The conversation this time was about belief in God. “With faith, I never had any reason to fear for my job and walk around terrified of Jack Renton,” Alicia told him. “The Bible says not to worry about those who can kill the body. Because nothing can ever kill the soul.”
Wendell listened, amazed. One of the reasons he had been drawn to Alicia in the first place was that she needed him. She felt safe with him. That would always be true. But this new Alicia, the one with a belief in God as strong as his own . . . this was a woman he was falling more in love with every day.
He glanced at his office door just as Alicia appeared. Her smile lit up his heart. Here I go, Lord . . . give me the words.
Classes were out for the day, and the Raise the Bar club meeting had already wrapped up. An unusually warm couple days had melted the snow on the ground so Wendell could ask her the way he had planned.
In the place on campus that belonged to them.
He joined her in the hall and gave her a quick hug. Which was all he’d done since she’d been back in his life. She needed to know he valued her friendship, her character, her faith. The way she loved his children.
And so every time he longed to kiss her, Wendell had waited.
“Hey.” He smiled into her eyes. “How was your day?”
Alicia took a deep breath and looked at the wall, the one with Hamilton’s quote. “This is where I belong.” She turned to him. “You’ll never know how thankful I am that you made this move happen.”
He slipped his hand in his pocket again and felt the box. “You’ll never know how thankful I am that you’re here.”
They talked about her third-period English class as they walked across campus. Wendell could barely concentrate, barely respond. All he could think about was the ring and the question. It felt like every minute of the past two years had led up to this moment.
“We’re going to the baseball field, right?” Her eyes sparkled.
“Right.” He realized he hadn’t told her where they were going. He had just asked her to meet him at his office after school so they could talk. He grinned at her. “Where else?”
Her coat hung unbuttoned. It was warm enough that neither of them really needed more than a sweater. Perfect weather, Wendell thought. He glanced at the blue sky overhead. Thanks, God. You’ve got every detail here. Now, please . . . just let her say yes.
They reached the bleachers and Wendell led her to a spot somewhere in the middle. He turned and faced her and without saying a word he took her hands in his.
“Wendell . . .” Her eyes looked surprised. “Your fingers are freezing!”
He chuckled. “You’re right.” Alicia would understand why soon enough.
“So . . .” She searched his eyes. Her easy expression told him she had no idea what was coming. “We’re here.” Her smile had never looked more beautiful. “What did you want to talk about?”
“Alicia . . . I’ve loved you for a very long time now.” He ran his thumbs softly over her knuckles. “I loved you before you left and I loved you every day while you were gone.”
“Me, too.” Happy tears filled her eyes. “I used to dream I was still teaching here. That we could still see each other.” Her smile faded. “I’d wake up and have to feel . . . the hurt of losing you all over again.”
Wendell nodded. He let her words hang in the air between them for a few seconds. Then he felt his smile fill his face. “Those days are behind us. And now . . . every night when you’re at our dinner table, I find myself thinking just one thing.”
Understanding started to dawn in her expression. She waited, almost as if she were holding her breath.
“I don’t ever want you to leave again.” He released one of her hands and worked his fingers gently along the side of her face. “I love you, Alicia.”
“I love you, too.”
Then, in a move he had imagined himself making a thousand times, Wendell dropped down to one knee. Not easy on the bleachers, but Wendell was still able to pull it off.
When she seemed to fully realize what was happening, Alicia brought her hands to her face and gasped. Her eyes lit up and tears spilled onto her cheeks. She whispered his name in a way he would remember forever. “Wendell! What are you . . .”
He pulled the velvet box from his pants pocket and slowly opened the lid. “Alicia, I want you to come for dinner and never go home. I want to live with you and wake up with you and raise my children with you.” Tears welled up in his eyes, too. “I want to serve God with you all the days of my life.”
She was already nodding, crying and laughing and grinning. “I want that, too.”
