Facing Redemption (17 page)

             
By the time Chastity and Timothy checked into their hotel room, both of them were worn thin.  What was supposed to be a joyous first meeting of the parents took a crazy turn, but that’s what happens when you’re fully invested in someone and their life.  You get to take all the turns with them, whether they’re all fun or not.

             
They’d been in town for six hours, and almost all of it had been by Mr. Banks’ bedside.  Timothy didn’t want to leave until his dad woke back up.  He wanted to see his father, and know that his father saw him.  Mrs. Banks had to finally ask Timothy to take her home to get Timothy to leave. It wasn’t a far stretch for Mrs. Banks to feign being too tired, because she was.  Chastity knew though that for the most part it was to get her son to get some rest. 
             

             
As they dropped her off, he walked her in.  He stayed for a few minutes.  Chastity wouldn’t expect anything less.  From the car, she could see them inside the foyer.  He gave his mom one last hug, and she put something in his hands.  He looked down to whatever it was, and kissed his mom.  She nodded and then turned to wave out the window to Chastity.

             
Chastity wanted to ask what Timothy was given, but didn’t dare.  After the day they’d had, she thought it best to just let Timothy be.  He was quiet the entire way to the hotel, and she saw how defeated he was.

             
Once in the room, Chastity watched Timothy unpack his suitcase.  He looked rumpled.  All she wanted to do was to make him feel better somehow.   She had always been the one who needed to feel better.  With their history, Timothy was always the comforter in the relationship.  This time, she knew it was her turn; however she didn’t know what to say to make the situation any better.

Chastity slowly walked across the room with her bags still in tow.  She set her suitcase on the bed next to his, and put her hands on his, to stop him from unpacking.  She pulled him in for a simple hug.  He pulled her in and let a breath out.  He wasn’t sure what to feel.  He was so torn apart.  He knew his dad would recover, but seeing him there today threw him for a loop.  He knew sex wasn’t part of the equation for him and Chastity right now, but it was the only thing he could think of to get his mind off his dad. The only thing that would make him forget about the pain he felt right now - was her.   He needed her.

Timothy sat down on the bed next to her suitcase and pulled her down to straddle his lap.  She quietly pulled his head down to hers and wrapped her hands around his neck.  With his free hand, he pushed her suitcase on the floor.  Neither noticed, nor cared about the mess.

             
Timothy could easily let his emotional havoc be overshadowed by where this could take him.  Her kisses were enough to let him forget about his dad, and a large part of him needed the comfort she was offering.  Timothy’s hands quickly ran up her sides to the back of her sweater, but they stopped short of sliding underneath.  He couldn’t let his emotions get the best of him to where he was just short of using her for an emotional release.

Timothy knew Chastity was a good girl, but in this position he was having a hard time focusing on that fact.  They had a deal - not have sex before they both were ready.  And it wasn’t that he wasn’t ready, because what guy wouldn’t want to spend the night with Chastity.  She was beautiful, sexy, intelligent … the list could go on.  But Timothy was trying to honor their relationship without screwing it up with sex.  Call it old fashioned, but he wanted to do things the right way.  And that little voice in the back of his head, his conscience or maybe his 5
th
grade Sunday school teacher, warned him that it wouldn’t be right.

             
“Hey,” he whispered between kisses.  Timothy pulled back and cupped her face in his hands.  “If we keep this up we’re going to tread in some uncharted territory.”  He smiled down at her before pulling her in for a tight hug.

Chastity sighed as her heart slowed down.  This was not easy.  “Since when do two people who are in love not have sex?”  She laughed as she slid off his lap to sit next to him.  She sat Indian style on the bed and propped her chin on her knee.  “Just who came up this agreement?”

Timothy laughed.  “You started it the weekend we started dating.  You set the ground rules.”

“Can I change them?”  She laughed, already knowing the answer.

Timothy continued, “Don’t tempt me Chastity.”  He grinned and gave h
er a quick
kiss.  “I know it’s not typical in today’s world, especially because everyone else does it.  But it’s okay that we don’t.  In fact, it makes me love you more for having values … values that my parents would be thrilled with, by the way.”

             
Chastity laughed.  “So are you going to tell your parents we’re not having sex?  Great.”  She rolled her eyes.

             
He laughed.  “Do you have to be so cute?  You know what I mean.  My parents are very strong Christians.  They instilled the same value system in me and I respect you for wanting to wait.”

             
“So while we’re on the subject of your parents.  You told me to pack church clothes for Sunday.  With your dad in the hospital, will we still have to go?”

             
“Oh yes.  My mom will be there and she’ll expect me to be there too.”

             
“Do you like going to church?”

             
Timothy thought for a second.  “Yeah, actually I do.  I miss it when I’ve been away too long.”

             
“Hmmm. My mom used to take us when I was little.  And then as I got older, we moved so much that it kind of took a back seat.”  Chastity sat back into the pillows on the bed.  “In that last letter she wrote me before she died.  You know the one she left for me through her handsome attorney?”

             
Timothy smiled in remembrance.  Kylie, Chastity’s mom, had hired Timothy when she learned she was dying from cancer to take care of Chastity’s inheritance.  The last task in his duties to his client was to make sure a letter was hand delivered to her daughter.

