A/N: See Chapter 1 for Disclaimer.

Chapter Summary: Louise and Leah attempt to set George up on a blind date with one of Leah's friends.

Chapter 9: Matchmaking Hijinks

The next several months raced by, and before George knew it, it was May of 1983, one year since he'd first met up with Louise again. Angie was now six years-old and would soon be completing her first grade year, and Melissa was now eleven and finishing up her fifth grade year with her tutor, Mrs. Hendrix. And while the girls were getting ready for the end of the school year and summer vacation, most of the adults in Haven Lake were also getting ready for something they were all looking forward to: a formal ball that would be taking place at the mayor's mansion on the last Friday in May. Almost everyone was going, especially if they were from an upper class family. As far as the town of Haven Lake was concerned, the mayor's ball was the social event of the season.

"Mommy, are you going to the big ball at the mayor's house?" Angie asked Louise one Friday afternoon after she'd come home from school. George, Olivia, Mark, Estelle, and Leah were all there, hanging out in the dining area of the bakery with Louise and the girls. Frank and Heather were there too, of course, but they were back in the kitchen working on a birthday cake for a customer.

"Yeah Louise, are you going? You really should, you know. Everybody's going, even Mrs. Hendrix and her husband," Melissa informed her.

Louise laughed a bit and replied, "No, girls. I'm not going."

"That's a shame, Louise," Mark told her. "You really should go. Heck, even I'm going to this thing and I hate fancy balls." It wasn't a secret that the only real reason Mark was going to the mayor's ball that year was because it was his one chance to take Leah out on a date. Everyone knew that Mark was crazy about Leah, but after her bitterly painful divorce, returning to the dating world was the last thing she wanted to do right now. She only (reluctantly) agreed to go the ball with Mark because all her colleagues at work were pressuring her to be there, and she would've been embarrassed to go alone – especially given the fact that her ex-husband was also going to be there with his young girlfriend.

Leah knowingly smiled at Mark and said, "You know, nobody's twisting your arm, Mark. You don't have to take me to the mayor's ball in two weeks if you don't want to."

"Trust me, honey; he wants to," said Estelle. "Mark wants to take you to the mayor's ball more than he wants me to hand in my resignation and move out!"

Everybody laughed at that, even Mark, and he made no effort to deny the truth of what Estelle was saying.

"Hey Estelle, last time I checked, weren't you planning on going to this thing, too? Weren't you planning on going with Pastor Mike's brother who just moved into town last month? What's his name? Eddie? That big bald fella who just turned sixty-five, who's been a bachelor all his life?" Mark asked Estelle with an evil grin.

"No matter how bald he is, he's still much better looking than you!" Estelle teased, and everybody cracked up laughing.

Louise then looked over at George and his mother and asked, "Hey George, Mrs. Jefferson, how about the two of you? Are you guys planning on bringing dates to the mayor's ball in two weeks?"

"Oh, no. I won't be in town then," Olivia replied. "How about you, son?" she then asked George pointedly. "Are you planning on asking someone to go to the mayor's ball with you?"

George shook his head in that moment and replied, "If Louise ain't goin', I ain't either. I wouldn't want to go with nobody but you, Louise. I'm a one-woman-man."

"But I'm not your woman, George," said Louise in a kind voice, trying to be as gentle as possible.

"Maybe not yet, but I ain't givin' up," George responded, as determined as ever. Unfortunately, George's typical persistence made Louise uncomfortable, and she quickly changed the subject.

Three days later when Leah was visiting Louise at her apartment, once again, they got to talking about the mayor's ball while the girls played together in their room.

"Oh Louise, I do wish you would change your mind and come to the mayor's ball," said Leah as she lovingly stroked Melissa's cat, Chloe, who was mostly gray with a slight orange tint to her coat.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Leah, but I just don't see any reason to go. I would feel silly showing up there all by myself."

