Snow was falling thick outside Valerie’s bedroom window as she touched up her makeup in the mirror. It was dark outside, and her bedroom lamp offered a warm glow as she applied a little more lipstick.
“We’re going to be late, kids,” Valerie called as she set the lipstick aside and touched her hair to smooth down a few wayward strands. “We need to get going.”
“It’s just dress rehearsal,” Hailey called back from the adjoining bedroom.
“Dress rehearsal is the most important of all the rehearsals,” Valerie said as she turned off the light and walked into Hailey’s bedroom.
Hailey and Issy were sitting on Hailey’s bed, while Brayden was on the floor with Annabelle. Whenever Valerie needed to look for Brayden, she always looked for Annabelle.
“Are you three ready?” Valerie asked. “Your dad is expecting us at the school in less than ten minutes. And with all the snow that fell this afternoon, the roads probably aren’t plowed. It’ll take us some time to get there.”
“Do we have to go?” Brayden asked with a frown. “I’m just a silly shepherd. I don’t have any lines and it’s boring to sit there.”
“Sorry, buddy,” Valerie said. “Everyone has to be there tonight.”
He sighed and pulled himself off the floor.
Valerie had taken the kids home after school while Wade had stayed behind to work with the sound technicians on microphones and music. She had fed the kids supper and then helped the girls put on a little bit of stage makeup. It was time to get back for dress rehearsal. She had been helping Wade with rehearsals for the past four weeks, but she hadn’t been at all of them, and she was eager to see how everything had come together.
They trooped downstairs and Brayden put Annabelle in her crate as the girls put on their coats. Over the past four weeks, they had all spent a lot of time together. Valerie made supper for them at least once a week on the nights that Wade worked late on the pageant. There were several times that they stayed later after school to build the set and repair the costumes.
But Valerie had enjoyed every moment of it. Ever since Wade had been at her house for supper, and they had admitted that they both wanted more, the tension and chemistry had grown between them. Though neither one made a move in that direction.
She didn’t want to think about what would happen when the Christmas pageant was over, and they didn’t have any reason for spending so much time together. Would they make a reason?
The snow was still falling and had piled up along Valerie’s sidewalk. She took the shovel and pushed it out of the way so they could get to the car. The snow was light and fluffy, making it easy to shovel, and they were soon on the road toward school.
Christmas lights decorated many of the houses in her neighborhood and the kids oohed and aahed over them as they drove. Downtown, lighted wreaths hung from the historic streetlamps and several of the businesses were still open, welcoming Christmas shoppers.
“Only five days to Christmas!” Issy said from the back seat.
“We made a paper chain in our classroom,” Brayden piped up. “Five circles left to pull off.”
“Tomorrow’s the last day of classes,” Hailey added—as if Valerie hadn’t been counting down the days to Christmas break herself.
“Are you excited for the pageant tomorrow night?” Valerie asked them as she turned onto Broadway, driving slowly in the snow.
“Yes!” came a chorus of answers.
“I’m excited for it to be done,” Brayden said.
Valerie smiled and kept her response to herself. Brayden hadn’t been a fan of the pageant from the beginning and liked to remind everyone whenever he could.
They pulled into the back parking lot, which the school shared with the church. The school program would be held in the church sanctuary. Tomorrow would be Friday, so they would have to take down the entire set after the pageant to get the space ready for Sunday-morning service.
Valerie had never been so excited for the Christmas season. She always enjoyed the holidays, but things were so much different with children in the house. There were already presents under the tree, with more coming on Christmas morning. She and the kids had spent several evenings baking cookies, and Hailey’s sweet voice had filled the house with the sound of carols every day. Even Annabelle was sporting a Christmas sweater that Hailey had insisted they buy for the little white dog.
And tomorrow night, her daughter would play Mary in the school’s highly anticipated Christmas pageant. Every time she thought about it, her chest filled with something like pride. But not boastful pride—it was a humble, awe-inspiring feeling to know that this little girl was her daughter. Of all the children in the world—this one was hers.
She just wished Hailey would let her tell people the truth.
Especially Wade.
She was pleased to see that someone had plowed the parking lot. Since the snow was still falling, they would need to plow it again, but at least it was semi-clear for now.
Everyone left the car and bustled into the warm building. There were several families already inside, waiting for the rehearsal to begin.
