Redeeming Heart (24 page)

“And what are you going to do about it?” she
sassed him.

“Trust me, you don’t want to find out…”
Landon walked out of the house. He smiled at Octavia, then urged
the boys to play another round of catch as if he hadn’t spoken a
cross word minutes earlier. This time, Brittani stayed inside.

Octavia relaxed, but she knew her marriage to
Landon would include a lot of prayer and fasting for the sake of
tranquility for the children. As she watched father and sons
horseplay, Octavia wondered in Landon’s case, who had been the
seducer and prey. Landon thought it was him, but maybe he had been
Brittani’s prey all along, and it would bruise Landon’s ego to
point out how he had been used. She snickered at the probability,
but he would never, ever, ever hear that from her.

Soon it was time to go, and they were back in
the car. Landon was out of breath, but he was glowing with
happiness. Watching him interact with the children, a thought came
to Octavia. She lowered her voice so Olivia couldn’t hear. “Babe,
have you considered moving back to Boston, so you can be closer to
the children? It definitely would be cheaper, and I’m…okay with
that.”

Landon stared at her. The love shone from his
eyes. “As a matter of fact, I have. I thought about it long and
hard, and prayed for direction. God spoke to me and told me if I
take you as my wife, you would be my priority.” He leaned over and
brushed the softest kiss against her lips. “Thank you, baby, for
offering.” Before pulling back, Landon pecked a few more kisses on
her lips, then mumbled, “Come on June 24th.”

Octavia smiled. Yes, their wedding couldn’t
come soon enough.

“Excuse me, there’s a child in the car,”
Olivia said from the back seat, and they all burst out
laughing.

Six months later, on the third Sunday in June,
Landon stood in Forest Park under a brass arch that had been
intertwined with flowers. The day was extra special because it was
the first time he would celebrate Father’s Day with all four of his
children.

Octavia had planned the day to perfection.
Benson and Bryan were ring bearers while his daughters shared the
spotlight as the flower girls.

As he waited for his bride, Landon glanced
around at the guests who had sacrificed their Father’s Day to be
there for him: cousins—even Garrett and his wife—uncles, aunts, his
grandparents, old friends and new.

His musings were dashed at the first chord of
the “Wedding March” when Octavia appeared. When his jaw dropped,
Garrett, a groomsman, nudged him. “Close it before something flies
in.”

Rossi, his other groomsman, and his father,
who was the best man, chuckled.

But Landon did as instructed. The only thing
he wanted to taste was his wife’s lips. His heart thundered against
his chest in excitement. Instead of Octavia getting lost in yards
of fabric, she was stunning in a sleek fabric that draped her
figure, but still left a lot to his imagination. She had that wow
factor on him every time he looked at her.

God, what did I do to deserve her?
he
thought.

Absolutely nothing,
God whispered back
and Landon smiled.

A slight breeze ushered her closer. Landon
stepped from his post to meet her. He shook hands with her
father.

The music continued to play, but Landon
didn’t budge. This was his day—their day—and he wanted to catalog
everything. Octavia’s curls were glossy and styled to frame her
gorgeous face. “Thank You, Jesus,” he said and exhaled. Octavia
Winston was about to be Octavia Thomas within minutes.

“Landon, babe,” she whispered, “You’re
supposed to walk me to the altar.”

He bit his bottom lip and nodded. “Right.”
Landon lingered a moment longer then escorted her until they were
standing in front of his former pastor from his home church in
Boston who had volunteered to officiate.

“It would be my honor to be part of your
restoration. Your marriage will be a testament to God’s salvation
that you’re an overcomer,” Pastor Justice had said when Landon
spoke to him in confidence when he was in Boston on his last
trip.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today
to celebrate the union of Brother Landon Thomas and Sister Octavia
Winston…”

The couple barely made it through their vows
as Landon tried his best to hold back tears and Octavia’s flowed
freely while her sister dabbed at her cheeks.

“You promise before God’s presence that you
will forsake all others. Let no man or woman come between you, be
loyal and loving at all times…” He looked at Landon. “Cherish her
at all times. Never forget the priceless jewel you have.”

“Never—ever,” he whispered.

Then the pastor turned to Octavia. “Respect
him, submit to him, hold him up before God and most importantly
love him. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband
and wife. What God has joined together, let no woman, man, or child
come between you in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.” He paused. “Brother Landon, you may now salute your—”

“Daddy, I’ve got to pee,” Benson said,
shattering the moment as Landon glanced down at his son who was
holding his pants.

“Not now, son,” Landon hushed.

“I’ll take him,” his grandfather volunteered
as everyone chuckled.

“Without further delay, you may kiss your
bride.” Pastor Justice smiled.

Sweeping Octavia into his arms, he kissed her
and then placed pecks on her cheeks until he whispered into her
ear, “I’ll never make you regret being my wife.”

“I know.” They kissed again, and the rest was
history.