"Oh, give me a break! You know perfectly well that George Jefferson would take you to the ball in a heartbeat if you'd only stop being so stubborn!"

"Leah, if I were to tell George that I wanted him to take me to the ball, I'm afraid he would take it the wrong way. I wouldn't want to do anything to lead George on. He hasn't exactly made his feelings for me a secret, you know. He's always acting as though he wants us to get married tomorrow, and a romantic relationship and marriage is the last thing I want. I've said this before many times, and I'll say it again: I like being single. I like my life the way it is right now, and l don't want to change it."

"I understand what you're saying. I'm pretty much in the same boat. I know that Mark really cares about me and I appreciate it very much, but after everything that Matt put me through, the last thing in the world I want is to have to deal with a romantic relationship. I may change my mind in the future, but right now, I'm in the same place you are. I like being single, just as you do. Just like you, I also like my life just fine the way it is and I don't want to change anything about it."

"Right on!" Louise heartily agreed. But a few moments later, Louise began to look sad as she started thinking about George. She then said, "I feel so bad for George, though. You know his wife passed away some time before he started visiting Haven Lake."

"Yeah, I heard."

"You know that when I first met George, he was trying to intimidate me into selling him my bakery. He was even trying to force me and the girls out of our home here. I was so furious at him. I couldn't stand him. But then after I went to his office in Manhattan last year and confronted him, he really changed. I may not have the same feelings for George that he has for me, but still, I do like him. He really is a kindhearted man. And I think the only reason he's so fixated on me is because I remind him a lot of his wife who died."

"Did he tell you that you reminded him a lot of his wife?"

"Oh yes, he's told me that several times," Louise admitted. "You know, we even have the same name, his late wife and I. George's wife's name was also Louise."

"Oh wow, that's quite a coincidence."

"It sure is. And like I said, I think it all explains why George has convinced himself that he's in love with me. He just likes being around me because I remind him of his late wife. He's lonely, and he misses her."

"Aw, the poor man. It's so sad."

"I know. But maybe there's something we can do to help. Leah, do you have any single friends or acquaintances around our age who might get along well with George?"

"You know, now that I think about it, I do have a neighbor, a tenant in my apartment building who's a couple of years younger than me. She lost her husband in a boating accident last year. Her name is Connie Zimmerman, and she's a very sweet lady. She's black, about George's height, skinny, and she's really quite beautiful. As I understand it, her husband left her a pretty tidy sum, so George won't have to worry about her being a gold digger."

"Oh Leah, this friend of yours sounds perfect. If we could just find a way to set George up on a date with her, I bet it would work out just great."

"I bet it would, too. Meeting a woman like Connie might be exactly what George needs to get his mind off his late wife."

"I was thinking the same thing. But how on earth could we get George to agree to go on a date with her?"

Leah shook her head and said, "We couldn't. You said it yourself. George is convinced that he's in love with you. And he's not going to agree to go on a date with any other woman but you. That's just reality. So, if you're going to play matchmaker with George and Connie and it be successful, you're going to have to get a little sneaky. Tell George that you want to go to the mayor's ball with him, but then at the last minute, act like you've come down with something and tell George you're sick and back out. When George shows up, all ready to go to the ball in his tux and you're suddenly unable to go, just tell him that when you started feeling sick, you called up our friend Connie and arranged for her to go to the ball with him in your place. And then let our two lovebirds take it from there."

"Oh, I don't know, Leah. I'd feel guilty about being so dishonest."

"I know. I feel bad about it too, but if we just sit back and do nothing, George will continue dwelling on his late wife all the time and being lonely. Nothing will change. I know that it's wrong for us to deceive George, but if this date with Connie goes according to plan, it'll all work out for his good in the long run and he'll be happy. Isn't that what we want?"

"Of course it is," Louise agreed. "Okay, Leah," she said then with a big smile. "Call up your friend Connie and tell her the plan. And as soon as George comes to the bakery tomorrow, I'll tell him that I've changed my mind and that I want him to take me to the mayor's ball."