“So, Alicia Maria Harris”—he held the ring up to her—“will you make me the most grateful man in the world? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She bounced up and down a few times, shaking the bleachers with joy. Then she took the box from him, staring at the ring and then back at Wendell. “Yes, Wendell Quinn. I’d marry you today if I could!”
He was on his feet now, pulling her into his arms and holding her the way he had longed to hold her since he saw her outside his office. Alicia Harris was going to be his wife! Wendell looked at the sky and wondered what he’d ever done for God to bless him so fully.
Then he did something he’d refrained from doing until now. He put his hands alongside her face and let himself get lost in her eyes. Then slowly he erased the distance between them and he kissed her.
Nothing had ever felt so good.
And suddenly they were both laughing and crying and staring at each other. “We’re getting married!” Alicia looked at the ring in her hand.
“Here. I’ll help you.” Wendell’s cold hands shook, but it didn’t matter. The ring was a perfect fit.
As soon as it was on her finger, they heard cheering in the distance and they looked up to see Jordy and Leah, Alexandria and Darrell running their way. This was the part Wendell had worked out with his oldest son. After class got out, Jordy and Leah went to the middle school and picked up their younger siblings.
All so they could hide near the trees and film Wendell’s proposal.
Now Darrell led the way as his four children ran into the bleachers and piled into a group hug. The joy of the moment was so great Wendell teared up again. He grinned at his kids. “She said yes!”
“We know!” Alexandria hugged Alicia. “You’re going to be our mom, now!”
Alicia smiled through her tears and kissed the young girl’s cheek. “I can’t wait, Alexandria.” She glanced at Wendell and her happy expression deepened. “Truly . . . I cannot wait.”
Jordy hugged his father. “Way to go, Dad.”
“Thanks.” Wendell winked at him. “And thanks for the encouragement at Christmastime.”
“No problem.” Jordy smiled at Alicia. “I thought he should’ve done this a long time ago.”
They all laughed and hugged again.
Wendell held on to every moment, every word. He wanted to remember this as long as he lived. The way it felt to be so loved, so happy.
Wendell kept his arms wrapped around the people he loved most. God had done this. God, his mighty Father and Savior, who Wendell would forever praise and whose truth Wendell would always share with whoever wanted a second chance at life. The One Wendell would trust with his children and his career and his future. And Alicia Harris. The woman he was going to marry.
God had given him all of this. And Wendell would defend Him until his final breath.
Whatever the cost.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
No book comes together without a great deal of teamwork, passion and determination. That was definitely true for In This Moment!
First, a special thanks to my amazing publisher, Judith Curr, and the team at Atria Books and Howard Books. Judith, at the Simon & Schuster offices, you’re known as the Rainmaker. How blessed I am to be working with you and your passionate team. You clearly desire to raise the bar at every turn. Thank you for that and for everything!
A similar thanks to Carolyn Reidy and my family at Simon & Schuster. I think often of our times together in New York and the way your collective creative brilliance always becomes a game changer. Thank you for lending your influence in so many ways. It’s an honor to work with you!
This book is so very special because of the incredible talents of my editor, Becky Nesbitt. Becky, you have known me since my kids were little. Since the Baxters began. How many authors actually look forward to the editing process? With you, it is a dream. And always you find ways to make my book better. Over and over and over again. Thank you for that! I am the most blessed author for the privilege of working with you.
Also thanks to my design team—Kyle and Kelsey Kupecky—whose unmatched talent in the industry is recognized from Los Angeles to New York. Very simply you are the best in the business! My website, social media, video trailers and newsletter, along with so many other aspects of my touring and writing, are what they are because of you two. Thank you for working your own dreams around mine. I love you and I thank God for you every single day.
A huge thanks to my sisters, Tricia and Susan, along with my mom, who give their whole hearts to helping me love my readers. Tricia as my executive assistant for the past decade, and Susan, for many years, as the head of my Facebook Online Book Club and Team KK. And Mom, thank you for being Queen of the Readers. Anyone who has ever sent me an email and received a response from you is blessed indeed. All three of you are so special to me. I love you and I thank God for each of you!
