A Preacher's Passion Read Online Free PDF Page B

bachelor, just like you snagged Cy.”
    “Cy snagged me,” Hope corrected. “I wasn’t on the chase. But I’ve been where you are now, ready to be married, have kids, the whole nine. I’m not trying to tell you how to live your life, Stacy, but don’t rush God, okay? If Darius is meant to be your husband, can’t nobody take him away from you. But if he isn’t, nothing you do will make him stay.”
    “I’d better get inside,” Stacy said, quickly ending a conversation she no longer wanted to hear. “The choir’s probably already in the stand.”
    “I’ll be praying for you guys,” Hope said. “Give me a call next week, okay? Cy will be out of town. Maybe we can meet for lunch.”
    Darius would be out of town as well, on a regional tour with Bo. Stacy forced away the thought and pasted a smile on her lips. “That sounds good, Hope. I’ll call you.”
    Hurrying toward the church entrance, Stacy replayed Hope’s words about God and what was meant to be. Stacy hadn’t meant it when she said she would meet with Hope, but maybe she would. She could use a friend, a confidante. For all her bravado, there were nagging doubts about the close friendship between her man and his manager. And Stacy desperately wanted to share the news that no one else yet knew….
    She was pregnant.

8
Kingdom Citizens
    Princess tried not to, but she couldn’t help sneaking peeks at Kelvin, who was sitting near the back of the church. She’d made excuses when he’d asked her to sit with him, opting to sit close to the front with some of her friends. She didn’t want to create any suspicions with Uncle Derrick and Aunt Viv, suspicions that would undoubtedly get reported straight back to her mother. Tai was already uncomfortable with the fact that Kelvin and Princess attended the same college. But when asked about him, Princess had given what she hoped was an investigation-diverting answer: “He’s all right, Mama, and I know he’s Uncle Derrick’s son. But he’s so conceited. And he has too many hootchie mamas around him all the time.” Then she’d said something about needing to call Rafael. Tai seemed satisfied with her answer because Kelvin had only come up casually since then, and only in conjunction with talk about his dad.
    Princess was tempted to peep at Kelvin again but at that very moment looked up to see Aunt Vivian smiling at her. “Good to see you,” she mouthed. Princess waved and blew her a kiss. Shortly afterward, an usher handed Princess a note. It was from Vivian, inviting her to dinner. Princess groaned inwardly. She didn’t think it was a good idea. Sitting in a congregation of thousands was one thing, but Princess thought if seen up close, her love for Kelvin would be written all over her face. And her aunt Viv was a very good reader. She signaled to Vivian that she would call her, and then tried to take her mind off Kelvin and put it on Jesus. But unless Jesus was Black, six-foot-four, and played basketball for UCLA, Princess’s attempts were futile.
    With devotion over and offering about to be lifted, Princess, Kelvin, Stacy, Bo, Hope, Cy, and the rest of the Kingdom Citizens’ congregants got into the groove of “Possible,” Darius’s hit record on both the gospel and secular charts.
    “This song is fire,” Kelvin said, sitting upright and enjoying himself—while not flirting with females—for the first time all Sunday. “Possible” was one of the few straight R & B, non hip-hop songs that was in Kelvin’s iPod.
    “Yeah, the band is jamming,” one of his friends agreed. He and the other boys bobbed their heads as the instruments played and the choir sang. One by one the congregants stood and clapped, both to the beat and the inspiring words Darius had penned:
    “Possible—whatever it is, without a doubt God can work it out, it’s
    Possible—you just need to believe and receive, give you everything you need,
    Possible—forgiveness, healing, abundance yielding, miracles