Valerie said hello to a few of them and helped the kids take off their coats and hang them on the hooks in the back entrance of the church sanctuary.
She could hear Wade’s voice above the din of others, and she smiled.
“Come into the sanctuary after you hang up your coats,” he was telling everyone. “We need to get going as soon as possible.”
He came around the corner and his gaze caught on her, and he smiled.
It wasn’t just any smile—it was the smile of familiarity, happiness and tenderness. A smile that two people who cared for each other shared.
She returned the smile, loving to see him in this environment. He was thriving as a music teacher. His eyes shone every time he walked into the Timber Falls Christian School, and whenever she saw him with his students, he had the same look of genuine happiness. Like he had found his purpose.
And, perhaps, he had.
It was fun to watch him thrive.
“Come on,” she told the three kids. “Let’s get into the sanctuary.”
The kids found their friends and ran to find their seats as Valerie joined Wade just outside the sanctuary doors.
“How did the sound check go?” she asked him.
“Great. One of the microphones isn’t working like it should, but hopefully we can get that figured out by tomorrow. Thanks again for taking the kids home with you. I don’t know what I’d do without your help.”
“I promised I’d help you,” she said.
“You did—and you upheld your promise well.”
“There’s still one day to go,” she teased.
He only had eyes for her as he said, “I know you’ll be just as wonderful tomorrow as you were the last four weeks.”
She felt her cheeks blushing—something that Wade seemed to make a common occurrence.
As everyone entered the sanctuary around them, Valerie felt like it was just the two of them standing there together.
“What will we do after the pageant is over?” she asked him.
“Rest?” he chuckled.
She wanted to clarify that she meant how would they find reasons to see each other outside of school, but now wasn’t the time or place. And, the truth was, she wasn’t sure if Wade would still want to be friends—or more—once he learned the truth about Hailey. They’d spent over a month together and she’d never told him that Hailey was her daughter. He’d be hurt and confused—but she hoped he wouldn’t be mad.
“When everything is done,” Valerie said, “we’ll need to talk about what’s happening after Christmas break.”
“What’s happening?” he asked, a slight frown on his face—though there was also something like anticipation. “With us?”
“No,” she said quickly, the heat moving from her cheeks to her neck. “I mean, with your job as a substitute teacher.”
“Oh.” He sounded disappointed—but rallied. “Have you spoken to Mrs. Cole?”
“Just this morning. She said that the new baby is doing well, but they don’t anticipate that she’ll be able to leave the hospital until early February, which would have been her original due date. Mrs. Cole would like to stay in Oklahoma until then to help.” Valerie paused, not knowing if this was the time or place to tell him the rest—though it needed to be said. “She actually told me that she might not be coming back.”
Wade frowned as he gently took Valerie’s hand and led her to the corner of the room for a little more privacy.
“What?” he asked.
She loved the feel of his hand—and when he let her go, she wanted to take it back. But she couldn’t. Not here, in front of these people—and not before she told him the truth about Hailey. Nothing could happen until then.
“This was her last year teaching. I knew that much—but I thought I would have the summer to find a replacement. She’s thinking about taking the rest of the year off and staying in Oklahoma to help her daughter once the baby comes home from the hospital. She asked me to look for a permanent replacement.”
His blue eyes were intent as he studied her. “What does that mean?”
“It means that the job is yours for the rest of the year if you’d like it. But, if you want to continue in a permanent position, you’ll need to work on getting a teaching certificate. You’ll need to officially apply for the job when it comes available and go through the whole process. But I can tell you that the school board has been very happy with your work this past month and we’ve been getting great reports from students and teachers. I don’t see any reason the school board would deny you a permanent position—if you want one.”
“Wow.” He pulled back—just a bit—and frowned. “That’s a big decision to make.”
“It’s very big,” she agreed. “But you don’t need to make it now. You have a lot of time to decide. If you decide to go for it, I recommend starting the process to get your teaching certificate as soon as possible, though.”
He nodded slowly and took a deep breath.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t know when to tell you. I know you have a lot on your mind with the pageant right now. I shouldn’t have said anything yet.”
“It’s okay.” He returned his focus to her, his expression softening. “I’m happy you told me. I’ll need to take everything into consideration, and the more time I have, the better. Thank you for telling me.”
“I love how you always put my mind at ease, Wade. Even when you’re the one who has to make a tough decision.”