             
“Ah yes.  My client - the match maker.”

             
Chastity smiled.  “Yes, I think she was.  Well her letter was not only a heart wrenching goodbye but testimony as well.  She obviously found God again and urged me to look for Him in my life too.”

             
“And have you been?”

             
“A little.  Initially after reading her letter, I immediately began to pray.  I wanted to please my mom, but I felt God’s whisper on my heart when I turned to him in prayer.”

             
“Wow. That’s good right?”

             
Chastity frowned.  She let out a sigh.  “Yes.  Afterwards in Venice … I was praying off and on.  But the other letter, from my dad, nagged at my conscience.  It’s all I could think of and it overshadowed any praying I was trying to focus on.  Well, and you know how that turned out.”

             
Timothy nodded remembering her rough patch.  “I came to save the day just in time, didn’t I?”

             
“I needed you more than I knew.  You rescued me from a very dark place.  And it seems you recurrently do that … rescue me.  I guess this is why I’m not sure how to help you.  I’m sorry if I came on too strong.  I just wanted to make you feel better.”

             
Timothy lay next to her and pulled her in.  “I know.  You do though just by being with me.  I couldn’t have walked into that hospital without you.”

             
Chastity turned on her side and propped her head up on her elbow.  “What do you mean?”

             
Timothy shook his head.  “I don’t want to ruin this façade of who you think I am – but I’m no knight in shining armor after all.  All it takes is walking into a hospital and I come undone.  They unnerve me.”

             
Chastity looked at him incredulously.  “Really?”

             
He nodded.  “Yup … ever since I was a kid.  I had a really rough fall and had to be rushed to the ER.  They had to hold me down to give me stitches.  It took two doctors and my dad to keep me in place to get me patched up.  And ever since…”

             
Chastity’s eyes grew wide.  “You were a strong kid.”

             
“I don’t feel very strong when I walk into a hospital, but with you there today.”  He smiled and brushed a few strands of hair from her face.  “I did okay.  You gave me strength.”

             
Chastity leaned in to kiss him and for the second time that evening Timothy showed restraint.  “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to take a very cold shower.”

             
Chastity rolled her eyes.  “And I have to clean up your mess.”  She laughed and began picking up her suitcase and the contents from the floor.

             
By the time Timothy exited the bathroom Chastity had already fallen asleep.  He could tell she tried waiting up, but jet lag probably got the best of her.  She was sleeping   in her pj’s on top the comforter, with her mother’s journal on her chest.  Timothy gently picked up the book, set it on the nightstand, pulled the covers back and tucked her in.

             
Chastity halfway opened her eyes, trying to wake up.

             
“Shhh.”  Timothy whispered.  “Go back to sleep.  See you in the morning.”

             
Chastity half way nodded and lay her head back down.  Within minutes he heard her lightly snoring.  It was such an endearing sound that he was getting too used to.  It was just another way he knew he could not live his life without her in it.  And the sooner he made her his wife the better.

Chapter 26

Cheryl sat iced tea in hand, and watched Chastity from across the table.  She had a glow about her that was undeniable.  It was clear she was in love.  Cheryl wished Kylie could be here to see her little Chaz, who was all grown up and who was falling hard.  She wistfully smiled, half listening to her friend’s banter. 

Chastity continued, telling Cheryl about the rest of her day.  “I was asleep by the time he got out of the shower.”

“What?  Wait.  Back up.  Shower?”  Cheryl’s eyebrows shot up, hearing her for the first time.

“Um yeah, did I forget that part?”

“Yeeaah.”  Cheryl’s toned slowed as she stared her best friend’s daughter down.  She had watched this little girl grow up, and now that her own mother had passed, it was Cheryl’s responsibility to help guide her.  She owed that much to Kylie.

“Look, we share a hotel room, but nothing happens.”  Chastity ducked her eyes and sipped her tea.

“Look sweetie.  You’re an adult.  I’m not your mom.  And I can’t tell you how to live.  I’m not the moral police … but,” Cheryl sighed.

“I know we said we’d wait.  We even promised each other we could share a room and keep to ourselves.”

Cheryl almost laughed.  “Right!  Two young kids, who are madly in love, sharing a room, and not all over each other?”

“Hey, we’re not kids.”
             
“Mmm-hmm,” Cheryl responded. 
When you’re my age, you’ll look back and realize you’re still a kid.

“And we’ve shared a room before without anything happening.”

Cheryl clicked her tongue and shook her head.  “If only your mom were here.”

This time Chastity sighed.  “She’d worry about me.”

“Yes.”

“Are you going to lecture me?” 

Cheryl shook her head. 

“Good,” Chastity continued.  “… because so far we’ve been good.  And it’s so nice to have him to hold through the night without the pressure of anything extra … not that either one of us doesn’t think about it.”

“You’re asking for tr
ouble.”  Cheryl sing-songed, in
response.

“We’ve made a pro
mise not to take it to the next

level until we are ready. And right now he has other things on his mind with his dad’s condition.”

             
“Mmm-hmm.”

             
Chastity beamed.  “He loves me.”  Chastity sighed and sat back.  “I only wish mom had known what love felt like. It makes me sad to think of her without love in her life.”

“Well don’t you worry about your mom Chaz.  She had someone special.”