"Atta girl, Louise," Leah said with a big smile of her own.

"I sure hope this works," Louise said a little pensively.

"Don't worry, Louise. It'll work," Leah assured her, and then she picked up the receiver of the phone on Louise's coffee table and began dialing Connie Zimmerman's number.

When Louise suddenly did an about-face and told George that she wanted him to take her to the mayor's ball, he was beyond thrilled. He was genuinely happier than he'd been in a very long time, and that was an understatement. And Louise was also happy about the surprise blind date she was hoping to arrange between George and Connie Zimmerman. Even though Louise wasn't in love with George, she did truly see him as a friend, and she wanted very much for him to be happy. And she knew George could never be genuinely happy as long as he kept focusing on her, a woman who had absolutely zero interest in romantic relationships. She did feel bad about deceiving George, but she was convinced it was a necessary step for her to take to get George to finally forget about her and move on with his life and find happiness. She really did have George's best interests at heart.

But on that Friday evening, one week before the mayor's ball, George's mother, who was visiting him in Haven Lake at the time, came walking into the bakery while Louise and Leah were discussing all their matchmaking hijinks, and she overheard everything. Olivia was kind and gentle, but she did let Louise know that she did not approve of her matchmaking attempts with George and Connie Zimmerman. After patiently waiting for Leah to leave, Olivia then sat near Louise at one of the tables in the bakery's dining area, and she talked with her privately.

"Alright, Louise. Let's you and me lay out all our cards on the table, here. Why are you trying to set George up with this Connie woman? More to the point, why are you trying so hard to fight what could be a beautiful relationship between you and my son?"

A bit embarrassed at Olivia's directness, Louise chuckled, and then she responded, "Believe me, Mrs. Jefferson; it's nothing personal. Your son is a good man and I do like him. A lot."

"He runs a successful business. You know how wealthy he is. He's smart. He's kind and loving and handsome. What is it that you're looking for in a man that my son doesn't have?"

"Oh Mrs. Jefferson, you couldn't be more wrong. It's not that there's something I'm looking for in a man that George doesn't have. Like I just said, I do like him. It's just that I really do not want to have a man in my life. I know that most women want to be married, but I don't. I prefer being single."

"You think that being single keeps you safe," Olivia said knowingly, remembering the haunting things Louise had said at that support group meeting last November.

Louise locked her eyes with George's mother in that moment and told her, "It does keep me safe, Olivia."

"Oh honey, I know that's how it seems. I know," Olivia said with such warmth as she fought off tears. "But even though everything seems good and safe in your life right now, have you ever thought about how much more wonderful your life could be if you worked up the courage to let someone in? Let someone in who really, really loves you? I know how much it scares you, and I don't blame you a bit for feeling that way. I know I'd feel the same way if I were in your shoes. But try to imagine, just for a moment, what your life could be like if you let George in and let him care for you like he so desperately wants to."

Louise shook her head and told Olivia, "That's precisely what I don't want. I have never allowed my wheelchair to define me, and I never will. I know my health is not perfect, but still, I do not want to be some weak, helpless cripple who needs a man in her life to care for her. And the last thing in the world I want is for George to think of me as some charity case."

"George has never thought of you as just some charity case, Louise. Never. Not for a single moment. George adores you, and so do I."

After a brief pause, Louise inquired, "Olivia, may I ask you why it is that you and George 'adore' me so much? George has told me before that I remind him an awful lot of his late wife."

Olivia nodded and told her, "It's true, Louise. George's wife was an angel. An absolute angel. And you are every bit as much an angel as she was."

"The two of you must've had a beautiful relationship," Louise said with a kind smile, but then she instantly saw that the older woman was overcome with shame.

