His Perfect Love

Chapter 20

It was suppertime and Allison made plenty of stew for her family. She couldn't wait to hear about Riley's day at school. Allison felt like a thrilled mother. She could only imagine wat it would be like when she actually had children and sent them off to school.

Once the table was set and laid with food, she called Clayton and Riley to the dinner table. Riley came first, with a beaming smile on her face. Clayton followed suit from his bedroom, having washed away the dirt on his hands and face. They all sat down and Clayton prayed over the meal. They began eating and Allison asked Riley to tell her all about her experience.

"I felt like I wasn't much help, but Claire assured me that I did great. I read over her lesson plans and worked on some of the material that the students were doing. I got to answer questions that they had, though they mostly asked Claire. I understand however, because they need to build up their trust in me. Claire suggested that I teach a lesson in a few days so we could all get to know each other better and at the same time they can gain more knowledge."

"That's a good idea. What's your lesson going to be about?" Allison asked, curious.

"I'm not sure yet. Do you have any thoughts?"

"Not right now, but I'll let you know if I come up with anything," Allison told Riley.

"I will too," Clayton said.

"Thanks," Riley said and looked over at Clayton.

Allison couldn't discern their shared looks. Clayton awkwardly cleared his throat, "Umm...Riley and I have some news to share."

Allison furrowed her eyebrows, "What now?" she asked skeptically.

"We're engaged," Riley said.

"Wow! As much as I wanted it, I didn't know your thoughts."

"Riley and I love each other, and that was my terms for getting married. I saw no reason why we shouldn't get married so I talked to Riley about it. Thank God she agreed," Clayton said, taking Riley's hand in his.

Allison smiled brightly at their display of affection. "But this puts into question of when my wedding and your wedding will be. I'd suggest a double wedding, but I'd like each of our days to be unique and special. "

"I agree. We can work this out though. It's nothing compared to what we've faced before," Riley said.

Allison nodded, "Dave sent a letter to the pastor from Rustleville and should be hearing back from him soon. As soon as he's able, he can come and marry Dave and me. How would you feel about having our weddings a day apart?"

"I don't mind, as long as I get married to the woman I love and she's happy," Clayton inserted.

Riley laughed, "That's just fine with me."

"Perfect!" Allison paused, considering something new. "But, your baby's due soon. Maybe you two should get married sooner."

"That is true," Riley turned to Clayton, "I'd rather be married before the baby's born."

Clayton nodded, "That's fine, like I said, as long as you're happy. How soon can you two plan a wedding?"

"If Riley and I work hard we can do it in a week or so. We can definitely ask our friends to help out and it would go by quicker."

"For sure. We could talk to them tomorrow. We could also ask Dave too," Riley suggested.

"Yes," Allison agreed. "We can visit Becky tomorrow and Justice too. Oakley might be busy, but we could see if she has time to help us."