Love's Providence: A Contemporary Christian Romance Read online

  Steve nodded in her direction. “Come on, bro. Let’s get this over with.”

  Alex pushed away from the patrol car and followed, calling information out to someone on the other end of his radio. Lily pulled Kara toward her.

  “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

  “Hang on a sec.”

  They watched as Steve and Alex walked up to the bushy-haired lady, who had stumbled her way around to the passenger side of the car. Steve addressed her first.

  “Ma’am? Everything all right over here?”

  She shoved her hair away from her face and reached for the car door.

  “What? Yeah, yeah. Everything’s fine.”

  “Ma’am, can you step away from the vehicle for me?”

  “Excuse me?”

  Steve shot a glance at Alex, who moved behind her as Steve stepped in front of the car.

  “Listen, ma’am. I just want to ask you a few questions. Could you please step away from the vehicle so we can talk?”

  She shook her head and pulled the door open. “Can’t. I’m busy.”

  She ducked inside the car and fumbled with something in the back seat. Alex moved closer and put his hand on the trunk.

  “Excuse me, but you’re going to need to step away from the vehicle, or we’re going to have to place you under arrest.”

  Lily could hear the lady mouthing off, but wasn’t sure what she said. It must have been bad because suddenly Alex grabbed for her arms, and Steve darted toward them, but the car door prevented him from helping. The lady shoved away from the open door and spun around with a baby in her arms.

  “Leave me alone!” she screamed. “I didn’t do anything!”

  Alex and Steve sprung back, both with their hands up trying to reassure her. Lily’s heart raced watching the infant’s limbs flail as the woman turned from Alex to Steve.

  “Ma’am, please,” Steve said. “Just let us have the baby. We only want to talk. You bumped another car. We just need some information.”

  “I didn’t hit no other car!” Her voice screeched and sent a shock up Lily’s spine.

  Steve reached toward her, but the lady backed away. Alex took several quick strides and grabbed her arm, shaking the baby once again. This time it wailed. Lily’s heart thundered in her chest. What if she dropped the baby?

  Alex pulled away, but Lily could tell he was about to go after her again. She found her feet carrying her forward before she realized it, and she called out to the lady just as Alex gripped her arm again.

  “Wait!” Lily shouted. “Please, the baby’s going to get hurt!”

  The lady pulled away and stared wildly at Lily.

  “I didn’t do nothing!”

  “I know. But please, just let me hold the baby while you talk to the officers.”

  “What do you think you’re doing?” Alex growled. “Stay out of this.”

  But she stepped a little closer and tried to smile at the woman. The baby continued to cry and squirm in her arms, but she seemed to barely notice. Her upper body swayed back and forth like it might tip over at any moment and her eyes darted between Lily and Alex.

  “I just want to help,” Lily said.

  Steve continued talking into his radio, and Alex inched closer to the woman.

  “Hand the baby to me, and everything will be fine.”

  The woman backed toward the open door. “No!” She pulled the baby tighter to her chest, muffling it’s screams.

  Lily and Alex darted toward her at the same time. Alex grabbed one arm as Lily reached for the baby. The woman shrieked, squeezing the infant tighter.

  “Get back, Lily!” Alex pried the woman’s fingers back.

  “I’ve got him!” Lily said. She felt the woman’s grip loosen just enough for her to slip the baby away.

  Alex had the woman on her face in barely a second. As he pulled her arms back, she struggled against him and tried to turn over. He pressed his knee into her back.

  “Ma’am, I’m placing you under arrest for operating a vehicle under the influence, disorderly conduct, and endangering a child.”

  Lily stepped away and watched the scene in dismay as she tried to comfort the crying baby. She cradled him in her arms, gently rocking him back and forth.

  “Shhh, it’s okay.”

  Alex and Steve pulled the woman up to her feet after they’d placed handcuffs on her. Her right cheek was scratched from the pavement, and her skirt was twisted and smudged. They guided her across the parking lot to the patrol car. She struggled the entire way, turning and looking at Lily.

