Chapter 32: A Question For You

Alexander paced back and forth. His mind raced as he pondered about countless ideas.

What should I do? He wondered. Raking his fingers through his hair, he tapped his foot, lost in thought. With a sigh, his fingertips settled on his cheekbones as he struggled to find a plan that sufficed.

Alexander thought back to the moment he received the news about Arielle. He was beyond relieved. Relief was quite an understatement to describe how he felt at that moment. He knew that someway, somehow- Arielle would be found and so hearing the news that she had been rescued from her captor, a man who hated him, filled him with gratitude. He was over the moon, over the sun, and all of the stars God placed in their orbit.

Yet despite his gratitude and relief, Alexander was at a standstill. He didn't want to overwhelm Arielle by abruptly arriving on her doorstep, but he didn't want to oversimplify something so serious with a text message.

Wouldn't she need time? he thought to himself.

But he desired to apologize for the whirlwind he brought her into, even if it was brief.

Alexander took a deep breath and scolded himself. Surely, he knew better. Although he was not a seasoned Christian like Arielle's Pastor or as Arielle and her mother were the fast he had embarked on resulted in him learning numerous things. Things including how to hold onto faith and be consistent in prayer. Simple, yet powerful lessons that were taught throughout scripture.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;"

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

"I shouldn't be overthinking," he mumbled to himself. With a sigh, Alexander shook his head. "I can't fall back into old habits."

Kneeling beside his bed, Alexander placed his head against his hands and began to pray. As he prayed, the surrounding sounds of the wind banging against the window and the footsteps of Greta passing through the halls were drowned out. He felt it was necessary to repent of the worry he pressed into.

"Forgive me, Father. I trust You. You know better than I do. Forgive me please for my worry and overthinking. Please show me how to go about this. Please show me what to do with what you have shown me in Your Word. Help me not to forget what you've taught me during the fast." He began.

Alexander stayed where he was for the next half hour with his head still in his hands as he prayed quietly. He could feel the presence of the Lord there with him. After a while of speaking, he waited quietly for God, waiting for a response. He kept his mind on Jesus as he did. Time became nothing and it flowed as he focused on him.

After another half hour passed, Alexander's heart was at ease. It was a peace that was strong and encompassing.

"Thank you, Father." He whispered and opened his eyes. He glanced out his window, the movement of the trees capturing his vision. "Everything you make is beautiful." He continued.

"And I made you," Alexander heard within him. Joy welled up in his heart.

"You did, Jesus. You did." With a smile, Alexander moved from where he knelt and decided that he would do exactly what he knew was right to do.

It was becoming quicker and easier for Alexander to recognize God's voice as he continued to spend time with Him daily. He heard Jesus' voice loud and clear in the cabin and he received confirmation after confirmation that it was in fact, God's will for him to marry Arielle.

He walked over to his mahogany desk and pulled out the weighty wooden chair. Deciding that he would begin all of this with a letter addressed to her. He knew that this was the first step to something much bigger.

A proposal.

It was one of the biggest steps he would ever make. One he never knew he would make. His life had been riddled with losses in the past, but this wasn't one.

He scanned the expanse of his room. It was always much bigger than he needed and he realized it was more than he desired. God had done a tremendous work in his heart and he no longer craved much of what he had. He had no use for the high ceilings, the hand-painted murals, the carved detailing- none of it.

He remembered the first dream that he knew to be from the Lord.

He didn't forget the shackles that connected him to the tall tower that he practically lived in even more than his estate.

It was all pulling him back and away from what God called for him. His time there was done. Alexander didn't long for that life anymore. Instead, he desired the Lord, He desired to share the love of God with those around him, and He desired to walk in the will of God all the days of his life more than anything else.

That was the most important decision of his life. Repenting and choosing each day to follow Jesus.

And he would continue to do just that by God's grace. He surely couldn't live a holy and righteous life without Jesus, but He could with Jesus. With Jesus it was possible. It was expected and Alexander found solace in knowing that he wouldn't have to figure it out on his own.

