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Beckett, dressed in the more recognizable Incredible Hulk costume, zipped toward the kid section. Scott followed behind.
“So? Fill me in.” Whitney batted her eyelashes. “Obviously you and Cody have stopped mooning over each other. How’s it going?”
I scoffed. “Neither of us ever mooned. I deny that. Heartily.”
“Sure. Okay. There was no mooning. Or longing looks when no one was supposed to be looking.” Whitney leaned against the counter. “And I never drooled over Scott when I was working as his nanny and supposed to be keeping it platonic.”
I flicked her arm. “Hey.”
“Deets, girl. We’ve been in the islands—which was amazing and heartily recommended if you ever need to get your life back together.”
I studied Whitney. She was tanner than she’d been when she left. But more than that, there was an air of relaxation and calm around her that had been missing for too long. “It looks like it agreed with you.”
“It really did. And having the parents—both sets—with us? Icing on the cake. Mom and Dad had to leave a little earlier than they would have liked because Wendy is still struggling and needed them, but I can’t blame them for that.” Whitney blew out a breath. “And Scott and I decided that we’re going to try for a baby in earnest.”
“Wow. Congrats.” I cocked my head to the side. “You’re not worried?”
“I am. I can’t deny that. But we spent a lot of time praying together and we both really feel like this is the right next step. So, we’ll see what God has for us and face it together.”
I nodded slowly. That’s how a marriage was supposed to work. My parents were like that. Austin and Kayla looked like they were working the same way. And Cody and me? We hadn’t done much praying together. Just quick blessings for the meal, that sort of thing.
I prayed about and for him. And for our relationship. But I did it on my own. I should talk to Cody about it.
My stomach twisted.
I really didn’t want to. I wasn’t someone who talked about spiritual things easily. It was private. Personal. And I’d had too many people in my life remind me that just because I believed something it didn’t mean everyone else did. Or that they had to.
Which, okay, sure. That was true. But I probably shouldn’t be as hesitant about speaking up about my faith—or about things that had to do with faith—when I was among friends who all believed the same thing anyway.
“Can I ask you a question?” I glanced over to where Scott and Beckett were playing, happily oblivious, and leaned in, lowering my voice.
Whitney’s eyebrows lifted and she leaned close. “Not only can you, but you have to now. I’m curious.”
I managed a slight smile. “When you and Scott were living together and dating, did you ever question the whole ‘supposed to save sex for marriage’ thing? I mean, it’s a piece of paper, right? It gives you a tax break. Marriage used to be just two people saying out loud that they were married and going about as man and wife, right?”
Whitney frowned. “I’m going to try and stick to answers, but I have so many questions that I would rather ask you. Yes, it was a challenge at times. And that’s one of the reasons we did marry as soon as we realized it was where we were headed. But the rest of what you said? It sounds like justification. If you want to go back in time, having sex was all it took to be married. So, should we just apply that to the world now? Anytime people sleep together, they’re married? Then, I guess, for people who feel like there’s no big issue sleeping around, what do we say? Are they polygamists? Because the Bible’s pretty clear that God created marriage foroneman andonewoman. Not multiples.”
“But—”
Whitney held up a finger. “Not quite finished. I’m not sure what I think about the fact that the government is involved in marriage now. But that’s beside the point. For believers, marriage is a covenant between two people and God. And sex is what seals that covenant. So while it may just be a piece of paper for the IRS, it’s a lot more than that spiritually.”
I sighed. I didn’t have to necessarily like her words, but I’d think about them. It wasn’t as if it was new information. A few tweaks in there. I hadn’t thought about the covenant aspect, even though it had lurked in the back of my mind, having been mentioned somewhere or other.
Whitney rested her hand over mine. “Are you sleeping with Cody?”
I shook my head.
“But you want to.”
Since Whitney hadn’t phrased it as a question, I wasn’t sure I needed to answer her, but she just kept looking at me, eyebrows raised.
Finally, I managed a slight shrug. “The idea has entered my mind.”
Whitney chuckled. “I bet. I know how it is. I’m not going to lecture more, but I’ll pray for you to listen to the Holy Spirit.”
Which was as good as a lecture. I knew what was right. I knew what the Bible said and what everyone always taught. And I knew the other side of things, from high school, when I’d decided it didn’t matter what the Bible said or everyone taught. I could try to justify that it was a different situation. The guy in high school wasn’t someone I would have ever considered marrying. Sex just seemed necessary. Everyone else was doing it, and I hadn’t wanted to go to prom alone. We’d spent six months together, sneaking sex in uncomfortable places, and when I was late, he’d dropped me faster than I could blink. So I’d ended up at prom solo anyway. And I’d confessed all of that and promised God that I was going to listen to His Word going forward.
Yet here I was, looking for loopholes.
