Losing Faith Read Free Page A

he’d be willing to pay, he thought for sure the old man was going to throw in his old lady as part of the deal. They shook hands, and that was that.
    Four weeks went by, and Seth kept quiet. It was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. Once the older couple had moved out, Seth arranged for a date night with Lexi.
    He drove Lexi to Salvatori’s downtown. It was a place that normally required months on a waiting list to get in, but not for Seth Storm, an up-and-coming country star. They pulled into the parking lot, and an attendant walked up, waiting for them to get out.
    Seth couldn’t stand it any longer. He turned to Lexi and pulled out a blindfold. “Put this on,” he said. His hands trembled with anticipation.
    She shot him a strange look. “Why? We’re already here.”
    “Change of plans,” he said, hoping she wouldn’t press him further. She looked at the blindfold and then into his eyes. “Trust me.”
    Lexi smiled, grabbed the blindfold, and tied it around her head.
    Seth didn’t say a word as they drove off, and neither did Lexi. For twenty-five minutes, the two drove in complete silence. Butterflies tickled Seth’s stomach as he prepared himself for her reaction. Although he was considered the spontaneous one in the relationship, he hadn’t done anything as crazy as buying a house without first consulting Lexi, and he wasn’t exactly sure how she’d react to that.
    He finally pulled the car over in front of the old farmhouse.
    “Are we here?”
    “Yes, we’re here.” He took a deep breath and then shut off his car. “Wait right here.” He climbed out of the car and walked over to the passenger side before carefully helping her out. Then he removed her blindfold and waited for her eyes to adjust. “It’s all ours,” he said, unable to hide the pride in his voice.
    Lexi didn’t say a word. Seconds passed as she stared. Then she walked over to the white picket fence that bordered the front and back yards and placed a hand on the gate before slowly opening it. She stared at it as if expecting something to happen.
    “Do you like it?”
    She shook her head, and for a moment Seth thought that he had blown it. But then she turned to him with tears running down her cheeks and said, “I love it.”
    They spent the next hour going through each room as she went on and on about the things she couldn’t wait to do to the place. Seth didn’t say much as he listened. All he could think about was how happy she was.
    They held hands as they walked out onto the porch on their way back to the car. He felt her stop. “Is everything okay?”
    She looked up at the house and then back at Seth. “I don’t want to leave.”
    “Well, we kind of have this little girl who’s expectin’ us home.”
    “I know,” she said, letting out a sigh. “Thank you. I love this place.”
    Seth placed his hands on her waist. “Are you sure you love it?”
    She wrapped her arms around him, interlacing her fingers behind his neck. “I do.”
    “I love it when you say those two words.”
    She leaned in closer, brushing her lips against his ear, and whispered, “I do.”
    They danced on that old wooden porch with nothing but the moonlight shining down on them. It was the first and last time they danced on that porch.
    A cool breeze sent leaves floating across Lexi’s stone, bringing Seth back to the cemetery. “I should’ve danced with you every day on that porch, Lex.” A lump formed at the back of his throat. “I should’ve done a lot of things differently. If I had…you’d still be here. And our little girl would have her mother.” His jaw tightened as he forced back the tears, but it was no use. They rolled down his cold cheeks and fell onto the white roses.
    The sun began its descent, and he knew it was time to go. He placed a hand on Lexi’s stone. “I’ve messed up. I still don’t know exactly what I’m doing. But I will make things right, Lex. No matter what it takes, I will get our