Read What God Has For Me Online
Authors: Pat Simmons
Tags: #christian romance, #inspirational and religious, #second chances romance, #africanamerican author
What God Has For Me
~Book IV~
Love at the Crossroads series
BY
PAT SIMMONS
~~~
Smashwords Edition
Copyright © 2014 Pat Simmons
All rights reserved.
Print ISBN-13: 978-1501037146
Print ISBN-10: 1501037145
This is a work of fiction. References to real events,
organizations, and places are used in a fictional context. Any
resemblances to actual people, living or dead are entirely
coincidental.
To read more books by this author, please visit
www.patsimmons.net
.
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment
only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.
If you would like to share this book with another person, please
purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading
this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your
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this author.
The Guilty series
Book I:
Guilty of Love
Book II:
Not Guilty of Love
Book III:
Still Guilty
The Guilty Parties series
Book I
: The Acquittal
Book II
: The Confession, Fall 2015
The Jamieson Legacy
Book I
: Guilty by Association
Book II
: The Guilt Trip
Book III
: Free from Guilt
The Carmen Sisters
Book I
: No Easy Catch
Book II:
In Defense of Love
Love at the Crossroads
Book I
: Stopping Traffic
Book II
: A Baby for Christmas
Book III
: The Keepsake
Book IV:
What God Has for Me
Making Love Work Anthology
Book I:
Love at Work
Book II:
Words of Love
Book III:
A Mother’s Love
Single titles
Crowning Glory
Talk to Me
I love Christian Romance novels and Pat Simmons knows
how to unlock the imagination and take it on a quick path of hope,
love and Jesus. You will always find some sort of message in her
books just like I found in Stopping Traffic. I smiled! …Tamara
Gatling, reader
Pat Simmons does it again and again!
Another great story from Pat Simmons! What I love
about her books is they are all biblically based! She shows how we,
as humans, are in need of healing, deliverance, forgiveness, etc. I
really like her approach to the dating scene! It is refreshing from
some other Christian novels that allow their characters to engage
in sexual activity without being married! Thank you, Pat, for
giving us some good, pure, interesting Christian materials to
read!! I appreciate you! You and a handful of other Christian
Authors are rare commodities in these last days! … LeeLee,
reader
Simmons has laid it all out on the line in this
installment of the Jamieson legacy. This is pure Christian romance
with a touch of heritage. There were moments in the middle that I
wanted them to get it together but it turned out better than
expected. The personal touch of genealogy is wonderful and will
make you think about your own family heritage. Wanted to see more
Grandma BB but loved the new character development. Simmons is on
top of her genre... Reviewed by M. Bruner “Deltareviewer” on Free
from Guilt
Free from Guilt may be listed as Christian fiction,
but it's so much more. You read about family history, romance and
transformation. This is a great read and leaves the reader wanting
more, with that being said I'm looking forward to the next Guilty
installment… Reviewed by Melody Vernor-Bartel for Reader's
Paradise
Book Club Discussion Questions
Other Christian titles include
“I’m in trouble,” Halcyon Holland mumbled. With
blurred vision, she stared at her second born child—a baby boy,
eight pounds, and seventeen inches long. Healthy and handsome with
long lashes, brown sugar skin and even one dimple in his right
cheek like his grandma. The head full of fine black curly hair
would be the envy of synthetic hair wearers.
Halcyon sniffed to capture the tears that
threatened as her reality set in. She was a thirty-four-year-old
mother of a three-year-old daughter and now a son. Her baby twisted
his mouth as if he was about to fret, then seemed to change his
mind and settled back to sleep.
As she snuggled him closer, Halcyon caught a
glimpse of her fake wedding band, a symbol of her counterfeit
status of belonging to someone who loved her. She had purchased the
cheap ring to keep outsiders from classifying her single motherhood
status as the taboo “baby’s mama.” But it also served as a reminder
that she had lived beneath her privilege as a woman of God—or
rather, a former Christian woman. It had been a while since she
stepped foot in anybody’s church.
Her granny told her over and over to respect
herself and leave the loser before she got pregnant. “God never
intended for you to have a family without benefits.”