  “Give me my baby! You can’t take him!”

  Steve opened the back door and pushed the woman down into the back seat. She kicked and screamed more obscenities, so he closed the door and spoke into his radio again. Alex met her as she crossed the parking lot, still cradling the baby. It had finally calmed down and was sucking on a corner of its sleeve.

  “What were you trying to do? Get me fired?” Alex said.

  “I was trying to help.”

  “You could have gotten yourself hurt, or the baby! Not to mention the fact that you have no legal authority to forcibly remove a child from its mother.”

  She hadn’t thought of it that way.

  “I’m held liable for anything you do,” he continued. “So next time you’re told to stay out of something, try listening.”

  He grabbed the baby out of her arms and pressed him to his chest. The baby screamed again.

  “At least I calmed him down,” she said.

  Alex shifted the baby into the crook of his arm. Lily watched in horror as his head rolled backward and Alex scooped a hand underneath it.

  “Do you even know what you’re doing?” she asked.

  He pressed his eyebrows together and turned toward the Pontiac.

  “Thanks for your help. I got it from here.”

  As he walked away, Lily turned back toward Kara and Rachel who stood next to the patrol car gaping at her, a crowd of onlookers beginning to form behind them.

  Kara shook her head. “That was crazy.”

  “Tell me about it,” Lily said and glanced over her shoulder. “What a jerk.”

  Alex walked over to the open door of the Pontiac and sat down on the passenger side seat. He shifted the baby in his arms and cradled its head in his elbow. He tried not to look down at it, to focus on what he needed to do next. It was screaming, and his chest constricted with each wail. He took a deep breath and tried to force down the ache rising within him.

  He dug under the seat and found a blanket and pacifier. Within seconds the baby had settled into a rhythmic sucking. He looked down and ran his thumb over the baby’s cheek, allowing himself the briefest moment to imagine a different life.

  Chapter Four

  July 3

  St. Simons Island, Georgia

  Lily pulled herself up to a sitting position on her towel and dusted the sand from her arms and legs. The afternoon sun had set her skin on fire, and she contemplated a dip in the ocean. But the tide had receded so far it didn’t seem worth the effort.

  She glanced down the beach, letting her gaze drift to the four wheelers sitting near the rocks about fifty yards away. They’d moved further down in the past half hour, which was fine with her. The way Alex rode around the beach—chest puffed out, sleeves rolled up, arms all flexed—it was so arrogant it made her want to knock him right off when they went by. He hadn’t even acknowledged her existence. No apology, no polite nod of the head.

  Nothing.

  “Hey, Lily!”

  She turned around, and Kara jogged toward her from the volleyball court near the dunes where she and Rachel had been lounging with a group of college students. Lily had noticed a few of them batting around volleyballs, which initially piqued her interest. But pick-up games weren’t her style. She wanted real competition. As Kara approached, Lily shook her head.

  “Uh-uh. No way.”

  “What?” Kara stopped and threw her hands up.

  “I’m
not playing.”

  “Why not? Come on.”

  “You know why.” She looked past Kara to the group gathering around the court. Most were setting up chairs or spreading out towels, but a couple of guys were still hitting a ball back and forth.

  “Just one game? For me?” Kara put on her most angelic face.

  “Look, I’m not really in the mood.”

  Kara moaned and dropped her hands. “You are so irritating. Get a grip already. You love volleyball, and these guys want to play.”

  Lily looked again at the guys. Their technique wasn’t half bad.

  “Who are they anyway? They’re a little old for you and Rachel.”

  “Whatever. Do you want to play or not?”

  The tall one slammed the ball at his partner who passed it high into the air. Maybe it wouldn’t be a complete waste of time.

  “All right.”

  Kara clapped her hands and jogged back toward the group. “She said yes!”

  The tall one caught the ball, and walked to the edge of the court as Lily approached. He had a shock of red hair standing on his head, and his smile had the tiniest hint of a smirk as he reached out for her hand.

  “Hey, I’m Dan. Thanks for playing.”

