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The Forever Husband
Kathryn Alexander
A HUSBAND FOR ALL REASONSAll her life Hope had loved Eric Granston. The gentle childhood friend he'd been. The handsome high-school sweetheart he'd become. The magnificent man who'd married her and fathered her beautiful daughters. So how had the unthinkable happened? How had near tragedy and terrifying doubts sundered their unshakable bond, divided their loving family and left Hope aching and homesick for her place in Eric's heart?Their six-month separation was agony–their temporary reunion to nurse their injured child harder still. Only six feet separated their bedrooms. But unless they conquered their fears and reclaimed their faith, how could Hope find her way home to her husband's loving arms?
Table of Contents
Cover Page (#u81d47715-76be-506b-bcb3-790188541a6c)
Excerpt (#u6458e229-2ffe-5e44-81da-ed3e6fae82fa)
About the Author (#u703f09f9-256f-5cac-9879-17101947af46)
Title Page (#u621f6251-b158-5b6f-9982-fa22235fab31)
Epigraph (#u3a9e26ee-8a57-52e0-ba8c-2e13b82c1b06)
Dedication (#uccbd7373-ef01-5700-a9dd-b291917045cc)
Prologue (#uc2794e52-b016-58ae-93e8-1f588e7e04aa)
Chapter One (#uf4917fae-6b6f-594b-b837-6cd74a8a9979)
Chapter Two (#udd19d0d6-9523-503f-9a1d-46f7d47b9bf9)
Chapter Three (#u2e8a0456-e3d2-5033-af3d-eec5bf16a5fc)
Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Dear Reader (#litres_trial_promo)
Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)
Hope sat up in her bed with a gasp.
She bent her knees, hugging them to her in the loneliness of her room.
In her dreams, Eric had been kissing her again. And she’d been kissing him back. The way it had always been with them. Mutual love. Equal longing.
She’d had this dream too many times to count, reliving the time when she and her husband were still together.
She’d loved Eric Granston nearly all her life. The boy he’d been. The man he’d become.
And she loved him still.
There was a place in her heart only Eric could fill.
Hope sighed, recalling her feelings from the night they’d parted. Her sense of being right.
She hadn’t realized that being “right” could feel so wrong…
KATHRYN ALEXANDER
writes inspirational romance because, having been a Christian for many years, she felt that incorporating the element of faith in the Lord into a romantic story line was a lovely and appropriate idea. After all, in a society where love for a lifetime is difficult to find, imagine discovering it, unexpectedly, as a gift sent from God.
Married to Kelly, her own personal love of a lifetime, Kathryn and her husband have one son, John, who is the proud owner of the family’s two house pests, Herbie the cat and Copper the dog.
Kathryn and her family have been members of their church for nearly five years, where she co-teaches a Sunday school class of active two-year-olds. She is now a stay-at-home mom who writes between car pooling, baby-sitting and applying bandages, when necessary.
The Forever Husband
Kathryn Alexander
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than
our heart, and knoweth all things.
—I John 3:20
To Anne Canadeo,
editor extraordinaire.
Thank you for three beautiful books!
Prologue (#ulink_b3becd5b-e8c7-53f6-9c76-6ea1acb6e6b6)
Eric smiled at his wife and extended an arm to take her hand in his protective grasp, then pulled her gently into the boat with him. Hope had been watching from the sidelines, uncertain about joining her husband in the anchored, but unsteady vessel. But as he urged her into testing their new purchase, she came haphazardly into his arms with nervous laughter and, finally, a shriek sounding of certain catastrophe when the boat rocked sharply.
“Eric! Do something! We’re tipping over!”
His grip on her arms was as firm as it could be without hurting, and he steadied her before she slid her own desperate arms around his waist.
His smile was wide. “Don’t be afraid, Hope. You know how to swim if you need to.”
“But we’ll probably both drown because I’ll be too scared to let go of you! If this thing tips, we’re going down together,” she warned.
Eric laughed out loud, the sound of his voice mingling with the slap of water against the boat’s hull. On a sudden gust of October wind a swirl of autumn leaves blew from the lakeshore into the boat and around their feet.
“We’re going down together, huh?” Eric repeated in a solemn tone.
Hope loosened her clinging hold on him slightly, and tilted her head back in time to see the laughter fade from her husband’s eyes. Just then, the boat steadied some, although that did little to ease the rapid pace of Hope’s heart as she stared into the depths of Eric’s darkening gaze.