One year later…

Octavia Thomas massaged her husband’s
shoulders as he poured over contracts he needed to sign to start
his own small business marketing firm. He already had three clients
waiting to come on board.

She was so proud of Landon. He was an
outstanding ad rep, an attentive husband and a dedicated
father.

She couldn’t ask for a better mate. Octavia
doubted he would be the man he was without being tried through the
fire of his trials. “How’s it going?”

He glanced over his shoulder and coaxed her
closer for a kiss. “I believe God will bless us.” He winked. “I’ve
got one more year to show the bankruptcy court that I’m credit
worthy again and then I’m buying
us
our first house.”

“You know that’s not necessary. You insist on
paying the mortgage here, and your name was added to the deed.”

“But
I
didn’t buy it for
you
. I
plan to change that.” Shoving the files aside, Landon stood and
snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. “Besides,
we’re going to need a bigger house as our family grows.”

She laughed as Landon lovingly rubbed her
stomach. At four months, Octavia had a bump. She couldn’t wait to
cradle a new baby in her arms. As Landon’s smaller children had
gotten in a habit of calling her an extra mommy from Alyssa, they
all couldn’t wait to have an extra brother or sister.

She and Landon still hadn’t ruled out a
permanent move to the New England state, but as Landon assured her,
“The children will grow up and leave home, but you…I’ll have you as
long as the Lord gives us breath.”

“In Jesus’ name, I receive that. Amen.” She
squeezed his neck.

“You know what? I think you need to take a
nap, and I think I’ll join you,” he said with a naughty grin before
scooping her up and carrying her into their bedroom. When the door
closed, they shut out the world. And the honeymoon continued.

1. Landon was reared in the church and knew better
than to dishonor God. Talk about the consequences of a lukewarm
person’s actions.

2. Octavia made a choice to love Landon. Why?

3. Landon had fathered four children. Discuss his
revelation of what it took to be a daddy.

4. Landon was portrayed as characters from the
Bible: Jacob and Esau; the prodigal son and the lost sheep. Which
scenario do you think he identified with most in the story?

5. Discuss Octavia’s relationship with Terri in
regards to Terri pushing Octavia toward James.

6. What lesson did you receive from this story?

7. Based on Landon’s past transgressions, how easy
would it be for you to forgive someone like him?

A special thank you.

I’m so honored that you chose
Redeeming Heart
to read. I not only hope you have enjoyed Landon and Octavia’s
story, but you were blessed.

Please consider posting an honest review on
Amazon, so others will know what you thought about this story.

If you’re interested in being part of my
street team to help me get the word out about my Christian titles,
please email me at
[email protected]
.

Most of all, may God bless you for blessing
me!

Pat Simmons

Pat is the multi-published author of several single
titles and eBook novellas, and is a two-time recipient of Emma
Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance. She has been a
featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across
the country.

As a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth, Pat is
passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in
starring roles in her novels. She describes the evidence of the
gift of the Holy Ghost as an amazing, unforgettable, life-altering
experience. God is the Author who advances the stories she
writes.

Currently, overseeing the media publicity for
the annual RT Booklovers Conventions, Pat has a B.S. in mass
communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts.

Pat has converted her sofa-strapped, sports
fanatic husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard,
GPS-guided chauffeur, and her administrative assistant who is
constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter.

Read more about Pat and her books by visiting
www.patsimmons.net
, or on
social media.

The Guilty series

Book I:
Guilty of Love

Book II:
Not Guilty of Love

Book III:
Still Guilty

The Guilty Parties series

Book I
: The Acquittal

Book II
: The Confession

The Jamieson Legacy

Book I
: Guilty by Association

Book II
: The Guilt Trip

Book III
: Free from Guilt

The Carmen Sisters

Book I
: No Easy Catch

Book II:
In Defense of Love

Redeeming Heart

Book III:
Driven to Be Loved

Love at the Crossroads

Book I
: Stopping Traffic

Book II
: A Baby for Christmas

Book III
: The Keepsake

Book IV:
What God Has
for Me

Making Love Work Anthology

Book I:
Love at Work

Book II:
Words of Love

Book III:
A Mother’s Love

Single titles

Crowning Glory

Talk to Me

Her Dress (novella)

Holiday titles

Love for the Holidays
(Three Christian novellas)

A Christian Christmas

A Christian Easter

A Christian Father’s Day

A Woman After David’s Heart (Valentine’s Day)

Christmas Greetings

STOPPING TRAFFIC,
Book I. Candace Clark has a
phobia about crossing the street, and for good reason. As fate
would have it, her daughter's principal assigns her to crossing
guard duties as part of the school's Parent Participation program.
With no choice in the matter, Candace begrudgingly accepts her stop
sign and safety vest, then reports to her designated crosswalk.
Once Candace is determined to overcome her fears, God opens the
door for a blessing, and Royce Kavanaugh enters into her life, a
firefighter built to rescue any damsel in distress. When a spark of
attraction ignites, Candace and Royce soon discover there's more
than one way to stop traffic.