  “Sure.” Her cheeks warmed as he held her hand for a fraction too long.

  “Joe,” the short one said, offering a polite wave. He was stocky, and his scrunched up features reminded her of a pug.

  “How do you want to do this?” she said.

  Dan tossed the ball at his friend. “Well, how about you and Joe versus me and Kara? Seem fair?”

  Lily examined Joe more closely. Maybe this hadn’t been such a good idea after all. He barely came to her shoulder.

  “Ah, I don’t know.”

  Kara stepped closer and narrowed her eyes. “It’ll be fine. Just play.” She turned back to Dan with a bright smile. “Come on. Let’s get started!”

  She pulled Dan toward the closest side of the court and shot one more pointed look at Lily over her shoulder. Lily forced a smile and cleared her throat.

  “All right then.”

  “You want to warm up first?” Joe asked.

  “Sure.” She pulled her right arm across her chest and then over her head to stretch out her shoulder. He handed her the ball, and she hit it against the net a couple of times before tossing it back to him.

  “You can serve first. I’ll block.”

  Through the net she watched Dan bend down and say something in Kara’s ear. Kara giggled and swatted him. Lily rolled her eyes.

  “You two ready?”

  They continued laughing as they separated and split the court. Dan winked at Kara before looking at Lily.

  “Yeah, we’re ready. Serve it up, Joe!”

  Lily put her hands up to block and watched Dan pass the first serve into the air. Kara stepped under it and passed it high and close to the net. As Dan leapt into the air, Lily stepped sideways and jumped, pushing her hands above the net. Dan’s hit flew past her, and when she hit the ground she turned to find the ball. Joe was sprawled across the sand with the ball rolling away from him. Several of the guys seated near the court yelled insults and laughed at him.

  “Great,” she said under her breath.

  Joe pushed himself up from the sand with a sheepish shrug. “My bad,” he said.

  He jogged over to the ball, scooped it up, and rolled it under the net to Dan waiting on the opposite end line.

  “One zip!” Dan called out.

  Joe trotted back onto the court as Lily backed away from the net. She bent her knees and watched Dan toss the ball. His serve was hard, but she was waiting on it, and passed it perfectly up to Joe. He pushed the ball up in front of her. She took several long strides and jumped as high as she could, hitting the ball with all her force. It streaked toward the back corner of the court, hitting just inside the line behind Dan.

  Energy surged through her as the crowd reacted. There was a definite “Whoa!” along with a few other choice words. Joe gave her a high five.

  “Nice!”

  Dan’s eyes widened as Kara retrieved the ball. “Good shot. You play?”

  “A little.” She couldn’t help but smile. Something about volleyball—the power, the intensity of blasting a ball across the court—it sharpened all the fuzzy edges of her emotions. It was exactly what she needed right now.

  Kara tossed her the ball, and she jogged to the end line to serve. Across from her, Dan crouched with a grin on his face. She smiled back and sent a deep floating ball toward him. He passed it to Kara, and after she set it up, he drove a hit toward the sharp angle near Lily.

  She had to dive forward to keep the ball off the sand. She pushed up from the ground and launched her body into the air, swinging for the corner again. This time, Dan had to throw his hands up at the last minute to keep the ball from plastering his face. It sailed out of bounds.

  Kara straightened and put her hands on her hips. “Come on, Lil. Quit showing off.”

  Dan let out a laugh, but the edge in it made it clear he wasn’t amused.

  “Don’t worry about it, Honey. I can take it.”

  Joe retrieved the ball, and Lily aimed for Dan again. This time, he made a perfect pass, and after Kara’s set, he hit hard shot right back at her. Lily barely had time to throw up her hands to protect her face, and the ball flew into the dunes.

  She stared for a moment at the look of satisfaction on Dan’s face. He made no attempt to hide his smirk now. She jogged after the ball and threw it to Kara, then took her place again off the net to await her serve. Kara sent the ball right down the middle of the court, so Lily stepped in to make the pass.

  “Push it up!” She inched toward the net.

