“Hey, Ben. You’re going to want to see this.” Zach voice was muffled by Ben’s bedroom door.

Ben rolled over, holding the pillow over his head. The only thing he wanted to see right now was the back of his eyelids. He was going to the late service today and had left his roommates a note to that effect. With the open house the night before, cleaning up, taking Rebecca home, it’d been after two by the time he crawled into bed. And even then, he hadn’t fallen asleep immediately. That was completely his own fault, though. There wasn’t enough fall night air, no matter how chilly, to undo the effects of kissing Rebecca. Ben needed to propose soon. And she’d better not want a long engagement. He might not live through it.

“Come on, Ben. Rise and shine.” Zach pounded on the door.

“Go away.”

Zach just laughed and pounded on the door. “There’s coffee.”

Muttering under his breath, Ben threw aside his covers and grabbed a t-shirt off the floor, pulling it on. He yanked open the door and stumbled down the hall. “This better be good.”

“Good morning, sunshine.” Jackson grinned at him from the table and pushed a section of the newspaper toward him. “Zach, go get the man some coffee before he bites your head off.”

“Too late. But I can still grab the joe.”

“It’s a newspaper. Please tell me you didn’t wake me up at, what time is it?”

Jackson glanced at his watch. “Just after ten.”

His blood cooled slightly. After ten wasn’t unreasonable. Not really. “Why aren’t you at church?”

“Thought we’d hit the late service with you. My sister’s picking my mom up at the airport this afternoon, so no huge family lunch. Instead, we’re having an impromptu barbecue here for dinner. Wanna invite Rebecca and her parents?” Jackson lifted his mug.

Ben reached across for the coffee Zach offered. Did Rebecca already have plans? Her parents were staying another day or two, but what were they going to do? He should’ve asked, though it gave him a reason to call her. “I’ll see if they’re free.”

“Do that. But read the paper, first.” Zach nudged the section closer to Ben before straddling a chair.

Ben rolled his eyes and, sipping his coffee, scanned the headlines. The fog of sleep lifted when he saw a photo of Rebecca and her dad at the mission. His brain was still fuzzy. They’d invited the press, hadn’t they? Probably. Publicity for things like this was usually standard. After all, the mission did good work locally, it made sense for locals to come and find out more. He skimmed the article and shook his head. “Well. They say no press is bad press, right?”

Zach’s jaw dropped. “You’re not serious.”

Ben blew out a breath. “Not really. I mean, we invited some reporters. That’s not the kind of article we were hoping for, but I guess I’m not as surprised as I should be. I guess with the emails that B of H and the mission got...even figuring out who tipped off the reporter, it figures that they’d try to get some kind of story. From what I understand, they made a pretty decent investment in their source, even if he’s just an addict with an axe to grind.”

“What do you mean?” Jackson reached for the paper. “I didn’t see that in the article.”

“You wouldn’t. Your friend Colin...” Ben’s phone rang. “Hold that thought.”

Ben hurried back to his room and grabbed his phone off the charger. “Hello?”

“Is this Ben Taylor?”

Ben sank to the edge of his bed and banged his forehead with a fist. Always check the caller ID. When was he going to remember that? “Yes?”

“Hi, Ben. It’s Jerry from the mission. I’m sorry to call on Sunday morning, but I wanted to talk to you before I called Rebecca.”

Ben’s heartbeat quickened. “Hey, Jerry. What’s going on?”

“Carl came back last night. Now that it’s October and the night air’s getting colder, we fill up faster. Anyway, he agreed to the rules, so we readmitted him, only to find him smoking meth in the men’s showers at three in the morning. So we called the police and he had enough on him that they’re saying it’s intent to distribute. I thought you’d want to know.”

“That’s great. I mean...” Ben winced. He sounded heartless. The guy clearly needed help for more than just his drug problem, but it was hard to see past the hurt he’d caused Rebecca. Even if, in the end, it had pushed her to forgive her father and let go of her own past. Or start to. Hmm. Maybe he owed this guy a thank you note. Nah. Let’s not take it too far.

