A Family of Their Own(43)

Her face pinched with thought. “But he’ll go to heaven.” She tilted her head again. “Right?”

Panic set in, and Kelsey eyed Ross. He glanced her way, letting her know she had to make the decision on how to answer. The word forgiveness struck her again. God forgives sin when the person atones. She had no idea if Doug was sorry for what he did, but she looked at Lucy’s distressed face and the answer came.

“Your dad loves you, Lucy, and when we were married, he loved Jesus. We know that when we believe in Jesus as God’s Son and love him—”

“We’ll go to heaven.” Relief filled her face.

Kelsey wanted to reach across the seat and draw Lucy into her arms. “That’s right. It’s God’s promise.”

“Good.” Lucy’s shoulders relaxed, and she gazed at the bag beside her. “But I hope he doesn’t die.”

“So do I.”

And she did, for Lucy’s sake. Kelsey longed to curl up in bed and weep. Instead she closed her eyes and prayed.





Chapter Ten


Kelsey eyed the caller ID and grabbed the headset. “Audrey, what a surprise.” She held her breath, fearing another problem.

“I know it’s been a while.” A hint of guilt edged into her sister’s voice. “How’s Lucy?”

“Pretty good. She’s been tumor-free for over a year. That’s a great victory for us.” Audrey called so rarely, concern settled in her mind. “How are the kids? Mom and Dad? Everyone okay?”

“We’re all well. Mom and Dad are busy, as always.”

“Wonderful.” Kelsey gripped the phone, the obvious question nudging her. “So what’s up?”

“Jeff has business in Detroit near the end of May, and I thought I’d come with him so we could visit.”

She knew she should be happy, but Kelsey had so much going on in her life—work, Lucy and now Ross. Common sense prodded her. “That would be great. Lucy and I would love to see you.”

“Great.” Her voice came to a dead stop.

Kelsey looked for a reason. Then it struck her. “Would you and Dave like to stay here? I have the extra room.”

“That would be wonderful…if you don’t mind.”

Mind. She drew up her shoulders, knowing what she had to say. “It’ll be more convenient for everyone, don’t you think?” She’d walked around her question without lying.

“It would. Thanks. Isn’t Lucy’s birthday around that time?”

Kelsey cringed. “It’s May 20.”

“We should be there then, so we’ll do something special to celebrate. Would Lucy like that?”

“Lucy would, I’m sure.” Her own plans ricocheted. She’d wanted to do something with Ross and Peyton.

“I’ll call you with a firm date, and thanks again. I’m looking forward to seeing you both.”

“That sounds fine, Audrey. We can make better plans when you call.”

The conversation died away, and when she hung up, she sank into a chair. Ross had been tied up with Peyton and his work, and they’d only been talking on the phone recently, except for one day when he dropped by for a minute. Peyton’s doctor’s visits and consultations had cut into their time to the point that their relationship, which had been blossoming into something deeper, seemed to be shriveling like a plant for lack of water and sunshine.

The almost-kiss crept into her mind so often. His lips had brushed hers before jerking away with the porch light’s glare, and though she still had no certainty where their friendship would go, hope lingered in her mind. They were compatible. They had fun and laughed sometimes when they weren’t concerned about the girls. Ross’s gentle nature, his caring heart, had touched her far beyond her dreams. She’d expected to spend her life alone, fearing another romantic encounter that led to deceit, but when Ross appeared in her life—at a wedding no less—her old expectation slipped further back in her mind.

She lowered her head as Doug filtered into her thoughts. Since she’d read his letter, flashes of their marriage came to mind on occasion, a few special moments surprising her. Doug’s joy when Lucy was born. Their first home. A trip to London. She would never love him again. That was impossible, but he wasn’t the monster she’d created in her mind. He’d sinned and had broken his oath to God and to her. But who was she to weigh one sin over another? If the Lord could forgive Doug, why couldn’t she?