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For a minute, I felt lost and found. I had been given a second chance. It was as if no time had passed; our lips worked together in perfect harmony.
Finally, he pulled back and took a breath, smiling at me.
I smiled back. “I’ve missed you.”
His forehead dipped to touch mine, and so many feelings washed over me. All of our heartache had been my fault.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m the one that kept us apart.”
He pulled back and shook his head. “None of that.” Without letting go of me, he leaned away and turned to the bread on the pan; it was now burned on one side. We met each other’s eyes and laughed.
I put the food on the plates, and the two of us gathered everything up, including utensils and water. My heart fluttered as we sat at the table, and I reached for his hand. “Should we say grace?”
He looked surprised, then nodded.
I said a few words about how grateful I was that Noah was here and that we had gone unharmed last night. Then my voice cracked, and I said, “Thank you, dear Lord, for opening my heart and letting me forgive. Please forgive me for not forgiving others. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.”
“Amen.” His hand squeezed mine, and when I looked at him, I saw moisture in his eyes. He leaned in and then gently wipeda tear from my cheek. “I’m really glad you came to my door last night.”
I began eating. “I guess you’re going to love resuming your role of saving me.” The words hurt a little. I used to say them to him all the time, before he hadn’t been able to save my brother.
The corner of his lip quirked up. “I always want to save you, Ella.”
Our eyes held again as my heart thrummed. He smiled, and then he began eating the eggs and burned toast.
For several minutes, we ate in silence. It was strange how easily we fell into the comfort of the moment. The Whipples had a nice view of the lake, even though this house wasn’t all cleaned up and the windows were a bit dirty.
“Come to church with me,” he said, breaking the quiet. “Then family dinner.”
I froze. I knew things would be different with us now. The insane attraction between us was still there, as strong as it had always been. Yet I couldn’t just forget everything that’d happened in the eight years we’d been apart. “I haven’t been divorced that long. And my ex might be stalking me.” I used those excuses as a shield. The truth was, I didn’t want to face his family.
“That doesn’t matter.”
If only that were the case.
Once we’d finished, I got up and took our plates to the kitchen sink. I found some dish soap and filled the sink with warm water. He moved past me, grabbing a washrag to wipe the counter and the table.
I began scrubbing the dishes and then placing them in the dish rack. It was bright yellow and had a green mat underneath, making it look like it’d been there since the 1970s, but it was usable.
Noah’s hand rested on my waist. It was like every part of me lit up when he touched me. He leaned into me, pulling me so his chest was against my shoulder and his lips were against my hair. “You’d better tell me now if you don’t want me.”
I stopped scrubbing and turned to face him. “What?”
“I’m not kidding, Ella. I’ve never been good at being casual. I want you back in my life. I’m willing to take it semi-slow, but I want to be with you.” He pressed a kiss to my cheek. “I want to date you. I want to court you.”
I sputtered out a laugh and glanced up at him. “What are you talking about?”
“To your point, you are divorced.” He loosened his grip on me without letting me go. “We need to get to know each other again. That being said, we’ve known each other our whole lives.”
I got lost in his piercing green eyes. I’d always loved that his irises had bursts of yellow in them, making them look like a cat’s. “What does that mean?”
He sucked in a breath and then exhaled. “I guess that means we’re dating. That we’re kissing.” He brushed his lips against mine, then pulled back and grinned.
I couldn’t help but laugh, and I tried to wiggle away from him. “You’re silly.”
He tightened his arms around me. “Hey, just wait. We hang out together. We get to know each other again. You come to church with us, and you come to family dinner. I want you in my life again, and I’m trying to be a part of my family again.”
“All of that feels … fast.”
