he had a chance to talk to her. He
knew he owed Colleen an apology. Would she forgive him? He’d walked out on her
and hadn’t looked back.
He opened
the small jewelry box and stared down at the wedding set that sat on a cushion
of red velvet. Adam couldn’t believe he bought the ring. But he knew in his
heart that Colleen was the woman for him, and he thought she knew it, too.
He pulled
his coat on and stepped into the cold afternoon air. The desire to talk to
Colleen filled him with longing. Adam walked in the direction of her house.
All the
way, he tried to come up with ways to say he was sorry. Adam finally gave up.
He stopped two blocks from her house. A small park on the side of the road
beckoned him to enter its sanctuary. He took the path that led to a beautiful
river. Adam sat down on a huge rock beside the water, which trickled though the
ice. He looked up into the heavens. “Lord I can’t find the words to tell her
how sorry I am, to tell her how much I love her. Father, what am I to say?”
He stuck
his hands in his coat pockets and waited for the Lord to answer. Too late, he
realized he should have come to the Lord earlier last week when he’d thought
the worst of Colleen.
The longer
Adam sat in the cold, the more he realized he ought to be up-front with her.
Tell her the truth, tell her he loved her, and ask her to marry him.
Adam left
the park with a new bounce in his step. He felt confident Colleen was the woman
God had chosen for him.
“Thanks for
the coffee, Colleen. I’m sure looking forward to Adam resuming his route.” Sly
groaned as he picked up his mailbag.
Colleen
took a deep breath. “Jenny and I were working on a school project. Did Adam say
when they would get back into town?” She felt a prickle of guilt for using
Jenny as an excuse to learn more about Adam.
The postman
took a last long drink from his cup, “Got home last night.” He set the cup back
on the table.
He was
home.
Colleen
felt her heart speed up and her palms turn to a hot swampland. She wiped the
moisture on her apron.
Sly headed
for the door. “Thanks again for the coffee,” he called on his way out.
“Any time.”
Colleen tugged on the apron strings. They refused to budge. Hot and anxious,
she fretted about what to say to Adam. How would she voice her sorrow for her
quick judgment?
The knot
wound tighter and tighter. She turned completely around, facing the kitchen.
Her fingers couldn’t loosen the tie.
The bell
over the door tinkled, alerting her that someone had just entered the store.
She looked up at the clock on the wall. A few minutes after two, too early for
Jenny. A wave of disappointment enveloped her.
“I’ll be
right with you,” Colleen called over her shoulder, still fighting the knot.
Warm hands
enveloped hers. “Here, let me get that.”
Adam
Colleen
couldn’t hold still. She turned swiftly and looked into his clear blue eyes. An
endearing smile touched his lips and caused the dimple in his cheek to wink at
her.
“Adam, your
home.” Her voice sounded breathless to her own ears.
“We got in
last night.”
Words
exploded from her lips. “I’m so sorry, Adam. I never should have judged you.
Can you ever forgive me?” Her throat closed up, tears filled her eyes, and
Colleen silently prayed for the strength to continue.
He guided
her to the nearest chair and indicated that she should sit down. Colleen chewed
on her bottom lip. There was so much she wanted to say, but her tongue stuck to
the roof of her mouth.
“I’m sorry,
too Colleen. I was wrong. My pride got in the way of my thinking. Please
forgive me for being so rude to you.” Adam continued holding her hands.
His eyes
pleaded with her to forgive him. Colleen wanted to sink to the floor and sit with
him, but her body refused to do as her mind screamed. All she could do was nod.
He must think she was an idiot.
Tears
streamed down her cheeks when he released her hands. She wanted to scream that
she did forgive him and that she had been wrong, too. Silently, she prayed,
Lord,
what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I speak or move?
Adam took a
small box out of his pocket. “I love you, and I’m praying you love me, too.” He
opened the box and held it out to her.
He loved
her. The words screamed through her mind.
“Colleen,
will you marry me?” Adam held the box out to her with one hand and took her
cold fingers in the other.
Colleen
smiled though her tears. She opened her mouth and the words she’d silently been
thinking burst forth. “Yes! Yes! Yes!”
His rich
laughter filled her heart and home. Colleen gasped as he stood up, pulled her
from the chair and into his arms, and swung her around. “I was so afraid you
would say no.” He laughed and held her close for several moments.
Colleen
hung on to him. He’d forgiven her and asked for her forgiveness as well. He
really did love her.
Adam pulled
back from her and cupped her face in his hands. “Are you sure?”
Colleen saw
the worry in his eyes and wanted to erase all doubt from his mind. “Adam, I
have loved you forever.” She watched in wonder as he pulled her face to his.
Adam’s kiss felt gentle and sweet- Just what she expected from him.
