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  The wedding cars pulled up in front of the hotel and the photographer took some shots of them in the vehicles before they pulled out and drove over to the church. Hannah’s dad held her hand and told her how beautiful she looked. She could feel her nerves building she stepped out of the car and Alana smoothed out her train behind her.

  “This is it!” said her dad, kissing her on the cheek and lowering her veil.

  * * * *

  Chapter 23

  The wedding procession music started and Rachel waited for her cue. She was extremely nervous about tripping over in her high heels. She wasn’t used to wearing them and felt quite unbalanced. As the music reached the familiar place, she began her walk down the aisle. It felt strange not knowing anyone in the crowd, apart from Hannah’s immediate family.

  No, that wasn’t true, she realised. What is Steven doing here? she wondered. He and Hannah had been friends, but they weren’t particularly close. She was surprised he’d flown to Sydney for the wedding. She snuck a glance and thought he looked handsome in his suit and tie. He had cut his hair short, much neater than his usual style. As she reached the front, she smiled at Tim before focusing her attention on Alana, who was the next down the aisle. Alana was a few years older than her sister and Rachel thought she looked stunning, although no-one could top the way Hannah looked today.

  As the bride made her entrance, Rachel watched Tim. This was her favourite part of any wedding—watching the groom’s face as his bride walked down the aisle. He looked positively joyous and he eagerly stepped forward to take Hannah’s hand when she reached the front. Rachel wiped a tear from her eye as Hannah kissed her father and turned to her husband-to-be.

  It was a beautiful, simple ceremony. As Hannah and Tim were announced man and wife, they celebrated with a long kiss and much cheering from the crowd. Tim he led his new wife back down the aisle. Rachel took the arm of Tim’s roommate Jared and headed to the back of the church to meet up with the rest of the bridal party. She looked out for Steven during the short morning tea after the wedding, but he’d disappeared. She wondered if she would see him later. Ever since he had helped her with her car, she had regretted the way she had treated him. She really wanted a chance to apologise—perhaps they could be friends again.

  After the photographer had taken an endless number of photos of the bridal party with various family members, it was time to head to the reception. The master of ceremonies introduced the bridal party and they took their seats. Jared held out her seat, which she thought was very gentlemanly. When she saw Steven at the DJ desk, she finally figured out why was at the wedding.

  She had a great time at the reception. It was so freeing not to be on the ‘hunt’ for a man. She enjoyed conversations with some of Hannah’s college friends, her roommate Sue, and sister Alana. After dessert, they hit the dance floor and she let loose to the tunes of ‘Grease Lightning’ and the ‘Nutbush’. She hid her shoes under the bridal table, hoping no-one would mind her bare feet. She knew she probably looked like a dag, but she didn’t care; she hadn’t had this much fun in ages.

  As the introduction to ‘Love is in the Air’ began, the dance floor cleared as the guests went to find their partners. Rachel stood in the middle of the floor, alone. Everywhere she looked were happy couples. She didn’t know anyone well enough to slow dance with. She tried to escape from the dance floor, desperate to hide, when she felt someone grab her hand. She looked up and locked eyes with Steven.

  “May I have this dance?” he asked.

  “Okay,” she replied, stunned.

  Still holding her hand, he put his other hand around her waist and guided her around the dance floor to the music. She had taken ballroom dancing lessons for a couple of years in high school and she appreciated the way he led her. As the song went on, they tried a few fancy moves. She twirled under his arm and then he pulled her back to his chest. They danced together as if they had been partners for years, anticipating each other’s next move. It wasn’t until the end of the song that they realised that the other wedding guests were standing in a circle around them, cheering and applauding loudly.

  Steven leant close so she could hear him amidst all the noise. “Thanks for the dance,” he whispered, letting her hand drop as he rushed off to cue in the next song.

  She tried to catch her breath and wondered what had just happened in her heart.

  “Rachel, that was amazing,” said Hannah, dragging her new husband with her. “Wasn’t it, Tim?”

  “Yes. It made me wish I’d taken some dance lessons before the wedding,” he said.

  “I’ve never danced like that before.” Rachel shook her head, still trying to sort out her feelings.

  “Maybe it had something to do with your partner. I’ve never seen two people dance with so much passion,” Hannah commented.

  Rachel blushed, but Hannah was right. That dance had awoken her passion for Steven. He was so full of surprises. First, with the way he had rescued her when she’d driven off the road on that wet, stormy afternoon, and again tonight by rescuing her on the dance floor. She caught his eye a few times during the rest of the reception, but she didn’t have a chance to speak with him. She hoped she would get some time alone with him before the evening was over.

