A Family for Christmas Read Free Page B

summer.
    “That
sounds like a good timeline.” He pulled out his phone and pulled up what was
evidently a calendar. “I’ve got commitments through October, so I can try to sell
the house by the end of next month.  We should probably start dating now, so
the engagement doesn’t come out of the blue, and then announce the engagement
at the first of November, when Ellie and I move back to Willow Park. Then get
married maybe December 6th?”
    Lydia
pulled out her calendar and checked it too, feeling rather amused at planning
out the schedule for their marriage-of-convenience. “Works for me. That gives
us plenty of time to make sure we’re able to get along and such. If you end up
being a jerk, then I might have to back out.”
    He
chuckled. “Same here.”
    “Good.
I think this might actually work.”
    “All
right then. I guess we have a deal” He gave her that half-amused, half-bitter
smile and stretched out his hand across the table. “It’s on, then?”
    She
shook his hand, feeling a rush of excitement at how smoothly, easily, perfectly
things had worked out.
    This
was definitely a gift from God.
    She
said, “This marriage is on.”

Two
     
    A month later, Lydia sat
on a leather loveseat next to Gabe and tried to look comfortable.
    They
were in Daniel’s office in the church, and it was the first session of their
pre-marital counseling, since Daniel wouldn’t marry couples who didn’t go
through at least three sessions of counseling first.
    But
talking about a marriage of convenience in front of her hometown pastor—whom
she’d known all her life—wasn’t exactly the most comfortable thing to do.
    And
there were still twenty minutes left to go.
    She
stared down at her hands, still finding it strange that there was an engagement
ring on her left hand. It was simple—gold with a diamond solitaire—but it
looked really expensive to Lydia. Much more expensive than anything she was
used to wearing.
    Gabe
had given it to her a couple of weeks ago, in a romantic gesture that consisted
of thrusting the box at her and saying, “Here. You might wear this.”
    “Look,”
Daniel said, tugging at his brown hair the way he did whenever he was thinking
hard, “I’m not judging you or anything. Everyone has different reasons for
getting married. Just be honest about what the reasons are.”
    Lydia
glanced over at Gabe, trying to get a cue from him about how open they should
be about this situation. They hadn’t told Daniel why they were getting married,
but he must have realized something was up.
    For
the last month, they’d gotten together every weekend—since they were supposed
to be dating. Twice, she’d driven down to Raleigh, and twice Gabe had driven up
to Willow Park. He didn’t feel like a stranger to her anymore, and her first
impression of his being a decent guy had been affirmed on every trip.
    She
understood the look in his eyes when he met her gaze, and she gave a little nod
in response.
    He
cleared his throat. “Both Lydia and I are practical people. This marriage makes
sense for us in every way we’ve considered—right now and for the future. We
both really want it.”
    “We
do,” Lydia added, just so it was clear Gabe wasn’t putting words in her mouth.
“I know it might seem a little strange to you—since you’re so head-over-heels
in love with Jessica—but we both really want it. We’re committed to making it
work.”
    A
strange expression flickered across Daniel’s face for just a few seconds before
it returned to his characteristic thoughtful observation. “I had no idea what I
was getting into when I married Jessica. And I love her so much more now than I
did even a year ago. You know, the Bible tells us to love the person we’re
married to. It never tells us to marry the person we love. I don’t look for
desperate passion in couples, since that’s a pretty flimsy foundation for a
lifelong commitment. I need to know that the couple is equally committed to
their faith and