“Okay,” she whispered.
And he cuddled her next to him, and prayed for God to have His way with both of them. With their friends, their family, and their futures.
CHAPTER10
“Ireally don’t want to do this,” Sarah murmured, as Dan pulled up outside the intricately designed heavy iron gates.
“I know.” He pressed the buzzer, alerting inside. A humming sound preceded the slow inwards movement of the gate.
“I can’t believe how much security he has.”
“Hmm. We should probably beef up ours, too,” he mused.
“Why? How many death threats have you received lately?”
He glanced at her.
Her breath suspended. “Are you serious? Have people threatened you?”
“No. People say stuff, but they don’t mean it.” His face held peace, so he meant it. “But Lincoln haswaymore fans than me, and they weren’t exactly happy when he married Jackie.”
She knew that now. It hadn’t taken too much research on the internet to discover that Jackie was not a popular lady in some circles. And now she and Lincoln had a baby, Sarah had new compassion for her. How could people threaten a baby? No wonder the woman seemed keen to connect with someone who might understand some of the pitfalls of fame.
Dan drove up the spot-lit drive, the landscaping on a level far superior to what constituted as landscaping at Dan’s, which consisted of mostly trees. The long drive and pines and poplars did a good job of hiding their house from the road, but it was bare bones minimum, the grass consisting more of pine needles. Here, all kinds of flowering bushes and plants were mixed with what looked like palms and ferns. It was eclectic, but it worked.
“I wish Ange was going to be here.” She’d asked, and Ange had admitted to a prior event, but had encouraged Sarah to go.
“For I sense that Jackie could do with someone who understands a little about what it’s like to have a husband who other women want,” Ange had said.
Oh, how well did Sarah understand. She’d seen the women who loitered where hockey players hung out, she’d heard the rumors, and seen the strained relationships affected by gossip and innuendo. Dan had never given her a moment of concern, but other wives she knew weren’t so blessed. So that comment of Ange’s, along with a little tug in her heart, had drawn her to come. Even if the house looked imposing, and the unfamiliar cars said there would be plenty of unfamiliar faces. At least Serena would be someone she’d recognize.
“You ready?” Dan asked.
“Thank you for driving me,” she murmured, as he parked the Jeep, so it’d be easy for her to drive out.
“Hey, someone had to make sure you’d actually get here.”
She rolled her eyes. “How do you know I won’t just drive out of here?”
He pointed behind her. She peeked over her shoulder. Saw Serena standing on the steps next to Jackie. She heaved out a sigh.
He chuckled. “I love you. Have fun tonight.” He passed her the keys, then kissed her.
“You too. I hope Brent wins.”
“They’re playing Tim Carruthers and TJ Woletsky in New York, so it’ll be a good game.”
She exited the car, watched Dan wave to the women, then walk down the drive. Maybe it was childish of her to insist he bring her, but she sensed he was glad for her sake. Now if only she could find enough gladness to be glad too.
Still, she was the woman who had once crawled up stairs then stood to lead worship in front of thousands in Manila when she’d been battling the flu. She could fake this moment too.
“Sarah!” Serena hurried down the steps and hugged her. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Jackie was pretty insistent,” she admitted.
Serena smiled at her friend, standing nearby. “She can sure be that way. You should see her with Lincoln.”
Sarah chuckled. “He seems too much of a tough guy to get bossed around too much.”
