For the One Chosen: a novella companion to For the Lost & Wayward Found (Crossroads) Read online

  6:00 am

  When I opened my eyes, I felt nothing. For a brief, forgettable moment, everything was still. My mind and body included. I couldn’t hear a single sound, like I was closed in a padded room all by myself—only I wasn’t. The bed in which I rested was remarkably comfortable and warm, the pillow top beneath me yielding to my every curve. I didn’t want to move or breathe or blink, afraid that if I did, my perfectly peaceful moment would be shattered.

  Movement in the bed beside mine caused me to close my eyes. I prayed for another brief, forgettable moment of stillness as my restless companion lost herself in sleep. I held my breath as the room filled with silence once more. The smile that played at my lips couldn’t be helped as my prayer was answered.

  The sun was barely up, but the dim light of dawn was trying to force its way through the closed blinds of the window across the room. I knew that if I pulled the curtains, outside I would see peaks filled with trees, contemplating whether or not they were ready to start changing the color of their leaves.

  Color.

  I bit my lip as I fought the urge to think of shades of green, or cream colored heels, or bouquets of pink roses—No! No…I freed a quiet sigh as I tried to clear my mind. I needed one more, brief, forgettable moment where everything was still.Just one more, I pleaded.One more.

  “Oh, no,” Lily moaned. I opened my eyes, my moment of tranquility forgotten, and looked to the bed on the left side of the room. Lily bolted upright, pressing her hand against her stomach as she gasped. Before I could part my lips to speak, her hand was covering her mouth and she was racing for the bathroom.

  I groaned as I pulled myself upright.Great. Just great. I knew my reaction to hearing Lily vomit was not very compassionate, but I had only been awake for five minutes. Thirty seconds later, worry kicked in. I jumped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom, placing one hand on the doorknob and the other against the door. As I listened to her cough, I tried to remember what we had for dinner the night before.

  It took me longer than it should have to recall the items on the menu. I had only been trying to figure out what I wanted to eat at my rehearsal dinner for weeks. I wanted it to be simple and reasonably priced. I was debating between Italian and Mediterranean cuisine until my fiancé couldn’t take it anymore; he suggested subs from his favorite sandwich shop. I loved the idea; I loved the man who came up with the idea; so we had sandwiches, potato chips, and pickles for dinner.

  My thoughts were pulled back to the present as Lily flushed the toilet. “Lily,” I called softly through the door, hoping she was going to be all right. “Lily, are you okay? Can I come in?”

  “One second,” she replied before I heard the sound of running water. When she opened the door, she was drying her mouth with a washcloth. “I amso sorry that your day started like this,” she murmured, a blush coloring her cheeks.

  “Myday?” I laughed, staring at her in awe. “I feel fine! I’m so sorry thatyour day started like this. Are you all right?”

  “Yeah,” she replied with an adamant nod. “I’m good. This will pass, I’m sure of it.”

  I studied her for a moment, concerned that she was putting on a brave face for my sake. “Lily—” She held up a finger before I could finish and turned back to the toilet. My stomach sank at the sight of her kneeling on the floor. The bride in me was panicking as I watched my matron of honor spit up everything in her stomach; but the friend in me wanted nothing more than to help her. I invited myself into the bathroom and scooped up her massive amounts of curls. She tried to bat me away, but I ignored her.

  “Stefany, you don’t have to be here for this. Really. I am totally ruining your morning.”

  “Stop it,” I insisted. “I’m here and I’m going to help you. Wedding day madness won’t start for at least two more hours. I could run to the drug store and pick something up for you. Do you think it was something you ate? Is this a flu thing?”

  “No, no! Stefany,” she paused as she stood and rinsed out her mouth once more. “I’m going to be fine. I don’t feel sick. This will pass.”

  I folded my arms across my chest and glared at her reflection in the mirror. Even seconds post-throwing up, she was a sight to behold. Her chocolate brown curls were a mess from sleep, her cheeks were rosy from embarrassment, and her bright blue eyes were rimmed with concern—but she was still stupidly pretty.No wonder every other guy falls in love with her.

