Chapter 33: Save the Date

Two Weeks Later

"I wanted to show you something," Alexander spoke softly. He gingerly held her hands in his. A small smile formed on his face as he turned away, preparing to lead her from one side of the spacious park to the other. The sunlight highlighted his hair as it poured through the gaps between the leaves that splayed across the branches of each tree that they walked under. The vibrant golden light exposed the auburn strands that hid amongst the many dark brown hairs on his head.

"Really?" She asked excitedly as she held onto her cardigan that the wind pulled at gently. Her curls were gently tugged by the wind, but thankfully, none of them landed in her eyes.

"Yes, really. I should have done this much sooner and I'm sorry that all of this was so delayed." He replied and his tone was so gentle toward her. From the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice, it wasn't hard to believe, although even without that, she could tell how much he wanted to get past these two weeks to where they were now.

"You have no reason to apologize, Alexander. You have a lot on your plate. I understand that." She spoke, pulling at his hand. Alexander glanced back at her occasionally as he soaked in this moment. One that he believed he would remember for a long time.

"You've always seemed to understand so easily." He chuckled, but she could see the appreciation of that particular trait in his eyes.

"Not always." Arielle laughed. "But knowing Jesus has really grown me in that area and it's all because of Him." She sighed with contentment at the thought of how much Jesus had changed her for the better. "He's been so patient with me and He's taught me to be patient with others. Now it flows much more easily, but only as I abide in Him daily." She illustrated with peace etched on her expression.

"I see that. It's encouraging," Alexander squeezed her hand and continued to lead her through the shade of the trees. "Pastor Henry's been walking me through an in-depth Bible study with the other two gentlemen that he's still discipling. Along with that, he's suggested that we continue reading the Bible on our own time."

"How's that been for you?" Arielle asked, burning with curiosity.

"Well, I've nearly completed reading the New Testament and I've completed Genesis from the Old Testament. I've slowed my pace a little though, so that I can begin practicing something the Pastor taught us."

"Oh, that's interesting. What did he bring up?" She asked. Their pace slowed as they spoke.

"Meditating on scripture and how to do that. I had never heard of such a thing," Alexander chuckled. "But it's made a world of difference. So with his help, I've started regularly praying before I begin reading the Bible and asking God to lead me on what scripture to meditate on. Sometimes a verse or passage stands out immediately or after a while of reading. Then I think about that verse and bring it to God for a little bit, but time does fly. One time an hour passed and I hardly realized. I think it's because I have been doing it so often. Before it was hard to focus after a few minutes but now He's all-"

"You think about," Arielle smiled knowingly.

"Exactly." He answered back with a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

Arielle smiled at him and they continued to walk, but in silence. The silence was comfortable. They enjoyed the sounds from around them as they drew near the spot Alexander had chosen for them.

Their outing seemed unexpected, unplanned, and absolutely spontaneous to Arielle, but she had a feeling that Alexander had been planning this for a while. Yet so many things in Arielle's life had felt unexpected and she was starting to welcome the positive surprises as they came her way. They were very different from the previous surprises that she had encountered.

Arielle glanced around the park, taking in the sights of the children who were running and playing as their parents either joined along or spoke amongst themselves on the benches nearby. With her sweeping glance, her eyes landed on her mom. Arielle's mother sat on one of the many wooden benches that arrayed the large green landscape. Alongside her were Susan and Julia. The three ladies could be seen conversing and laughing, having a fun time of their own as they supervised Arielle and Alexander on their date.

Despite the rather fancy proposal by Arielle's definition, Alexander had decided to keep his first date with her the way she would have loved it. She was happily surprised at how much work he did in asking those in her life, like her mother or best friend, about her interests- or so she would assume by how much he had already gotten correct.

Arielle didn't hate fancy restaurants. They were nice, they just weren't her preference. She enjoyed cozy cafes for lunch on occasion, but never extravagant dinners in a five-star restaurant. Dinner at home with those she loved far surpassed that in her eyes.

And Alexander's thorough research proved to be successful. He brought her on her dream date. A picnic. The first week since their proposal had been full of rainy days and the second week had been full of work for Alexander as he signed over his company to his cousin. Vincent, in his generosity, offered Alexander a large payment and refused no for an answer.