He took a deep breath and with a smile, he quickly opened up his phone and pulled up Vincent's contact. A few taps and rings soon met him with his cousin's voice.

"Hey, Alexander. How are you feeling?" Vincent asked. The sound of papers shuffling and a drawer closing could be heard so clearly, but Vincent sounded extremely at ease and unaffected by the busy life that it was to run a corporation. It fit him.

"Much better," he replied, "I have a question for you."

Arielle sat by the window by her kitchen sink. The sun seemed to shine a little brighter that day and her mother's smile appeared to shine just as brightly. Beside her lay a letter from Alexander. It was kind and sincere. In it, he apologized profusely and shared that he had completed his fast. Arielle was so happy to hear that he had completed his first fast and that he had been meeting with her Pastor for their discipleship meetings.

She desired to know how his fast had gone. Ever since she sought the Lord about the possibility of Alexander being the man she was meant to marry, she viewed him differently. To avoid any obsessive thoughts, she prayed for him each time he came to mind. Regardless of whether the prayer was short or long, she prayed for him.

Arielle appreciated how much he cared for her safety. She felt that he didn't have to apologize for Lorenzo's wrongdoing. Lorenzo chose to do what he did. Ever since he was taken into custody along with his guards, things began to go back to normal. At least to an extent.

Alexander's guards continued to wait outside of her home, choosing to not let their guard down. Perhaps Lorenzo could have more men, but Arielle had a feeling that things would ease back down to the way they should have been.

She glanced over at the dark car, wondering if they felt bored looking for a threat that was no longer there. Even Claire, who posed a threat previously, had been arrested as the evidence from Lorenzo's devices swiftly incriminated her along with eyewitness testimony.

The only shocking part of all the discoveries was Jeremy.

Arielle frowned, desiring to take her mind off of that. She wasn't able to speak with him much and Alexander's letter didn't hold any more information about Jeremy's involvement. She just knew that Jeremy appeared ashamed for his part in it all. Arielle knew that she wanted to visit him or call him if she could, to see what truly happened from his point of view, but due to the seriousness of the crime, neither he nor the others involved were allowed any contact with Arielle, Alexander, Meghan, or her mother.

So until she could speak with him, she would enjoy the quiet time she had with her mother and she would continue to pray for them. Being able to garden with her mom, sing with her, and go out to grab groceries with her without having various strange occurrences butt their way into each activity was a luxury she had almost forgotten.

Arielle sighed in contentment as she continued to arrange the flowers in her hand. Her eyes glanced off to the side as a box lay open on the ground. In it was a gorgeous dark green dress. More like a gown. It was a gift from her coworkers and friends. With it came a nice card that had multiple names signed on it, including Julia's name. She couldn't fathom where she would wear such a dress. It was beautiful and unlike anything she had ever owned. According to the card, Susan made it herself and Meghan acted as an assistant of sorts.

She wondered about the cost. She hoped that it was cheaper to make a dress than to buy one.

"Mi hija, look at these!" Her mother squealed from behind her. Arielle peered back to see a large bouquet in her mother's hands that was arranged beautifully.

"Wow, good job mom! Who's that set for?" Arielle watched in awe as she set down some of the stems that she held from her bouquet.

"Your coworker, Meghan. I know flowers won't undo that day for her, but I'm grateful that she still did what was right and told someone." Her mother spoke with a content expression. "I'm happy we found you." Angelina's gratitude could be felt in her words as she looked at her daughter.

"Thank you, mom. I'm happy it's all over now." Arielle replied while reaching out to squeeze her mother's hand. "And that's a sweet gift. I'm sure she'll love it. I'll bring it to her when I head back down there." Arielle continued with a grin.

"Will you be rejoining the staff in the office?" Her mother asked as she walked over with the large bouquet, setting them down next to Arielle's.

