Saving Grace | ✓

Chapter Twenty

The big 2-0. Whoa.

{ Chapter Twenty }

A few weeks later, Pastor Miles sets up a celebratory dinner for my birthday, the arrival of Noah, and our recent move. We sit at a reserved table and get to fix our plates of food first. The whole dining hall is filled with church members.

After I fix my plate, I sit down with Noah and start to feed him a bottle. "Excuse me."

I turn around in my chair and see the woman from the ice cream parlor and the school smiling back at me. "Hi." I say with a happy tone. "I didn't know you go here."

"I do." She chuckles. "I wanted to tell you that I honor you for your strength. I myself had a child at a young age. But the father got full custody." She sighs. "But I am so glad that you decided to become a part of our church. You are certainly most welcome."

I smile sweetly. "Thank you so much. It's an honor to be here."

"And also, happy birthday." She smiles once more before walking off.

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After we spend about forty-five minutes eating and socializing, Pastor Miles stands at a podium at the front of the room and smiles. "Now, I would like to invite one of the very best people I know to come and speak to us. After all, she is the reason we are gathering in fellowship. Grace?"

I blush as the congregation claps for me. I stand behind the podium and smile out at the crowd. "Hi, everybody. I've never really given a speech before, so we'll just have to see how this turns out." Multiple people laugh at the unintentional joke. "Well, I came here almost a year ago and the church is the first place I came to. Eliza Brian found me, of course, and took me in like her own. And to be honest, I know for a fact that I wouldn't be who I am today if it wasn't for that woman."

I look at my table and see Eliza crying. Caleb, who is holding Noah, gives me a thumbs up.

"I cannot even begin to tell you how grateful I am that you accepted me, my sister, and my son into your church family. It's an honor to be a part of this wonderful congregation." I smile.

Noah looks up and sees that I am not holding him any longer, and starts to cry loudly. I laugh a little as Caleb rushes my baby to me. "Thank you." I whisper as I take Noah in my arms. He immediately quiets down, gazing at my face as I turn back to the podium.

"And obviously, if it wasn't for Pastor Miles and the Brian family, and all of your prayers, I wouldn't have such an amazing little guy in my arms right now." I smile down at my child. "I want to give a special thank you to Pastor Miles, because he believed in me even when I was one hundred percent sure that I couldn't get anything done right. But he had faith in me and now, I'm officially a Christian mother with the best family I could ever ask for." I say through my tears as I look back down at Noah.

The congregation claps for me as I leave the podium and sit at my table. Caleb leans over towards me and whispers, "You did great." He kisses my cheek before straightening himself in his chair. I finally start to clean out my plate of food.

Halfway through, Noah cries again in my arms. "He didn't finish his bottle from earlier." I say as I fish it out of the diaper bag. "Alexis?"

"I'm on it." She takes my son from me and puts the bottle in his mouth, immediately quieting him. Once he finishes the bottle, he falls asleep, so I put him back in the carrier. I lay a blanket over him before pulling the shade down and letting him rest.

"Walk around the block?" Caleb whispers to me. I smile, motion towards the carrier for Eliza to watch him, and follow my boyfriend out into the parking lot.

We walk in silence for a few minutes before I pipe up. "You know? Maybe everything is going to be okay."

Caleb stops and hugs me, kissing my forehead. "Absolutely. I won't let it be anything less."

A/N: Wrapping up this book ah. I'm gonna miss it so much.

Mack