WHEN THE MINI-CELEBRATION HAD ENDED, LANCE AND KENDRA cozied on the lower-level sofa together, making plans.
“This is funny,” Kendra said. “We got engaged an hour ago, and we’re looking at dates within the month. This is the easiest wedding planning ever.”
“Is this weird for you, Ken?” Lance had an arm around her as she leaned back on his chest. “You just planned an elaborate wedding, and a few months later you’re marrying someone else.”
“All of life is foreign to me now,” Kendra said. “So in the grand scheme of things, it fits.” She was able to laugh a little. “But really, I’m just blown away by God. As much as it hurt for Derek to dump me, I thank God he did. I mean, what if I had married that man?” She shivered at the thought. “God knew exactly what I needed . . . and didn’t need.”
Lance’s face touched hers. “I love you. Let me know if you get tired of hearing it.”
She snuggled closer. “I’ll never ever get tired of hearing it.”
He looked at his phone again and opened to the calendar app. “So, as we think about dates, should we wait to see how your body is reacting to the new drugs so we’ll know which days are better?”
Kendra gave him a look. “I caught that. You’re trying to see if I changed my mind about chemo.”
“Nope. I’m assuming you changed your mind. You can’t give up. I want as much time with you as God will allow. I need you to fight. We fight together.”
Kendra played with his hand. “I think I needed to feel like I was in control of something. I needed to feel like I had a choice whether to scrape the bottom of the pain barrel or not.”
“I understand that,” Lance said. “I knew you’d hit a really low point. By the way, what did Dr. Contee say when you told her your plan?”
“She wasn’t exactly jumping up and down about it,” Kendra said. “So two more chemo sessions—September 18 and October 9.”
“I’ll be there.” Lance waved his phone. “Already calendared it—you okay?”
Kendra doubled over with a pain spasm. “I’m okay,” she said moments later, settling back in. “And if you can’t make both, I’m sure Trey or Molly will be free.”
“They can be free all they want,” Lance said, “but I’m going with my baby to chemo and everything else.”
Butterflies swirled inside. “You’ve never called me that.”
“I’m sure I’ll be calling you all kinds of names—good names.” He smiled. “You’re my fiancée.”
“That’s the first time you’ve said that too. I like the sound of it.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Lance said. “I’m ready to get to calling you my wife.”
“Now, I love the sound of that.” Kendra sat up a little. “Okay, so dates. I don’t know how my body will react to the chemo, but so far, the week before the next session has been better than the others.”
“Let’s do it this week then.” Lance wiggled his eyebrows.
Kendra smiled at him. “I don’t know if it needs to be that soon.” She checked dates on his phone. “How about October 4? Not a lot of time, but enough to put together something special, I hope.”
She waited a few seconds, then bumped him. “Hello?”
Lance turned to her. “I’m sorry. I was just thinking about my mom. I can’t believe she can’t be at my wedding. I really want her to meet you.”
Kendra looked at him. “If this drug works like they want it to and I get past chemo and surgery and radiation . . .” She sighed. “It’s so hard to think past all of that . . . But if I can travel one day, that’s where I want to go, to Tallahassee federal prison to meet your mom.”
“What?” Lance was genuinely surprised. “If you’re able to travel, of all the places you could go, you’d want to go there?”
“I do.” Kendra was nodding. “I want to meet the woman who raised you.” She paused. “It’s really something that neither of our moms can be at our wedding. But thankfully, your mom is still with us. She can’t come here, but we can go there. That is, if I can go one day.”
It took a moment for Lance to respond. “You have no idea how much that means to me, that you’d even want to go.” He squeezed her softly. “I love you, girl.”
“So, October 4?”
“Sounds good, in more ways than one.” Lance shifted a little, looking at her. “Between the two of us, we only have one parent who could possibly attend. And your dad will be here.”
“He’s coming end of September,” Kendra said, “but we don’t know how long he’s staying.”
“I don’t think he’d come all this way and not stay a week or longer.” He paused. “I think he should be at our wedding, Ken.”
She hesitated. “I don’t have a problem with that.” Her own statement struck her. “I guess it highlights yet another difference between a few months ago and now. So much has changed.”