Olivia shook her head and said, "I wish that were true. How I wish it were true. But when George's wife was alive, we weren't friends. We were enemies. And that was never Louise's fault. Louise was absolutely beautiful, on the inside and the outside. She was warm and sensitive and generous and patient. So patient. But I was jealous, and instead of acting my age, I chose to act like a pathetic spoiled toddler. I stupidly and childishly chose, of my own free will, to hate Louise for no good reason. I didn't like it that I was no longer the most important woman in George's life. I was mean and disrespectful to Louise, and instead of standing up to me and putting me in my place like George should have done, he let me get away with it. He just threw Louise under the bus, and he threw Louise under the bus because she refused to stroke his ego the way I always did. Whenever George did something that was stupid and selfish and wrong, Louise called him out on it and she didn't let him get away with it, and it's precisely because of that that George refused to give her all the love and respect she deserved. Thanks be to God Almighty, George and I are different people today. But back when we had Louise in our lives, we were both a couple of spoiled fools, and we didn't deserve her. She was too good for us."

"Olivia…could it be that because I remind you and George a lot of Louise, you two want me to start dating George so you can be kind to me as a way to try to make up for what you put your Louise through?"

"I won't pretend that that's not a part of it. A big part of it, even. George and I both desperately want to undo all the stupid, hurtful things we've done. We both want another chance to treat Louise the way we should have treated her all along. But I can assure you that George doesn't see you as a mere replacement for his late wife. Yes, he loves her and he misses her so much, but I promise you, he loves you just as much as he loves his late wife. And he loves you for all the wonderful things that make you you. And so do I."

"You're a very sweet lady, Olivia, and I do appreciate all the kind things you've said. I really do. But I don't want for George and me to start dating just so he can be nice to me in some misguided attempt to make up for the bad way he treated his late wife. Even though you claim that George loves me for me, I just feel that there's too much baggage there. I don't think it would be a healthy relationship for either of us."

"You're right, dear. There is a lot of baggage. I won't try to deny that. But no matter how much baggage there is, it cannot change the fact that George thinks that you hung the moon. He thinks you're the most wonderful woman alive, and he loves you more than you can begin to imagine. Louise, maybe now would be a good time to do a little praying and soul-searching. Are you really rejecting the idea of being in a relationship with George because you don't have any feelings for him, or is it because you're simply afraid of letting someone get that close? If you honestly don't feel anything for my son at all, then push him away. Reject him. But don't push him away and reject him just because of fear. Fear is a liar and a thief. If you let it, it will rob you of so many wonderful things that the Lord has for you. And you also need to remember that you are not your own. You were bought at a price, just as every born-again child of God through Jesus Christ is. You're one of Christ's disciples and your life does not belong to you. It belongs to Jesus. You may not want to pursue a relationship with George, but what if God wants you to? Throughout all of this, have you ever once tried to inquire of the Lord and see what His will is? God put you in my son's life for a reason. I am thoroughly convinced of that. And I think you owe it to God, and to yourself, to pray about this and find out what He wants you to do."

Louise was not expecting Olivia to say that, and the sheer surprise registering on Louise's face was evident in those moments. She realized then that it was indeed the Holy Spirit speaking to her through Olivia. And she realized that she did owe it to God and to herself to start praying about this; to start trying to find out what Jesus wanted her to do instead of just being so wrapped up in what she wanted.

Later on that evening, after Louise tucked Melissa and Angie in bed and said their bedtime prayers with them and kissed them goodnight, she changed into a nightgown and got into bed and started saying her own prayers. After she pulled the covers over her, she clasped her hands together and bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"Lord, first of all, I want to thank You for all Your blessings today. Thank You for blessing me with my beautiful little girls I love so much. Thank You for giving me the strength I need every day to run my bakery so I can provide for them. Thank You so much that we have a roof over our heads, plenty of food, and clothes on our backs. Thank You that we're blessed with so many good friends. Thank You for our cats. Thank You for looking after us every single day like I know You do. And most importantly, thank You so much, Jesus, for dying on that cross for us so that we can be saved. Thank You for every ounce of pain and suffering You endured for us.

