Page 24 of Love Story
Cole helped Ashley to her feet and the two of them returned to theSUV. The afternoon was one Ashley would never forget. She would always remember these hours with Cole, and the way he had wanted to spend time at the cemetery with her. She could hardly wait to tell Landon.
On the drive home, Cole turned on the radio and almost at the same time Kyle Kupecky’s hit song “This Is Not the End” came on. It was Ashley’s favorite. Sometimes when she was alone in the car she’d sing it at the top of her lungs.
Like it was her anthem.
Cole loved it, too. He had a better voice than Ashley did and he knew every word. “This is not the end... the night is dark but the stars are shining... This is not the end, so keep your faith and trust His timing.”
Ashley’s eyes were dry now. The song, a reminder of a very powerful truth. Cole was still singing along.
“And if you fall... land on your knees, reach out to heaven and you’ll see... This is not the end.”
They were halfway home when the song ended. Cole turned down the radio and looked at her. “What about your love story, Mom? You’ve never told me what happened with you and my dad.”
Suddenly Ashley couldn’t draw a breath. She kept her eyes on the road, pretending to be too involved in driving to really hear what Cole said.No, Lord... please don’t let him ask this. Not now. Not after such a beautiful day together.
“Mom?” Cole made a sound that was more confusion than laughter. “Did you hear me?”
“What?” Ashley gave him a quick look. “Sorry. My story? Right... What do you want to know?”
“Well...” Cole raised one shoulder and let it fall again. “I’m not sure. Everything, I guess. I don’t want to be all old and one day my son’s in high school and he wants to do an interview and that’s how long I have to wait to know your love story.”
“Thanks, Cole.” She allowed a sarcastic laugh. “All old, huh?”
“Not you.” He chuckled, clearly realizing how he must’ve sounded. “I’m just saying. I’d rather know now. Family stories are important. They’re part of our legacy. Our history.”
“Like your assignment.” Ashley kept her voice cool, but her heart was racing. She never wanted him to ask this. Never wanted to go back to those days again.Please, God... not my story. Please, no.
“Right. But not for school, you know? Just you and me, talking about what happened with your story.”
Ashley gripped the steering wheel so tightly she wondered if it might come off. Panic wrapped its strong fingers around her throat. Ashley chided herself. This was ridiculous. Just because he asked didn’t mean she needed to break into the story here on the drive home. She forced her tone to sound casual. “Sure, Cole. We can do that sometime. Absolutely.”
“Really?” Cole studied her. “You seemed like you didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Not at all.” She smiled at him and relaxed her grip on the wheel. “Maybe after you finish your project sometime.”
“Okay.” Cole seemed satisfied. “Maybe we can go eat somewhere and you could tell me then. I really want to know more. The details.”
The details. Ashley shuddered. “Of course.”
With that, Cole turned up the radio again. It was another song Ashley loved. Francesca Battistelli’s “Holy Spirit.” A song about the Spirit of God being welcome in whatever moment might be happening.
Even a moment like this.
Where Ashley was practically having an anxiety attack thinking about telling Cole the truth about his father. What kind of man he had been. What sort of situation had led to Ashley getting pregnant. And how she almost...
She couldn’t let herself go there. And though the song spoke of peace, Ashley couldn’t shake the anxiety.Help me, God. I can’t talk about the past with Cole. I can’t do it.The panic consuming her was unrelenting. And as they pulled into the driveway she felt desperate for just one thing. The peace that passed all understanding, and the only source of that peace.
The Holy Spirit of God.
8
Cole had a mountain of homework to finish, but first he made time for their family dinner. His dad had cooked for them—the way he had promised to do every Thursday while Cole interviewed his papa. Tonight was spaghetti. Cole walked up to the pan on the stove and stirred the sauce. It looked a little watery. Nothing like his mom’s sauce.
But that didn’t matter. His dad was buttering the garlic bread, so Cole pulled the Parmesan cheese from the refrigerator. “Want help?”
“Sure. Just don’t let me burn the bread. I’ll never hear the end of it from Janessa.”
Cole laughed. “True.” His little sister Janessa loved garlic bread.
