God, Love, and Happiness

By Tiffany Martin, BS MBA

Layla Paris has prayed for something special from God. Will God hear her prayer? Emmitt Dupont is seeking a special miracle from God. Will God reveal to Emmitt a true miracle? They have given their lives to God, or so they believe. In the Christian spiritual walk of life, they will face challenges and storms along the way. God is always with them listening, but are they listening to what He has to tell them?

This book will make you laugh and may make you cry. It will warm your heart, and it will make you think you are there. The women gathering will make you cry, laugh, and pray all at the same time. The story will pull at your heart. Hopefully, you will be on the edge of your seat to read what will happen next. I pray that this book will encourage you and uplift you in every way.

Thank you for your support and for purchasing this wonderful heartfelt Christian romance story. May the peace and blessing of God be with you as we take this journey together.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 15, 2022
• ISBN: 9781638746300

Book preview

Layla Paris

Growing up, Layla had a great mom, dad, and sister. God had blessed them so much that they could have a great life. Her parents wanted more children, but life had a way of giving you what they need not so much what they wanted. Her parents loved each other very much, and that was what Layla wanted one day in a husband. Even though she was young now, she knew she wanted a man like her dad. He loved God, he worked hard, and he loved his family very much. Her mother was submissive to her father, and even though their marriage was not perfect, they never argued in front of the children. They tried to be there for her and Leia; they attended all school function. Layla was on the track team. She loved running, and she worked very hard to make sure she would go to a good college on a scholarship. Her coach Onion was always on her case, telling her she could do better. Layla ran the two hundred meter, and she ran cross country too after school her, and the team would run around the school several times, and that would be practice every day. Layla Paris grew up in a well-to-do home and attended private school, Malone Academy.

On the other hand, Emmitt Dupont was right there in the same school. They crossed each other many times, but destiny was not ready for them to meet. Sometimes the person that God wanted you to be with for the rest of your life was right there through the different faces of your life.

Layla was walking in the hall of the school with her sister when Emmitt’s breeze took them by surprise and made all the papers in her hand hit the floor. Emmitt, being a gentleman that he was, came and helped her pick up all her papers.

He said, Hi, my name is Emmitt Dupont.

Layla was so busy picking her papers up off the floor that she just said, Hi, my name is Layla. We are late for class, and we must go. Thanks for helping me pick up my papers. See you around.

Emmitt was smitten by the beauty of Layla. He forgot where he was going and walked into a wall. Layla went into her class, thinking about Emmitt and how cute he was. Emmitt thought about Layla how pretty she was, and he hoped that he gets the chance to see her again. He was thinking that girl would be nice to hang around and be friends with. When Emmitt arrived home, he told his dad about the girl he met at school and how she had turned him upside down. His dad told him to slow down, that he had something that he had to tell him. Emmitt’s father told him that was great that he found a new friend, but they needed to move into a bigger house so that everyone could have space to grow. Emmitt told his father that was great news, and it would be okay because if Layla and Emmitt were meant to be, God would put them together again.

For the next couple of weeks, Emmitt looked for Layla and could not find her. She was always on the run, participating in school activities that required most of time on the go. Emmitt always felt a connection with Layla, but it was not God’s time for them to meet again. Emmitt decided that when the time is right, God would connect them again. Emmitt had so much going for him as well. He was very involved in activities at school, and he had many friends that he spends a lot of his time with. He also had two older brothers whom he looked up to. Frank and Franklin were identical twins. They teased him a lot, but they were great big brothers. His parents were fantastic. They were always there for him, being there to cheer him on at all his games.

Layla never saw Emmitt anymore at school, but she thought about him. Emmitt and his family moved to a rural area outside of where they lived. He went to another private school, House Academy, near their new house. Life for him and his brother were pretty good. His parents were warm people who loved their family very much and loved God. His father had taken the time to teach his sons to respect women and love them for who they are.

On the other side of town, Layla and Leia were doing well in school, and they had everything they need as teenagers. Life was going well for Layla; she only had one year left in high school. Layla asked God to give her the Holy Ghost before she went off to college because she wanted the keeping power of God so that she could make it through her trials and tribulations. She was at church one night, seeking God for the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, and that very night, she was filled. She had the keeping power of God, and she knew that she could make it through anything. God gave her what she needed to overcome anything that would come before her in the future. She told God, Thank You, every day, good days and bad days, because she knew with God, all things were possible. That was what kept her from sinning against God because she wanted to be married the first time she made love to anyone. She felt that no man would be able to come to her husband and say, He had been with her, and to her, that was a precious gift to give to her husband. Her parents had taught her to keep herself until God bring her a husband. God had been so good to Layla and her family.

