Richard pressed a hand against his abdomen, trying to settle the nerves twisting his gut. Would Tara stay when she saw him, or run in the opposite direction? She never was big on surprises. But then again, that was the old Tara. Not the amazing fearless woman she’d become.

The door to the restaurant swung open, and she appeared. His breath caught. She was still just as beautiful as the day he’d met her. She headed inside, and her gaze swept the restaurant. When her gaze met his, her eyes widened. He stood and approached her. “Will you join me?”

Color rose in Tara’s cheeks. “I can’t. I’m meeting John and Eva for dinner tonight. Have you seen them?”

Richard drew in a breath. “You’re not meeting them. I asked them to invite you here so we could talk.”

Tara’s eyes widened further. “I … I don’t understand. How… why…?”

Richard laid a hand on Tara’s arm. “Please. If you’ll join me, I’ll explain. I have so much to apologize for.”

At that, the fight went out of Tara and she sank into the chair he held out for her. She allowed herself a small smile. “Of all the places to meet me. I thought you hated this restaurant because the service is so slow.”

Richard grinned. “Honestly, that’s why I chose it. I wanted time to talk to you without constant interruptions from our server. And I promise, I won’t make a scene this time.”

Tara’s hand flew to her mouth to cover her smile. “That’s right. You stood up in the middle of the restaurant and announced you were ready for the check. I was so embarrassed.”

“Well, it worked. They brought us the check right away.”

“And we never came back.”

“No. Not until now.” He leaned toward her. “It’s so good to see you. You’re still so beautiful.”

Tara straightened. “What are we doing here, Richard?”

Richard pulled back. “I’m sorry. I have a lot of explaining to do.” He took a gulp of water from the glass on the table in front of him and sent up a silent prayer. “You know even though I’m not going to St. Luke’s any longer, I still work with John.”

Tara folded her arms in front of her. “Yes, I remember.”

“Well, John knows how miserable I’ve been ever since we separated.”

Tara’s brows lifted. “You mean ever since you walked out on me two years ago?”

Richard winced. “That’s fair. Yes. Since then. Anyway, even though I didn’t want to go back to St. Luke’s where we went together, he encouraged me to find another church. I did, and I’ve been learning a lot. I’m really growing in my Christian faith. John noticed the change in me at work and he asked me what was going on. I told him about the changes I’ve been making, and he asked me if I ever thought about you. He asked me what happened.”

“And what did you tell him?”

“I told him at the time, I felt smothered by you. That you lived in constant fear of everything, and that you didn’t trust me, probably because your dad left your mom when you were little. And then I told him I did the worst thing I could ever do, and I walked out on you. I did the thing you feared the most, and I was afraid you were completely broken. As much as I felt suffocated living like that, it was nothing compared to the guilt I carried for how I hurt you. John reminded me I had made vows to stay with you and I had broken those vows. I was afraid by breaking those vows I had completely broken you, as well.”

A tear trickled down Tara’s cheek. Richard longed to brush it away. “There’s never been anyone else, Tara. I’ll understand if you’ll never forgive me, but I wanted you to know I’m sorry. I’m sorry for leaving you.”

Tara’s voice, barely above a whisper, fed his soul with hope. “I forgive you. I was so difficult to live with. I’m not sure how you stayed with me as long as you did.”

“Because I loved you.” Richard squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “No. Correction. Because I love you.”

Tara’s eyes flew open wide. “What are you saying, Richard?”

Richard smiled. “When I told John my fears about breaking you, he told me you were leading a women’s Bible study at the church. I was floored. How could someone with such paralyzing fears lead a Bible study?”

“Eva is in my study.”

“That’s how John knew about it. He told me you’d disappeared for a while after I left, but they’d figured you were still staying home because of the virus. When you came back, he said you were like a different person. I was so intrigued, I checked out St. Luke’s ministry pages on the website. I found the recordings of the Bible study.”

“Yes. We record all the studies and all the services now. It’s one good thing that came out of the pandemic. If you can’t make it to church or to a Bible study, you can watch it online.”

Richard rubbed the back of his neck as the server approached. “May I take your order?”

They placed their orders, and the server headed back to the kitchen. Richard glanced at his watch. “We should have a good 30 minutes before we see them again.” He glanced at Tara, gratified to see her smile. “I hope you don’t mind, but I watched all your Bible study teachings.”

Tara’s eyebrows shot up. “You did?”

Richard nodded. “Every single one. I’m amazed at the change in you. With each passing lesson, I could see you growing stronger in your faith. You’re no longer the timid woman afraid of her shadow. And this past week, when you talked about your trip to France, I just about fell out of my chair. You’re still the wonderful woman I fell in love with, but so much more confident, so much more full of life. It humbled me. If you could become this amazing, confident woman through studying your Bible, what could I become? I’ve been studying the Bible every night trying to see what God wanted me to become. He told me I was still your husband and I needed to act like it. So I’m trying. Would you be willing to give me a second chance?”

Ephesians 5:25

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church — for we are members of his body. “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself.

God, thank You for second chances and for the power of forgiveness. Thank You for the life-changing power of studying Your word. When we live in fear, help us turn to You. When we have conflicts in our relationships, help us turn to You. I ask that You bless our marriages, our friendships, our family relationships. Please help us love others the way You have called us to love. There is such beauty in a relationship centered on a common love for You. Thank You for giving us Your love as an example. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

.