  Joe set it high and close to the net, too close. Lily took two steps, jumped and reached with both hands to grab the ball. She sensed Dan jumping opposite of her and tightened every muscle in her shoulders and abs. He hit the ball into her hands so hard it stung like fire. But it rebounded straight down onto his side of the court. Dan’s face turned as red as his hair, and his friends in the dunes went nuts.

  “You just got stuffed by a girl!” someone yelled.

  Lily grinned, but Dan didn’t even attempt to hide the fury in his eyes. Kara knocked the sand off the ball and tossed it under the net.

  “That’s okay; we’ll get the next one,” she said.

  Dan whipped his head toward Kara. “Maybe you could help out a little.”

  Kara’s mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

  Dan backed away from the net as Lily picked up the ball and tossed it to Joe. She envisioned her next shot at Dan. She’d like to see him eat some sand.

  Alex sat on his four-wheeler and watched Lily block Dan Johnson’s hit, wishing he could hear the ribbing he was getting from the guys around him. He deserved it too. He’d had words with Dan more times than he cared to count, especially after the way he’d treated Chloe in high school.

  Alex grinned as he remembered the stunned look on Dan’s face the one time they had exchanged blows. Eight years hadn’t erased the sweetness of the memory of his twisted bleeding nose. The fifty sprints after football practice had totally been worth it.

  Beside him, Steve downed another large bottle of water and let out a sigh as he doused his hair in the remainder.

  “Man, I know you’ve got a wedding to pay for, but couldn’t you get overtime somewhere with air conditioning?” Alex pulled out his own bottle of water and took a long swig.

  Steve grinned and gave Alex a hard slap on the back.

  “You’re the best, man.” Then he laughed again. “Hey, that’s funny. You actually are the best man.”

  “Yeah, you should go on tour with that one.”

  Alex wet his own neck and hair then shoved the bottle into the cup holder between his knees and glanced down the beach. The sun had reached its peak for the day, and the heat was freaking unbearable. He’d give anything for a quick dip into the ocean.

  His phone vibra
ted, and he unclipped it from his belt. Another text. What was that now, five since that morning? She was losing it. Too bad. He had drawn a line he refused to cross, so he deleted the text without even opening it.

  Loud cheering caught his attention, and he looked toward the volleyball court. Lily’s partner reached out for her hand and pulled her up from the sand. She dusted off her arms and legs as he retrieved the ball.

  On the other side of the court, Dan turned to Kara and pumped his fist into the air. He caught the ball from the other guy, handed it to Kara, and slapped her rear as she trotted toward the back of the court to serve.

  “Maybe we should go keep an eye on Dan and the gang.” Alex gripped the handlebars tighter. “It’s getting a little intense over there.”

  “Yeah, if you say so. But I don’t think Dan’s the one you want to keep an eye on.”

  “No idea what you’re talking about.” He turned back to the game and watched Lily hit another hard shot into the corner. Dan dove for the ball, but it went sailing off his arm. Lily raised her hands to the sky and gave her partner a high five. Dan jumped up and dusted himself off, yelling at Kara to go get the ball. Even from this distance, Alex could see Lily’s whole body tense.

  “I thought you’d sworn off women from now on.” Steve climbed onto his four-wheeler and released the brake.

  Alex shrugged. “Nah, not women. Just being tied down.” He watched Lily walk to the end line with the ball and couldn’t help but admire the way her body moved, like a cat slinking after its prey.

  “It doesn’t matter, though. She’s not my type.”

  “What?” Steve choked as he laughed. “She’s breathing, and she’s pretty. That’s definitely your type.”

  “No way.” Alex shook his head. “That girl is wound up tighter than a chastity belt on a preacher’s daughter. She might even be a preacher’s daughter.”

  Steve reached for the key between his knees, turning a knowing glance at him.

  “Whatever you say, brother. Besides, it’s probably for the best after the year you’ve had.”

  Alex didn’t need a reminder. But he wasn’t about to delve into a discussion about Adrian.