When There is Love: A Christian Romance (The McKinleys Book 3) Read online

  “So, what’s up with Trent?” Alicia asked. She set her cinnamon bun back down on the plate in her lap and licked her fingers.

  “Have no idea,” Victoria said as she shifted on the couch.

  “He’s been at the hospital every day and you have no idea? I’d say—given previous interactions with him—that he’s trying to show you that he’s interested in you.”

  Victoria shrugged. “He’s been blowing a bit hot and cold over the past few weeks. I’m not going to assume anything at this point.”

  Alicia sighed. “You guys have been dancing around each other for ages now. Someone has to make a move. If he did tell you he wanted something more serious than just friendship, what would you say?”

  What would she say? Good question. “Part of me would want to agree.”

  “But the other part?”

  “Well, that part would be afraid that things would end just like they have any other time I’ve tried to date a guy of average height. And it would be much more awkward since he’s Eric’s friend.”

  “I think you’d better make up your mind because I have a feeling that conversation with Trent is going to happen sooner rather than later.”

  Victoria looked at Alicia and frowned. “You do? Did he say something to you?”

  “Nope, but it’s pretty obvious he has it bad for you. And this is way more than the lighthearted attempts he’s made to get you to go out with him in the past. You might not see it, but everyone else can see how he looks at you. How he tries to make you smile.”

  He did make her smile, that was for sure. But would that be enough? She’d been praying about it but didn’t really feel peace either way. She thought back to the conversation she’d had with her group of little people friends. Most of their responses with regards to being with an average-size man had to do with the physical side of the relationship, and while that was something Victoria had considered, it wasn’t the main thing.

  Some of the group had experiences similar to hers. Others had worse—they’d actually ended up in relationships with people who did view their stature as a fetish thing. Thankfully, that wasn’t something Victoria had ever thought about with Trent. There had been one woman in the group who was married to an average-size man, but she was a very vocal person who would get in the face of anyone who dared look at her wrong. She obviously didn’t let the way some in society viewed her marriage to her average-size husband bother her.

  Which was where Victoria knew she needed to end up if she could even hope to have a future with Trent.

  “Have you ever had a serious relationship?” Victoria asked.

  Alicia hesitated then said, “Well, not super serious, but it lasted almost nine months.”

  “Why did you break up?”

  “It just kind of fizzled out around the time of my mom’s accident and then my decision to move here.” Alicia took a bite of her cinnamon roll. “Like I said, it wasn’t super serious.”

  “Would you say yes to Trent if you were in my shoes?”

  Alicia regarded her intently. “If all I had to go on was Trent’s character, I would say yes. And it doesn’t hurt that he’s easy on the eyes.” A quick smile curved Alicia’s lips. “Seriously though, I know there are more things to consider for you.”

  Victoria nodded. “Trent needs to understand that being with someone like me won’t be easy.”

  “I think that an honest conversation with Trent is in order if he broaches the subject of something more serious. Just put it all out there. Maybe it will make him back off and if so, at least you weren’t too involved. But if he doesn’t back off, he knows what he’s getting into.”

  Victoria stared down at the half-eaten cinnamon roll on her plate. Rejection sooner rather than later? It was a risk she needed to decide if she wanted to take.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  TRENT didn’t make it over to Victoria’s on Sunday like he had hoped. But after work on Monday, he dropped by his apartment to change into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and grab a bite to eat before heading over to her place. There was only her car parked in the driveway, but he knew her mom was there with her.

  “Hello, Trent,” Caroline said when she opened the door. “C’mon in.”

  Trent stepped into the coolness of the house. “Hope it’s okay I stopped by.” It felt a bit different from when he went to see her at the hospital.

  “It’s fine. In fact, I might impose on you to take her out for a little while.”

  “Take her out?” Trent asked as they walked toward the kitchen. He didn’t see any sign of Victoria.