  I glanced at myself, an involuntary chuckle bubbling from my chest. My short blonde hair was out of control; like a character from a vampire movie, the front was puffed up and standing on its own. The back was short enough to not draw any unwanted attention, and for that I was grateful. My hazel eyes were puffy from sleep, and my face had crease lines from my sheets. Not to mention, without my heels, I looked like a child next to Lily.

  I shook my head, pushing aside all thoughts of my appearance as I focused on the problem at hand. “You just threw up. Twice. You must needsomething. Let me help you.”

  “No,” she stated before leaving the bathroom.

  I followed, not willing to give up so easily. “Yes!”

  “You know what I think you should do?” she began to say as she grabbed her phone and turned to face me once more. “I think you should get dressed and instead of going to the drug store, you should go to that coffee shop on the corner. Take your Bible and your journal and enjoy some quiet time. Stay for an hour. By the time you get back, I’ll be ready to start the wedding day madness, as you call it.”

  “Are you crazy?” I spat out, gawking at her. “You’re throwing up and you want me to leave you here alone?”

  “I’m going to call Chase,” she assured me, holding up her phone. “I’ll have him run to the store and get me some juice and—”

  “Lily,I’m awake.” I shook my head at her before heading to my suitcase. As I pulled out a pair of jeans and a light sweater I told her, “I can go. There is no need to wake him.”

  “First of all, he’s my husband. It’s his job to get me juice after I’ve thrown up. And second, he’s the best man; it’s his job to keep the groom happy—and it’s the groom’s job to keep the bride happy. So, really, it’s his job to make sureyoudon’t need to worry aboutme for another second.”

  When I turned to argue with her some more, my words got caught in my throat as I watched her draw a nauseated breath. She exhaled slowly before smiling at me as if the moment had never happened. I could tell that she was trying to be strong, trying to get me to ignore the fact that she was sick, and I loved her for it. Even with her stomach acting like a volcano, she took her role as matron of honor very seriously; she was more worried about me than about herself. But I wasn’t going to enjoy any sort ofquiet time if I knew that she needed me.

  “Lily—”

  “Stefany—”

  “Lillian Stapleton!” I cried. “You’re acting crazy!”

  “Actually, I’m acting pregnant.” I felt my jaw drop, leaving my mouth wide open. I couldn’t believe it. Lily simply looked at me like she had just told me her favorite color was blue. “We haven’t told anyone yet,” she continued. “Not even our parents. I just found out a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t want to say anything until after the wedding.”

  My eyes traveled down to her flat stomach. I couldn’t stop myself. The thought of a child growing inside of her as we spoke was almost unbelievable. I didn’t realize that I was laughing until Lily’s giggle joined mine. I hurried to close the distance between us, pulling her down as I wrapped my arms
around her.

  “Congratulations!” I took a step back and cupped my hands around her waist. “You’re going to be a mommy!”

  “I know,” she said through a grin. “If I wasn’t throwing up every morning, I wouldn’t believe it.”

  “Was this planned?”

  “Barely,” she murmured with a blush. “Chase took me to Vail for our second wedding anniversary; it was just over a month ago, remember?” I nodded my response before she went on. “I don’t even know how it came up. We were just lying together. It was a gorgeous, rainy morning. I swear it was like we were supposed to stay in bed longer that day. Anyway—we started talking about it.

  “We’ve been together for almost five years. And we’ve known each otherforever. We never really settled on how long we wanted to wait before we started having kids…but then we just decided, why not now? Why not start with one and see how it goes? I mean I know we’re young, but we prayed about it. We know that our family is in God’s hands and we knew that it was possible that we might try for months and months before anything happened; we just agreed that we would trust God and know that when He decided to bless us with a child, it would be the right time.

