Page 44 of A Taste of Grace

“Mommy Grace! I told you.” Esther squeezed Grace harder and closed her little eyes, rocking her body back and forth as Grace held her shoulders with her hands.

“Hold on, everyone. Give me a minute to take all this in.” She raised her arms.

I rushed to Grace’s side and gently pulled the girls from her.

“Everyone, please give Grace space. She’s not going anywhere, right?” I checked her face to confirm that we didn’t overwhelm her with our excitement.

“Right. Let’s just get through dinner and go from there. Everything smells so good.”

When she peered into the kitchen, Mama took her by the hand.

“It is. I taught my son how to cook, but he has little interest in showcasing his skills. Now, I can share my recipes with my daughter-in-love-to-be.”

I smiled, feeling in my heart that Grace wasn’t going to be the kind of woman to sit around the house cooking meals and waiting for us to come home. She was a former corporate baddie who chose to be a recluse. I hoped that, when we married, the spark of who she used to be would ignite.

As a pastor, I knew that was a big gamble to hope she would change, especially since I advised those I counseled that you got what you married when you tied the knot. Something in me was sure that Grace would blossom as a wife. I couldn’t wait to find out.

After dinner, Grace and I swung on the wooden Amish swing on the wide front porch, holding hands. True to her word, Mama took the girls to the park about half a mile from my home after dinner, leaving Grace and me alone. The girls almost bounced off the walls with excitement as they discussed how they would be flower girls in our wedding a month from now.

As the chains securing the swing to the hooks in the porch’s ceiling creaked in a repetitive rhythm, I let my mind wander. Grace was a sexy woman who reminded me how long I’d been celibate. When she kissed me and felt me up, a surge of desire bubbled up, reminding me that, by marrying her, I was getting more than a mother figure for Hannah and Esther. Grace would be the woman I would be in covenant with, for better or for worse, in good and bad times. Over time, I would share secrets with her that no one but God knew.

Although I was married to Madeline for almost five years, my moments of intimacy with Grace were deeper than any I experienced with my ex. Something in me never rested around Madeline. Even in our sporadic times of joy, I was on guard. That was the Holy Spirit trying to warn me about her, but I was too caught up in coochie, a bubble butt, and a smile to listen to that inner voice.

I turned toward Grace, who stared at the vast farmland across the street from my house. As far as the eye could see, soybeans and peanuts blew in the wind. Since we lived on a secluded back road, anyone who pulled into my driveway had to have a reason to visit. For that reason, this private moment felt sacred, as if God gave Grace and me time to bask in His glory and in the comfort of each other.

I shifted my eyes to Grace’s profile. Her high cheekbones and heart-shaped lips alluded to how beautiful she must have been as a child. With those deep dimples and slightly mischievous eyes, I imagined her parents loving and spoiling her so much. No wonder she missed them. She was made to be loved and adored. Anyone who didn’t understand that was a fool.

“God has protected you, Grace.” The words left my mouth before I could overthink them.

She tore her eyes from the scene in front of her and furrowed her brow, giving me a cute, inquisitive look that made mewonder if any children we had together would have that same expression.

“Thank you for saying that. You’re right. He has kept me in the palm of His hand. I’m grateful for that.” She squeezed my hand and held it firmly.

The tenderness in her eyes matched the peace I felt in my heart. I didn’t need a background check to confirm that Grace was trustworthy, kind, and honest. Although she wasn’t a holy roller, my spirit could tell she loved God and goodness and that she tried to do right by people. Her character was solid, and like the sermon I gave earlier, I could trust her.

Although our courtship would last thirty days, I believed that God’s ways were higher than mine. He knew what I needed, even if I had to pay for it. Grace gave me hope for the future and more days like this, where I could rest and rejuvenate with a woman whose purity made me want to draw closer to her in ways I couldn’t explain.

The phone in my pocket rang. I put it on speaker.

“Hi, Aunt Nita.”

“Hello, Nephew. How was dinner?”

Grace’s smile matched mine when Nita’s voice rang through the phone.

“A little unusual, but your timing is perfect. Grace is here with me, and we have some news to share.”

“Hi, Grace! It was good seeing you at church this morning. You rushed out so fast I couldn’t say hello. Sorry I couldn’t join y’all.”

“Hi, Nita. No problem.”

“That’s fine, Auntie. It gave Grace and me time to plan some things.”

“Like what?”

I extended the phone toward Grace and nodded, signaling for her to tell Aunt Nita our news.

“Caleb and I are getting married.”

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