“Yes, you’re going with me,” she responded with a teasing smile. Then, lifting her hand to his chest, she touched the soft fabric of his shirt and watched Eric’s gaze lower to her mouth. He would kiss her; he always did when he had that look. But the waiting wasn’t easy, even after all the years.
“That’s where I want to be, Hope. With you…always.” His hands moved upward into her windblown hair, and he leaned toward her, as Hope raised herself up to meet his kiss. Eric’s warm mouth moved firmly against hers, taking and giving—both of them wanting more of the love they’d found in each other’s arms…
Hope woke up instantly, sitting up in her bed with a gasp. She pulled her knees up, hugging them to her in the loneliness of her room.
Eric had been kissing her again, and she’d been kissing him back—as it had always been with them. Mutual love; equal longing. She gave a soft sigh. She’d had this dream too many times to count. And it wasn’t a dream in the true sense of the word. Not fantasy or a capricious imagination at work in a sleep-filled mind. It was real. A clearly remembered incident replayed in her sleep. Over and over. A relived moment in time from when she and her husband had lived together. She’d loved Eric Granston nearly all her life—the boy he had been, the man he’d become. And she loved him still. There was a place in her heart only Eric could fill.
Chapter One (#ulink_13220f7f-62eb-5a3c-a0ca-f9c48a224834)
“Eric? What are you doing here?” Hope had walked around the corner of a French-fry stand, surprised to find her dark-haired husband. She hadn’t expected him at this annual hospital fund-raiser.
“I came to see my girl.” With a smile, he reached down to pick up their six-year-old daughter, Beth, who had grinned broadly as she rushed into her father’s arms.
“Hi, Daddy. I’m glad you’re here. Maybe you could win me a goldfish.”
“No goldfish, sweetheart. They never live long, and it breaks your heart when they die,” Eric replied before returning his attention to Hope. “I was upstairs visiting Cassie, and she told me that you were down here at this carnival, so I thought I’d stop by to see Beth.” He paused. “You don’t mind, do you? I mean, I realize it’s not my regularly scheduled day to see her.”
“No,” Hope said with a shake of her head. The wind caught her blond hair, blowing it around her face; she pushed it back. “I don’t mind. I’m just surprised to see you.”
She was very surprised, in fact, considering she and Eric had barely spoken since their separation six months ago. Exchanging children for visitation had been the extent of their involvement with each other until recently, when their older daughter, Cassie, had been hospitalized with pneumonia. Since then they’d seen each other more often, but their encounters remained brief, consisting mostly of passing each other coming and going from the hospital room, and discussing Cassie’s improving condition when necessary. Basically, they avoided each other as much as possible. Actually, Hope had to admit, Eric was the one doing most of the avoiding, which was probably for the best if she was to have any chance of getting him out of her heart.
“What are you doing here, anyway? Trying to keep this daughter of ours entertained?” he asked with a teasing pull on Beth’s blond ponytail.
“Something like that,” Hope replied. “I thought this little carnival would be fun for her.”
Eric nodded. “And are you having fun yet?” he asked the little girl wearing a yellow blouse and matching jumper with decorative sunflowers on the front pockets. Beth was a beautiful child, Eric thought for the millionth time. She looked just like her mother.
“Yeah! Look at those stuffed animals over there, Dad.” Beth pointed to a row of booths offering various games and prizes. “The one where you throw darts at the balloons can win a fat green frog.”
“Living or stuffed?” Hope asked immediately. She didn’t like the idea of a backyard funeral for a deceased frog later in the week. Or worse yet, the thing might actually live.
“Stuffed, Mom. Why would I want a real frog? They’re too yucky to have for a pet.”
“Good. I’ve trained you well,” Hope remarked, and saw the flash of amusement in her husband’s dark gaze.
“Let’s go see if we can win one, Beth,” Eric suggested. Then he looked directly into his wife’s blue eyes, something he had resisted doing whenever possible since they’d separated. “Maybe your mother would like to come with us.” He spoke to Beth while searching Hope’s face for the response.
She hesitated, then nodded in uncertain agreement Spending time with Eric would not be easy. She might enjoy it—too much.
But Hope walked with them to the blue booth with bright green frogs painted all over its walls. It took five dollars and ten darts, but Beth came away from the game a happy little girl with a fat frog tucked under each arm. They’d won an extra one for Cassie.
