What God Has For Me (2 page)

Desi Bishop beamed, shifting her body in the
hospital bed. “He is, isn’t he? And handsome like his father.” She
paused and blinked. “Whew.” She fanned herself with one hand. “And
just think, I almost missed out on my unbelievable blessing,” she
choked out, referring to her troubled marriage that had since been
reconciled. “But God changed things around for Mikey and me.”

No one in the family would have guessed or
gambled that Desi’s husband of five years would have cheated on his
wife. Of the three Holland sisters, Desi had seemed to be the only
one who found happiness. The oldest, Tracey, was divorced with two
sons, Halcyon had been living with a man, but everyone thought that
Desi had found true love with Michael and they had been rooting for
them.

Desi was also the one dubbed the most
faithful to God, yet it had seemed that the Lord had failed her
when it came to her marriage. Halcyon had to give God His props for
turning things around. But for a while, it didn’t seem as if Desi
was going to forgive her husband; even Zachary was shocked when
Desi did.

Halcyon had held out hope that God would send
her some sign that Scott would come around. The joke was really on
her because Halcyon thought the children gave her an upper hand in
the relationship. They didn’t. The evidence was Scott exchanging
vows months ago with another woman who ironically had a child.
Despite the slap in the face, Halcyon had no regrets about leaving.
Otherwise, she might be pregnant again and still no ring.

Before Halcyon could say that God hadn’t
turned anything around in her personal life, Desi’s door opened.
“I’m back, Mommy Bishop.” Her husband led excited family members in
the room, carrying balloons, stuffed animals and bags of gifts.

Boasting a wide grin, Michael kissed his wife
tenderly as if the two didn’t have an audience, then cooed at his
son. Halcyon fought back the jealousy that tried to taunt her
because she had never seen that look of awe on Scott’s face,
especially not from looking at his son. To date, Scott hadn’t asked
to see Jonathan.

Halcyon blinked. She had to stop comparing
apples to oranges. Desi and Michael were church-going folks, while
she and Scott didn’t even have a Bible in their apartment.

Little MJ, short for Michael Jr., whimpered,
triggering Granny Rose and Sarah Holland, Halcyon’s mother, to
ahh
. The children, Tracey’s two small boys and Ashanti and
Jonathan seemed more interested in the gift bags than their new
cousin.

“Mommy, why can’t God give me some girl
cousins?” Halcyon’s four-year-old daughter pouted as she stood on
her tippy toes to peek at the baby.

Everyone chuckled at Ashanti’s serious
expression. Outnumbered three boys to one girl in the family,
Ashanti might miss that special girl bonding Halcyon shared with
her two sisters. “Well,” she said as she kissed the child’s cheek
and tugged on a fat braid, “maybe one of your aunties—”

“Don’t look at me.” Tracey folded her arms
with a grunt. “I’m done—tubes tied, man hater and all that other
stuff.”

Ashanti frowned. “Mommy, what’s a tube?”

The adults chuckled while her mother swatted
at Tracey, who feigned innocence. “What?”

“We’ll see what Aunt Desi and Uncle Mike can
do about that next time.” Her brother-in-law winked at Ashanti.

Halcyon thought Desi would protest any
discussion of a “next time” so soon after having her first one, but
she seemed too caught up in her new baby to be distracted. All eyes
turned to Zachary, who was restraining Jonathan in his arms from
grabbing one of the helium balloons.

“Well, grandson, do we have any leads coming
from you?” Granny Rose didn’t believe in beating around the bush.
She said what she wanted to say and dared anyone to say she was
wrong, even if she was. Petite and chubby in her later years, she
was an older version of Desi. Resting in a nearby chair, Granny
Rose reached for Jonathan, who came willingly.

After relinquishing her son, Zachary shrugged
and his biceps flexed. His mustache and goatee were always trimmed
with precision and his cologne was so faint that Halcyon looked
forward to his hugs just to get a whiff. “I’m not married yet, so I
have nothing to add to the pot.”

Granny Rose
hmph
ed. “We know. You
better hurry up and find a good woman and put a ring on her finger.
My great granddaughter needs a playmate.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Zachary didn’t argue; his light
brown eyes sparkled. He moved closer to the bed to get a better
look at the new family addition.