Yet Arielle was amazed at his growing faith. Even with what he had left, he dedicated every cent to God. Speaking of only using it as the Lord leads him to. Once Alexander finalized all the loose ties, he wrote Arielle a sweet letter and planned a beautiful outing as soon as he was free again. Arielle found the gesture to be incredibly thoughtful.

She watched as Alexander moved further down the park and she followed suit. Her mind kept wandering back to when they became engaged and how the journey of their courtship began soon after. Alexander and Arielle had begun to speak more often and thankfully there was usually at least one other person in the room with them while on the phone. It created the kind of accountability that Arielle desired.

It was still shocking to her that she was planning a wedding. Her wedding.

She believed that one day she would possibly get married, but it wasn't at the forefront of her mind, now there she was at the park with her fiance. It was nothing short of surprising.

Alexander was noticeably giddy. Similar to a child surrounded by their favorite snacks or toys. He continued being discipled by her pastor and the the two of them were getting along swimmingly. Alexander spoke of his hope to take Arielle on an outing once per week and she agreed as long as they weren't too lavish and as long as he sought God on each one.

He knows best, she thought.

And along with all of that, she began to participate in church activities.

Alexander appeared to do an entire 180-degree turn. She knew it was all God that had worked in his life. How else would a man feel the urgency to step down from his successful position as a CEO and begin an entirely new path? Although being a CEO wasn't inherently bad by any means, Arielle knew that every step we take should be led by God and she was filled with so much joy seeing Alexander place his trust in God so radically. She thanked God for it.

Alexander skipped past a few more trees and within seconds they reached a bench. Arielle laughed at his excitement as he nearly hopped the last few steps.

"What's more exciting about this bench than the one we were at before?" She asked through a small fit of laughter.

"Oh, you'll see," he replied with a light laugh. He reached below the bench and removed a picnic basket that seemed to have resided there a little while before they showed up.

"Oh!" Arielle gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth.

"I know we've already sat down for some sandwiches, but would you join me for dessert?" Alexander asked.

"Of course!" Arielle laughed. Her smile was warm as she took his hand and they walked to the center of the field. Her mother was still in perfect view and Julia briefly waved as she caught Arielle's gaze. Arielle waved back before beginning to help Alexander unfold the blanket.

Soon they sat down with the picnic basket in the center position of the blanket. With a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing over their food, they began to eat.

"So," Alexander began.

"Hm?" Arielle hummed as she chewed on a small cookie that was shaped like a flower. "This is so cute!" She mumbled with her mouth full. It was delicious and there was no doubt in her mind that Greta had baked it.

"I've got word from my lawyer that Jeremy will be released soon," Alexander shared.

"Really?" Arielle exclaimed.

Alexander nodded. "Yes, he'll likely be out today, but if not, then sometime this week."

"Will we be able to speak with him?" She asked.

Alexander nodded as he stretched his legs out of their folded position where they sat. He reached over to grab her hand, giving it a light squeeze along with a reassuring smile.

"I've dropped my part of the protective order against him for that reason. You have the option to do the same, but I would prefer if you would allow me to speak to him first. To make sure that he is telling the truth before you do."

Arielle nodded without hesitation. "Of course. That's wise. Do you think we can host a prayer meeting later today to pray for him? We can ask my mom and Julia to join along."

"That's an amazing idea," Alexander smiled. He glanced back over to where her mother, Susan, and Julia sat- waving at them yet again. The three ladies were laughing, focused on their own thing. Julia was using her phone much less and focusing on God much more. She stopped bringing up her ex altogether weeks ago and she was overcome with happiness for her friend.

Arielle's mind wandered back to the events of last week.

Lorenzo, Jeremy, and Claire stood before the judge. Their charges were already given to them on the day of their arrest, but the day of the hearing was different. There was nothing that the cool-toned dark brown walls could do to bring comfort to anyone being brought before the judge that day. Only God could bring hope to the hopeless.