"Lord, I think I owe You an apology. All this time that George has been a part of my life, I never once stopped to consider the possibility that it might be Your will for me to be in a relationship with him. I just assumed that because I had no interest in being in a romantic relationship, that automatically meant that it wasn't Your will. But I never asked You, and I think I should have. I'm sorry. But I'm asking You now, Lord. Is it Your will for me to stay single for the rest of my life, or is it Your will for me to be in a relationship with someone? More to the point…is it Your will for me to be in a relationship with George, even though I don't feel attracted to him? Please guide me, Lord. Show me what Your will is. Tell me what it is You want me to do. In Jesus's name, amen."

In that very instant, Louise was truly overwhelmed by the presence of the Holy Spirit, and she felt Him unlocking the chains of fear that had imprisoned her heart for the past year. It was then that she began to understand that she had in fact had feelings for George all along, but they'd been buried underneath terrible, paralyzing fear, and because of that, she hadn't been able to detect those feelings until now. In those moments, she was genuinely overwhelmed with love for George. A special, divine love that only God could give. As tears started streaming down Louise's cheeks, she felt the Lord calming her heart.

Trust Me, she heard the Holy Spirit whisper to her spirit. I know this frightens you, but trust Me.

Louise wiped the tears from her eyes then, and she looked up and said, "I do trust You, Lord. I do trust You."

George had decided many months ago to abandon his ambition to open a cleaning store in Boston, and instead, he just kept his focus on the twelve stores he already had in New York. But even though George hadn't been able to focus as much attention on his business now that he was spending so much time in Haven Lake, his general managers were diligent and capable, and with their help, Jefferson Cleaners continued bringing in a huge profit, which George was very happy to learn when he talked with one of his general managers that Friday afternoon. However, an unexpected problem came up with a very big potential client for Jefferson Cleaners, so regardless of how well the cleaning stores were doing, George actually had to leave Haven Lake that weekend, even though he hated to. As expected, his mother also returned to New York with him that Saturday morning. Naturally, after they got back to New York, she told him all about Louise's scheme to try and fix him up with Connie Zimmerman, and when he returned to Haven Lake the following Wednesday, two days before the mayor's ball, George knew he had to set the record straight with Louise.

When George came walking into the bakery at half past four that afternoon, wearing a pleasant smile as always, Louise was both happy and nervous to see him.

"Hey, guys," said George. Mark, Estelle, Frank, and Heather were all hanging out with Louise at one of the tables in the bakery's dining area while the girls were in the apartment upstairs.

"Hey there, George. How've you been?" asked Mark.

"I've been good, thanks. How have you guys been doin'?" George asked while Louise purposely avoided making eye contact with him. She knew that his mother had most likely told him all about hers and Leah's matchmaking antics, and she was rather embarrassed.

"I can't speak for anybody else, but I've been great. Thanks for asking," Frank replied.

"Same here," said Estelle.

"Same here," said Heather.

"And you, Louise? How have you been, dear?" George asked her pointedly, locking his eyes with hers, and Louise then knew beyond a doubt that George definitely knew all about her little scheme to try to set him up with Connie Zimmerman at the mayor's ball.

"I've been fine, George," Louise said quietly.

"I'm glad to hear that. What all have you been up to lately? Runnin' the bakery? Gettin' ready for the mayor's ball? Pullin' a bunch of crazy matchmakin' schemes behind my back?"

Everyone now knew all about Louise's and Leah's attempts to fix George up with Connie Zimmerman at the mayor's ball, and the moment George said that, they all started laughing while Louise blushed.

"Now George, I want you to know that the instant Leah told me about this whole crazy scheme she and Louise were cooking up to try to get you together with Connie Zimmerman, I was horrified!" Mark teased. "I was absolutely horrified by their lying and scheming, and I told them to their faces what naughty, sinful, terrible women they are! I'm going to make sure to tell Pastor Mike all about their wickedness, and I'll tell him that he needs to announce their sinful deeds to the whole congregation so that everybody can properly shun them!"