Halcyon shook her head. Leave it to a man who
thinks he has all the time in the world, while the woman is
counting down her reproductive eggs. And when it came to children,
Zachary spoiled them—hers especially. Stubborn to a fault, he
possessed a quiet temperament. Good-looking and businesswise, a
great combination for any woman’s good catch. Good catches were
overrated in her estimation. Halcyon thought Scott had great
qualities and look what happened.

Zachary also had a dash of something special.
Although he was a practicing Christian, he never condemned her for
not practicing Christian values by living with a man that wasn’t
her husband. She wished him happiness in finding that special
someone who would appreciate what she had.

“If I had another daughter, Zach, I would
gladly give her to you,” her mother said, then demanded her turn to
hold her new grandson.

“Don’t worry, Mom Holland, I’ve already put
my order in and God is fulfilling it as we speak,” Zachary dropped
the bombshell, stealing the show from the newborn. It was as if
everyone stopped breathing to hear what he said next.

Finally, Michael shifted his body next to his
wife and smirked. “So you’re actively looking?”

“Not anymore. I’ve already found her,”
Zachary said casually as he reached for his turn to hold the baby
and then talked baby talk to his new nephew.

***

If Michael wasn’t a new dad, Zachary would
have strangled him. They were as close as brothers could be and
each other’s confidant, but Zachary didn’t give Michael the okay to
meddle by throwing out hints in front of Halcyon of his
interest.

Once Zachary was convinced his little brother
and Desi's marriage was back on track, he’d poured out his heart.
“From the first time I saw Halcyon at your wedding, she caught my
eye and heart. My attraction didn’t vanish when you told me she was
living with a guy. I’ve learned to watch and pray to see what God
had to say about the situation. She was beautiful, glowing and in
love with the wrong man. I painfully have watched her glow
dim.”

Halcyon was a gorgeous woman with flawless
brown satiny skin that had to be the envy of every makeup artist.
Her full lips were naturally pouty and her eyes had just enough
slant to make them mesmerizing. Scott had been a fool to discard
her as if she was worth nothing to him.

“I’m ready to be more than a big brother to
her and an uncle to her children,” he confessed.

Michael whistled and shook his head. They had
met for lunch to go over procedures prior to the grand opening of
Michael’s Baer Electronics store franchise. “I don’t know how you
did it. That had to be hard to watch the woman you wanted to be
with, live with another man.”

“Not really, she was in a committed
relationship when I met her, but I could tell at your wedding that
she was preoccupied. When she thought all the focus was on the
bride and groom, I watched her expression. She wore the bridesmaid
dress and smiled, but her mannerism showed her heart wasn’t in it.”
In hindsight, Zachary’s suspicion was spot on. She was distracted
because she wasn’t happy in her own relationship.

“I don’t know, man,” Michael had objected.
“Halcyon is still getting her head together. Desi told me that
Scott really did a number on her emotionally.” He paused and seemed
to be deep in thought. It took a waitress delivering their lunch to
pull him out. “You know, bro, it’s funny how life’s path to
happiness can’t always be mapped out. Look at me.” He paused and
patted his chest. “You and I had perfect role models in our parents
until they were killed in that car accident—solid marriage. I never
imagined I would be an unfaithful husband until I closed my
spiritual eyes to Satan’s seduction.” Gritting his teeth, Michael
shook his head, evidently reliving the memories that despite the
reconciliation were still painful to discuss.

Zachary nodded his understanding, then bowed
to say grace. “Lord, thank You for this food we are about to
receive. We ask that You would bless and sanctify it in Jesus’
name. Please provide for those who are hungry and I thank you for
my little brother. Amen.”

Michael looked up and grinned. “Amen. It’s
good having a big bro, too.” He took the first bite into his
hamburger and moaned.

“You know, your infidelity did surprise me.
The Holland sisters are special and classy ladies. I don’t want to
see anybody mess over them, including my brother.”

Grabbing his glass of soda, Michael grunted,
then took a sip. “Who you tellin’? My jaw is still aching from when
you took a swing.”

How could Zachary forget his reaction to his
brother’s confession that he had cheated. “Yeah, you deserved that,
considering you had lost your mind. I’m glad Jesus restored it and
your marriage, but Scott won’t have that chance.”

“Let’s get back to you and Halcyon. What man
in his right mind would hold out hope for a woman who is living
with a man, when you have so many other women vying for your
attention—your employees, church sisters, social circle?”