  “I stopped taking my birth control that weekend. Sure enough—I got pregnant right away.” She shrugged as she rested her hands over her belly. “We’re so excited we can hardly keep it a secret. Chase downloaded an app on his phone so we could start looking into baby names. I told him I didn’t want to think about names until after we made it through the first trimester—but I know he’s chomping at the bit.”

  “I am…”Speechless, apparently.Ten minutes ago, I was worried that she had the flu. Now that the truth was out, I didn’t know what to say. “I’m mesmerized right now. This is incredible.”

  “Well, consider the news an early wedding present,” she said, cupping her hands around my cheeks. “We’re going to tell our parents once you and your groom have left for your honeymoon.” She hummed a disgruntled sigh as she pulled her hands away from me and I feared her morning sickness had returned until she said, “actually, this isn’t a very good present; because now you’ll have to keep the secret from your husband. You know I can’t have you telling him while Chase and I aren’t around. I’ve got to see the look on his face.”

  I giggled at the thought, imagining the goofy look he’d probably get once he heard the news. “He’s going to flip.” I tried to convince myself that I’d be able to last a whole week without spilling Lily’s secret while on my honeymoon, but a baby announcement was too big to keep to myself. “How about, at some point before the day is over, we tell him. Then it’ll be a true wedding gift because both of us will know.”

  “Sounds perfect,” she agreed with a nod. “Now—I’m going to call my husband, and you’re going to get dressed and walk down to that coffee shop. Yes?”

  I inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly as I turned to glance at the window, the blinds barely able to contain evidence of the rising sun. It was almost six thirty and I was willing to bet that the little, local, café was probably still quiet. I knew that the hours to come would be busy and chaotic; Lily was right, I would benefit from some alone time.

  “Okay. I’m going to go. But not until Chase gets here,” I insisted.

  She nodded her approval of my condition as she dialed Chase’s number. I threw on some clothes, brushed my teeth, splashed some water on my face, finger combed my hair, and tossed on a knit cap before grabbing my Bible and my purse. There came a soft knock on our door and I answered it before Lily could be bothered to get out of bed. Ignoring the sleepy expression on his face, I beamed at Chase in greeting. “Congratulations,” I whispered as I switched places with him, stepping into the hallway as he entered our hotel room.

  “Isn’t this the day when I say that to you?” he asked through a yawn.

  “Best wishesare for the bride.Congratulations are for the groom—and expecting daddy’s.” I offered him a wink before waving goodbye, leaving before his languid thoughts could stop me.

  7:00 am

  September 6, 2014

  Today is my wedding day. Supposedly, it’s to be the best day of my life—but I refuse to put that much pressure on the occasion. Instead, I’m just hoping that it’ll be a day filled with joy and love and moments to cherish for the rest of my life. My life—which will soon be linked to someone else’s; soon, it will be our life.

  I paused, my pen poised and ready to continue with my written soliloquy. Looking up from my journal, I observed my surroundings. I was in a corner café, filled with the sweet aroma of pastries and the decadent scent of fresh brewed coffee; the furniture was whimsically eclectic, and the environment was inviting in a way only a small town café could be. I smiled to myself, grateful for all the little things that had fallen into place to get me where I was—seated in a red wooden chair, my things sprawled out across the checkerboard table, with a steaming cup of French pressed coffee.

  Thank you Lord, for this hour. The wedding day madness is going to begin before I know it. I don’t know what I was thinking when I decided that planning a wedding in three months was a good idea. Don’t get me wrong, though—I’m ready. While I’m not naïve enough to believe that everything will turn out perfectly, I know that I’ve done my part.

  The church will be decorated beautifully (I am sure of this because my mother is in charge of set-up); the bridesmaids steamed their dresses last night; the groomsman showed me their garment bags with their tuxes as they checked into the hotel before the rehearsal dinner; my flowers will be delivered well before the ceremony begins (my mother-in-law-to-be promises to hunt down the florist herself if anything goes wrong); and the reception is going to be amazing because Neil is catering—not only is he going to serve an incredible dinner, but our guests will get to enjoy a world-class wedding cake.

