Page 122 of To Believe In You
If only Lina were here to help him navigate this. But God had a hand in it, and Matt had yet to put his foot in his mouth, so hopefully they could get through the day without disaster.
But then what? Axel would eventually need to know Matt’s identity. He’d feel betrayed by Nadia and Zach for lying to him, and now that he’d met Matt, he might also resent that his own father hadn’t spoken up.
Matt eased a breath in and out. His rib protested, reminding him of his place in all of this. Limited in many ways, he couldn’t control the future—or much of the present. That was okay. God had arranged this without Matt’s help, and He didn’t need assistance now.
He silenced his phone as he put it away. If Axel could only know him as Awestruck’s bassist, he would be the best musician possible.
* * *
Axel’s attentionspan put Matt’s to shame.
Lessons for students so young normally only lasted half an hour, but because he’d wanted as much time as possible with him, Matt had pushed his luck and quoted Nadia and Zach an hour.
After consulting Nadia, Zach had taken their daughter back to the hotel. Tim had left too. Nadia sat in the waiting area, alternating between reading on her phone and watching their interaction.
Not that Matt paid her much attention. He was too busy trying to soak in every detail of his son. After the lesson concluded, Nadia would take him away. Matt had heard the family making plans for their second and final evening in Lakeshore. Nadia and Zach would let the kids swim in the hotel pool, then they’d all get dinner and catch a movie.
No one had proposed Matt have any future involvement in his son’s life.
A buzzing note from the bass guitar drew his attention back. “Press closer to the fret. And see if you can straighten out your wrist.” Matt modeled the correct hand placement on the neck of his own bass guitar.
Axel’s mouth scrunched up as he adjusted.
“There you go. Try again.”
Usually, he started his students with classic rock songs, but he’d risked introducing Axel to a worship tune. From the sounds of it, the family wasn’t religious. If Matt sent Axel home with this as the only song in his repertoire, he might look up the lyrics and eventually, someday, get curious about the God they praised.
The strategy was a long shot, but what else did Matt have? The lesson was already winding down. Other students and teachers were arriving, getting ready for a normal day of lessons.
Axel was bright, outgoing, and adventurous. He didn’t get frustrated with the learning process or mind when Matt corrected him. An eager learner with boundless energy, Axel could grow into a force to be reckoned with.
He could do a lot of good in the world.
No, take that back. It wasn’t about the accomplishments the kid could rack up.
Axelwasgood in the world.
If Matt could change his past, he would, but if ever he’d seen God bring something truly good from Matt’s failures, Axel was it.
But the excitement and the hope and the longing to connect were all tempered by the impending departure. When Axel left, taking all that promise with him, how was Matt supposed to go about his life as if the best thing he’d ever been a part of didn’t exist?
Ten minutes to go, and Matt’s breath turned shallow. He cleared his throat and found it scratchy.
Axel played some wrong notes, bit his lip, and focused on Matt. “Is there a bathroom here?”
“Sure thing.” With a prayer of thanks for a break to get himself together, Matt showed Axel to the restroom then retreated out the back door to get some air. At the top of the steps leading down to the lot, he braced his hands on his hips and lifted his face toward the sun.
Eyes closed and the light’s warmth registering despite the cool air, he silently recited the Serenity Prayer—not just the famous first part, but the whole thing. God would show him the way. And somehow, someway, God would work everything to His good and perfect will.
The noise of a car turning into the back lot prompted him to open his eyes again. The last thing he needed was some stranger taking a picture to hawk to a tabloid. He hadn’t missed some aspects of fame.
He sniffed and blinked, then focused on the newcomer.
He knew that car. Or one very like it.
He descended a step toward the asphalt as it parked.
The driver did have curly blond hair. He took another step.