Jerry chuckled. “I know what you mean. It clears the way for you and Rebecca, though I think that was already pretty clear, given what I saw last night.”

Heat crawled up the back of Ben’s neck. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t be. It’s good to see her with someone who appreciates her. She’s a good girl. I expect an invitation to the wedding.”

“Um.” Ben cleared his throat.

“It just happens that the walls around here aren’t very soundproofed. So I caught some of your conversation with Rebecca’s dad. I won’t say anything. But it did get me thinking that Carl was still hanging around when I first mentioned to Rebecca that I’d pieced it together. It’s possible he overheard and then put things together. Easier for him to do than someone else, since he’d been around her in high school.”

“Yeah, I guess. You see the article in the paper this morning?”

Jerry laughed. “I did. Rebecca will be annoyed, but I imagine it’ll put an end to all the speculation and gossip. And if it brings more folks to the mission—on either side of the coin—it’ll be a good thing. The Board is talking about expanding our housing area, so it’s possible we’ll be able to help even more folks if the funding comes through.”

Ben nodded. God had an amazing way of working things out. “That’s great. If B of H can help, let me know and I’ll see if we can put something together.”

“Will you let Rebecca know about Carl?”

“Sure. Thanks, Jerry.”

Ben set the phone back in its charger and went back down the hall. He recapped the conversation for his roommates as he finished his coffee.

Jackson shook his head. “Seems kind of bizarre that he’d come back and be that stupid.”

“No one ever said druggies were smart, man.” Zach shrugged. “Besides, I can think of at least ten people who’ve been praying for a quick and thorough solution to the problem. Why should we doubt it when we get one?”

Ben hunched his shoulders. He’d doubted it, too. It was so easy to ask for a miracle and so much harder to believe it when you got one. After all, that kind of thing was for Bible stories and fiction.

“Anyway, if you think about it, it got down to forty last night. We’ll be getting frost soon. If I was homeless, I’d be seriously thinking about checking in to a shelter, too. Even if I’d already used my one strike. Maybe he really planned on keeping his drug use to non-shelter hours. But when you’ve got an addiction that’s as advanced as the photos you showed us of that guy? Intentions don’t mean anything. I see it with my students.” Zach crossed his arms over the top of the chair and rested his chin on his wrists.

All right, so maybe it wasn’t a case of miraculous intervention. Not that Ben didn’t fully believe God orchestrated it, but it was more believable when you looked at it from Zach’s viewpoint. And why did he feel the need to justify God working in a situation? Sorry, Lord. What is it the man said? I believe...help my unbelief.

“If we’re going to get to church, the grocery store, and get set up for a barbecue later tonight, we’d best get going.” Jackson stood and pointed at his roommates. “You two coming?”

Ben’s palms were sweaty. He pushed the vacuum around the living room and ignored the churning in his gut. Rebecca and her parents would be here soon, as would everyone else. Where Jackson had gotten the idea that a party this huge was a smart idea was beyond him, but it’d probably be fun. And if the opportunity presented itself...he wiped his hands on his jeans, brushing over the ring in his pocket. The box made too big a bulge, so he’d pulled it out. Was that a mistake? He’d checked for holes six or seven hundred times. There weren’t any. But did you need the box? He hit the switch on the vacuum. Laughter from out back reached his ears. Someone must be here already. He rubbed his hands over his face with a harsh chuckle. Forget the ring. Your name is not Frodo. Or Gollum.

He put the vacuum away, double-checked that Zach had cleaned their shared bathroom like he said he would, and went outside. Jackson’s sister and her enormous family were there, along with an older woman who had to be Jackson’s mother. She was lovely and the family resemblance was strong. He scanned the crowd but didn’t see Rebecca or her parents yet.

“Need any help?” Ben sidled up to Jackson as he manned the grill.

“Sure. You want to take over here? I could go spend a few minutes with my mom. Paige just texted, she’s on the way, as are her parents. And my friend David is coming, too. Have you seen Zach?”

