Unfold

Epilogue

"The two of you seem so great together. I'm happy for you."

Jean looked over her shoulder to see Shawn talking to her father at the dinner table. She smiled, still not able to get used to what she was looking at.

Over a year had passed since Jean had given herself completely to Jesus. She had been part of a miracle, but she felt like she was in another right now. She never imagined standing in her parent's house again, having a conversation with her mom about Shawn. Her father was still distant, but she had accepted that he was only capable of what he was capable of. Just the fact that she was watching him have a conversation with her boyfriend shook her to her core.

Jean was in her second semester of school, and she was majoring in social work. Not even two months after Cecilia and her were rescued, the FBI had infiltrated another trafficking operation with the information Cecilia and Jean gave them. Again, Jean was in complete shock  of how God was working everything together for good. Nine girls had been rescued, six of which who were under eighteen.

Jean was sad to learn that some of them were struggling to get adjust back in the real world. Two girls had returned to prostitution because they didn't know what else to do. This broke Jean's heart, and she knew God had told her what he wanted her to do with her life. She wanted to help women like Cecilia, like those nine girls. The rescue was only the first step. The battle that came after was a whole different war.

Shawn had some time off of school, and the two of them were able to fly to Arizona to spend Thanksgiving with Jean's parents. Even though it was still weird at times to be acting as a regular family again, Jean gave glory to God for restoring what she didn't think was possible.

Jean smiled at her mom as they continued to talk about Shawn. "He's the greatest man I've ever met." She didn't know where she would be had he not shown her the inexplicable love of Jesus. Her entire life she had felt unfulfilled because she had looked for the love of other people to fulfill her. A love that only Jesus could give.

"Remember when you thought you were going to marry Anthony? I never met him, but somehow I knew he wasn't the one," her mom teased.

Jean had barely thought about Anthony in the last year. It had been over two years now since they broke up. Back then, Anthony breaking up with her was the worst thing she could have imagined for herself. Now looking back, she could see how it was just the beginning of an unbelievable story.

A year after getting baptized, Jean could hold her head up high and tell everyone about her past  because now she was restored. She was a new creation. Her past did not define her, Jesus did. She had a future, she had hope, and she knew all things, no matter how hard and how much they may try to rattle her faith, would not cause her to fall.

She would never forget what God had done for her.

After dinner, Shawn asked Jean if she wanted to go take a walk. It was much warmer in the evenings than back home in the Midwest, and he knew Jean would need a breather. Even thought things were seemingly good with her parents, it was still a lot to get used to.

"Is it weird?" Shawn said. "Talking to your parents?"

Jean sighed, leaning into Shawn as they walked down the town street towards the beach. "You know, it's not. It's easy. But I guess that's what makes it weird."

Shawn wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her temple. "I'm proud of you. Some people might have had too much pride to try to work on the relationship."

"It's all God," Jean sighed. "He changed my heart. He renewed my mind." She winked at him. "It's biblical."

When they got to the beach, there wasn't very many people around as the sun had just set and the sky was now a dark purple color. Jean sat in the sand to look at the beauty of everything. Shawn sat behind her, his legs propped up on either side of her as she leaned back against his chest.

"So, Elizabeth is actually your middle name, right?" Shawn asked, kissing the side of her head through her hair.

Jean turned and looked at him as she laughed at the nostalgia of their old joke. "Shawn, yes, that joke is long over."

Shawn shrugged, wrapping his arms around her. "I just needed to make sure."

"Why?"

"Well, I'm probably going to ask you a question soon and I'll need your full name."

Jean turned around in his arms again to get a better look at his face. She tried to suppress her smile when she saw Shawn's smirk.

"You know, you're not the first guy to tease me with a proposal," she said, rolling her eyes as she turned her back to him again to look at the water. When she did, her eyes flicked down to something that caught her eye. Shawn was pinching something in his hand, and when her mind processed what it was, her heart stopped.

"Whose teasing?" he said from behind her.

Spinning around and leaping to her feet, she shoved him backwards. "What are you doing?" She yelled.

She had pushed him back so he was now propped on one elbow and he laughed as he pulled himself up. "Can you calm down?" he said.

"Shawn..." Jean breathed, covering her mouth with her hands, not able to believe what was happening as he pulled himself up to one knee.

"Jeanette Elizabeth Arthur," he said slowly, his smile growing as he took in the moment.

It was just as God had promised; a life greater than she could ever imagine or comprehend, unfolding every single day, right before her eyes.