  “I think she’s feeling a little housebound. Maybe you could convince her to go out for ice cream or to the park. Get her a little fresh air.”

  “Sure. I can do that.” He glanced around. “Where is she?”

  “She’s lying down. The physical therapist came by today to work with her. I think it kind of wore her out a little.”

  Trent wasn’t happy to hear that. She’d just been through major surgery. Surely they could give her a bit of a break.

  “I’ll go see how she is. Make yourself at home,” Caroline said as she walked toward the hallway that led to the bedrooms.

  He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to see if there was something to drink. Spotting his favorite soda on the shelf filled him with warmth. As far as he knew, it wasn’t something she drank, so its presence there meant she’d bought it for him. He grabbed one and twisted the lid off.

  He’d just taken a deep swallow when he heard voices and turned to see Victoria and Caroline headed his way. As they got closer, he could see the strain on her face just like that day in the hospital.

  But she still smiled when she saw him. “Hi, Trent.”

  “Heya, babe. How about we go out for a bit?”

  “Out? Where?” Victoria leaned forward on her crutches, shifting her weight.

  “We can go through a drive-thru to get some ice cream and maybe go to the park.”

  She hesitated, but he could see that she was considering it. Looking up at her mom, she said, “You’ll be okay on your own here, Mom?”

  “I’ll be fine, darling. Actually, your dad is on his way over so I won’t be alone.”

  “If we’re going to go any distance, we’d better bring the wheelchair,” Victoria said.

  Since she’d just had a workout on her hip, Trent had hoped she’d suggest it. If she hadn’t, he would have. “I think that’s a great idea. Where is it?”

  “In the hallway.”

  Trent saw the relieved expression on Caroline’s face as he headed for the hall. He hoped that it wasn’t something more than just the physical therapy that had caused Caroline’s concern for her daughter. He pushed the wheelchair into the living room.

  “Do you want me to push you out to the car or can you walk?” he asked Victoria.

  She had taken a seat at the dining room table, her crutches still on her arms. “I think I can walk. It’s not too far.”

  “Well, let me take this out. Take your time.”

  He left the front door open after he’d pushed the wheelchair out. It didn’t take him long to get it folded and into the back of his car. When he came around to the passenger side, he saw Victoria coming toward him, Caroline a few feet behind her. He was about to ask about getting the stool for her when he realized that it probably wasn’t going to do her much good.

  Caroline stood at the front of his car watching them as Victoria neared him.

  “Is it okay if I just lift you onto the seat, babe? I’m not sure you want to try the stool just yet, do you?”

  She looked at him for a moment before her gaze slid away, and she nodded. “Yeah, I probably can’t maneuver from the stool onto the seat just yet.”

  “Well then, be prepared to be swept off your feet.” Trent tried to keep his tone light even though his pulse had kicked up a notch at the thought of holding Victoria in his arms. He positioned himself so when he picked her up, she would be facing the right way to just
slide onto the seat. The last thing he wanted was to do anything that might hurt her. “Ready?”

  Her hesitation was brief, but he still saw it before she nodded. Bending down, he slid one arm around her back and the other under her knees. She kept the crutches in her grip as he lifted her up and put her on the seat. It had been a brief moment of contact, but the scent of her still lingered, teasing his senses.

  “Let me take those,” Trent said as she slid her arms free of the cuffs on the crutches. He put them on the back seat and then went around to the driver’s side and slid behind the wheel. He looked over at her as he started up the car. “Everything okay? Does the seatbelt hurt your incision?”

  She shook her head but didn’t meet his gaze. “It’s fine.”

  Trent found a nearby Dairy Queen and got them both Blizzards. He then checked his phone for the nearest park. “Have you been there before?”

  “Yes. It’s a nice one,” Victoria said.

  It only took about ten minutes to get there, but it seemed like an eternity because Victoria remained silent for most of it. Thankfully, the park seemed fairly empty when they arrived. He parked the car and then got the wheelchair out. After positioning it and making sure the wheels were locked, he opened Victoria’s door. She already had her seatbelt off and was clutching her ice cream in her hands.