  Hannah and Tim said farewell to their guests and Rachel cried as she hugged her best friend, wishing her all the best for her new adventure with Tim. It had been a long day and she felt tired and emotional. Hannah was a picture of radiance as she took her new husband’s hand and climbed into the getaway car.

  Almost immediately, the guests cleared and Rachel helped Hannah’s family gather all the wedding gifts and flowers. She noticed Steven packing away his gear and she was about to go and help him when Hannah’s mum asked her if she could take some things out to the car. Three loads of presents later, Steven came outside and placed his equipment and speakers into the boot, his arm brushing up against hers.

  “I didn’t know you could dance,” she said.

  “My parents’ both used to do ballroom dancing, so they taught me when I was little. You are pretty good yourself.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled. “It helps having a good partner.”

  He smiled back, leaving her feeling even shakier in her heels. She wondered whether the one glass of wine she’d had at the wedding was now having an effect. He was about to say something when Hannah’s mum interrupted, telling everyone it was time to head to the hotel. Rachel hadn’t realised that Steven would be staying with them and it made her happy. Maybe we’ll have a chance to finish our conversation.

  Inside her hotel room, she let her hair out and took off her shoes, which had been bothering her all day. She kept thinking about Steven, knowing he was just in the next room, but not wanting to embarrass herself by knocking on the door. What would she say to him anyway? “Hi, Steven, I think I’m falling in love with you?” She heard a knock at the door and Alana went to answer it.

  “It’s for you,” she said, raising her eyebrows in a look so reminiscent of Hannah.

  Rachel checked her appearance in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was all crinkled from her braids and fell nicely about her shoulders. Satisfied that she had no black smudges on her face this time, she opened the door.

  It was Steven. “Do you want to go for a walk?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said.

  She slipped on a pair of more comfortable shoes and joined him in the hallway. They walked to the lift and he pressed the button for the top floor of the building.

  “Where are we going?” she asked.

  “You’ll see.”

  They travelled up the lift in silence. When the doors opened, he led the way across the rooftop. Her mouth dropped open in amazement at the scene before her. The view across Sydney Harbour at night was stunning. The Harbour Bridge and Opera House were spectacularly lit up, and the boats on the harbour twinkled like stars. The buildings across the skyline glittered with different colours, like a magical fairyland.

  “
It’s beautiful,” she said.

  “I thought you’d like it,” he said, “but that isn’t the best part. It’s easy to be impressed by what mankind has made, but God outshines it all.”

  He put his hands on her shoulders and spun her around. Standing over the horizon was a large, white full moon. It hung in the sky above them, its pale beams lighting up everything in their path. It was so close, she felt as though she could reach out and touch it. She let out a sigh, marvelling at God’s creation. It reminded her of a verse from the Bible she had read the previous week about God setting the moon and stars in their place. She looked at Steven as he cleared his throat, about to speak.

  “Rachel, I feel like I haven’t been fair to you. At the beginning of this year, I decided I wanted you to be my girlfriend. I barely knew you and I didn’t even really stop to think that it might not be what God wanted, or what you wanted for that matter. When you agreed to our date, I saw it as the start of our future together. That’s why I was so upset when I found out you were with Nate.”

  “About that,” she interrupted, “I feel really bad about how I acted. I was so flippant about our date and didn’t even think about your feelings. I’m so sorry for hurting you.”

  “It’s okay. I mean, it did upset me to see you with Nate, but it ended up being good for me. When you told me you weren’t interested in me, God used it to get my attention. I realised that I was trying to get God to fit in with what I wanted rather than trusting in His perfect plans and timing. Then, when I saw you stranded on the road during that storm, I realised I couldn’t be angry at you anymore. You looked so vulnerable, all dripping wet, and covered in black smudges.”

  “You noticed?” Rachel groaned.

  “Yes, but I thought you looked cute.” He grinned. “That night, I looked up the meaning of your middle name on the internet. Did you know that ‘Anne’ means ‘grace’? I thought it was really fitting. God has extended his grace to me, and He was asking me to do the same to you. Not that I had any right to be angry at you for not wanting the same thing I wanted.”

  “What if I’ve changed my mind?” asked Rachel, feeling brave.

  He turned and looked at her, his eyes blazing. “What did you say?”

  “I said, what if I’ve changed my mind? I know I said I wasn’t interested before, but God has been working on my heart too. I’d like to get to know you better. I can already see you being the kind of guy I could grow old with. You have so many qualities that I admire, and I love that there are new surprises to find out about you.”

  He took both her hands in his. “You don’t know how happy that makes me.” The way he looked into her eyes sent a rush through her body.