"No, I think I'll be closing my chapter there," Arielle responded while shrugging and staring off into the trees across the way.

"You will?" Her mother asked in shock. Her eyes were wide. Arielle knew why. She had worked hard to get her foot in the door. She studied for years and fought to be an excellent student. With many hours of prayer, studying, and adapting to unexpected changes- well this was more unexpected than all of that. But she believes that maybe this was only for a season. She realized she studied more than she prayed and when she did pray, she prayed frequently about her studies.

Although she was grateful to have met Alexander, maybe they were meant to meet elsewhere. They could have met at a coffee shop or a park- there were a multitude of possibilities. Possibilities that may not have included Lorenzo- or maybe just not like that.

She reached that realization weeks ago. She decided that she would prayerfully take each step in life and give it all to God. With a sincere repentance for leaning on her understanding- she was now in a place where she was ready to move on.

Arielle nodded. "I will. This journey has been a lot and I don't feel inclined to be there anymore, but don't worry ma. I'll still take care of you, God willing." Arielle spoke gently as she grabbed some stems from the baby breaths off the counter, adding the small white flowers to her arrangement.

"That's not my concern, Arielle. I thought this job was your dream job," her mother explained, taking a seat on the stool beside her daughter.

"It was and it became a dream come true. Now it's on to the next chapter," Arielle spoke with a small shrug.

Arielle's mother smiled and rubbed her back. "If you say so, honey. The Lord will guide you." She assured her daughter.

"I agree. He'll guide us-" Ring! Ring! Angelina's phone began to go off.

"Oh, that's the Pastor's wife. Seems that they've completed their discipleship lessons for the day and they're asking if we can swing by the church."

"Conveniently, we live down the road, " Arielle chuckled.

"You're right about that," her mother laughed along. "Did you need to grab anything or were you ready now?"

"I'll just grab my phone. I left it in my room. I'll meet you outside?"

"Mhm," her mom hummed as she grabbed her small purse that hung by the door. "I'll see you there, honey."

Arielle nodded and rushed to her room. Her phone lit up brightly as she grabbed it. It was a text from Julia.

It read, "Thinking of you, sis. I'll be heading to the church, the pastor called for the congregation to arrive. I wanted to take photos with you. Can you wear that pretty dark green dress Susan made for you? I'm going to wear a yellow one!" Arielle smiled and shook her head. Julia's favorite colors were yellow and green. She said it reminded her of summer. Arielle could easily agree as her favorite colors were green and blue.

"Sure! And my mom and I are heading there now." Arielle replied adding a smiley face and a yellow heart before hitting send.

Arielle sped back out to the kitchen. It'd be her first time trying on that dress and she'd be wearing it out. Arielle carefully lifted the dress up and out of the box it arrived in. It reached down to her ankles and lifting it so high confirmed her suspicions- it was more of a gown than a casual dress. On the bodice lay carefully completed embroidery of leaves and their vines swirling up and around the waist. The sleeves were short, elegant, and scalloped.

Arielle pulled on a pair of flats and rushed outside, where her mother sat in the driver's seat with her head resting against the window.

"Sleepy?" Arielle asked.

"Only slightly. Mostly because of this heat." She began rubbing her eyes, but her eyes soon widened when saw her daughter. "You look ready for a ball."

Arielle laughed and shook her head. "Julia wants to take photos and she requested a dark green dress."

"A dark green gown." Her mother corrected lightheartedly.

"Yes," Arielle laughed again.

"I hope the photos go well," Arielle's mother said with a chuckle as she began their commute to their church building. Outside of the building, there were many cars lined up. More than usual, even for their Sunday service. Arielle and her mother both glanced at each other perplexed, but regardless, her mother parked the car in the closest available spot and they quickly made their way out of the car and to the entrance.

Arielle knew that the pastor called for the entire congregation, but this was surely more than that.

Arielle's eyes widened as she saw everyone standing within the church. It wasn't just church members, but she recognized some faces from the office and even some of Alexander's guards- but even then there were faces she didn't recognize.

