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Lauren couldn't believe the fall holidays had passed so quickly, and now she was ready to host her first Christmas dinner for the family. She struggled to secure the last section of pine garland over the front door, tacking it into place with a small nail. Then she stepped down from the stool and gazed around the room, admiring her handiwork. The entire front room twinkled with the glow of shimmering white lights, and an earthy pine smell permeated the house. Christmas was her favorite time, bringing back joyful childhood memories she shared with her family.
Every year, Megan faithfully committed to hosting the holiday family gathering. But this year, Lauren had decided to volunteer. She wanted Megan to relax and enjoy one Christmas without laboring in the kitchen. Besides, it would help distract her mind from the fact she was passing another Christmas as a single woman, something she pushed into the recesses of her mind.
Thanks to the new chef she had hired, the restaurant was faring much better. But, of course, Luigi was furious at being terminated. Lauren recalled the evil look in his eyes as he flew into a fit of rage, tossing an iron pan against the wall. Thankfully, no one got hurt, and the cops took care of the situation. She hoped never to run into the temperamental fellow again.
But now, she had another challenge. When things were going smoothly, her master chef developed carpal tunnel problems in his wrist and needed time off for surgery and rest. Now she was faced with the dilemma of finding a suitable temporary replacement.
While the business was important and consumed most of her time, she permitted herself to relax this season and enjoy the holidays. Family time was a priority to her, and she would have plenty of time to find a cook after New Year's Day.
After Megan's birthday party, she never heard from Andrew again. For Megan's sake, they maintained a cordial attitude throughout the rest of the party. But deep down, Lauren was hurt and disappointed that Andrew was getting married. She assumed he was living a happily married life by now.
The guests started arriving at six in the evening on Christmas Eve; her parents, some close friends, Megan, Tiffany, and even Katie came. Lauren couldn't help noticing the sad look in her youngest sister's eyes as if someone had sucked the life out of her. She had hoped her sister and John would work things out, especially since their relationship had been on the rocks. But Lauren had a gut feeling things hadn't changed and wouldn't any time soon.
Everyone brought enough presents to fill the space under the six-foot noble fir tree. Lauren had chosen to serve turkey, green bean casserole, yams, and stuffing for the main course of the Christmas meal.
"Can you pass me some more of that green bean casserole? It's delicious; I can't seem to get enough of it. Where'd you get the recipe for it?" Katie asked.
"I found it online at the Food Channel website," Lauren replied, happy that the meal turned out well.
"You have to give me a copy of that recipe," Katie said.
"I thought you didn't cook?" Tiffany chimed in from across the table as she raised an eyebrow.
"I didn't. But ever since I met John, I started learning how to."
"So, how are things going between you two? Any wedding bells soon?" Tiffany inquired, voicing what was on all the sisters' minds.
Lauren looked at Tiffany, who motioned for her to drop the subject, but it was too late.
Katie hesitated before putting her fork down. Her lips began to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes. Then she sobbed uncontrollably, burying her face into Lauren's shoulder.
"Shhh . . . it's alright. You're with us now. Everything's going to be okay." Lauren stroked Katie's head, trying to calm her down.
"My life's. . . ruined now." Katie sobbed.
"Why do you say that?"
"I...I just found out... I'm pregnant." Katie revealed as she tried to contain her sorrow.
"Does John know?" Lauren asked with a look of surprise on her face.
"Yes." Katie wiped the tears from under her eyes. "When he found out, he went crazy, and we haven't talked since last week."
"What did he say when you told him?" Lauren asked.
"John says he's not ready to have a baby. He says I have issues I need to work on."
"You poor girl. You must be scared." Megan said as she hugged Katie.
"Who doesn't have issues? I'm sure he's not perfect either." Lauren said. "When did you find out?"
"About two weeks ago."
"Are you absolutely sure? Did you take a home pregnancy test?" Lauren asked.
Katie nodded. "Two different ones, just to be sure."
"How could John be so insensitive and abandon you? I need to talk some sense into him." Tiffany said with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Please don't," Katie said. "He'll just get more upset."