After graduation, Layla went to college on an athlete scholarship just like she asked God for. Her parents were so proud of what she had accomplished in her life, and God had definitely played an enormous part in her life. That was why she was doing so great in life because she put God first in everything she did.

Layla asked God for guidance, and God gave her just that. Seemed like everything Layla did, God made a way for her. She had a friend that they did everything together, which includes getting in trouble sometimes. Her name is Shannon.

Shannon had been her friend since grad school. They did everything together because Shannon was an only child. Shannon was raised in a single-parent home because her father was killed in a car accident when she was very young. Her mother was always kind to Layla. Her mother was a nurse, and she worked a lot, so Shannon spent a lot of time with Layla’s family. They both attended school together and even college. They were so blessed to have each other. Shannon was saved like Layla, so it made spending time with her wonderful because they had a lot in common.

Layla and Shannon met Brianna in college, and they were inseparable. They did everything together; they were known as the threesome. Brianna was not saved, but she loved God very much. She was raised by her grandmother because both her parents were killed on vacation when she was young. Her grandmother took very good care of her, and she raised her in holiness. Layla had a special bond with her friends and her sister. She thanked God every day for them. She could never leave out her sister. There was a bond between sisters that was special, and she adored her sister Leia very much, and they did wonderful things together. Leia was still in high school, enjoying her last year, and in college, she was going to study fashion. She wanted to be a model and travel the world. Layla would always tell her sister she was so proud of her and everything she had accomplished through her life.

On the other side of town, Emmitt Dupont had attended college, where he met his two best friends, James and Antwon. They were ace brothers; they did everything together, which included giving their life to Jesus on the same night. They attended church at the nearby college. They were having a revival service with a well-known travel evangelist preaching the Word of God. They wanted to do something together that they would always remember, so when the preacher asked if there was anyone who wanted to give their life to Jesus to come now, they all went down and got save that night, and together they sought the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, and God gave them what they needed. Everything they did, they did it by faith, and God gave them such favor like never before. God was such an awesome God. Emmitt would always tell his friends because they would not be where they were if it was not for God’s grace. They all received full academic scholarships to college, and they were doing quite well.

After graduating from college, Layla received an internship with a well-known company, and she worked hard. Layla Paris worked her way from file clerk to manager of the company and, one day, possibly being the vice president. She was also waiting for love. She had everything a woman dream of—a great job, beautiful home, fabulous car—but she lacked one thing…a husband. But Layla did not want any man, she wanted the man of her dreams, saved and loved God. She told God if He would bless her with the necessity of life, she would totally submit to a husband when God gave her one. Layla had often dreamed of what she wanted in a husband; she wanted a handsome tall man who loves God and had a good job. Her mother had taught her to ask God what she wanted and believe that he would do it. God had given Layla everything that she had asked for, and she was going to wait on God for the husband of her dream.

After all, Layla was twenty-five years old, and her biological clock was out of control. She had great parents who had encouraged her to strive for the stars, and they told her not to stop until she had reached her goals. Layla had two degrees, a BS and MBA in business. She had worked hard to get where she was, and she was not going to let any man throw her off the track. Now that she was manager in the company of her dreams, and everything was going well. She just needed to get her love life going. Her sister was traveling around the world, modeling, and every chance she get, she would come home, but she would talk to her every night when she was between shows. God had blessed her tremendously over the years. She was happy and enjoying life.

Going to Church

Layla enjoyed going to church and giving God thanks for all His blessing, and she was definitely blessed. She attended a great church where God was moving, and of course, Pastor Pepper taught the word. Layla’s pastor taught young women and men to hold fast to God and wait on Him for a husband or wife. She had definitely been holding fast and believing that God had a good man for her. God had helped her to hold fast, to stay pure for her husband. Church gave her a sense of peace.

There were many men in the church who had asked Layla out on a date, but she had not found anyone she wanted to go out with. She wanted to one day have a big family.

Alfred had been asking Layla for a date for a while now, but she always had some excuse, but after a couple of weeks of thinking about it, she finally said yes to a movie and dinner. They went to the movie to see the latest comedy movie that was out. He picked her up from her office because she did not want him to know where she lived. He was a gentleman. He would open the doors for her, and she really liked that.

The movie was funny, so he said, I did not think saved girls like movie like that.

She said, I am saved, but I love to watch a funny movie here and there.

After the movies, Alfred wanted something to eat. Layla was hungry, but Alfred made a comment, If I buy you something to eat, you will have to give me something later.

She told him as honest as she could, I am saving myself for my husband because no one is worthy of this precious gift that I have but my husband. She did not say that to hurt him but to let him know up front that nothing was going to happen. He was a little upset, so he told her to get something to eat and that he