Page 122 of Lee

But what if she was wrong?

The thought lingered in her mind as she ended her visit with Essie and returned home. When she reached her apartment, she settled on her bed and unzipped the cover of the Bible.

Fishing out the paper Essie had put there, Rori decided to take a little time to read one of the passages she’d suggested.

It took her longer to figure out where the first verses were than if she’d been using the app, and she knew that if she was going to get comfortable using the physical Bible, she’d have to get tabs or something to mark the books. Even better would be memorizing the books of the Bible.

Finally, she got to second Corinthians chapter five, verse seventeen. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

She didn’t feel like a completely different person, and it made her wonder if she really was a Christian. Aside from feeling a bit more at peace, she didn’t think she’d experienced a significant change. She still loved Lee. Cared for Essie and Al.

Hunching forward, Rori probed her feelings about her family. That was perhaps the place where she needed to change the most.

The anger that usually swelled when she allowed herself to feel the hurt of her childhood was muted. Tolerable even.

She’d worked hard over the years to push back the hurt and the anger. To the point where she didn’t think about how she felt most days—as long as she focused on the present or the future. Never on the past.

Please help me with all of my anger, God. I don’t know if I can do it on my own.

As the time neared for Lee to pick her up, Rori set aside the Bible with the paper tucked inside. She resolved to get herself a notebook and some highlighters like Carisa had. These verses that Essie had given her would be among the first that she’d highlight.

She got off the bed and went to check that she still looked okay. Thankfully, if they were hanging around outside, she didn’t need to be dressed up with perfect hair and makeup. And she didn’t think Lee minded when she wasn’t polished. He’d seen her at her worst and had still fallen in love with her.

Lee: Thy knight and his trusty steed are preparing to depart to fetch thee, his beloved fair maiden.

Rori chuckled at the message. I, thy beloved fair maiden, shall await for thee, my beloved knight, to arrive posthaste.

It only sort of made sense, but Rori was confident that it would make Lee smile. Maybe even laugh. Sure enough, she got back a laughing emoji followed by a heart.

His text usually gave her ten minutes, so she used the bathroom, and then decided to change into a pair of shorts since she had felt warm in jeans when she’d been out earlier. After she was ready, she locked the apartment and went up to the main floor.

Though she’d said she could drive herself over to the house, Lee had insisted he’d come pick her up. And since it meant they could spend a few minutes by themselves, Rori hadn’t objected too strongly.

She’d just stepped out of the door to wait for Lee in the fresh air when his car pulled up. The flutters in her stomach and her increased heart rate prompted her to walk with quick steps to his car.

He met her by the passenger door and pulled her in for a hug and a quick kiss. “Missed you.”

Warmth filled Rori as she stared up at Lee. “Missed you too.”

After one more kiss, he released her and opened the car door. On their way to his place, they chatted about what the plan was for the afternoon, which was basically just hanging out at the house and then having dinner there with the others.

“Did you have lunch already?” Lee asked as they made their way up the sidewalk to the front door of Charli and Janessa’s.

“Not really. But I went to visit Essie, and she fed me the biggest, most delicious cinnamon bun ever and a cup of the most glorious coffee.”

Lee chuckled as he opened the door. “I didn’t know you were a coffee connoisseur.”

“I’m not really, but the coffee my mom’s husband gets is… wow!”

“I guess it’s not a brand you can buy off the shelf, huh?”

They made their way into the kitchen, where Charli was wiping the counters while Shiloh snoozed in her swing.

Charli smiled when she saw them. “Hey, Rori. How’re you today?”

“I’m good.” The urge to spill what had happened with Essie grew stronger, but she held it back. They likely already thought she was a Christian, so telling them wasn’t really necessary. Was it? “How about you?”

They chatted for a few minutes while Lee went to the fridge and pulled out a couple of bottles of water. When they headed out to the back porch, Charli picked up the baby monitor and followed them.

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