Just Hear Me (Based on the Father Project by Tooji) by L.A. Witt

Author:L.A. Witt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay, priest, second chance romance, church sex, the father project, tooji
Publisher: L.A. Witt

Chapter 4

The first time Jordan had ever stood at the pulpit to deliver a sermon, he’d been scared out of his mind. Even with his mentor there in the front row to offer an encouraging nod and a smile to go with the long pep talk he’d given him earlier, Jordan had been terrified.

Public speaking had never bothered him. The weight of delivering God’s message to a congregation, though—that was something he’d had to learn to carry. And over time, he had learned it. He’d dare say he’d mastered it. The pressure was always there, but that first-time fear was a distant memory.

He still remembered how he’d felt that day, though, and that fear had nothing on the utter dread behind his ribs today.

As he greeted parishioners on their way into the sanctuary, his smile took more effort than ever before. At least he’d finally settled on a topic and come up with enough to say about it to create the illusion that he was solid on his feet. He’d agonized over that sermon all week. Every time he thought he’d come up with a topic, it veered away into forgiveness and grace.

And just what business did he have telling all these people about forgiveness or grace when they knew and he knew that he’d sent Darius packing last Sunday? Even if none of them knew about his past with Darius, the exchange hadn’t gone unnoticed. Relationships were a minefield. Letting go of the past? Oh, wasn’t he an expert on that topic.

Finally, though, he’d scraped together something that would hopefully inspire his parishioners to think about their relationships with money and material things, and he prayed that was enough to distract all of them—himself included—from the man whose eyes could still make him stutter.

Enough. The last few days had been an exercise in weakness, and starting today, he was getting back on his feet and moving forward. While the choir filled the church to the rafters with the sounds of praise, Jordan gave himself one last pep talk—one that was nowhere near as effective as the ones his mentor had given him since the man had known nothing about Jordan’s history or his long list of shameful sins.

He could do this, though. He had to, and he would. In the past, he’d preached through grief, fatigue, and even the odd fever, and he would preach through this as well. He would not allow someone who’d been here for two minutes a week ago to keep him tongue-tied today.

You’re better than this. You’re stronger than this.

After the choir finished leading the congregation through their hymns, Jordan confidently took his place at the pulpit and began his sermon. Years of practice kept his nerves beneath the surface and out of his voice. Everything was as it should’ve been. The congregation silently watched him, and the words came easily, as if he hadn’t spent the last few days sweating over his ability to string together a sentence.

Not fifteen minutes into the service,

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