In the four years that she and Scott Taylor
Jr. had been living together, he had never hinted at a forever with
her—not during the first year they lived together, nor the
following year when she had secretly hoped her disguised unplanned
pregnancy would nudge Scott into marrying her. The best laid plan
had backfired. Even months earlier when she had had enough of his
noncommittal self and walked out on him after she said, “Scott, I’m
pregnant again.” This time, it was unplanned and a complete
surprise.—
What she had craved was his strong arms
wrapped around her, Scott professing his love and capping the
moment off with the proposal. Instead, she was met with a blank
expression.
Halcyon had held out hope that Scott would
come to his senses when she packed up Ashanti and her things and
walked out of their apartment. “I’m moving back in with Mom.”
Their argument had been ugly. Hurtful things
were tossed out between them, but in the end, Scott let her go. The
weeks turned into months for Halcyon living back home with her
mother, sister, and her two nephews. Her absence hadn’t affected
Scott as she had hoped. Halcyon had been nothing more than a
roommate and bed partner. His life went on as usual without missing
a beat.
Six months after that, boxes arrived at the
Holland residence with a note.
I guess you like where you’re
living. Here are the rest of your things
.
Scott
She had cried that night harder than she ever
had. Halcyon had gambled with that relationship and lost.
Those close to her knew the ring was a sham,
but no one ever commented on it except her sister, Desi’s
brother-in-law, who had volunteered to be her Lamaze partner. All
the Holland women—her mother, sister, grandmother and
her—considered Desi’s husband, Michael’s older and only brother,
Zachary, part of the family instead of an in-law.
“Since I don’t like the latest trend of a
woman proposing to a man, I’m sure not crazy about a woman buying
herself a commitment ring either,” Zachary Bishop had stated as a
man with the authority of a no nonsense sibling. “Any ring buying
should come for the man. At least, let me buy it for you.”
That offer came from a bachelor who had yet
to ask any woman to be his wife. The more Halcyon had thought about
it, she realized she could count on two fingers the number of times
he had dated since she had known him. Plus, he was a man with money
and consumed with building his franchises. The endearing side of
him was how he made time to play big brother to her and her other
two sisters. She didn’t know if he had broken any hearts like Scott
had hers, but one heart he hadn’t broken was her daughter’s. It
seemed as if he was at Ashanti’s beck and call.
Zachary’s non-judgmental and bittersweet
words made her weep, after which, of course, he had lent his
shoulder. “I know I’m pathetic to make believe I belong to
somebody.”
“You do—Jesus. You just haven’t recognized
your worth yet,” he had said with such compassion.
When her baby stirred, Halcyon was fast
forwarded to the present, but her mind lingered on Zachary’s words.
What exactly was her worth when she technically had two young
children and no husband? Her property value had fallen.
If you confess your sins, I am faithful to
forgive and cleanse you from all unrighteousness,
God
whispered.
“I know,” Halcyon mumbled, closing her eyes
and shaking her head. God had repeated that to her over and over
again lately, so that she had to ask her grandmother where she
could find the Scripture.
“Hide God’s Word in your heart, baby, and you
won’t sin against Him. That’s in Psalm 119:11,” Granny Rose advised
before directing her to 1 John 1:9 to answer her original
scriptural request. “Everything is going to work out, either with
Scott or without him. The most important thing is what God has for
you, it is for you. Accept your losses and have faith for your
gains to come. Remember that.”
Halcyon was at a crossroads in her life as
she tugged on the ring. It had to come off and she had to repent of
the ungodly choices she had made in life, even if Scott didn’t want
to reconcile with his family.
It was the day after her delivery and he had
yet to make an appearance at the hospital to see her or his son.
Giving Scott the benefit of not knowing, Halcyon had texted and
called him, leaving messages.
Was he coming? It didn’t seem to matter
anymore as she sat in room 321, cuddling a gift, whether it was
from Scott—or God. Halcyon had come to a decision. She wouldn’t
keep the children away from their father, but she wasn’t going to
give them his surname either. “You’re officially Jonathan Tristan
Holland.” She nodded her head with finality. She would also change
Ashanti’s last name to Holland. “There goes your Trey, Scott Taylor
Jr.”
Less than a year later, Halcyon was back in the same
hospital, different room, staring at another bundle of joy. The
newborn was evidence that it was never too late for God to turn an
ugly situation into a blessing.
“He’s beautiful,” Halcyon whispered to her
younger sister, Desi, as she sat at her bedside, waiting for other
family members to join them. “Congratulations, Mommy.”