“Punishing me? What did I do that you think is so wrong?”

“All those bad decisions, Rebekah. Your whole life. Cancer was your wake-up call.”

“It was my wake-up call. It showed me that I have to live life to the fullest each day, and the only one who has ever made me feel truly alive is Eric.”

Rebekah twisted her arm, not caring that her mother’s grip would leave bruises. Mom refused to release her no matter how hard she pulled.

“I’m moving in with Eric. We’re going to get married and adopt kids. That’s what I want.”

“What you want doesn’t matter, Rebekah. All that matters is what God wants.”

“How do you know what God wants?”

“He talks to me.”

“Mom,” she said, “I think maybe you need to talk to, not God, but a psychiatrist.”

“You think I’m crazy?” Mom shook her head in annoyance. “I want what’s best for you. You know Isaac stood by your side the entire time you were sick. He’s a good man.”

That was true. He also did some pretty sneaky, conniving things to come between her and Eric. “If I promise to talk to him, will that get you off my back?”

“Are you going to marry him?”

“No.”

Mom scowled, and then she got a peaceful look on her face.

“Yes, talk to Isaac. God will bring you back together. I have faith.”

Rebekah did plan to talk to Isaac as soon as she left. She had a few choice words to share. Words her mother would be embarrassed to know her daughter knew, much less used.

Eric sat in the restaurant where he and Rebekah had agreed to meet for dinner. She was over forty minutes late. She wasn’t answering her phone. He was starting to worry. He didn’t want to leave the restaurant and miss her, but something wasn’t right. He wanted to believe that she hadn’t gotten cold feet and run for the hills, but that was better than the thought that something bad had happened.

Another ten minutes passed. Another. A petite woman entered the restaurant and his heart stuttered, but it wasn’t Rebekah. When he couldn’t stand it any longer, he dialed her parents’ house.

Mrs. B answered the phone. “What do you want?”

“Rebekah was supposed to meet me for dinner after she stopped by your house. Have you seen her?”

“She’s not here.”

“Did she make it there?”

“Yes, but she already left.”

“How long ago?”

“Almost an hour ago.”

“She should have been here by now,” he muttered, more to himself than Mrs. B.

“I don’t think you’ll be seeing her anymore. She’s with Isaac now.”

He didn’t want to feel the jealousy those words inspired, but he couldn’t help it.

“With Isaac?” he questioned breathlessly.

“I told you they were meant to be. As written in the good book, Isaac brought her into the tent of Sarah, his mother, and took Rebekah, and she became his wife, and he loved her. Isaac loves Rebekah. She will become his wife.”

“What?” Was she quoting from the Bible?

“I promised God that if He spared Rebekah’s life, I would do His bidding. I promised.”

“God’s bidding?”

“The book of Genesis speaks of it: And Isaac prayed to the lord for his wife, because she was barren. And the lord granted his prayer, and Rebekah his wife conceived.” Mrs. B muttered under her breath. Eric wasn’t sure she knew she was still on the phone. “Though barren, Rebekah conceived. Isaac prayed, and Rebekah had two sons. There is still hope for her. My daughter. My Rebekah. Still hope. She must… must be with Isaac. Must be. So she can have babies. And he loves her. Isaac loves her. Loves Rebekah. It is God’s will.”

Eric was starting to think that Mrs. B was off her rocker. “Where is Rebekah?” he asked.

“When David was paralyzed, I knew God was punishing me again for allowing Isaac and Rebekah to break up. I promised if he spared David that I’d make sure Isaac and Rebekah would end up together. I promised. They must stay together, you see. I cannot live through another tragedy brought upon my children. I cannot.”

“You honestly believe that, don’t you?” Eric asked, flabbergasted. “That the bad things that happened to Rebekah and Dave are a punishment from God.”

“Leave Rebekah alone. I will not let you come between her and Isaac again. Will not.”

“Can I speak to Dave?”

The woman’s demeanor changed from demonic to angelic in an instant. “Dave is with his physical therapist. Did you know he stood for the first time the other day? I’m so proud. I think he’ll be walking soon. God answered my prayers. I must live up to His expectations.”

Eric decided Mrs. Blake needed a new jacket. A jacket with sleeves that fastened behind her back.

“Okay, thanks.”

Eric hung up and tried to call Rebekah again. He wondered if she had any idea how unbalanced her mother was.

Rebekah took a deep breath and knocked on Isaac’s apartment door. She knew she probably shouldn’t show up unannounced. He might not even be home. She wanted to clear the air between them now. She didn’t want anything to weigh on her thoughts while she was having dinner with Eric. Or while they picked out her engagement ring.

A minute later the door swung open, and Trey Mills stood in the doorway in nothing but a pair of black satin boxer shorts. “Hey, Rebekah,” he said with a devilish grin. “What brings you here?”

“Uh…” Why was Trey in Isaac’s apartment? Maybe they’d hit it off after she and Eric had left the evening before. Okay. That made sense. But why was he almost naked? “Is… is I-Isaac h-here?”

“Yeah, he’s here. Why don’t you come in?”

Trey stepped to the side, and Rebekah entered the apartment.

She could smell dinner cooking. Garlic, oregano, parmesan. Isaac had always been an excellent cook. Italian cuisine was only one of his specialties. Trey shut the door behind her and pressed a hand to the small of her back.

“Don’t be too hard on him, okay?” he said quietly. “He’s happy, but scared.”

“About what?”

“I’ll let him tell you.”

Isaac stepped out of the bedroom, drying his hair with a towel.

He was wearing gray lounge pants, but was shirtless and barefoot.

“I was thinking,” he said, a huge smile on his face, “maybe I should get my tongue pier—” He noticed Rebekah, and his smile faded. He dropped the towel around his shoulders.

They stared at each other wide-eyed for what seemed like hours.

“Isaac,” she said finally. “What’s going on?”

Isaac’s eyes flicked to Trey. He looked like a caged animal ready to dart as soon as a break presented itself. “What did you tell her?”

Trey shook his head. “Nothing.”

“We need to talk,” Rebekah said.

Isaac nodded. He turned and went back into his room. She didn’t really want to go into his bedroom, but she supposed since Trey was there, they needed someplace private to have their falling out.

Rebekah entered his room and closed the door. The lamp on the bedside table glowed softly. She couldn’t help but notice the empty condom wrappers. So he claimed to love her but had slept with some other woman? Not that she cared. It just added to her confusion about how Isaac had been treating her lately.

His back was to her. His head hung low. He was obviously feeling guilty about something.

“I know what you did to my cell phone,” she said.

“I’m gay,” he blurted.

The words registered, but the implications behind his statement were difficult to grasp. “You’re… what?”

“Gay. Homosexual.”

She blinked and shook her head slightly. “You’re… what?”

she repeated.

“I like guys, okay?” He glanced over his shoulder. “I’m gay. Is it that hard for you to understand?”

Yes, it was that hard for her to understand. They’d been in love.

Engaged. Had sex. Granted, it had been passionless, sorta icky sex, but it had been sex. Infrequent. Lights off. Boring. Tedious sex. But it had been sex, by God.