“I want you to be happy, Valerie. I like when I’m the one who can make you happy.”
Her heart beat hard at the look in his eyes, and she tried not to get emotional. “Thank you.”
He gently touched her hand and then said, “I should get this rehearsal started. We can talk later.”
“Okay.” She nodded as they joined the stream of kids and parents entering the sanctuary.
She couldn’t wait for later.
Wade felt both proud and frustrated as the pageant dress rehearsal commenced. Some of the kids were very serious and had all their lines memorized. Some, like Brayden, wanted to be anywhere else but in that sanctuary—in their costumes.
“This is when the shepherds and sheep enter,” Wade called to the little boys and girls offstage who had been chosen for these roles. “The angels should be ready on stage right to come in and sing about the birth of Jesus for the shepherds to hear.”
Valerie stood on stage left with the shepherds and the sheep while another parent volunteer was on stage right.
The shepherds and sheep entered the stage, some of them excited—others bored—and took their places.
“Brayden,” Wade warned as he saw a look in his son’s eyes, “keep your staff to yourself. No one should be using their staffs as lightsabers or swords.”
Brayden pressed his lips together in a frown and sighed.
The sheep and shepherds were the youngest cast members and it felt chaotic as they roamed about the stage.
“Everyone needs to find one place and sit down,” Wade told them. “There’s no need to move.”
They did as instructed, though a few of them seemed lost in their own daydreams.
“All right,” Wade called, “angels, it’s time to enter and start singing ‘While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.’”
The older students who played the angels entered and lined up on the risers, their hands in the praying position, as they sang their song beautifully.
Wade breathed a sigh of relief—but then he noticed that the boy playing Joseph was having a thumb war with Hailey, who was playing Mary—and he walked over to them on the side of the stage.
Valerie must have noticed, too, because she joined him at the same time—but she nodded at Wade to continue.
Wade squatted down in front of the manger where the doll was lying and whispered, “I need both of you to behave as you will tomorrow during the performance. I don’t think Mary and Joseph were playing thumb war the night Jesus was born—do you?”
Ryan Asher, the boy playing Joseph, sighed. “What did Joseph do in the manger? Mary had the baby, the wise men gave gifts, the angels sang—what did he do?”
“Joseph had one of the most important jobs in the world,” Wade said. “He was there to comfort and protect Mary and the baby Jesus.”
Ryan lifted his chin with excitement. “Like a warrior?”
“Exactly.”
Wade stood and moved away from the nativity—but he caught Valerie’s gaze and the look he saw there took his breath away.
There were tears in her eyes as she leaned close and whispered in his ear, “That was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.”
They stood close to each other as they watched the rest of the scene unfold. His hand brushed hers, but she didn’t pull away, and his chest tightened with all the love and emotions he felt toward her.
Because somewhere along the way, when he’d least expected it, he’d fallen in love with Valerie Wilmington. He marveled at that fact, thinking about the first time he’d met her when she’d come to Timber Falls Christian School. He’d assumed she was cold and rigid—but he’d been wrong. So wrong.
He was soon needed as the wise men began their journey toward Bethlehem from the back of the sanctuary.
His thoughts were with Valerie, though, and all the things he wanted to tell her. He was trying not to think about what she’d said earlier about the job opening up, and being permanent. His heart told him it was what he wanted—but his head wasn’t in agreement. It was a huge risk. He’d have to leave the family business permanently—yet he knew his dad was hoping he’d take over the business someday.
Wade was finally using his talents and skills and he felt like he was alive. Really alive.
It didn’t hurt that Valerie was there every day either. Even if she wasn’t, he loved what he was doing.
There would be time to think about that later, so he pushed his thoughts away and focused on the dress rehearsal.
It wasn’t perfect, but the kids knew where they belonged and had their lines and the songs memorized. At eight, it was time to wrap things up, so Wade gave them last minute instructions about when to be at the school tomorrow evening. He’d see several of them in class tomorrow, though he didn’t want to bog down their last day before Christmas break with more instructions. Instead, he’d use the time for some fun holiday games and treats.
“I’ll see all of you tomorrow,” Wade called to them. “Get a good night’s sleep!”
“Goodbye, Mr. Griffin,” several of the students called as they left the sanctuary to join their waiting parents.
The space slowly emptied, and since Wade had the keys to the building, he would be the last to leave.