"Well, Katie, we're with you every step. John is stupid if he doesn't know what he's missing out on." Lauren tried to comfort her.
A loud knock at the door interrupted their conversation, and Lauren stood up to answer it. As the door swung open, she let out an audible gasp. "Andrew! What are you doing here?" Her eyes grew wider.
"I'm sorry to bother you on Christmas Eve, but I need to talk with you," Andrew spoke quietly.
Lauren stole a glance at the living room. "We're getting ready to open Christmas gifts in a few minutes. Will it take long?"
Andrew stepped inside the house. "Did you mean it the other day when you said you wanted to give us a chance?"
"Shhh . . ." Lauren placed her finger across her lips. "Let's go to the other room." She let him into the house and then down the hallway to her bedroom, where she shut the door behind them.
Once in the quiet privacy of the room, she turned to Andrew, "Yes . . . why are you bringing that up? You're married."
Andrew interrupted her, "Do you still feel the same way now?" His gaze riveted on her eyes.
Lauren hesitated. "I still don't understand why—"
"Please, just answer the question." Andrew took her hand in his.
Lauren smiled, still shocked by his unexpected visit. "When my sister introduced me to you, I knew there was something special about you. But I was too blinded by my selfish goals to hear God's voice speaking to me." She hesitated and looked away, lost in thought.
"Then, I lost you and realized what a fool I was to drive you away. For months I agonized over the mistake I'd made. I kept praying, hoping, and asking God to bring us back together if it was his will. But it never happened . . ." She hesitated momentarily before continuing. I was hoping we would get married, but that's when I lost hope and accepted the reality that . . . we . . . we would never happen. If you were a single person today, would I feel the same way about us?" She sighed and looked back into Andrew's eyes with sincerity. "Yes, I would."
Andrew smiled at her. "From the first time I set eyes on you, Lauren, I knew you were the one. I could never put the finger on it, but there was something special about you. I couldn't help but admire the sparkle in your eyes, your beautiful smile, and your love for God. I wanted to know you badly, to satisfy my heart's deep longing." Then Andrew let out a sigh. "But when I found out you were dating Justin, it pierced my heart like a knife. It brought back painful memories of my last girlfriend who dumped me for another man and took off without looking back."
"I'm sorry." Lauren caressed his hand.
"I just couldn't get past the pain of being hurt again. That's why I avoided your calls."
"You should have told me. Then, I would have understood."
"Unfortunately, I was too stubborn and refused to move beyond my pain. And then, when I started going out with Karen, things just happened so quickly. Sometimes Karen can be very driven, and she won't give up when she wants something badly. She kept throwing hints at me until I took her out."
"Do you love her?" Lauren asked as she stared into Andrew's eyes. Tonight his eyes had a softer look, one she hadn't seen since their first night at Emilia's.
But before Andrew could answer her, there was a rap on the door.
"Come in," Lauren called out.
Megan opened the door and stepped into the room. "It's Justin. He's at the front door."
Lauren furrowed her brows. "Justin? What's he doing here?" She was both concerned and frustrated at being interrupted in the middle of a heartfelt conversation with Andrew. It was a conversation they desperately needed without an interruption from her ex.
"Justin?" Andrew arched a brow.
"He said he wanted to wish you a Merry Christmas," Megan continued.
Lauren reluctantly followed her sister to the front door with Andrew trailing behind.
Justin had on jeans and a black leather jacket. Lauren saw the bags under his eyes, and his face was unshaven, like a hiker lost in the wilderness for weeks.
"Justin, what are you doing here?"
Before he could answer, Megan scurried off to join the other guests.
Justin shuffled his feet and slowly made eye contact with Lauren before speaking, "Lauren, I had to see you. I know it's Christmas Eve, and you're probably celebrating with your family and friends, but I've got to talk to you." He turned to Andrew, who was standing close by. "Hi, I'm just going to borrow her for a second; please excuse us."
Lauren stole a glance at Andrew. She could see the confusion in his eyes as he studied Justin. But before she could say anything, Justin grabbed her hand and pulled her to the sliding door leading to the backyard.
