The Lies We Believe: A Christian Suspense Novel Page 18

  “Because I said so. Please get up to the table.”

  “Listen to your Father,” Megan said from the kitchen.

  He climbed up into his booster and sat. “In, in?” Justin said, raising his hands wanting someone to latch him in.

  “Just a minute,” Megan said to him.

  “Da do it?” he asked.

  “I can’t bud, I’m hurt.”

  “Got owie?” he asked, his eyes wide.

  I nodded. “Sure do.”

  “Da-da got owie!” Bradley shouted from less than a foot away from my ear.

  “I’m okay now. I just need to sleep, boys,” I replied.

  “Airplane!” Bradley shouted as a lingering jet overhead could be heard.

  I smiled. “Yep, that’s an airplane.”

  Megan brought over my plate of Micah’s famous Chicken Alfredo. My taste buds jumped with joy as the plate got set in front of me. Over the last few days, Megan had been so busy with dentist appointments and doctor visits that she was not able to make a single homemade meal. The frozen TV dinners and corn dogs were not really hitting the spot for me. “Thank you,” I said.

  “Don’t thank me, thank your friends,” she said with a bit of an annoyed tone.

  “Why are you upset? They know you’re overwhelmed with stuff at home.”

  “Overwhelmed? This is my job, Cole.” She said as she wiped Bradley down of milk. “I’m not overwhelmed… this is my life.”

  “Look, they were just trying to help.” I picked up my fork and shook my head. As I began to eat, Megan cleared her throat at me. “What?” I asked.

  She looked over at Justin and said, “Let’s pray. Go, Justin.”

  Setting his fork down, he folded his little hands and said, “Der Je-us. Dank you fo this food, bess it to our bodies, bess da cook, amen.”

  Brad shouted from his high chair, “Amen!”

  I smiled as I began eating my food.

  “I’m sorry,” Megan said suddenly with a sigh. “I shouldn’t have gotten upset about the guys coming over. That wasn’t right of me.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I’m going to try harder to make more home-cooked meals,” Megan said, nodding.

  “Okay,” I replied. “I’m fine with whatever, Honey.”

  She smiled at me. “Did you want to watch that movie tonight after the boys go down? You know the one with the princess who runs away from her castle or whatever?”

  “Defiance?” I asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah, that’s it!”

  “I don’t know… I’m pretty tired.”

  “Oh, okay… You need your rest. Just forget it. It’s fine.”

  “Thanks for understanding.” Glancing over at my wife as she smiled, appreciation swept through me. She did it all and then some. She cooked, took care of our kids and loved me no matter how able-bodied I was or wasn’t. I could tell she could see right through me with the boys the last couple days. She knew I didn’t have the most patience in the world with them and she worked around it, making sure they didn’t bother me too much during the day while I lay in bed. She was absolutely the best thing that ever happened to me in my life.

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  CHAPTER 1

  HIS LIPS WERE LIKE HEAVEN on the back of my neck as I attempted to fold laundry one late afternoon in July 2011. The sun was hot that day, but so was the heat between us. We were upstairs in our bedroom, one of the two bedrooms in our split-level townhouse. We called Odessa, Texas home these days. We had moved here just over a year ago when his orders came in to become an Army recruiter. Dakota was sad to not redeploy with his unit. I, on the other hand, was elated. I was not only happy that he wasn't deploying, but that we were finally leaving Fort Bliss. Our life over the last year had taken on the appearance of what I would call normal.

  Tilting my head as I pulled my neck away from Dakota's soft lips against my skin, I glanced over my shoulder at him. His ocean blue eyes pierced through every part of my soul, capturing the moment and captivating my heart. "I've got to put this laundry away before I start on dinner, Dakota."

  His hands found my waist a moment later and he pulled me in close. The towel in my hand that I was trying to fold fell away from my fingertips. His eyes locked onto mine, serenading me with his love. Even after years of marriage, he still had the ability to take me away to another world with a single look, a single touch to my skin.