"Oh, shut up!" Estelle said aloud after giving Mark a playful punch in the arm, and again, they all laughed.

"How dare you speak that way to me? I'm your boss and I demand that you show me the respect I'm due!" Mark teased yet again, and Estelle responded with a simple eyeroll.

"Thank you, Mark. I too am horrified," George teased Louise as she now struggled to fight off the urge to laugh. "I have been lied to. Lied to! I ain't never felt more victimized in all my life!"

"I know, George. I know. It's a crying shame seeing you being so victimized like this," Frank kidded.

"Yes, we all know what a poor, helpless victim you are, George," Heather teased.

"I've never seen such a victim in all my life," Estelle added.

"I know," said George. "And since I've been so victimized by Louise, it's only fair that I get compensation. Would you guys mind stayin' here for a little while, keepin' an eye on the bakery for Louise until closin' time while I take her to the park and tell her over and over again what a naughty sinner she is?"

"Absolutely!" Heather cried out.

"We'd love to!" Frank said aloud.

"Traitors!" Louise yelled at them, still struggling not to laugh. But when George smiled at her and began pushing her out of the bakery, she didn't utter a word of complaint.

"I'm sorry I lied to you, George," Louise told him as soon as they arrived at the park, which was actually very close to the bakery. George was sitting on a park bench and Louise had put the brakes on her wheelchair beside the bench.

George smiled, shook his head, and said, "You ain't gotta apologize, sweetheart. Mama explained the whole thing. I know that you don't feel that you're attracted to me, and I know this whole thing was your way of tryin' to stop me from bein' lonely. It proves how much you care about me, even if it's not in the way I want you to."

In that moment, tears filled Louise's eyes and no matter how much she wanted to hold them back, she couldn't. George immediately reached over and hugged her, and he lovingly whispered, "Hey, hey, honey, what is it? What is it? What's wrong?"

"I'm what's wrong," Louise answered as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Don't say that," George lovingly told her.

"It's true. Over the past year that you've been coming to Haven Lake, I've really gotten to know you. You're kind and thoughtful and loving. You're such a good man. And I've been keeping you at arm's length, not because I'm not attracted to you, not because I don't have feelings for you, but because I'm a coward."

"Louise, don't say that. Don't you ever say that," George whispered. "You've got more courage and more inner-strength in your little finger than I've ever had in my whole body. You're the most remarkable person I've ever known, and that's the God's honest truth."

"I do love you, George. I really do," Louise admitted, and it was music to George's ears.

"I love you, too," George whispered while touching her cheek with his fingertips. "I love you so much."

"It's hard, though. It's so hard because I'm so scared."

"I know. If I were in your shoes, if I'd suffered in the hellhole the way you did, I'd be just as scared as you are," George told her gently. "I know I ain't exactly made it a secret over this past year how much I dream of you and me bein' married someday. But I also know how much marriage scares you. I know how much sex scares you."

Louise nodded and said, "You're right. It does."

"But I want you to know that no matter what happens between us, no matter if we get married in the future or not, I will never, ever ask you to have sex with me. I would never expect that of you after everything you've been through. Never. You never, ever have to worry about that with me, Louise. I promise you."

"Wait a minute, George. Wait a minute. Before you go making big promises like that, I need you to be certain, absolutely certain, that you can be happy being with a woman who can never give you sex. I know how important sex is to men."

"You're right. Sex is important. But sex can never be as important as love, real love. And I ain't talkin' about all the selfish garbage that usually masquerades as love; I'm talkin' about genuine love. The kind of love that always puts the other person's needs ahead of your own. Louise, let me ask you something. If the tables were turned and something had happened to me and I was impotent, couldn't give you any sex at all, would it make the slightest difference to you?"

"Of course not."

"You would still want to be with me, you would still want to see me every day and have me in your life, because you love me, right?"