Three weeks
later, Colleen’s fingers shook as she fitted the veil on her hair. Today was
the day. Her wedding day. She wondered if Adam felt as nervous as she did at
this moment.
Jenny came
into the room wearing a red dress that fit her young figure beautifully. “Adam
is pacing the floor,” she giggled. “You better hurry.” She stopped mid-stride,
he mouth formed a perfect O. “Wow, you look fantastic.” She circled Colleen,
and her hand rose several times as if she wanted to touch the fabric but didn’t
dare.
“Adam’s
going to die when he see’s you,” Jenny said, her voice tight with awe.
Colleen had
chosen a simple satin, A-line dress with long sleeves that tapered to a V
ending at the base of her middle finger. Tiny pearls and white shine of the
pearls shimmered as she moved. Colleen’s hair hung full and shiny in a natural
sweep. She placed trembling fingers lightly across her lips, feeling of
confidence warring with major insecurities.
“You really
think he will like it?” She questioned anxiously with a little giggle.
“Oh, yeah.
He’s gonna love it. You’ll blow him away.”
“Thanks.”
Colleen caught Jenny in a quick hug, and then turned once more for a final
glance in the full-length mirror. She ran her hands down the satin fabric of
the dress. “Okay.” She breathed deeply. “I’m ready.”
The small
church would be drafty-something Colleen had anticipated, it being the middle
of winter. Over a hundred years old, the building had stopped being used, and
it had taken a couple of days to clean, but she loved it. The old wooden pews,
the intricate carvings in the woodwork along the walls, and the high ceilings
evoked an earlier time that spoke to her heart.
Jenny
handed Colleen a bouquet of red roses with baby’s breath mixed throughout it.
She then picked up her own bunch of artificial white tulips. “You know,
Colleen. When you first said you wanted a Christmas wedding with Christmas
colors, I thought you were crazy. But I was wrong. The church is beautiful, and
the red and white colors are absolutely gorgeous.”
They both
turned at the knock on the door. Giggles burst from Jenny’s lips. “We’d better
get going.” She hugged Colleen then opened the door and walked out.
Colleen
followed and came face to face with her father. She gasped with happiness.
“Daddy, you made it.” His black hair had turned silver around the temples since
she’d seen him last.
“I couldn’t
miss my only child’s wedding.” Collin Holliday hugged her to him for several
moments.
Colleen
returned his warm hug. “I’m so glad you’re here, Daddy.”
He pulled
away from her and held her at arm’s length. “You are so beautiful.”
She felt
her cheeks grow warm under her father’s green eyed gaze. “Thank you.”
He smiled,
at her, and then tucked her right hand into the crook of his left arm. “Are you
sure about this, honey?”
Colleen
smiled at the protective question. She squeezed the muscles in his arm. “I have
been waiting all my life for Adam Walker. I’m ready.”
He patted
her white-gloved hand. “I wanted to make sure.”
She smiled.
“I’ve never been surer of anything in my life.”
Her father
nodded. “Then let’s not keep your young man waiting.”
Colleen’s
heart pounded in her throat as the pianist began playing the wedding march on
the upright piano in front of the sanctuary.
Jenny
glanced over her shoulder, raised an eyebrow as if to say, “This is it,” then
proceeded down the aisle.
“Time to
go.” Colleen’s dad squeezed her arm.
He took a
step, and they turned the corner.
She’d been
down this aisle many times, but it had never seemed to take this long. Adam
stood in front of an arch decorated with red poinsettias and white mums. To
her, he appeared at least a mile away, and her legs moved in slow motion. Adam
wore a black tuxedo. It complemented his dark complexion and soft blue eyes. He
would always be the most handsome man she’s ever seen.
A smile tilted
his lips, and love lit his eyes with a shinning glow. His love drew her down
the aisle.
“Who gives
this woman?” The minister asked.
“I do,”
Colleen’s father answered.
Colleen
gave his arm one last squeeze before he released her and placed her hand in the
groom’s.
Adam’s palm
felt warm in hers. Colleen listened to the preacher and followed his lead. When
it came time for the rings, she glanced at the ring bearer standing beside
Adam. She knew he was a cousin on Adam’s mother’s side of the family. The
little boy looked about three years old. He held in his hands her scrapbook.
Her
scrapbook!
She checked the child’s hands again. Sure enough, it
was
her scrapbook.
Tears of
happiness filled her eyes. Jenny had asked if she could pick the pillow for the
ring bearer. Colleen had no idea Jenny would use the scrapbook. The very item
that brought her and Adam together today helped bind them for life.
Adam untied
the ribbon that held their rings to the coat-of-many-colors that covered the
photo album. The memory of her great-great-grandmother’s letter floated through
her happy thoughts as Adam slipped the ring on her finger and they repeated
their vows.
With
certainty, Colleen knew theirs was a love to last a lifetime.