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I grinned and sat next to him, waving at everyone. “Mom, would it be okay if I bring Ella to family dinner?”
She nodded, and her nostrils flared. She looked like she was about to cry. “Of course.”
McCrae joined us.
Luckily, Jason and Trent were keeping Ella talking. They had fished some gum out of her purse.
We all fell silent as the pastor began speaking. “Today, I think a fitting topic would be the Apostle Paul.”
Even though I didn’t attend church all the time, I read my Bible, so I was familiar with the story of Paul. It struck a chord with me today.
“The first thing Paul taught us was that any person could go from being a sinner to a saint. On the road to Damascus, he was struck by Jesus Christ, who told him to quit killing Christians.” The pastor looked around the congregation, and then his eyes honed in on me and Ella. “I ask you, do you want to make a change of heart today? I tell you that you can.”
Ella leaned into me, and when she turned and met my gaze, her eyes were glazed with tears. I knew she felt guilty that she hadn’t forgiven me sooner. I squeezed her gently against my side.
The pastor continued. “I also love Paul because he suffered. It might sound strange for me to say that, but he suffered for others. He made a symbolic gesture of what Christ did for all of us. Paul suffered to bring news of Jesus Christ to all. I ask you today, could you suffer a little more? Or have you suffered enough? Or is it time to think about the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how it could change your life? I can’t answer this question for you, but you could go to God and find out what He wants for you in your life. I challenge you today to be like Paul, to have a change of heart and then to follow Jesus Christ.”
I’d forgotten how amazing our pastor was. His words spoke to my soul, and I thought about the way I’d suffered the past eight years. I would do it again for the moment last night whenElla had told me she forgave me. I would do it for a shot to be with this woman.
The choir sang, and we finished with the prayer.
Afterward, we spent some time walking out and talking to different people in town. My mother hugged me tightly and told me she was so glad Ella and I were coming to family dinner. My father even winked at me and nodded his approval.
Kayla walked over to us and gave me a smug look before putting her arm around Ella. “I’m really sorry about the other day.”
I glanced between them. What was she talking about?
Ella laughed. “It’s okay. You were just protecting your brother. Not that he needs protecting.”
Kayla met my gaze and then grunted. “True.”
Damon nudged me and grinned. There was so much being said between us without a word.
I leaned into him. “So have you worked out what happened between the boys?”
He nodded. “Jason admitted he shoved Trent.”
“What are you going to do?”
He laughed. “What did Dad and Mom do to you every time you threatened me?”
I winced. It wasn’t nice to think about how much pain I’d inflicted on my siblings.
Jason and Trent had Ella by each of her hands, pulling her over to the little koi pond to look at the fish. She was bending and pointing and laughing with them.
Damon put his arm around me. “I guess you guys are good?”
I met his gaze and laughed. “Well, she forgave me. We’ll see what that means.”
Damon was quiet for a minute. “She never should’ve had toforgiveyou. The whole thing was an accident, and …”
I cut him off. “Hey, think of the Apostle Paul. Haven’t we all suffered enough?”
Damon shrugged. “When you put it like that, I guess you’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ella