She glanced over at her mother, whose eyes were also wide. She followed her line of vision to the very front of the church, and right beside the Pastor and his wife, stood Alexander. He wore a timeless suit, similar to the ones he wore to the office, but slightly different. It seems as if he branched off and picked a different color. One he usually wouldn't pick, a deep forest green.

Her favorite color.

He grinned ear to ear at the sight of her. If Arielle was looking properly, she could have sworn that she saw tears in his eyes.

"What's happening here?" She murmured.

"I-" Yet Arielle's words were lost on her as tears began to well up in her own eyes. Alexander took a step down from the stage, but not before pausing to give the Pastor a handshake and sharing words with him, but without missing a beat, he walked through the crowd.

"He's coming over here," her mother whispered while gently tapping her daughter's soldier.

"He is," Arielle replied softly. She took a step forward as the crowd continued to move back against the walls and some of the older members sat in the pews nearby them. Some of them watched with a knowing glint in their eye.

"Your favorite color is a good one. We should wear green more often," Alexander spoke lightheartedly while reaching for her hand.

"Alexander," she said as she laughed through her tears. "What is all of this?" The blend of tears and happiness was apparent in her gaze.

"This," he began. "Is hopefully the beginning of something beautiful. Follow me," he directed as pulled her up toward the front of the church. The pastor nodded in a quiet greeting to them both.

As they reached the stage, Alexander allowed his gaze to remain on Arielle's face. He studied her, seemingly downloading the image. Yet with the occasional flashing of cameras, Arielle was certain that he didn't need to.

Gasps filled the room as Alexander lowered himself to one knee, with his hand on a small box on his right-hand side.

"Arielle," he began, as more tears filled her eyes. "I first laid eyes on you four months ago, but these months have felt so much longer than that. It feels as if you were woven into my life in a way that is never meant to be unraveled in this age. I remember being fixated by your smile and your beautiful eyes, but I am so grateful that you kept boundaries with me."

"Arielle... I- I saw Jesus in your heart and He shined so brightly and beckoned me to Himself. I don't deserve His grace or forgiveness, but He has gifted that to me. And you- God has granted me with the opportunity to be a husband if you take my hand in marriage. Arielle Burnes, will you marry me?"

The room filled with gasps and applause. Arielle could hardly see through her tears. Alexander had received the same answer as her.

"Yes! Yes!" She yelled in excitement. Alexander beamed and slid the small moss agate ring on her finger.

So beautiful, Arielle though. She wondered how he knew that she preferred small stones, especially moss agate stones. The only people who knew that much about her were her mother and Julia-

"Eeee!" A woman could be heard squealing in the crowd.

Arielle swiftly turned her head to be met with the sight of Julia bouncing up and down in her long yellow dress.

"Julia told you," Arielle spoke quietly to Alexander as the crowd continued to clap for them.

"She did," Alexander replied with an amused smile. His eyes were filled with love and it caused Arielle's heart to grow warm. She knew that she loved this man and with both of them receiving an answer from the Lord, she was ready to begin this new chapter.

"I've missed you," Alexander whispered as he pulled Arielle into tight a hug.

Slowly wrapping her arms around him, Arielle buried her head into his shoulder. "I've missed you too." She answered back as tears trailed down her face.

He pulled back and cupped her face while staring into her brown eyes. He searched them carefully, not rushing past that moment.  "I love you, Arielle." He spoke confidently. There was no doubt in her voice, no confusion, and no fear.

Despite the stream of tears flowing down her face, Arielle grinned. Her cheeks hurt from feeling so happy all at once. "I love you too, Alexander. I love you too."

The crowd continued to cheer and clap as they hugged once more, feeling overcome by the love, joy, and excitement of the beginning of their journey as they embarked on serving the Lord together.

A/N:

There will be 1-2 more chapters before this story is completed! Thank you for coming along this far.