"Right."

"Is it really so hard to believe that I might feel the same way about you? Listen, sweetheart. Even if you hadn't been raped, even if you weren't scared of sex, I still would never want us to try to have sex because of your heart. I know that your heart never fully recovered from the cardiac contusion that monster gave you. Heck, I never fully recovered when I watched that doctor shock your heart last year. I don't ever want to take chances with your heart. Ever. I want you to stop worryin' about us havin' sex. That's the last thing you ever have to worry about with me. I promise you."

"I appreciate that," Louise told him as she visibly relaxed. "But I do have other concerns."

"Okay, sweetheart. What are they? What are you concerned about?"

"I've got a very full plate, George. I have a lot of responsibilities on my shoulders. I've got two children to raise; I've got the bakery to run. And my strength is limited. I'm already stretched kind of thin, and I may not always be able to give you as much time and attention as you would like."

"Baby, will you please stop worrying? Please?" George gently asked, and then he wrapped his arms around Louise and gave her a long, passionate kiss. He then told her, "Louise, before you met me that day in my office last year, I was a very selfish man. I would always take, take, take. I ain't done nothin' but take my whole life. I don't wanna take now. I'm done with livin' that way. Now, I wanna give. I love you so much, and I wanna give you as much as I can. Will you just let me? Please?"

Tears filled Louise's eyes again as she nodded, and then they kissed even longer and more passionately than they had the first time. George had been yearning for this moment for so long, and now that it was finally happening, he couldn't thank God enough.

When Leah had confessed hers and Louise's matchmaking hijinks to Mark days earlier, he informed her that George was, in fact, Louise's husband, and he explained to her why George didn't want to reveal the full truth to Louise yet. And when Louise and George finally became an official couple in Haven Lake, word spread through the small town like wildfire. Thankfully, Leah was quickly able to find another date for her friend Connie, and much to George's delight, Louise did attend the mayor's ball with him that Friday night. (Ordinarily, she would've been playing the piano at Ballard's, but Joseph Ballard had closed his restaurant that evening because he and his wife were also attending the ball.) George looked very handsome in his tux, of course, and Louise was beyond stunning in the beautiful red evening gown she wore, reminiscent of the red dress she'd worn the day she first met him in his Manhattan office one year ago. Everyone was delighted to see Louise at the ball with George that night, and the entire town of Haven Lake was so happy for them.

And just when George was convinced things couldn't possibly get any better, Louise had the most loving surprise for him up her sleeve. Everyone in Haven Lake knew how much George loved to dance, including Louise. And when the ballroom music started playing that night, Mark supported Louise on one side and Leah supported her on the other, and with them supporting most of her weight, Louise was able to briefly stand and dance with George for several moments. The instant George saw what she was attempting to do with the help of Mark and Leah, he, too, wrapped his arms around her and supported her as much as he could while they briefly danced. George was never so moved by a dance in his life, which soon became clear to everyone when tears began streaming down his cheeks.

Obviously, George didn't want Louise to risk being on her feet for too long. As many times as her legs had been broken in the past, they were terribly fragile now, and George knew that every second she was on her feet, she was running the risk of another fracture happening, even with him and Mark and Leah supporting her.

"Okay, baby, that's enough; that's enough," George gasped through his tears. "We need to sit down again, baby. Easy; easy," he whispered as he helped Louise back down into her wheelchair. He then kissed her passionately, and he told her, "You didn't have to do that, baby. You didn't have to do that. Not for me."

"I wanted to," Louise said softly with a smile, and once again, they kissed.

"I love you so much, baby," George whispered as he continued to cry. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, George," Louise whispered, and she meant it with all her heart. She still had a lot of fear she had to work through, and she knew it wouldn't always be easy, but she didn't regret her decision to let George in. Even though admitting her true feelings for George had been terribly difficult, Louise knew as she looked into George's eyes now that it was worth it. She knew she had done the right thing.