“When you put it that way, you make me sound
as if I were pining for a married woman, which Halcyon was not. If
a man doesn’t give a woman a ring, there is no commitment.” To
Zachary’s ears, his reasoning sounded weak, but Halcyon had his
heart twisted up in knots from the beginning. He dipped a fry into
the ketchup on his plate. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t dated,
searching to see if there was actually someone else. “Plus, I don’t
believe every relationship in our lives is a perfect fit, whether
it is work-related, family or the opposite sex. After you married
Desi and once I got to know Halcyon at family gatherings—that Scott
never attended—I could see she was in the wrong relationship.”

Zachary took a few more bites, then wiped his
mouth. “What does the verse in first Corinthians say?
Love is
long suffering, kind, not boastful, nor behaves shamefully
, and
on and on. As far as Bridget”—preferring to use her middle name as
an endearment—“is concerned, I’ve fulfilled verses four through
seven. Although I didn’t pray for things to turn out the way they
have between her and Scott, he had four years to do the right
thing, but I’m not rejoicing at the outcome either because she and
the babies are the causalities.”

“And there’s more.” Michael dabbed his mouth
and sat back.

Not liking the manner in which his brother
said that, Zachary braced himself, selfishly praying that Scott and
Halcyon had not reconciled. If so, he was done hoping, waiting and
praying for her. “What?”

“I overheard Halcyon tell her sisters that
Scott got married a while back.”

“Wow.” Zachary whistled. He hadn’t expected
that. The man in him wanted to pump his fist in the air for sweet
victory, but his heart sank, knowing the news had to really hurt
her.

“There’s more. Get this, to a woman with a
son. Go figure.”

“Yikes.” Zachary was quickly losing his
appetite. “That had to crush her, but I’m here to help her
recover.”

“I’ll be praying for you.” Michael lifted his
glass for a toast, and Zachary clicked it. “At least Desi and I
were on the same level as far as attraction was concerned. Halcyon
may not even like you in that way.”

Zachary would not be swayed as he summoned
the waitress for their check. “She will. Trust me. Halcyon Bridget
Holland is mine.”

Life goes on,
Halcyon thought, recalling
memories of her first official “Mommy’s Day Out” that had occurred
six weeks after she had delivered Ashanti. Her Granny Rose had
started the tradition when her mother had her older sister, Tracey.
Then Sarah Holland did the honors when Tracey had her firstborn
son, Halcyon had been next, and now it was Desi’s hoopla.

That had been an incredible moment when she
had embraced motherhood for the first time. Halcyon’s heart had
been filled with so many dreams of a perfect life with the man she
had loved. That bubble burst.

She pushed those depressing thoughts aside.
Once again, three generations of Holland women gathered for brunch
at Mother’s Heart, a boutique restaurant that catered to new
mothers, to celebrate Desi’s milestone as a new mother.

“Do you know how long I have waited for this
moment?” Judging from the grin on Desi’s face, they all knew the
answer. Her sister looked as if she could barely contain
herself.

“Yes, we do.” Their mother rolled her eyes in
jest. “Minutes after you delivered MJ, mention of “Mommy’s Day Out”
popped up here and there as if we were going to forget.”

The Holland sisters chuckled as Desi blushed.
Granny Rose slid the long gift box toward Desi. It was the keepsake
gift for MJ to pass on to his firstborn son.

“Ooh.” Desi meticulously tore open the
wrapping to reveal the blue handkerchief embroidered with “Favorite
Great Grandson.” Tracey’s two sons got the same “unique” gift, but
Desi seemed to play along as if she had never seen anything so
beautiful before.

“Mom, that makes three favorites by now,”
Sarah teased her mother.

“And your point is?” Granny Rose huffed with
a smile. “Since they all belong to me, they’re all my favorite.
It’s a great-grandmother’s prerogative.”

They all laughed at Granny Rose’s antics as
other gifts followed. Halcyon laughed on cue with the others, but
she prayed for her baby sister’s happiness as she struggled with
her own shattered dreams. At least Tracey and Desi had been married
when they had their children. Leave it to the middle child to buck
the system. But the Holland women were a special breed she wouldn’t
trade for anything. When Ashanti was born out of wedlock, none of
them ever made her feel ashamed. They seemed to shower her with an
extra dose of love.