Arielle, Alexander, her mother, Devin, and Devin and Claire's father were all there. They stood in the stands with their eyes ahead. There was evident disappointment etched on Devin's face as he watched the stone-cold demeanor of his sister. He repeatedly rubbed his brow, scowled, or shook his head each time he looked over at Claire.

Claire stood there with her head held high. Her hair was neatly swooped back into a mid-height bun and her hands were clasped in front of her, without any other option. As she stood there with a puffed-up expression on her face, she appeared to be the only one without tangible remorse for her actions. So much so that she was corrected by the judge for her consistent glares and for the words she mumbled under her breath on occasion.

Arielle was grateful to have her mother and her fiance there with her, but most importantly, the Lord. She could feel His presence there, keeping her calm and filling her with love for all three of them.

She had begun praying for each one of them throughout the week and she was rather hopeful. Even though Claire's demeanor did not look promising externally, she knew not to focus on the outside. She trusted that the Lord was already answering her prayers and she only needed to give it time and continue to persist in prayer.

Yet it was on that day that Jeremy looked over to Arielle. It was the first time she had seen him in weeks, but she wondered if he had seen her even sooner. The many moments when she felt eyes on her and when she felt something creeping in the darkness- were there times that it was him? Was it his green eyes that bored into the back of her head while she sat there unaware of who hid behind the shadows?

But Arielle shook the thought away. She would wait for clear answers and she would forgive him. She already did forgive him. She forgave all of them. Jeremy's charges were the lightest, due to the deception both he and Lorenzo admitted he was under. That fact mingled with a plea deal left him with the possibility of only serving six months probation.

Lorenzo on the other hand, glanced over toward her, and to her surprise- he shot her a smile. It was genuine, kind, and quick. So quick that she pondered if she had seen it correctly, but before she could think of it further, Alexander grabbed her hand, to squeeze it reassuringly. A wholesome new habit of his.

Arielle pulled herself away from her thoughts. It was a beautiful day. The vibrance of the blue sky mimicked the blue of the ocean. Alexander's warm gaze studied her, causing Arielle to smile and blush under it.

"You grow more beautiful by the day, inwardly and outwardly." Alexander's eyes pierced hers and he held their eye contact for a few moments before reaching for their glass cups. Her blush grew deeper as she shyly averted her gaze.

"Here," he began. "Your mother told me how much you love blueberry lemonade and so Greta made us a fresh batch." He continued. Grabbing each glass, he filled them two-thirds of the way with the lemonade. The warmth of the sunny day made the drink appear even more appetizing.

"Thank you!" Arielle yelled excitedly. "How are Greta and Richard?"

"They're doing well. They're excited for all the time retirement will bring them." Alexander spoke as he sipped his blueberry lemonade.

"You know, I never ask what you planned to do next. You gave your company to your cousin, at least primarily; you've left Greta and Richard with enough funds for retirement going along with your original contract with them when they first began; and you have stepped away from the limelight entirely, from social media to news interviews-"

"I won't miss those by the way," Alexander mumbled with an amused grin causing Arielle to laugh.

"I'm not too surprised by that. I wouldn't miss it either, but have you sought God on what to do next?" She asked.

"Continue to have faith in Him, obey Him, marry you..." He sung.

"Alex!" Arielle squealed.

"It's true!" He laughed.

"I know, it's just surreal," Arielle replied quietly with her head down.

"Marrying me?" He asked while he studied her eyes once more.

"Getting married at all." She sighed. "I believed it would likely happen, but I guess I just didn't realize when it would happen."  She answered with a shrug, but the glint in her eye told Alexander that she was as excited as he was.

"I can say the same, but in your case, you were focused on God and providing for your family. I was focused on making and maintaining a name for myself, along with lasting success, but it was all so empty." Alexander shook his head, placing his glass down, but soon grabbed her hand instead.

"But now, there is a purpose. Just know that our future will rest in God's hands and as long as we keep it there, we will have nothing to worry about." He assured her.

Arielle's eyes were filled with hope, love, excitement, and comfort. She knew that God would guide them along the way. Whatever the next chapter may be, they would continue to serve the Lord together.