  “Ready?”

  At her nod, he once again picked her up and gently set her in the wheelchair. Her head was bent, but he heard her say, “Thank you.”

  His gut clenched as he looked at her sitting there, so fragile-looking. He dropped to his heels so they were eye to eye. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  She let out a sigh and gestured to the wheelchair. “I just feel like it’s such a pain for you to have to cart this around and lift me in and out. I’m sorry.”

  Trent chuckled. “Don’t be sorry. Holding you in my arms is no hardship at all.” He gave her a quick wink and watched as her cheeks turned pink and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Let’s go find a place to eat this ice cream. You’ll need to hold mine so I can drive this thing.”

  He reached into the car and grabbed his Blizzard to give to Victoria. After locking up the car, Trent freed the wheels on the chair and guided it down a paved path that led toward a small pond. He found a shaded bench that faced the water and pushed the wheelchair to a stop in front of it. After checking to make sure the wheels were secure once again, he settled onto the bench next to her.

  “Is this okay?” A breeze brushed across his skin and caused the leaves in the tree above them to rustle.

  Victoria’s eyes closed, and she lifted her face. When she opened her eyes, she smiled at him. “Yes. It’s perfect.” She took a deep breath. “I needed to get out.”

  “Yeah, your mom said she thought you did.” He took the ice cream she held out to him.

  While they ate their ice cream, Trent talked about his day, hoping she’d open up about hers as well. When she asked him questions about what he shared, Trent realized that she seemed genuinely interested in what he did.

  At one point, she asked how Than and Justin were doing.

  “Justin’s wondering when we’re coming back out to the range. And Than…well, he’s still Than.”

  “I won’t be shooting for a little while,” Victoria said, a rueful smile on her face.

  “When do you think you’ll be back to full strength?” Trent asked. He had missed their times at the range, even more so knowing that he could have had more time with her there if he hadn’t been such an idiot.

  “Since it’s my left hip, I can probably start driving again in a couple of weeks. I would imagine I’d be able to shoot around the same time.”

  “Considering the pain you must have been in to stand and shoot, you did an excellent job.”

  Victoria smiled. “I’ll be even better when I’m off my crutches altogether, and I can stand without any pain.”

  “You’re going to be off your crutches completely?”

  “Yep. The doctor said that about three months after my surgery I should be crutch‑free.”

  Trent smiled. “That’s terrific!”

  “Yep. I won’t have to go back on them until my hips start to go bad again.”

  “Go bad again?” Trent didn’t like the sound of that.

  “Yes. I’m so young having these hip replacements that they’re going to need to be replaced at some point. I’m not talking about in the next few years, but it will have to be done again.”

  Trent hated to think of her having to go through it all again. He wished he could do something to spare her the pain, but he knew it was part of her life. She was strong though, and that was one of the things he loved about her.

  Love.

  The word flashed through his mind, startling him in its clarity. He’d tried very hard not to think about the L-word where Victoria was concerned. Oh, he knew how he felt, but he’d tried not to label it as love just yet, because it would be that much harder to get over if she rejected him.

  He looked at her, his heart clenching at the serenity he saw on her face as she stared out across the water. Another gust of wind ruffled her hair, and he could already see that the strain had eased from her face once again.

  And he knew it was time. He’d waited so long already. He just needed to know.

  “Hey, Victoria,” he said as he set his empty ice cream container on the bench next to him.

  She turned to look at him, her expression expectant as her mouth curved into a smile. “Hey, Trent.”

  He wanted to stare at her forever, and yet he wanted to look away in case she could read his feelings for her all over his face. Instead, he cleared his throat and said, “Here’s the thing. I know I made it apparent in the last several months or so that I like you.”

  Her eyes widened as the smile slowly faded from her face. That was not good. But Trent was determined.