“Nope. But the bathroom is clean, so he at least did that. Was he inviting anyone?”

Jackson offered Ben the grill tongs. “No idea. But maybe he went to pick up Amy and drag her here. That boy needs to get it in gear. Did you see the way she looked at him last night?”

Ben grinned. “Missed that. I take it she wasn’t glowering with distaste?”

Jackson snorted. “Not so much. I’m going to go sit with Mom a bit, you can handle the dogs?”

“Please. I’m a grill master, or did you forget.” Ben chuckled as his friend walked away. He peeked under the lid of the grill, his mouth watering as the smoke from grilling burgers and dogs wafted out. Closing the lid, he looked around, where was Rebecca?

“Boo.”

Ben whirled, laughing. “I was just wondering when you were going to get here.”

Rebecca laced her fingers through his. “Sorry. Mom and Dad decided to head downtown to see the museums instead. So I ran them downtown. They’ll take the metro later this evening, though I suspect they’re going to stay and find dinner at one of Dad’s favorite places. Basically, they told me not to worry about them, took a house key, and...I feel like a bad daughter but it’s nice that they’re not coming.”

He kissed her forehead. “You’re not a bad daughter. You spent all day with them for the past two days. I’m guessing they might’ve been looking for a break themselves. You wanna stay and man the grill with me, or wander off and mingle?”

Rebecca looked out over the crowd that seemed to be growing bigger by the second. “Hmm. I think I see Sara and Jen over there. Did you invite them?”

“I didn’t. Maybe Zach did? Doesn’t matter. I’m glad they’re here. Why don’t you go hang with them a bit and I’ll come find you when the grilling is over. Or, if you get lonely for my sparkling wit, you know where to find me.”

She laughed and skipped down the two steps from the raised portion of the patio. Ben watched her weave through the crowd, stopping now and then to smile and lift a hand in greeting. She fit in well with his group of friends and the various other random people hanging out. Who were all these people? Did they have enough food? He peeked under the cover of the grill and frowned.

“Anything ready yet?” Zach poked his head out the sliding door that led into the living room.

“Not yet. But where are all these people from?”

“I heard Jackson yammering about it at church, so he probably invited people, who invited people. You know how it is.”

“Well, I hope we have more burgers and dogs, cause what’s here right now isn’t going to cut it.”

Zach chuckled. “I’ll check the fridge and grab some platters. Need anything?”

“Nah. Thanks.” Ben opened the lid again and started turning hotdogs and flipping burgers. Hopefully some of the people brought side dishes or they were going to need to run to the store.

When the second round of burgers and dogs had been served, it looked like everyone had gotten at least one serving of something meaty. Ben turned off the grill. They could always fire it back up if they needed, but the sun was starting to set and a chill was creeping into the air. People weren’t likely to hang around too much longer. Rebecca had visited briefly with Sara and Jen in tow. He’d spied Zach and Amy eating together. And Jackson and Paige had spent the better part of the afternoon at the picnic table with Jackson’s mom and Paige’s parents. From what Ben could surmise, everyone had a good time. Ben spotted Rebecca across the yard and started making his way that direction.

“Heya stranger.” Rebecca smiled.

Ben dropped a kiss on her lips before sliding an arm over her shoulders. “Hey. You looked like you were having fun.”

“I did. Sara and Jen did, too.”

“Where’d they go?” Ben scanned the crowd.

“They had to run. But I did see that guy,” Rebecca nodded her head toward a cluster of men tossing bean-bags, “give Jen his card. He watched her all afternoon.”

“Which one?” All the guys in the group were good guys, but it’d be interesting to know.

“Khakis, green polo.”

“Ah. David. Jackson’s friend. I don’t know him super well, but he’s the guy who hooked me up with Colin.”

“Colin...he found Carl?”

Ben nodded.

“Hm, so a computer guy?”

“Yeah. Jen’s a programmer, right?”