Thanks also to Tyler for joining with me to write screenplays and future books that—for now—the readers don’t even know about. You are such a gifted writer, Ty. I can’t wait to see your work on the shelves and on the big screen. Maybe one day soon! Love you so much!
Also, thank you to my office assistant, Aurora Galvin. You create space for me to write! This storytelling wouldn’t be possible without you.
I’m grateful also to my Team KK members, who use social media to tell the world about my upcoming releases and who hang out on my Facebook page answering reader questions. I appreciate each of you so much. May God bless you for your service to the work of Life-Changing Fiction™.
There is a final stage in writing a book. The galley pages come to me, and I send them to a team of five of my closest, most special reader friends. My niece Shannon Fairley, Hope Painter, Donna Keene, Renette Steele and Zac Weikal. You are wonderful! It always amazes me the things you catch at the final hour. Thank you for loving my work, and thanks for your availability to read my books first and fast.
Also, my books only happen with the help of my family, especially my amazing husband, Donald. Honey, thank you for your spiritual wisdom and leadership in our home, and thanks for talking through books like this one from the outline to the editing. The countless ways you help me when I’m on deadline make all the difference. I love you!
And over all this, there is a man who has believed in my career for two decades—my amazing agent, Rick Christian of Alive Literary Agency. From the beginning, Rick, you’ve told me to dream big, set my sights high. Movies, TV series, worldwide reach. You imagined it all, you prayed for it to be. You believed. While I write, you work behind the scenes on film projects and my work with Liberty University, the Baxter family TV series and details regarding every book I’ve ever written. You are brilliant and driven, compassionate and dedicated. I used to dream of having you as my agent. Now I’m the only author who does. God is amazing. Thank you, Rick, and thank you for praying for me and my family. That most of all.
Finally, my greatest thanks to God Almighty, who is First and Last and all things in between. I write for You, through You and because of You. Thank you with my whole being.
Dear Reader Friend,
I stapled together the pages of my first book when I was five years old, when I wrote a story titled The Horse. I never stopped writing, but there was a time, back when I was in college, that I considered becoming a lawyer.
I gave the idea careful consideration. That same semester a writing professor called me to the front of the room after class. He had just finished reading one of my assignments.
“Two things,” he told me. “First, you will never stop writing. And second, you are on the newspaper staff. Report to my office in the morning.”
With those words I put aside my thoughts of a legal career. I was supposed to be a writer. A good decision, for sure.
But over time—every now and then—I think about the very real stories of religious persecution in the United States and I know that if I’d gone into law, I’d be out there on the front lines. Standing up for religious freedom the way Luke Baxter did in Wendell Quinn’s case.
It’s a fine line—the balance between freedom of religion, and freedom “from” religion. We need lawyers working these cases to be sure that the intent of our founding fathers is preserved.
And so it was with a full, sometimes racing heart that I had the pleasure of writing this story. It feels very real to me. Very timely. I hope you learned things from it, truth you can take into your own world and situations as you live freely the faith you have.
As with my other books in this new Baxter Family collection, this book and the ones to come will allow us the chance to live with the Baxters. We will see what matters to them, and how their work and family lives affect the people and culture around them.
The next Baxter book—To the Moon and Back—is another of those! I know you’ll love it! These are among the most favorite books I’ve ever written. I’m grateful you’re sharing in the journey!
Being back with the Baxter family has been the greatest gift. Always when people ask me, “How are the Baxters?” I have an answer. I honestly do. I can see them at work and play, holding close conversations, and looking for new horizons. Participating in never-seen-before adventures.
You’ve probably heard by now that the Baxter family is coming to TV. The series is expected to become one of the most beloved of all time. I know you’ll be watching. You can find out more details about that and how to connect with me on social media at my website—KarenKingsbury.com.
But in the meantime, I’ll see you in the spring with my next book, To the Moon and Back.
Because the Baxter family isn’t just my family. They’re your family.
And with them at the middle of our lives, we are all family.
Until next time . . . thanks for being part of the family.
