Authors: Becky Wade

A Love Like Ours (36 page)

“I guess,” Jake said, “the roof of this building isn’t going to get ripped off by a tornado.”

The lightning and thunder had bowled past them. She could hear their fury receding into the distance. “I guess not. It looks like you and I aren’t going to get blown away this time.”

“
You
blow me away.” Seriousness overtook his features. “I love you, Lyndie. I’ll always love you. As long as there’s an earth and a sun,” he promised. “Longer. I will love you.”

She rose on her toes to kiss him again, elation singing through every fiber of her. She could sense the awe-inspiring generosity of God’s blessing. God had made a way for her to return to Jake and him to her.

Jake. The best friend of her childhood. Her defender. The one she would defend.

Her future.

Epilogue

H
e felt Rob’s wrist for a pulse. No pulse. He rose up, placing his
joined palms on Rob’s chest to begin chest compressions, counting out loud to focus his mind and his efforts.

A part of him knew it was too late for CPR to help. But he couldn’t stop. It wasn’
t too late. He wouldn’t let it be too
late.

Panzetti and Scott and Barnes were his men. He
’d picked them all to ride in his Humvee today. This couldn’t be happening. He was responsible for these
men—my God . . . his men. Their safety depended on him
and he wanted to go back in time and let all of them—any of them—live and him die
. He hadn’t seen the IEDs. He’d overlooked something
.

He continued CPR, devastated, wild inside, as the chopper lowered. Whipping wind and the roar of the blades pounded
him. He was a shattered man who shouldn’t be
alive, and all he could think while the blood dripped from the wound on his face onto Panzetti’s torso was: no. No! No, no, no—

“Jake.” A hand gripped his shoulder, calm and reassuring. “Wake up. You’re having a nightmare, my love.”

Lyndie. Though his heart was racing and confused panic beat against him from the inside, her presence instantly began to settle him.

The warmth and softness of her body stretched alongside him in their bed. He opened his eyes to see her in the semi-darkness, raised up on one elbow, looking down at him. Strands of her hair
trailed onto his bare chest. The scent of a waterfall, fresh and peaceful, filled his senses. Her scent.

Hoarsely, he whispered her name.

“Yes, I’m here.”

Here
. He was no longer left to deal with his memories alone, thank God. He pulled her against him, holding her with fierce, possessive power and rolling them both onto their sides. She clung to him, her slender arms surprisingly strong.

In the six months leading up to their wedding and in the two months since, he’d only had the nightmare a handful of times. It was losing its power over him, slowly letting go.

Jake could just make out her features in the dim glow of the nightlight she always left on for him. Their bedroom, here on the second story of the building she called the Candy Shoppe, surrounded them. Antique windows, blankets, snoring animals.

“Are you all right?” She stroked her fingers over his cheek and into the hair above his ear.

He nodded, even though he wasn’t yet. The scene in Iraq still had its hooks in him, but he didn’t want to say so and worry her.

“Liar.” She spoke the word gently.

He’d told her every detail of the things he’d seen and experienced on his tours.

“It wasn’t your fault, Jake.” She assured him of this every time he faced a setback, like now. Did she know that her words flowed into him like light? “God had a reason for sparing your life. He has plans for you and a future.”

“With you.”

“With me. A love like ours only comes along once in a hundred years, you know.” She smiled.

“Once in a thousand. I love you, Lyndie. I love you so much.” Fervently, he clasped her to him and kissed her.

He loved her. He loved her with single-minded commitment as deep as the ocean. As powerful as the tide.

“For I know the plans I have for you,”

declares the Lord,

“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future.”

—Jeremiah 29:11

Questions for Conversation

Lyndie and Jake were childhood friends. Did you have someone you’d consider to be your childhood “best friend”? Do you still have clear memories of that person? Do you still feel fondly toward them? Still keep in touch?
A Love Like Ours
begins with a prologue that gives the reader a glimpse into Jake and Lyndie’s childhood. What did that glimpse add to the story and why do you think Becky Wade included it in the novel?
This novel is the third in a four-book series about the Porter family. Do you enjoy reading series? What are some of the things you most appreciate about them in general or about the Porter Family series in particular?
Jake is a quintessential brooding hero. How did you feel toward Jake? Why do you think this hero type has had such enduring popularity?
According to statistics from the Department of
Veterans Affairs,
11-20% of veterans who served in
Operations Iraqi
Freedom and Enduring Freedom
have PTSD in a given year. Civilians who’ve endured a trauma are also at risk. Have
you been personally affected or known someone who’s been affected by PTSD?
Thoroughbred horse racing plays a large role in the plot of
A Love Like Ours
. Becky Wade loved horses as a child but never owned one of her own. She enjoyed “owning” Silver Leaf while writing this story. What did/didn’t you like about the horse-related plotline? Did you learn anything about horse racing that you didn’t know before?
How do you think God used Lyndie’s history with Mollie to prepare Lyndie for a relationship with Jake?
The theme of this book is “finding hope.” Jake tries to make Lyndie the source of his hope, but he soon discovers that even his powerful love for her isn’t enough to redeem him. Why do you think we’re so susceptible to looking for hope in sources apart from God?
Those of you who read the first two books in the Porter Family series might remember Amber Richardson’s appearance in
Undeniably Yours
. In
A Love Like Ours
Amber wrestles with waiting on God’s timing instead of giving in to the temptation to force her own timing. Has waiting on God’s timing ever been difficult for you?
After Lyndie and Jake’s first kiss, Lyndie struggles with her feelings for Jake because she knows he’s an unbeliever and that her hopes of him changing in the future might prove futile. Have you or your family members ever struggled with this dilemma?
What scenes from the book stick out most in your memory?
How did you feel about Lyndie’s decision at the end of the novel to give up her dream of jockeying Silver Leaf? What did her sacrifice prove about her character?

Becky Wade
is a native of California who attended Baylor University, met and married a Texan, and moved to Dallas. She published historical romances for the general market, then put her career on hold for several years to care for her children. When God called her back to writing, Becky knew He meant for her to turn her attention to Christian fiction. She loves writing modern, humorous, heart-pounding contemporary romance. Her Christian fiction debut,
My Stubborn Heart,
was a finalist for both a RITA and INSPY Award, and the first Porter Family novel,
Undeniably Yours,
won the 2014 Carol Award for Romance. Becky lives in a suburb of Dallas with her husband and three kids.

To find out more about Becky and her books, visit
www.beckywade.com
.

Books by
Becky Wade

My Stubborn Heart

T
HE
P
ORTER
F
AMILY
N
OVELS

Undeniably Yours

Meant to Be Mine

A Love Like Ours