Rebecca smiled. “She is. He might have an uphill battle ahead of him, but it’ll be fun to watch. Jen doesn’t believe in dating other coders. Says they’re intimidated by a woman with brains.”

Ben laughed and was about to reply when Jackson climbed up on the bench of the picnic table.

“Can I have everyone’s attention, please?”

What was he doing? Ben saw Rebecca’s curious look and shrugged.

“As most of you know, Paige and I met this summer when she was chosen to cater a fundraiser for my then-boss, Senator Carson. We’ve had some ups and downs, but at the end of the day, knowing her has helped me better understand God’s call on my life and just, in general, made me a better man. Now that my mom has finally been able to make the trip up here to meet Paige, I don’t want to wait any longer.” Jackson jumped down from the bench, took Paige’s hand, and sank to his knee. “Paige Jackson, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Paige squealed and threw her arms around Jackson while everyone looking on clapped.

“I guess that’s a yes.” Ben chuckled, though the ring in his own pocket threatened to burn a hole into his leg.

Rebecca elbowed him in the side as she wiped her eyes. “Of course it’s a yes. The two of them are perfect for each other.”

Ben took her hand. “Come on, let’s go say congratulations.”

Ben shuttled the last trash bag out to the curb and wandered out to the back yard. Rebecca was sitting at the picnic table, staring up at the evening sky. Jackson’s mother had given her grandchildren some of the roses from the arrangement Jackson’s sister brought to the airport, the kids had used them as swords for a while, then dropped them. Ben scooped up two blooms that remained mostly unscathed by the kids’ exuberance.

“For you.” Ben offered the roses and sat next to Rebecca on the bench, slipping his arm around her shoulder. “You didn’t have to stay and help clean up, but I’m awfully glad you did.”

Rebecca sniffed the roses and smiled. “I was hoping we’d end up with a chance to be alone. Even for a few minutes. How’s your knee holding up? I saw you’ve been moved to once a week on the schedule.”

“It’s good. I’m still doing my exercises and sometimes it aches, but the doc says that’s to be expected for a while. You know, when I got hurt, I was so mad at Jackson for dragging me into that football game. Now...I feel like I owe him a thank you. To think that you’ve been here in the same place as me for so long...I’m glad you’re back in my life.”

Rebecca rested her head on his shoulder. “You say the sweetest things. I’m glad you’re in my life, too. And I’m even glad for all the changes I had to make to get to this point. Some of them probably hurt almost as much as your knee injury.”

Ben chuckled. “Probably so.”

Rebecca set the roses down on the tabletop, covering a couple of silver-toned plastic forks that hadn’t made it into the trash, then snuggled closer.

The diamond in his pocket dug into his leg. Was this the right time? Would she prefer something big and splashy like Jackson had done? Or a fancy dinner? Out of all the things they’d discussed, her ideal marriage proposal had never come up. Not too surprising, though marriage had been on his mind even toward the end of summer camp. He offered a quick prayer and gulped. “Can I ask you something?”

Rebecca sat up and turned to look at him, concern etched into her features. “Always.”

Ben stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out the ring, his breath catching in his throat. “I know it might feel fast, but for me it’s been so incredibly slow. For all those years, I prayed for you, I prayed that God would bring you back into my life. And now He has and...I don’t want to ever let go. I love you, Rebecca Marie Fischer MacDonald...will you marry me?”

Rebecca’s mouth popped into a tiny ‘O’ and her eyes darted between Ben’s face and the ring. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she began to nod, slowly then more rapidly. “Oh, yes. Oh...I love you, Ben. Of course I will.”

Sliding his thumb across her cheek, Ben wiped away her tears. With a shaking hand, he slid the ring onto her left hand. It was a little big, so it slipped to the side, showing off the tiny inset diamonds that made up the entire band.

She sniffled, beaming, and looked down at her hand. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

She’d said yes. The woman he’d loved for all these years had said yes. Ben pulled her close, their lips almost touching. “I love you.”

“You have no idea how glad I am of that. I love you, too.” She leaned forward, sealing their future with a kiss.