Her dad stood and pulled her up. They hugged tightly, and some of the past hurt disappeared. It would take time, but the Savior would help them all heal.
The problem was, Jagger didn’t turn to his Savior. How would he heal?
Her mom came at her from the side. Her dad released her so she could hug her mom. They both cried all over each other.
When she pulled back, her dad nodded to her. “I’m relieved the secret is finally out. Now we can move forward and heal.”
“It’s definitely past time.”
They kneeled together. Her dad poured out his heart in prayer for Jagger and each of them to know how they could right the wrongs, forgive and be forgiven. They all cried freely.
When they sat again, he asked, “How can we find Jagger and make this right?”
“He’s on a mission. He promised he’d come for me when he’s finished. I told him I’d be here waiting for him.”
“Okay.” Her dad nodded. “We won’t stop praying for his safety and his forgiveness and healing. Maybe he’ll knock me out this time, make things right.”
“He wouldn’t hit you.” Belinda laughed at the thought. It felt good to laugh, but … “I can’t believe you knocked him out. You were the lightweight champion of Kentucky?”
“Guilty.”
He was guilty of a lot of things, but too many times of him loving, protecting, and being there for her won out over the anger of him lying. She knew he thought he had heaven’s approval and he’d done it to help her, no matter how misguided and heavy-handed it had been.
“Why have you never told me that?”
“Well. ‘Fighting Preacher’ sounds intriguing, but it’s not really something I wanted my flock to know about me.”
“I’m your daughter, not your flock.”
“True. I wonder if you’ll ever keep anything from your children.”
“Never,” she vowed fiercely.
He arched an eyebrow. “So you’ll tell them about you and Jagger making out at the lake?”
“How did you …”
“One of my guys saw you.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Okay, I see your point.”
Jagger’s face flashed in her mind. She could go for some making out at the lake right now. She’d keep praying he could come to her and be safe and somehow forgive her parents.
Forgiving her parents might be too much to ask, but she knew he loved her.
Yet the awful premonition of something being wrong wouldn’t go away.
Please let him and Hays be safe on their mission.
She didn’t know what else she could do but pray.
Her faith would get her through. What would help Jagger?
Chapter
Nineteen
Jagger and Hays were on a very boring mission, scouting out a terrorist cell using the very caves Osama Bin Laden had been found in. Eerie, but a week of patiently waiting had yielded nothing but him chafing to get to Belinda. He kept trying to pray, and he asked Hays to pray. No surprise, it didn’t seem to be doing anything for him. He was still angry at her dad, and even though she’d told him she trusted him, loved him, and chose him, there was that fear he had to fight through that they’d never be together like they both dreamed of.