Love you all!
THE BAXTER FAMILY: YESTERDAY AND TODAY
For some of you, this is your first time with the Baxter family. Yes, you could go back and read twenty-some books on these most-loved characters. The list of Baxter titles—in order—is at the beginning of this book. But you don’t have to read those to read this one. In fact, there will be other Baxter books coming in the next few years. These books are a collection, not a series. They can be read in any order.
If you wish, you can begin right here.
Whether you’ve known the Baxters for years or are meeting them for the first time, here’s a quick summary of the family, their kids and their ages. Also, because these characters are fictional, I’ve taken some liberty with their ages. Let’s just assume this is how old everyone is today.
Now, let me introduce you to—or remind you of—the Baxter family.
• • •
THE BAXTERS BEGAN in Bloomington, Indiana, and most of the family still lives there today.
The Baxter house is on ten acres outside of town, with a winding creek that runs through the backyard. It has a wraparound porch and a pretty view and the memories of a lifetime. The house was purchased by John and Elizabeth Baxter when their children were young. They raised their family here. Today it is owned by one of their daughters—Ashley—and her husband, Landon Blake. It is still the place where the extended Baxter family gathers for special celebrations.
John Baxter: John is the patriarch of the Baxter family. Formerly an emergency room doctor and professor of medicine a
t Indiana University, he’s now retired. John’s first wife, Elizabeth, died ten years ago from a recurrence of cancer. Years later, John remarried Elaine, and the two live in Bloomington.
Dayne Matthews, 42: Dayne is the oldest son of John and Elizabeth. Dayne was born out of wedlock and—against his parents’ wishes—given up for adoption at birth. His adoptive parents died in a small plane crash when he was 18. Sometime later, Dayne became a very visible and popular movie star. At age 30, he hired an attorney to find his birth parents—John and Elizabeth Baxter—which led to a moment with Elizabeth in the hospital before she died. In time, he connected with the rest of his biological family. Dayne is married to Katy, 40. The couple has three children: Sophie, 7; Egan, 5; and Blaise, 3. They are very much part of the Baxter family, and they split time between Los Angeles and Bloomington.
Brooke Baxter West, 40: Brooke is a pediatrician in Bloomington, married to Peter West, 40, also a doctor. The couple has two daughters: Maddie, 19, and Hayley, 16. The family experienced a tragedy when Hayley suffered a drowning accident at age 3. She recovered miraculously, but still has disabilities caused by the incident.
Kari Baxter Taylor, 38: Kari is a designer, married to Ryan Taylor, 40, football coach at Clear Creek High School. The couple has three children: Jessie, 16; RJ, 10; and Annie, 7. Kari had a crush on Ryan when the two were in middle school. They dated through college, and then broke up over a misunderstanding. Kari married a man she met in college, Professor Tim Jacobs, but some years into their marriage he had an affair. The infidelity resulted in his murder at the hands of a stalker. The tragedy devastated Kari, who was pregnant at the time with their first child (Jessie). Ryan came back into her life around the same time, and years later he and Kari married. They live in Bloomington.
Ashley Baxter Blake, 36: Ashley is the former black sheep of the Baxter family, married to Landon Blake, 36, who works for the Bloomington Fire Department. The couple has four children: Cole, 16; Amy, 11; Devin, 9; and Janessa, 5. As a young single mom, Ashley was jaded against God and her family when she reconnected with her firefighter friend Landon, who had secretly always loved her. Eventually Ashley and Landon married and Landon adopted Cole. Together, the couple had two more children—Devin and Janessa. Between those children, they lost a baby girl, Sarah Marie, at birth to anencephaly. Amy, Ashley’s niece, came to live with them a few years ago after Amy’s parents, Erin Baxter Hogan and Sam Hogan, and Amy’s three sisters, were killed in a horrific car accident. Amy was the only survivor. Ashley and Landon and their family live in Bloomington, in the old Baxter house, where Ashley and her siblings were raised. Ashley paints and is successful in selling her work in local boutiques.