  And the weather—God, this Estes Park weather is better than I could have ever dreamed of. That’s all You, so thanks for looking out for me…always in more ways than one.

  I was never that girl who planned my wedding over and over as I grew up. I’m actually really glad about it, too. Today won’t be about all of my dreams coming true—except for one…

  No—today doesn’t have to live up to the expectations of a little girl’s fantasies, just the one I’ve been planning for the last fifteen weeks. And you know, I think I lucked out at how well everything came together. I’m thankful that Colorado is my home and that it has beautiful towns like Estes to accommodate celebrations that all but demand the perfect setting; I’m thankful that my family didn’t mind making the trip from California to share this special day with me; I’m thankful for my close friends who will be joining us, some of whom moved mountains to be here; and I’m thankful for my fiancé—who will be my husband by twilight.

  My husband…now that will be a dream come true.

  I set aside my pen when my phone alerted me to a text. It was hardly a quarter after seven and I hoped for the sake of my sanity that whoever was trying to reach me didn’t need me to address any sort of wedding related business. I was tempted to let a few more minutes go by before opening the message, but then I thought that it might be Lily and decided to dig my phone out of my purse right away. I was glad that I had.

  TOMORROW WHEN I WAKE UP FOR MY MORNING RUN, I’LL HAVE A WIFE—AND I’M PRETTY SURE THE SIGHT OF HER WILL MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT OF BED.

  I grinned as I read the text over again. I should have known that he would be awake and that today, out of the ordinary as it was, would start the same as any other—with his morning run. My stomach tingled with excitement as I read his message one more time. I could feel myself starting to blush as I thought of a reply.

  MY DARLING, I HAVE NO INTENTION OF LETTING YOU GO ON A RUN TOMORROW MORNING. OR THE MORNING AFTER THAT, OR THE MORNING AFTER THAT—BUT MAYBE THE MORNING AFTER THAT. MAYBE.

  I set my phone down as I took a sip of my coffee and waited for his reply. It came only seconds later.

  AS YOU WISH,
CUPCAKE. I LOVE YOU. I MISS YOU. AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU.

  We had only been apart for ten hours—seven of which had been spent sleeping, but I understood what he meant. We had decided that we didn’t want to see each other before the wedding. I knew that it was common for couples to share a moment together before the ceremony, without everyone watching them lay eyes on each other for the first time all day, but he was excited over the idea of waiting until the last possible moment to see his bride. Even still, just knowing that wecouldn’t see each other, for the sake of tradition, made ten hours—and counting—seem like too much to ask.

  I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU EITHER! I LOVE AND MISS YOU TOO—ENJOY YOUR RUN.

  I set my phone down once more and cupped my hands around my coffee mug, holding it to my lips as I inhaled its robust fragrance. I allowed my thoughts to wander aimlessly as I sipped at my drink. It was pretty incredible that I had met someone who had fallen in love with me and wanted to dedicate himself to our commitment to each other for the rest of our lives. Honestly, in my loneliest days, I thought this day might never come. My past seemed filled with doomed romances.

  My darling—my sweet, sweet man—was not the first person I had ever been in love with. Not the first, not the second…

  When I met him, Neil and I had just broken up. In my heart, I’d long since forgiven Neil for breaking up with me three weeks before Chase and Lily’s wedding—but I teased him all the time for his horrible timing. Once I got over it. I was the only person in the whole bridal party without a date, which was saying something; Kent and Toby, who were only thirteen at the time, even managed to convince a couple of girls from their church to come and dance with them for the evening. I was heartbroken. I put on a happy face, of course, for the bride and her photographer, but celebrating someone else’s love while I pined over mine was not exactly my idea of a good time.

  But despite my own personal drama, Chase had himself a couple of very upstanding groomsman. I was asked to dance more than once—which put me in the arms of my husband-to-be; only, I didn’t know it at the time. Thinking on how we met, it sounds so cliché—meeting at a wedding while on the mend from a broken relationship—but he was taken and a long time would go by before I even realized I was attracted to him.