Then the three of them walked together, with Eric and Beth engaged in conversation. The two were discussing something about school when Hope realized she hadn’t been listening closely to what they were saying. She’d been walking along silently, thinking too much about her life with Eric. If the Lord had brought them together, how had they managed to go so far astray?
“You ready to go home, babe?” Eric inquired. Beth nodded her head slowly, as though tired.
“Mom? You ready to go, too?” her daughter asked.
“Yes, hon. I’m ready,” Hope replied.
Eric picked Beth up again, and she rested her head on his shoulder as he walked with Hope the short distance to where her red van was parked.
“Daddy? Can’t I ride home with you in your truck?” she asked. “Please?”
Eric’s black pickup was about a dozen spaces away in the next row over. He looked from the vehicle to Hope. “If it’s okay with your mother.”
She smiled. “Go ahead. I’ll see you at home.”
“Okay, Mom. See you later!” Beth responded. Eric reached to open the door of the van for Hope while holding their daughter in his other arm.
Hope moved past him and climbed into the vehicle. Then she slid her key into the ignition.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, looking back into Eric’s dark gaze.
He nodded without speaking, and closed the door for her. Then he and Beth headed toward the truck. Hope watched them go as she started her van and drove out of the lot.
The “home” Hope was headed toward was the house owned by Ed and Grace Granston, her mother- and father-in-law. They had invited Hope and the girls to stay with them during Cassie’s bout with pneumonia. Hope was dividing her time among the necessities: teaching, looking after Beth, and being with eight-year-old Cassie at the hospital every night. Staying with Eric’s parents had seemed like the best solution at the time she’d agreed to it. But now, as she neared the two-story white home, she wondered if she’d made the right decision. She’d known she would be around Eric, now and then, if she stayed with his mother and father. But it hadn’t happened—until today.
She parked her van in the driveway and turned off the ignition just as Eric pulled in beside her. Hope took a deep breath. “Lord, please help me get through this,” she whispered in the silence of her vehicle.
Maybe she and Beth could go upstairs and find something to do. That way, Eric could visit his parents, and Hope could keep her distance from him. She needed to do that, if she was going to let him go. Being near Eric again only reminded her of how much she loved him. And she’d found no provision for dealing with that in the separation agreement she’d refused to sign.
Eric and Beth were halfway to the front steps when Hope got out of her vehicle and walked past Eric’s truck. There was a stack of clothes on the seat of the pickup, she noticed. Could he be bringing laundry for his mother to wash? Possibly—but she didn’t really think so. It didn’t seem like something Eric would do.
Hope walked around the rear of the van. She pulled off her sunglasses and pushed wispy blond bangs from her forehead, just as she saw Beth run into the house ahead of her father. But Eric stopped and waited while Hope walked up the concrete steps to the porch. He held the front door open, glancing in her direction with curiosity. She rarely had been so subdued in their “together” days, she recalled. He was probably wondering why she was so quiet now.
Hope moved past him into the large house. His parents’ home, she reminded herself. She suddenly felt almost as though she were trespassing. Maybe living here temporarily wasn’t such a great idea. Still, even if just for the children’s sake, it seemed to be her best option right now. And sometimes, for no explicable reason, it felt to Hope as though the Lord wanted her there.
“I’m sorry, Hope. I haven’t even asked how you are,” Eric said.
“I’m fine,” she replied.
“Did you teach today?”
“No.” Hope turned to look at him. She knew that she should attempt to carry on this discussion with him, if only she could think of something neutral they could talk about. And asking about the clothes in the truck didn’t seem appropriate. “How’s the world of real estate?” she asked.
“It could be better,” Eric answered with a slight shrug, “but business will pick up again one of these days. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“I’m not worried,” she said quickly. “I was… only trying to make conversation.”
One corner of Eric’s mouth curved into a halfhearted smile. “That’s difficult to do with someone you’re accustomed to just talking to.”
She nodded in agreement and looked away from him toward their daughter. Eric had always been easy to talk to. That was one of the things she loved about him. That and his gentle nature. And his dark eyes, and the way time had etched featherlike laugh lines at the corners of them…There were so many things about Eric that she would always love, whether he belonged to her or not. Seeing him again today only reaffirmed what her heart already knew. She was in so deep, she’d probably never get out.
