Page 142 of Wilder

“Doing okay?” Wilder asked as he took her hand once the vehicle had started to move, heading for the large, guarded gate that led out of the compound.

“I am,” she assured him. He’d made a point to check in on her frequently, and his care and concern had drawn them even closer together. Her love for this man was beyond anything she’d ever experienced before.

As Miriam’s dad drove, Lexi leaned against Wilder and looked out the window. Thailand was a beautiful country, but she’d also come to know the beauty of the Thai people. Their culture and their resilience had been a joy to experience.

The orphanage was part of a compound. An expansive piece of land that was fenced in with several buildings, along with a large garden and a fruit tree orchard. In addition to the dormitories for the children, there was a large house with several bedrooms, which was where Miriam and her folks lived, and where they had stayed.

A couple of years ago, volunteers had come from the US and built a school, and one of the projects they’d helped with over the past month they’d been there had been a new building forwomen who needed a safe place to live. Wilder had taken videos of a lot of the work they did, as well as interviewing Miriam’s parents about their vision for the ministry, hoping to use the video to share more about the work there with churches in the US.

The one thing that had taken some getting used to for Lexi was the presence of armed security guards that patrolled the perimeter and the gate of the compound twenty-four/seven. Wilder had explained why it was necessary, and once again, it was such a foreign thing to her. But taking children off the street and helping women escape abuse drew the attention of people who didn’t want them to be safe and out of their sinister reach.

She had also worked alongside Misha and Miriam in the small clinic that served not just the compound, but the surrounding area. The poverty and physical suffering she’d seen had left an indelible mark on her heart. There had been difficult moments, but she would be back. If God allowed her to return, she would be back.

When they reached the airport, it didn’t take long to unload their bags, say goodbye to Miriam’s dad, and head into the terminal. Wilder and Jay took charge of guiding them to where they needed to be, making sure everything was in order for check in.

Once that was done, they headed for the security checkpoint. As they walked through the airport, Lexi marveled at the beauty of the space. It was a mix of glass and steel, with décor and stores that featured the cultures of the east and the west.

“Ready to go home?” Wilder asked as they settled onto padded seats near their gate.

“I wasn’t when we were still at the compound, but now that we’re here, I wish we were home already.”

“Yeah. The twenty-four hours it takes to get home can be a killer. The first stretch is short. Just five hours to Seoul, South Korea, but then there’s an almost eleven hour flight from there to Sea-Tac.”

“Can you go with me to get a drink, Uncle Wilder?” Peyton asked from where he sat beside Wilder.

“Sure thing, buddy.” Wilder turned to Lexi. “Want something?”

“Iced coffee if they have it, please.”

After asking Jay and Misha what they wanted, Lexi watched the pair walk away, Wilder with his arm around Peyton’s shoulders. In that moment, she knew with one hundred percent certainty that she wanted to marry that man.

Over the past several months, her love for him had only grown, as had his for her. She knew that, because he told her all the time how much he loved her.

When she spotted the pair coming back, it was clear from the expression on Peyton’s face how much he adored Wilder. Over the past two weeks, Peyton had shadowed Wilder even more than his own dad. And Wilder had had so much patience as he showed him what to do so that he could help at the orphanage.

She hoped that it was God’s will for this man to be her husband and the father of her children.

When he handed her an iced coffee, she smiled up at him. “Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.”

Peyton had handed Misha the drink she’d asked for, but before she could take a drink, Jay, who hadn’t ordered a drink, covered her hand with his and lifted it to take a sip. “That’s perfect.”

“Uncle Wilder said we needed to get a large because you were probably going to make Mom share,” Peyton said with a grin.

“I appreciate that, sweetie,” Misha told him.

Lexi took a sip, humming in appreciation. “This is perfect.”

It wasn’t a surprise since Wilder was very familiar with how she liked her drink.

Wilder sat down beside her again, stretching out his legs as he took a sip of his own drink. He put his free arm around the back of Lexi’s seat. Lexi leaned into him as she continued to drink her iced coffee.

“Are you excited to get back to the rink?” Wilder asked.

“I am, especially to coaching Amelia and Layla. With Amelia’s first competition coming up soon, we’ll need to focus on polishing up her program.”

She’d found a rink in Coeur d’Alene that had opportunities for beginner skaters to compete. It wasn’t tied to the bigger events sponsored by the national organization, which wasn’t an issue. This was just to get Amelia’s feet wet in the world of competitive figure skating. If she did well and enjoyed it, then Lexi would look at what steps were necessary to get her into competitions that were part of the national organization.

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