  In a deep, seductive voice, he said, "C’mon, Sammy. You haven't started dinner . . . yet." His eyes drifted to the closed bedroom door behind me and then over to the bed. His gaze came back to me, and a warmth crashed through me as he held my eyes and continued speaking. "I'm sure Kimmy will be napping for a while."

  His lips found my neck again, and I tilted my chin back, letting his lingering love convince me to reconsider his offer.

  Music suddenly began playing. Dakota tossed his phone over to the bed and I couldn't help but grin. It wasn't just any old tune, but Dakota's favorite song to sing. The one he knew I loved—Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? by Rod Stewart. The first time he sang it was back what feels like a lifetime ago when we were still dating. We were both attending Whitworth College in Spokane. It was before he dropped out to join the military. I was on my way to the mess hall for breakfast one morning before my Psych class. He and I had been dating for only a month at that point and I wasn't sure how seriously he took our relationship. That was until he came waltzing through the courtyard one early morning with a wireless microphone in hand. His face was as red as a cherry, and fellow students stopped and gawked at his rather public display of affection. I knew right then that he loved me. Memories.

  One of Dakota's hands found one of mine. He lifted my hand up as he began to sing, then we swayed to the rhythm of the music permeating the air around us. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"

  A grin broke out across my face as he shifted his feet, guiding me into a gentle twirl. My hips and feet followed with him, and I let out a laugh as I tossed my head back, letting myself soak up the moment like a sponge. Dakota was the best person I had ever met in my life. He and I were not only husband and wife but the best of friends.

  We danced around the bedroom until the music was cut off by his phone suddenly ringing. He grabbed it, glanced at the screen, and then looked at me. "Work . . . sorry."

  As he left the room to answer it, I reached down and picked up the towel I had dropped and continued with laundry. As I folded, I strained an ear in the hopes of capturing a bit of the conversation that Dakota was having out in the hallway, but he was out of earshot. Taking my folded stack of towels, I went into the en-suite bathroom to put them away. As I shut the towel cupboard, I spotted Dakota in the doorway.

  "Hey." Dakota's voice was gentle with a mix of concern sprinkled in, just enough to bring my eyebrows up into a questioning gaze toward him.

  "What is it? Do you have to go work that silly Children's Fair again this year? You didn't even meet a single person last year who was interested enough to sign up and . . ." I saw him shaking his head as his chin dipped to his chest. Worry cut into my thoughts like a sharpened blade through an apple. Knowing the military, knowing his line of work, I dreaded the worst . . . expected it too. With worry edging my voice and my heart climbing up into my throat, I looked at him. "What is it, Dakota?"

  He took a few steps into the bathroom, continuing until he came right up to me. My heart raced as he grabbed hold of both of my hands, smoothing his thumbs over the tops of them. I already felt the weight strapped to my neck of being tossed over the railing of the ship of good times. Before his lips even moved, I knew it. After a moment that felt like eternity passed, he peered up and into my eyes.

  "I'm being deployed."

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  Acknowledgements

  First and foremost, I want to thank God. God’s salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us all the ability to have a personal relationship with the creator of the Universe.

  I also want to thank my wife. She’s my muse and my inspiration. A wonderful wife, an amazing mother and the best person I have ever met. She’s great and has always stood by me with every decision I have made along life’s way.

  I’d like to thank my editors and early readers for helping me along the way. I also want to thank all of my friends and extended family for the support. It’s a true blessing to have every person I know in my life.

  About the Author

  T.K. CHAPIN writes Christian Romance books designed to inspire and tug on your heart strings. He believes that telling stories of faith, love and family help build the faith of Christians and help non-believers see how God can work in the life of believers. He gives all credit for his writing and storytelling ability to God. The majority of the novels take place in and around Spokane, Washington, his hometown. Chapin makes his home in the Pacific Northwest and has the pleasure of raising his daughter with his beautiful wife Crystal. To find out more about T.K. Chapin or his books, visit his website at www.tkchapin.com.

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