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“Avery—” Addisyn couldn’t stand back any longer. She wrapped her arms around her sister’s neck. There was so much she wanted to say, but the tears had stolen her words.
“Neither one of us was perfect,” Addisyn heard Avery whisper near her ear. “Maybe that’s what El Shaddai was always trying to teach us. Neither one of us has to be.”
Addisyn looked up at her sister’s face. “Perfect? I wasn’t even close.” Her voice broke. “I did everything wrong—and I didn’t become a great figure skater either.”
Avery’s smile was the rarest kind of beauty. “Addisyn, I never cared if you were a great figure skater. You’re something much better.” Her voice seemed to carry healing with it, washing over the stains and creases on Addisyn’s soul. “You’re my sister. Forever.”
As if a two-ton rock had rolled off Addisyn’s soul, relief—hope—joy flooded her. She let Avery gather her in her arms again, rocking her softly, holding her close. She felt like a small child once more—letting Avery take care of her, drinking in her sister’s strength, breathing in her faith. The way she always had.
God had answered her prayer—and then some. She had not only had the chance to apologize to her sister—she’d had the chance to see that her apology was unnecessary. Avery had come clear across the country—had she said she lived in Colorado?—to find her. Even though she had been so awful.
And as Avery held her in her arms, and as they stood in the middle of LaGuardia and wept, a place deep within Addisyn’s soul was trembling to life. Slowly, Faith unfolded its wings and quivered with promise.
Because if Avery could forgive Addisyn...then for the first time, it truly seemed real that Avery’s God would too.
“YOU STILL LOVEketchup as much as I remember?” Addisyn’s eyes gleamed with fun as she tossed Avery a packet of condiment.
Avery deftly swiped it out of the air. “You better believe it.” She glanced at the label on the packet. “‘Spicy Hot Ketchup with Jalapeños.’” She laughed out loud. “This might be too much even for me!”
Addisyn laughed also—her wonderful laugh, like glistening bells. Avery had missed that music so much. She tore open the packet and smiled lovingly at her younger sister as she dumped it onto her sandwich.
Sitting across from each other on a metal airport bench eating Jimmy John’s sandwiches from the concourse might not have been the reunion dinner Avery would have planned. But now, everything about the moment felt completely perfect. Really, she would have been willing to sit on a hot stove and eat dirt as long as she had Addisyn back.
She couldn’t stop looking at her beautiful sister. Cross-legged on the bench, tearing into the sandwich as though she were starving, Addisyn still had the perfect features and glittery brown hair. But Avery saw something different in her eyes, and it made her heart sing. That slowly-clouding darkness was gone.
She still didn’t know where Addisyn had been for the last six months, but it didn’t matter. Wherever she’d gone, she’d found healing.
Was it too much to hope that she’d found El Shaddai too?
“I like your hair shorter. It looks really pretty.” Addisyn smiled.
“Thanks.” Avery felt the warmth of the compliment. “I had it cut right before I moved.”
“About that.” Addisyn blotted the corner of her mouth with a napkin and looked expectantly at her sister. “You said you lived in—Colorado?”
“Yes!” Avery flipped her hand under her hair and grinned. “In the most beautiful place in the world. I have a log cabin in Estes Park, Colorado. Well, not in Estes Park proper. It’s outside the city, up in the mountains. There are forests all around and lots of animals.” She knew she was rambling, but her excitement refused to slow down.
“Awesome!” Addisyn leaned forward, as if drinking it all in and eager to hear more.
“Yes. It is awesome.” Avery grinned, relishing the thought of her home. “And you’re coming back with me.” A moment of uncertainty poked at her. Wasn’t that what she’d always done? Direct Addisyn’s life? She took a quick breath and reframed her statement. “Only if you would like to, of course.”
“I wouldn’t dream of doing anything else!”
Avery felt peace spreading through her, slow and steady. If only she’d looked for her sister sooner. Better yet, if only she hadn’t pushed her so far away to begin with. She sighed and studied her sandwich. “Addisyn, I’m sorry. I told you all about God’s justice—and I forgot to tell you about His grace.”
She looked up when Addisyn took her hand. “Avery, you did tell me about His grace.” Addisyn’s face was serious, every word seeming to come from deep inside her soul. “You showed me the love of God when you left everything behind and sacrificed some of the best years of your life to take care of me and get me away from our father. You loved me and watched out for me and tried to make sure I did the right thing and had a good life.” She blinked hard and paused for a moment. “And you told me about God’s love another time.”
“When?”
Addisyn looked her straight in the eye. “Well, Avery, I—I—” She fumbled awkwardly, as if unsure of her words. “I think—I know God now.”
Hope, powerful and pounding, surged through Avery. “Are you serious?”
Addisyn’s smile was shy, but her words were firm. “Yes. I believe I do.”
“Oh, Addisyn!” Avery gasped and squeezed her sister’s hand. “It’s what I always prayed for!”
The heart-joy in Addisyn’s eyes was unmistakable. “It’s all because of you.”
