Page 41 of A Baxter Family Christmas
“That’ll do it.” Kendra turned off the beaters. The cream looked perfect. “Hey, Ashley. Thank you. For letting me and Moe come tonight.”
“It all worked out. Your gift for Amy was very kind.” Erin’s sister leaned against the counter, the air between them much more relaxed than earlier when they first met.
“I had to find some way to connect with her.”
“The locket was exactly what she needed.” Ashley’s voice was kind. “Proof that God wanted the two of you to meet.”
“Maybe so.” Kendra thought about Ashley’s words, how easily she talked about God. As if He were right here in the room with them.
Ashley found a spoon for the cream. “So... you and Moe? My dad told me he wasn’t going to come tonight.”
“He wasn’t. Not until yesterday.” Kendra wasn’t sure how much to say. “We... neither of us have ever believed in God.”
Ashley listened. If she already knew this information, she didn’t let on.
“Anyway... Moe and I, we weren’t doing very well. Not since the transplant. We even talked about getting a divorce.” She gave Ashley a wary look. “In the next month or so.”
“Mmmm.” Ashley looked genuinely troubled by this. “I’m sorry. Marriage is so important.”
“Yes, it is.” Kendra wasn’t sure why she was telling Ashley this. They were strangers, after all. But somehow Kendra no longer felt that way. “Eventually I decided to challenge God—if there was a God. To see if He was real or just part of the imaginations of very nice people.” She looked at Ashley. “Is that terrible?”
“Not at all.” Ashley’s smile held a knowing. “One day I’ll have to tell you my story. How I went through a phase of not believing in God. I asked Him to show Himself, to prove He was real.” Her quiet laugh seemed to suggest she was still amazed at what happened next. “Let’s just say God has no trouble proving Himself.”
“Right.” Kendra dished the cream into the crystal bowl. “So I prayed for Moe. I asked God—if He was really there—to change Moe’s attitude. So that our marriage would have a chance.” She looked out at Moe still talking with John Baxter at the table. “Since then, we’ve been doing better than ever. Which isn’t even possible based on how things were just a few weeks ago.” She looked at Ashley. “So if God is real—and it seems like He must be—I guess Moe and I have to decide what to do next.”
Ashley smiled and nodded. “He’ll show you that, too.” She took the bowl of whipped cream. “Nice talking to you, Kendra. I mean it about telling you my story someday.”
“I’d love to hear it.”
As Ashley left to put the bowl with the other desserts, Moe found Kendra in the kitchen. He put his arms around her waist. “What an amazing night.”
“I know.” She looked straight into his eyes, at the warmth and kindness that hadn’t been there before. “The Baxters are very special people.”
“That’s what I was going to tell you.” He looked out into the room where the others were caught up in half a dozen conversations. “I can feel it, Kendra. The love here.”
“It’s in the air. A sort of love that fills my soul.” She laid her head on his chest for a long moment. Then she looked at him again. “Don’t you think, Moe... it could be something more?”
He searched her eyes. “Like God, you mean?”
“Maybe.” She kissed him.
“And something else.” His smile told her that he wasn’t angry at her mentioning God. He was possibly even open to the idea. “Watching you with Amy...”
A soft gasp filled her throat. “You felt that, too?”
“Your doctor said you could have a baby, Kendra. Once everything was fine with your heart.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking when Amy hugged me. I tried to imagine how I would feel having a little girl of my own. How special that would be.”
For a long time Moe didn’t say anything. He only looked into her eyes, straight through to her heart. Then he kissed her and smiled. “I think we have a lot to talk about when we get home.” He paused. “Maybe we can join my sister at her church. Because... if God is real, it’s about time we get to know Him.”
“Really?”
Moe brushed his fingers against her cheek. “I love you, Kendra. I’m sorry... about everything.”
“Me, too. I love you.” She hadn’t felt this much love for her husband since they were first married. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas.”
