Finding Him (Him Series Book 2)

21-Remember Jesus

Izabelle

"You want to talk about it?" he asked gently, once we were in his truck.

"Sorry. I'm sure you're very good," I teased, deliberately misunderstanding him.

He chuckled. "I meant do you want to talk about what's bothering you."

I took in his worn jeans and a black t-shirt. He didn't really look as if he was going out, and suddenly I wondered if he'd found me on accident tonight.

"Lucy called," he said, answering my unspoken question. "She's worried you weren't answering your phone."

My heart ached. The last thing I wanted was to put Hunter in the middle of his daughter and me, but I had to ask. "Did you know she and Kyle are dating?"

He glanced over, giving me a slow nod. "Yeah, I knew."

"I really was the only one who didn't." I turned to stare out the window. "You never said anything."

"I wasn't keeping it from you." He let out a slow breath. "It never came up in conversation."

"They thought I couldn't handle the two of them together because of my friendship with Ava." My voice broke a little.

"That would have made it awkward for you." He pulled into his driveway.

"Everyone knew but me."

"Izzy, is this about them not telling you?"

"No," I cried softly, unable to face him. "I said horrible things to Lucy. I didn't mean any of them. Have you ever wanted to redo a day? That's how I feel."

I heard him unfasten the seatbelt and shift in the seat just before his hand touched my shoulder. Turning, I went into his arms and he held me while I cried, stroking my hair and whispering gentle words against my temple.

I'd never felt cherished before Hunter. For some reason this made me cry harder. He kept holding me, rubbing slow circles on my back. "It's going to be ok, baby. Lucy understands you were upset."

"You're not mad at me for what I did?"

"We all make mistakes," he whispered, wiping my tears with his thumbs. "Let's go inside."

"While we were waiting for Kyle to get out of surgery, she prayed," I told him as we walked into the kitchen. "That's what Kyle said they were doing when I found them. Praying."

"Sometimes we learn from our kids." A hint of a smile tugged at his lips. "I know it's hard to let go, but your bother is a grown man. You have to let him make his own decisions."

"I know and I love Lucy. It's not that I don't want them together. I was sure that he still loved Ava. If I'd only known..."

"You don't have to explain. I know what it's like to be a single parent, and that's what you've been to Kyle all these years." His eyes were warm and full of understanding. "You want the best for your child whether it's what they want or not."

"You've said things to Lucy you regret?"

"Of course. I've said a lot of things to a lot of people I wished I could take back. Mistakes are part of relationships. Learning from them is how we grow."

A spark of hope flickered to life. "You think she'll forgive me."

"I know she will."

"What about God? I've just found him and the first sign of trouble and I lose my temper, say bad things, go to a bar, and drink too much."