  He brought his arms around her and she rested her head on his chest. They stood there for a while together, embracing in the moonlight. She couldn’t believe how right it felt to be with him like this. He kissed her forehead and pulled back, the excitement in his eyes contagious.

  “So what’s next for us,” she asked.

  “Well, in five hours I’m going to a comic convention. You want to come with me? It might be a good opportunity to learn more about me.”

  “Hmm,” she pretended to think about it, “I think I’ll cope, as long as I don’t have to wear a costume.”

  He paused, as if picturing her in one. “I better not think about that tonight, or I’ll never sleep!”

  He reached for her hand and led her back to her room. She loved the feeling of his strong, firm hand around hers. He made her feel special and protected.

  He said goodnight and she crept quietly into the room so as not to wake Alana. As she climbed into the bed, she thanked God for how everything had worked out. She was about to go to sleep when she remembered something else she needed to do.

  * * * *

  Chapter 24

  Hannah woke to the strange sound of soft snoring. She looked across the white sheets at her new husband, sleeping soundly beside her and smiled at his ruffled hair and the creases on his face from his pillow. Oh, how she loved this man. It had been the perfect wedding and they had both had an amazing time, although it had gone so fast. It only seemed like a few hours ago that she had been getting ready to walk down the aisle.

  They had stayed overnight at a fancy hotel near the airport. It had been a memorable night as they soaked in the spa together, ate a midnight supper dressed in their bathrobes and got to know each other as husband and wife. Hannah couldn’t wait for their trip to Fiji. They would be catching their plane in the early afternoon. As she glanced at her watch, she realised they didn’t have all that much time before they needed to get to the airport. She shook Tim gently, but he didn’t wake up, so she tried a bit more vigorously.

  “Wake up!”

  He opened his eyes and grinned at her. “I could get used to waking up next to you.”

  “I know what you mean, but we need to get down to the buffet for breakfast if we are going to make it to the airport in time.”

  He looked at his watch. “We have plenty of time. Why don’t you lie back down with me for a while.” He was always the more relaxed one.

  The idea was too tempting and she gave in, leaning back against his bare chest. He fell asleep again, but she was too awake now. She heard her phone and reached down for her bag, which was tricky as Tim had his arm firmly wrapped around her waist. She had two text messages. The first was from Rachel, sent at 2:30am—

  “Hi, Hannah. God is so good. He has given me another chance with Steven. I’m so happy. PS. You looked beautiful yesterday. Have a wonderful time and I’ll see you at Christmas. I’ll miss you. Rachel.”

  She smiled, overwhelmingly happy for her friend. The other text message was obviously a wrong number—

  “Hi, Mum, I’m going to Kim’s. Can you please feed the dogs?”

  She decided to turn off her phone. The real world could wait for a while. Determined to start good habits in her marriage, she prayed.

  Dear God. Thank You for bringing me a wonderful husband who loves me. Thank You for forgiveness and second chances. Help me never to take Your blessings for granted, but to always be thankful for all You’ve given me. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

  She leant over and kissed her new husband on the cheek, knowing that whatever challenges they might face in the future, they would face them together with God.

  * * * *

  A note from the author

  Hi, readers. I hope you enjoyed this book. It all started one night, when after running out of good books to read, I decided I would write the kind of book I would enjoy reading. I sent the first few chapters to my sisters and they encouraged me to keep writing. A few months later, ‘Second Chances’ was born.

  While this book is fictional, there are a few things I’ve thrown in from my real life, which my family and friends might recognise. The setting of Oakley is a fictional town in Australia that I wrote about when I was a teenager. My sisters were the ones who gave me the idea to write about Oakley again.

  I’ve experienced God’s forgiveness more times than I can count. He is a God of second chances (and third ... and fourth etc). I hope you have also known God’s forgiveness in your life, thanks to Jesus’ death and resurrection.

  Come and say hi on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/AlisonStanleyChristianFiction, or visit my blog at www.alisonstanleychristianfiction.wordpress.com to find out more about my writing.

  It would also be wonderful if you could leave a review to let other readers know what you thought of this book,

  God bless,

  Alison

  * * * *

  ‘Trust Me Twice’, the next book in the Oakley series, is now available.

  From the day they were both born, Alana and Zac were best friends—that is, until an incident on a school camp causes Alana to push Zac away and to doubt God. Ten years later, Alana returns to her home town of Oakley and runs into Zac again. He is now a famous TV star and super-cute, but can she forgive him for hurting her all those years ago? While stran
ded alone with him in the middle of a natural disaster, she must decide whether to open her heart and trust Zac, and God, again.

 
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