Hope wrinkled her nose. “I can’t imagine why Verna would want to take her bridge club to a place with a name like that.”
He laughed and took her arm. It felt so natural to walk beside him on the sidewalks of the town square. Almost like old times when they’d spent most evenings and weekends together. She liked it. Liked it a bit too much.
Hope brought a hand to her head. She was so confused.
Her heart gave a lurch just as her heel caught on an uneven piece of concrete.
John’s hand tightened on her arm and he steadied her. “Whoa. Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure,” she said honestly. “I don’t know what to do about everything that’s happened between us.”
They reached the café, but he kept walking.
“You’re referring to us being married.”
“I’m referring to everything. Finding out we’re still married, sleeping together, how I feel when I’m with you.”
She hadn’t meant to include that last part, but it was definitely part of the picture.
They strolled in silence for several long seconds.
“When I spoke with Dan Sullivan—”
“You spoke with Pastor Dan?”
“Like you, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking.”
Hope remembered her aunt suggesting they visit with the pastor but hadn’t given it serious consideration. While she liked and admired the minister, she was embarrassed to talk about how irresponsible she’d been. Or maybe, she admitted, to have him say things she didn’t want—or wasn’t ready—to hear.
“What did you think of him?”
“I’d met Dan before on a few occasions, but I didn’t really know him.” John paused near an ornate wrought-iron bench at the edge of the sidewalk. “I like the guy. Oddly enough, he went to seminary with the pastor of the church I attended in Portland. Just goes to show it’s a small world.”
“You had a church you attended?”
“That surprises you?”
“It does.”
“We used to go to church together back in high school,” he reminded her.
It was another thing she’d forgotten.
“The pastor and I talked about there being a time or a season for everything. Back when we got married might not have been our time. We needed to grow up, to mature, to become the people we were meant to be.”
Hope considered, nodded.
“But this is a different season in our lives. And, while it’s impossible to know why, we find ourselves still married. Is this part of some eternal plan? While it may not fit into our goals, it may be part of God’s plan for us.”
“Dan thinks we should stay married, give it a shot.” Hope emitted a dry chuckle. “It doesn’t surprise me. I can’t imagine him pushing for divorce.”
“I want to make our marriage work.” John stopped and turned to face her on the sidewalk. “I meant the vows I said to you that day. I meant every word inscribed in this ring.”
John reached into his pocket and held out the vintage band in white gold.
He’d kept it. The ring he’d placed on her finger, the one she insisted he take back on the drive home. She didn’t need to look at the inscription. Every word was etched on her heart.
From every valley to every summit, faithfully yours forever
She stared down at the ring. Tried unsuccessfully again to think of the list she’d methodically composed that morning.
“I-I made up a list this morning.” She forced the words past her dry throat. “With some rules and an implementation plan should we decide to consider taking this route.”
“I know you’re a planner and very detail-oriented.” A slight smile lifted the corners of his lips. “Those are wonderful qualities, especially for a CPA. But this time, I propose we simply take it a day at a time. No list to follow. No formal plan. No rules. Just get to know each other again and make the success of our marriage a priority. I believe it will be worth the effort.”
His eyes held a questioning glint.
“If we do this,” she said, “this time I won’t say ‘I love you’ until I’m certain that I do. I won’t put this ring on my finger until I know I want to be with you forever.”
She’d offered the words of love so freely last time. Too freely. It had led to their getting married before either had been ready for such a commitment. All this pain and heartache might have been avoided if she’d kept her emotions under control until she’d been absolutely sure of her feelings.
“Understood.” John slipped the ring back in his pocket. “But I promise you, I’m going to do everything in my power to make you fall in love with me again.”
Hope studied the menu at Fatbellies. Because of the name, she’d anticipated mostly high-calorie, high-fat entrées. Surprisingly, the bistro menu held a number of relatively healthy options.
The waitress had just brought their drinks when Amity sauntered in. Her friend’s eyes lit up when she spotted Hope and John.
“Amity is headed this way,” Hope said to John, then lifted her hand in a friendly wave.