Page 3 of Truly, Madly, Deeply
“So sad.” Tommy couldn’t get his mind around it. “What happens next? At the safe house?”
Mr. Miller crossed his arms. “Some kids stay until we can find them a home. A safe place where they can have something they are desperate for.” He hesitated. “A family.”
When dinner was over, Annalee and Tommy moved to the same pair of chairs they’d sat in earlier. The sun was setting, casting streaks of pink and yellow across the vast blue sky.
For a while they didn’t talk. The sounds of the gentle waves on the beach and the wind in the palm trees nearby was enough. In the distance, the cry of a macaw echoed through the hills.
Tommy took Annalee’s fingers and brought them to his lips. The two of them had made a deal when they started dating. They could hold hands and hug, they could kiss. But nothing more. Not till they were older. Not till the time was right.
But there were times when keeping their promise was all but impossible. Last year at prom when Tommy took Annalee home, and her parents had been gone. They had stood on her front porch and he had taken her face in his hands. Their kiss had stirred feelings in him that stayed with him still. God alone had kept him from crossing lines with her that night.
Here on this beach, Tommy felt the same familiar draw.
She turned to him. “You’re going to be mad.”
“At what?” He slid his chair a little closer, so his bare knee was touching hers. “Never at you, Annalee.”
“Not me.” She stared out at the ocean. “Tomorrow. The monsters trafficking children.” Concern tinged her voice. “You can’t fight them, Tommy. They’ll arrest you.”
His heart warmed as he studied her. “You know me.”
“Yes.” She looked at him again. “Promise me.”
Now it was his turn to look at the water. If he had his way they would round up every trafficker in Phuket, put them on a boat and set them adrift in the Indian Ocean. But God’s ways were higher. He wouldn’t do any good by taking the law into his own hands. Especially here in Thailand. “I’ll follow your dad’s lead.” He kissed her hand again. “I have this strange sense I’ll know about my future after tomorrow…. You ever feel that way?”
“At times.” She stood and stretched. “Maybe we’ll both live here and work for Each One someday.” A smile lifted her pretty lips. “Then I could walk this beach with you whenever I wanted.”
The sunset was hitting its peak, the sky a canvas of colors that took Tommy’s breath. He stood and put his arm around her shoulders. “How do you feel?”
“Perfect.” She faced him, careful to keep a few inches between them. Thailand didn’t approve of public displays of affection. Tourists weren’t held to the same standard, but even hugging could be considered rude. She touched his cheek and the sensation lingered. She smiled. “Walk with me?”
“Yes.” He clenched the muscles in his jaw and hesitated. “I don’t want the sun to set.”
She smiled. “Me, either.”
They walked at the water’s edge, slower than before. “I wish we were older.” Tommy kept his gaze straight ahead. “Finished with college and sure of what we want to do.” They were out of view of the public now, alone on the most secluded stretch of sand. There wasn’t another person in sight.
“Mmm.” She waited. “Sounds wonderful.”
“And I wish this wasn’t a mission trip.” Tommy slowed to a stop and faced her. “But our honeymoon.”
Annalee looked at him, straight through him. “I wish that, too.”
They had talked of growing up and getting married before. Just not on an empty stretch of sand half a world away from home. Tommy moved closer. One inch at a time. The electricity between them was so strong, he couldn’t stop himself. Even when he knew he shouldn’t kiss her here.
“This day, being with you here… it was perfect.” His words were a desperate whisper against the sound of the surf. “You’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, Annalee.” He took hold of her other hand and his body moved closer still. “Your eyes… your heart.”
“Hold me?” Annalee looked over her shoulder. “No one can see us.”
She didn’t have to ask twice. He eased her into his arms.This is heaven,he thought. And he could only imagine what it would be like… if this were their honeymoon. His cheek brushed against hers, his lips a breath away from hers. “Annalee… I want you.”
“I wanna kiss you.” She searched his eyes. “We’re alone out here.”
Tommy ran his fingers through her hair and framed her face with his hands. “Me, too… I want that more than my next breath.” His lips were so close to hers he could smell her sweet breath.
Son… be careful.
The words blew across Tommy’s soul and made him catch his breath. He took a half step back and exhaled hard. He didn’t have to ask if the voice was God’s. The Lord spoke to Tommy often. He was familiar with His tone and timing.Yes, Lord… I hear You. I will obey.
