Read Online For Better or Worse (Book 2 in the Forgiving Hearts Trilogy) by Erin Landy - Free Book Online

coffee? I’ve got decaf.”
    Hannah’s lovely eyes narrowed suspiciously. “You drink decaf?”
    A boyish smile broke through the solemnity of his expression. “Well, no, but I remembered that you’re avoiding caffeine.”
    She leaned against the counter. “You think of everything, don’t you?”
    Everything except a way to make her fall in love with him. He scooped coffee into the filter. “I got that from my mom. She has a knack for figuring out what people like and making sure she has it when they come. I asked her once how she did it, and she said, ‘You can learn a lot about someone by just listening to them’. I guess that sort of stuck, and I find myself doing it, too.”
    “Most people are so consumed with themselves that they miss what the other person is saying.”
    Jackson reached into the cabinet for two cups. “What’s consuming your thoughts tonight?”
    She avoided his eyes. “Mitchell came to see me over the weekend.”
    “Is that a good thing?”
    “No, not really. It was just a repeat of what we’ve been arguing about for the last year. I’ve done everything he’s asked me to do. Why can’t he do the one thing I want? Am I unreasonable to want to get married?”
    “Of course you’re not. Living together isn’t God’s way, Hannah. It only provides temporary satisfaction. When two people love each other, they should get married.”
    “Mitchell doesn’t see things that way.”
    “Then you’re better off without him.”
    “I know that.” She took the cup he handed her. “In a way, I wish he hadn’t come. Being with him stirred up all the feelings I’ve tried to put behind me.”
    “I know you don’t want to hear this, but if he hasn’t changed his mind about marriage by now, he probably isn’t going to. Once you accept that, the decision comes down to whether you want to do things your way or God’s way. Personally, I don’t think you’ll ever be happy living with Mitchell outside of marriage because you know it’s wrong. If you thought it was right, you’d never have left him in the first place.”
    “Everything is black and white with you, isn’t it? It’s either wrong or right. There’s no middle ground. Don’t you ever get tired of not being able to do what you want?”
    Jackson took a drink of coffee. “God’s word is black and white about most things of importance. The Bible tells us that ‘strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.’ It isn’t easy to do what’s right; it requires sacrifice, faith and discipline. But it’s the only way to have the joy and tranquility of mind that comes with being a child of God.”
    Hannah smiled faintly. “Sacrifice, faith and discipline: I don’t like to do the first, and I don’t possess much of either of the others.”
    “They’re not things we have naturally. They’re acquired by going through difficult experiences and learning to trust God.”
    “Like you did when you had your accident?”
    “That as well as other things. The worst time I had was losing my dad. I didn’t understand how God could take such a good man in the prime of his life and leave my mother without the comfort of a husband.”
    “Do you understand now?”
    Jackson shook his head. “No, I don’t, but it’s not for me to question the One who spoke the world into being.”
    She put down her cup. “That’s what it really comes down to, isn’t it? If we believe God created us, it becomes reasonable that He expects obedience.”
    “That’s exactly right. We’re not our own; we belong to Him.”
    “I appreciate you hearing me out and being honest with me in return. There isn’t anyone else I can talk to about this.”
    “Like I said, I’m here anytime you need to talk or just want someone to pray with.”
    She glanced at her watch. “We’ve talked enough for one night. My math problems aren’t going to work themselves. We need to get started.”
    * * * *
    Hannah stared in