Valerie and Hailey stayed behind to help straighten up the set and organize the costumes in the two Sunday school classrooms where the boys and girls would get dressed tomorrow.
When everything was ready, and the kids and Valerie were in their coats by the back door, Wade turned off all the lights and they walked out into the parking lot. He had already used his remote start to turn on the truck, so Issy and Brayden said good-night to Hailey and ran off to wait in the truck. Hailey did the same with Valerie’s car, which was also running and warm.
Wade locked the back door as Valerie waited by his side. The church Christmas lights offered a soft glow on the snow and allowed him to see the lock.
The snow was still falling and when Wade turned away from the door, he caught Valerie looking up into the dark sky, a gentle smile on her face.
“It never gets old, does it?” he asked.
“What?” She pulled her gaze away from the sky.
“Falling snow. The cold is hard, and the winter starts to feel long in January, but each snowfall feels like a miracle—especially before Christmas.”
“You were wonderful in there tonight,” Valerie said. “You’re always wonderful, Wade. I love how you look at the world. As if there’s always something good to be found.”
“There is always something good,” he said quietly. “I see it in you all the time.”
They were standing close, and he wanted to pull her into his arms, to show her how much he cared for her. He had never felt this way about anyone—not even Amber. Their relationship had been tumultuous from the beginning. Exciting in a different kind of way. With Valerie, it was mature, grown-up, comforting and hopeful. There was nothing tumultuous about their relationship. Everything with Valerie felt steady, secure and exciting because it was promising.
The snowflakes were cold as they landed on his face and then melted. They collected on Valerie’s dark hat and on her eyelashes, and when one landed on her cheek, he wanted to kiss it away.
His breath came hard as he stared at her.
“Will you come over after the pageant tomorrow night?” she asked him, her gaze hopeful—yet cautious. “We can celebrate the success of your first school program and the beginning of the Christmas holiday break.”
It was the first time she’d invited him and the kids over without a reason—at least, a real reason. The first time was because Issy was at her house, the second time was because he was working on the tree house. The time after that was to plan the Christmas program. And each time after that was because she was helping him with the pageant.
This time, she was inviting him because she wanted to spend time with him. And that changed everything.
“We’ll come,” he said as he took a step closer to her to wipe the melted snowflake from her cheek, “but then you’ll need to let us reciprocate and have you over for Christmas Eve dinner.”
She was still beneath his touch. She did not back up, or shy away, but smiled.
“We would love to join you for Christmas Eve.”
“Just because,” he whispered.
“Just because,” she agreed.
His truck’s remote start turned off and he knew the vehicle would get cold quickly. Besides, his kids were watching, and he didn’t want to do anything that might cause a lot of questions—at least, not yet.
He was in love with Valerie, but there were a lot of things they needed to work out before he could tell her. The most important was that she still didn’t trust him with the truth about her past—or why her mother had brought Hailey to live with her unexpectedly. Every time he tried to broach the subject, she shied away from telling him what had happened. He wasn’t sure why she didn’t trust him with the information, but he wanted her to trust him. And, until she did, he didn’t think it was wise to tell her how he was feeling.
It was enough to know that she wanted him to be part of her life.
But, one day soon, he hoped to be so much more.
“Good night, Valerie.” He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, leaving his lips there for longer than necessary.
She pressed against him, putting her hands on the lapel of his coat.
When he pulled away, she looked up at him and he saw the invitation in her eyes to kiss her—truly kiss her—but he hesitated. He didn’t want anything between them when he kissed her for the first time—and he didn’t want an audience.
“Good night,” he said.
“Good night.”
They walked to their vehicles and shared one more look before he pulled out of the parking lot.
“Daddy likes Miss Wilmington,” Issy said in a singsong voice from the back seat. “Does she like you, Daddy?”
He smiled to himself, a little embarrassed that his daughter had witnessed his moment with Valerie. “I think so—I hope so.”
“I think she does,” Issy said.
Wade drove home through the falling snow, feeling like his life was finally heading toward a destination of his choosing. One he wasn’t forced to take because of life circumstances, or unplanned events. He was doing a job he loved, and he was falling for a woman who was nothing like his first wife. She encouraged him to step outside of his comfort zone and was there to help him every step of the way.
He wasn’t falling for Valerie.
He had fallen.