“Second thoughts?” He crunched into a celery stick.
She set her plate down on the sofa table and looped her arms around his waist. “No. Not a single doubt in my mind.” It was true. She’d never been more sure of anything in her life. Even leaving fifteen years ago had brought doubts. Years in the city left her second-guessing many decisions. But this, choosing to stay here and marry Chase? Not a problem at all.
The hustle of the crowd pressed in from all sides. It reminded her of parties at the bank when they joined together with other districts. She didn’t miss any part of those parties.
Looking around at the people who’d come to celebrate her impending marriage, she realized she’d missed them terribly. Yvonne had become one of her best friends, along with Chelsey. Old friendships. New friendships. A long-lost love.
They all came together to create a new future that she’d never dared hope for herself.
But pieces of her memory were still missing. She closed her eyes and rested her head on Chase’s arm.
“It’s going to be a beautiful fall.” She spoke between the congratulations that continued to roll around them.
Thomas and Chuck approached, each of them slapping Chase on the back and hugging Michelle like she was their sister. Loud and boisterous laughter brought out smiles from all sides when Chuck began a drawn-out story of the first day he’d ridden at the ranch. Apparently, he and Chase had engaged in a race that ended up with Chuck getting thrown from his horse.
“You seem to have a problem staying in the saddle.” Chase clapped a hand against Chuck’s back. “My horses are perfect angels. If you can’t stay in the saddle, it sounds like a you problem.”
“Ha.” Chase threw his head back and laughed.
Michelle blinked and the world around her shifted.
Years unwound. Time stopped and she opened her eyes to a new sight.
Chase rode across the yard in the distance. Two dogs trailed along behind him, ears flopping and jaws hanging open. One rushed the horse and jumped, landing in front of him in the saddle. He laughed and smacked his thigh, encouraging the second dog to join them. Once he had both Border Collies in the saddle, he rode for the barn, his horse not the least bit botheredby the extra animals it carried around. She recognized the horse seconds later as the foal Chase had trained. She still didn’t know what had happened to the horse.
Another blink and a series of memories clicked into place. Her parents. Her breath snagged in her lungs, pain eclipsing the joy of the moment as she relieved the savage grief of losing them all over again.
Chase’s hand settled on the small of her back. Her past and present collided in a mad rush of sight, sound, and sensation. He was with her here and had always been with her in the past. He stood by her in every heartbreak, and he’d been there for every victory.
And so had God. She’d ignored that presence in her life for years, had even pushed Him aside in favor of the things she wanted…things she thought she deserved. What she wanted with her life ended up being wrong at every turn.
“I think I understand your favorite verse now.” She waited until Chase finished his story and walked away and the last of her memories crowded in to speak.
“Yeah?” He tucked her in closer to his side. “Sometimes I think I have it all wrong. Kind of like when I read the Bible again and I find things that I don’t remember. Or passages have new meaning.”
“We always have an abundance.” She fisted a hand over her heart. “When we have God, we have all that we need. We have a Father who would do anything for us. A love that surpasses all understanding. He has given us all more than we deserve. The least I can do for Him is to serve to the best of my ability. And yet, even when I fail, God is always there, waiting and able to help. He gave us a second chance.” Tears sprang into her eyes. “You gave us a second chance.”
“It’s not like I had a choice.” He grinned and kissed her temple. “I’ve loved you too long to give up, Michelle. What we have is the kind of love that you don’t give up on.”
She almost allowed regret to slip between them, a moment of ‘if only she’d come back sooner’ but there was no place for it now. “You’re a good man.”
“I know.” He danced away when she poked him in the ribs. “It’s nice to hear every now and then.” He spun her around, so they stood face to face. “You’re remarkable. You could have given up when you lost your memories. You could have stayed in the city and fought to keep the life that you remembered. But you came back here, to a place you had no memory of, and started over.”
“And now I have all of my memories back and I have you.” She would not dwell on the things she’d missed out on. It was time for her to step into the light of God’s glory and her future and stay there. “I spent so much time thinking that I’d never be whole without my memories. And while it was partly true because I couldn’t find my true self without my past, I can’t bring myself to regret those months where I had a chance to start over.”
“See?” Chase shook his head. “That’s what I mean. You’re amazing.”
“No.” Her argument wasn’t against the compliment—because she adored that he thought her amazing—but against what it represented. “God is amazing. He gave me the strength to keep going every time I wanted to give up.”
“You two keep hogging that window like you’re going to jump through it and take off.” Chuck came back around and cut in front of them. He stood on his tiptoes and cupped his hands around his eyes, pressing close to the glass. “Is there something out there I should know about?”
“Only if you’re interested in dressing up in a tux and walking people to their seats.” Chase cuffed Chuck on the arm.
Chuck reared back, his eyes going wide as saucers. “What do you mean dress in a tux? I’m not the one getting married.”
“No, but if you’re going to be my best man, you’re going to wear a tux.”
“Best…man?” The poor man choked and broke into a coughing fit. He bent at the waist and thumped a hand against his chest. “Me?”
