Page 134 of My Vows Are Sealed

“The baby’s okay too, bud,” Brendan chuckled weakly, ruffling Nathan’s hair. “Darla just has to take it easy for a little while so they can both have some time to heal.”

“Why are you always messing with my hair, Brendan?” he groaned as he pulled out of my arms and turned to give his brother the stink eye.

I couldn’t help laughing, but then I instantly regretted it and it turned into a groan. As good as laughter was for the soul, it wasnotgood for my broken ribs.

“Because I can. That’s why,” Brendan teased. “It’s a perk of being the big brother.”

I snorted, then looked at the clock and realized it was much later than I thought. “Babe, we should get into the main service.”

Brendan glanced at the clock too, and his eyes widened a little. “Oh, wow. Yeah, we should.”

“You’re not staying in here tonight?” Nathan asked with sad puppy dog eyes.

I almost caved, but if Peter had specifically asked Brendan and I to be in the main service tonight, I knew there had to be a reason for it. He knew how much I loved helping out with the kids, so he knew that asking me to spend a night away from them was asking a lot.

“I wish we could, but Peter asked me and Brendan to go to the main service tonight,” I told him. “We just came in for a minute because we wanted to say hi. But I promise we’ll hang out soon, just the three of us. Okay?”

He nodded. “Okay.”

I pulled him into my arms again, squeezing him so tight that it actually hurt my ribs a little. But some things were worth the pain, and Nathan hugs were one of them.

“I love you, little man,” I whispered. “You know that, right?”

“I know,” he mumbled. “I love you too.”

* * *

When Brendan and I walked into the sanctuary, I was beyond surprised to see my mom sitting toward the front. After my dad was arrested, I’d figured that she’d lay low for a little while and avoid coming to church. But she was sitting there just staring off into space, looking completely lost and overwhelmed.

I couldn’t help noticing that this sanctuary was a lot emptier than I remembered. A lot of the people that I used to see at every single service, without fail, weren’t here anymore. It probably shouldn’t have surprised me because my father had just been arrested, but I guessed I’d always just assumed that people were so loyal to him and this church that they’d still be coming here, desperate to still feel close to him somehow.

Brendan started to lead me over toward my mom, and as we moved through the sanctuary, I couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if my father hadn’t ended up as the pastor of this church. If he’d just been a regular guy with a normal blue-collar job. Would he have gotten away with hurting me and my mom for so long? Would his manipulation and lying still have allowed him to pull the wool over everyone’s eyes? Or would someone have stopped him long before it got to this point?

“Darla,” my mom gasped as I sat down next to her. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”

“Peter needed to talk to us,” I sighed. “And he asked us to stay. Did he tell you about what he found in Dad’s office?”

As she nodded, tears welled up in her eyes, and she pulled me into her arms as she let them fall. I returned the hug, squeezing her tight. I hadn’t even realized how much I’d missed her until I saw her in the hospital.

Thank You, Jesus,I prayed.Thank You for giving her back to me.

“Please…please tell me he never touched you like that,” she whispered, her voice breaking.

“No. He didn’t,” I assured her. “The closest he ever came was the day I left.”

“Thank You, Jesus,” she sniffled, choking on another sob. “Thank You for protecting my baby girl. Thank You for sending her such a wonderful young man to care for her and love her the way a man should love a woman.”

“It’s over, Mom,” I whispered, combing the fingers of my good hand through her hair. “It’s over. He’s never going to hurt either one of us again.”

Brendan’s arms slid around my waist, and he pressed a kiss to my head.

“No oneis ever going to hurt you like that again,” he choked out. “And no one’s ever going to hurt our baby like that. I’ll never let it happen.”

Letting go of my mom, I turned to him and buried my face in his shoulder. He cradled the back of my head in his hand and planted a kiss on my temple, reaching out with the other hand to squeeze my mom’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Peter said quietly.

I jumped a little as I picked my head up to look at him, hissing when it jolted my ribs. He looked like he was just barely keeping his composure, and I could tell he’d been crying since I saw him last.

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