"Come on, let's go outside and talk."
Lauren turned to Andrew. "I'll be right back. Please wait for me."
Justin took a second look at Andrew before slipping outside into the cool evening air.
"What's he doing here? You're not dating him, are you?"
Lauren maintained her confidence. "No, I'm not dating him. And it's none of your business what he's doing here. So what are you doing here? You look awful, like you haven't taken care of yourself in weeks."
"I came over here to ask you for a second chance."
"What! What happened to Roxanne?" Lauren couldn't hide the disdain in her tone.
Justin looked longingly into Lauren's eyes. "We're through. Things didn't work out, and she left. Now my life's a mess. Look, I need you, Lauren. You've always been the stabilizing force in my life, and I can't live without you. I know somewhere deep inside, you still care about me. What do you say? Can we give it another try?"
Lauren hesitated, shaking her head with disbelief. Here was the man she once adored, the one her fleshly heart had desired. But she had made a foolish choice going out with him for as long as she had and ended up paying the consequences with a broken heart. She knew God had other plans for her life. Deep down, she knew Andrew was the one. The more Lauren thought about it, the more she believed God had spoken to her. The signs had always been there, but today, she would listen.
"I'm sorry, Justin. But things haven't changed between us. I can't only be the shepherd in your life, trying to guide you on the straight and narrow path. There's so much more that God designed for a relationship. I need someone who loves and cherishes me as God's daughter and wants to connect spiritually with me. I offer that to my partner and deserve it in return." She looked at him with pity in her eyes.
Justin gazed at her. "But I promise I'll try to go to church more often, read my Bible every day. . . Please, I can't live without you. You have to be with me," he begged with desperation in his voice.
"I'm sorry, Justin, but I believe the man God has waiting for me is in the room next door."
Then Lauren let herself back into the house, leaving Justin to wallow in defeat and regret.
Once inside the house, Lauren found Megan.
"Where's Andrew?" Lauren's gaze darted around the room, searching anxiously for him.
"I saw him leave after you went outside with Justin," Megan replied. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"
"It's kind of complicated. I promise I'll tell you later." Lauren grabbed her wool petticoat and rushed out the front door. She stumbled into the moonlit darkness. The walkway and front yard were illuminated by the twinkling glow of multi-colored icicle lights and the yellow glow spilling from the windows.
"Andrew!" Lauren yelled into the night air. But it was too late. She watched helplessly as Andrew pulled his Toyota Camry away from the curb and disappeared down the street.
Lauren fell to her knees, feeling the concrete pound into her kneecaps. She buried her head into her hands as if praying to the heavens. Her body trembled as she sobbed quietly. Why did Andrew leave suddenly? Did I say something to offend him? Couldn't he give me one minute to sort things out with Justin? She couldn't help but wonder why he had stopped by in the first place. Could it be he wanted to torment her with news of his recent marriage to Karen? Trying to tease her with what she could have had? No, he had expressed his desire for her and poured out his heart. Surely that meant he had changed his mind and wanted to give them a second chance.
Lauren shook her head. She chided herself for thinking he would ever do something insensitive, such as come all this way to see her and then leave without a word. Andrew must have had something important to share with her.
But the answer to her questions would have to wait. That is, if he would ever speak to her again.
Lauren gently pulled herself to her feet, brushing dust off her legs.
Megan popped her head out the front door. "Is everything okay?"
Lauren gave her a half-hearted smile, using the back of her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. "I just need a minute. I'll be inside in a second."
Megan smiled. "I'll be here if you need anything."
"Thanks, Sis."
Lauren reflected for a few more minutes, enjoying the display of neighborhood Christmas lights. New Year's was just around the corner, and there was no better time than now to make a resolution of singleness in the Lord. She began believing true love wasn't in God's plan for her. Could it be He was testing her dedication to Him? Lauren said a heartfelt prayer and thanked God for His blessings. Then, as she headed up the walkway, a car pulled up to the house.
As she gazed at the driver, a grin spread across her cheeks.