"Now let's open this next box. Greta made us a surprise dessert. The cookies are technically dessert too, but this one is different. She said it's a surprise." He explained as he pulled a box out of the picnic basket.

"Greta is such an amazing baker. Richard must try all the best foods." Arielle replied. Greta and Richard's marriage was full of laughter, they seemed to never fall into heated arguments, and they both sincerely loved each other from what Arielle could see. She loved seeing them together. The first time she met Greta, she reminded her of her late grandmother. She could see why they were all practically a family despite being there for work.

"I think you'll love this," Alexander replied with an amused smile, albeit a bit shy.

"What is it?" She asked curiously, slowly lifting the lid.

"Take a look," Alexander answered. He turned the container slowly, building the tension as Arielle waited to see what Greta did this time around. Yet her jaw dropped when she saw just what it was.

It wasn't the pastry that caught her off guard, although the large strawberry shortcake rolls looked rather delicious and plentiful in quantity to share. Instead, Arielle's eyes locked onto the swirly banner that was perfectly shoved into the middle strawberry shortcake roll.

It read, "Save the date"

"Wait..." Arielle's eyes widened as she read the date. "Is that for our-"

"Our wedding? Yes." He replied quietly. Her eyes widened further.

"We'll be getting married two weeks from now!" She squealed. "Is that enough time to invite our families and arrange everything?"

"Already on it. Susan was so kind to do one last task for me. She's reached out to some of your extended family and some people I would desire to be there too. But some choices are preferred for the bride-to-be to make. When this week do you think you'll be ready to begin looking at dresses?" He asked. He yanked out his phone, preparing himself to take notes to send to Susan.

"I've already begun," Arielle laughed. "But I can start looking more seriously the soonest date possible."

"Does tomorrow work?" He asked while pulling out his phone.

"Yes!" She yelled happily.

"We wanted to avoid having a huge or gaudy venue. Where would you like our venue to be? I have three options thus far, including your church." He shared.

"Oh, I'd love to have it at our church if the Pastor agrees!" She practically bounced. Her eyes were bright and the curls from her fringe danced in the wind and she sat there waiting patiently for more information.

"He's already offered it as an option so if that is what you want, I can let him know now." Alexander watched Arielle. She didn't realize just how much her excitement warmed his heart. He never knew if he'd get married and similar to what Arielle had said, it all felt surreal.

"Oh, this is so nice Alexander. Thank you for being so on top of things. All of this. I've seen some wedding preparations and I know it can be complicated and hard to plan, but thank you for making it so easy for me. And not just you, but everyone, and God above all." Arielle's bright smile seemed as if it could light up the entire park even more than it already had been.

"No need to thank me. As you said, God is the one that made this go so smoothly. Placing everything in His hands is worth it. I'll let Susan know and I'll have her pick you up tomorrow to stop by a few dress shops." He already began typing away on his phone as Arielle reached for one of the sliced strawberry shortcake rolls.

"Do you think it will be easy to find a simple, yet modest dress? I love flowy sleeves." She thought aloud.

"I can tell," Alexander chuckled while gesturing to Arielle's dress. She wore a checkered print of blue and white that had flowy sleeves and blueberries throughout.

Yet Alexander continued, "I can tell how much you love all the colors or at least most of them. Did you want a white dress or did you want colors added to it?"

"Well I want a traditional wedding dress, so definitely all white," she replied with a nod.

"Then that is what I will have Susan help you find," Alexander assured her. "And send," he vocalized as he sent messages to various people, including the Pastor and Susan.

"Thank you," Arielle answered gratefully. Her mind thought back to what her mother's wedding was like, but she decided to focus back on their picnic date with her future husband.

Arielle waved at Alexander's retreating vehicle. His car disappeared down the road after making a smooth turn out of sight. Arielle sighed. Her day had been rather smooth and eventful. Her date with Alexander had gone swimmingly and apparently, her mom and Susan had begun to hit it off as friends even more. Julia found that sitting with the two older ladies taught her a lot of wisdom when it came to joy and patience too.

Angelina could be seen from the corner of her eye unfolding the table they use for the outdoors.