  “When you called me about your computer, I was surprised, but pleased. Until I realized just how bad off your system was. It was then I realized that my attitude toward you over the previous several months had made you not want to be around me. The exact opposite effect of what I wanted. So I decided that I wasn’t going to be that pesky, annoying guy anymore. I wanted to show you that I could be a good friend, and then maybe you’d be willing to consider something more with me.”

  He paused to see if she’d say anything, but she just sat there, ice cream container clenched in her hands, staring at him. Not quite the response he was aiming for, but he pressed on.

  “I enjoy spending time with you. Going to the shooting range. Having dinner together. I thought we were getting along really well.”

  This time she did nod, her expression relaxing a bit. Not enough, but it was better than nothing.

  “But then that Friday night I was at your folks’ place for the barbecue, Eric told me you were on a date.” Trent glanced down at his hands briefly, the memory of how that news had hurt still rather fresh. “That was hard to take. And then I saw him with you and that was even worse.”

  “But I wasn’t on a date with Dan,” Victoria said, a frown tightening her features. “It was all business. He has a girlfriend in Chicago.”

  “Yes, I know that now, but apparently your mom had told Eric you were on a date. When you called me the next day…”

  Her eyes widened. “You still thought…”

  Feeling a bit chagrined, Trent gave a shake of his head. “I was an idiot. I’m sorry. It just…well, it just hurt.” He swallowed past the tightness in his throat. “I guess what I want to say is this. I really like you, Victoria. And I want to know if you might feel the same way and be willing to give us a shot.”

  She caught her lip between her teeth but kept her dark gaze on his. “Alicia told me yesterday that this moment was coming. I’ve spent a lot of time since then thinking and praying about it. There’s a lot to consider, Trent.”

  Trent nodded. “I’m not oblivious to the challenges that would lie ahead.”
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br />   “It’s more than just you being taller than me and the logistics challenge that might present. I know you’re not talking marriage, but I can’t date someone without knowing from the start that he can handle what my life might hold in the long run. I have to look that far down the road and make sure you know about the difficulties.”

  “Like what?”

  “Well, like the additional surgeries I may face someday.”

  Trent frowned. “You think that would scare me off? The only reason I hate the thought of more surgeries is because of how it means you’ll be in pain again.”

  Her gaze lowered and then lifted to meet his again. “Any child I have has a chance of inheriting my dwarfism.”

  “If I don’t have a problem with that in you, I certainly wouldn’t have a problem with it in a child.”

  “Even if it’s a son?”

  Trent paused for a second as he took in what she meant. “Babe, if anyone understands not meeting a father’s expectation that would be me. I would never do that to any son of mine. I would have the same expectations of a child with dwarfism as I would an average-size child.”

  Victoria tilted her head, her brows drawn together. “You do realize that even though it’s a good thing to challenge a child to do their best, there will be some things a child with dwarfism can’t excel at?”

  “Oh, I know. The expectations I would have for my children are that they be kind, gentle, and loving and that they are strong like you are.” When she didn’t say anything to that, Trent said, “I’ve thought about all this stuff. I learned what I could about your type of dwarfism and what it meant for you. I knew you likely wouldn’t even consider anything with me if I didn’t know what it entailed. So I tried to educate myself. But what it comes down to for me is that you’re still the kindest, most loving, courageous, beautiful woman I’ve ever met. And I want to at least see where things might go between us. If that’s what you want.”

  Victoria stared at him so long—her brown eyes dark with emotion—that he was afraid of what was going on in her head. Finally, she said, “Yes, I want that too.”

  Apprehension that he hadn’t even been totally aware of suddenly left his body, and joy and love flooded in to replace it. Oh, he wouldn’t share that with her yet, but it was still there waiting for the right moment. For now, he was just grateful that she was going to at least give them a shot. He would do everything in his power to convince her that it was the right thing. Because in his heart, he knew it was. He truly believed that God had placed this love in his heart for her and only her.