"¿Qué estás haciendo mamá?" (Translation: "What are you doing, mom?") Arielle asked.

"I want you to see something," she replied. Her mother began to hum quietly as she placed a thin plastic liner on the table and retreated to her room. Arielle shrugged and sat down by the island, resting her head against her hands. She had an amazing day, but she was becoming sleepy. It was a rather long outing. More than she had experienced in a while.

Within a minute or two, Arielle's mother returned from her bedroom with a zippered garment bag.

"What's that?" Arielle asked. She pushed herself off of her seat and took a few steps closer to her mother.

"This is my wedding dress. Some mothers give their daughters their wedding dresses to wear on their big day. You can choose whichever dress you feel led to choose. I just wanted to show this to you and if you desire to wear it on your wedding day, it's all yours." Arielle's mother offered.

"Mom, thank you so much. You didn't have to," Arielle replied as her heart tugged at her mother's sincerity.

"I want to. You're my only child and you're such a blessing from the Lord in my life. This is the least I can do." She replied, cupping her daughter's face and planting a quick kiss on her forehead before pulling her into a tight hug.

"I love you, mamá," Arielle whispered into her mother's shoulder.

"I love you too, mi hija." Angelina pulled away, reaching back for the garment bag. Carefully, she unzipped it and opened the flaps to reveal a wedding dress in pristine condition.

It had short chiffon sleeves that were "flowy" as she had wanted and the entirety of the dress was modest and simple- extremely traditional overall.

"Mom this dress is so beautiful! It doesn't even look like I'd have to do any alterations." Arielle said with a gasp.

It was all coming together perfectly, she thought. Thank you, Lord.

"Well, we're the same size, mi hija." Angelina laughed.

"True, true," Arielle chuckled. "This is so wonderful mom, thank you so so so much!" She squealed and jumped into her mother's arms.

"Thank the Lord. I nearly forgot about this dress. Ever since your father passed- well the memories used to hurt so much so I tried too hard not to think about them anymore. I need to function for you. My relationship with God grew stronger and the Lord brought me much comfort and now my daughter is getting married, and the Lord reminded me of this beautiful dress." Angelina explained. Arielle could see the memories of her father playing back in her mother's eyes, but there was peace on her face and no more hurt.

Angelina, suspecting her daughter's thoughts, comforted her. "It's okay, honey. The Lord helped me. He healed me and I have reassurance from Him that your dad, who was such a Godly man on this earth- he's with Jesus. And that brings my heart so much peace." Angelina reassured her daughter.

"Yes, you're right. I believe he is too. God blessed you two with each other."

Angelina broke into a large smile. "And now He is blessing you and Alexander with each other. Now you can let him know that you've found the dress." She spoke excitedly.

"You're right! I'll let Susan know! She was going to pick me up tomorrow!" Arielle hugged her mom tightly, before pulling out her phone and messaging Susan with the good news. At least three things were covered now. The venue was chosen, the people were invited, and the dress was picked.

"Save the date, mom. Your daughter is getting married in two weeks." Arielle grinned as she plopped herself down next to her mother on the couch.

"I'm so happy for you," Angelina answered her daughter. She watched her, seeing the features of her dad that were on her face, like her large brown eyes.

Arielle and her mother stayed there for the next hour. They talked about the wedding plans; prayed for Jeremy, Lorenzo, and Claire; and they ended it all with scripture. Her mother turned in early for rest, but Arielle could hardly sleep.

She wanted to spend more time with God before bed, so she stayed awake and prayed for guidance and sanctification for herself and others in her life. That they would continue to walk in unity, love, and holiness through Christ.

By the end of her prayer, she felt led to write three letters. One for Lorenzo, one for Jeremy, and one for Claire. She would keep them to herself until they were allowed to have communication with her again, but she wanted them to be read in due time.

Nearly two hours passed before she got into her bed to rest. That night met her with better sleep than she had experienced in a long time.

A/N:

Hi everyone! There will be one more normal chapter after this one and then an epilogue, God willing to tie together more things! Thank you for your great patience with this story! I hope you enjoyed it! I hope to return to "To Be Made Whole" this year if it is God's will.