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We hiked up the trail for a while, and eventually we got to the big rock that overlooked everything. She skipped ahead of me and hopped onto it. With a laugh, she looked out over the falls. “I guess this would be our spot if we had one.” She turned back and searched my face. “It’s so beautiful. I forgot just how beautiful and breathtaking it is from this spot.”
I joined her on the rock, leaned in, and gently kissed her, relishing the knowledge that I could do it anytime I wanted. “It is breathtaking and beautiful.” I stared at her.
She grinned at me, then leaned in and pressed her lips to mine.
After a bit of kissing, we stayed close, and our fingers intermingled as we looked out over the falls. Warmth swept over me. I wanted to be with her. I didn’t want someone else coming in and buying this land. This was our land. This was our spot.
Gently, she pressed a hand to my cheek, and I turned my gaze back to her. “You’re thinking something you’re not telling me about.”
“I’ll tell you when I figure it out.” I twirled her hair around my hand. “I want to know what you are thinking and feeling.”
She hummed in thought. “Being with you today has been wonderful. It’s one of the few days since I left Refuge Falls in the past eight years that I’ve felt … like myself again.”
I pressed my lips to hers, somehow falling more in love with her. I would sell my business and buy this land to be with her. “I feel the same,” I murmured against her lips.
She pulled back, anguish filling her face. “But I can’t do this. I just …”
“Got divorced?”
She hesitated. “Yes.”
I shrugged. “The truth is, you never should have married him.”
“Well, I could agree with you for several reasons,” she said with a frown, “but what exactly are you talking about?”
I didn’t care if I was being too forthright. “You should have married me all those years ago. It should have always been us. It should never have been you and anyone else.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ella
I stared into Noah’s eyes, and every part of me went completely still. Then my eyes stung with tears. “How can you say that? After everything I put you through—after all the years of being angry at you?”
I tried to move, but he held me tight.
He shook his head. “Because I mean it. I love you.”
“What? Don’t say that.”
“Just…listen. I do love you. It’s like Pastor Jones said. Didn’t Paul struggle enough? Haven’t you and I struggled enough? Can’t we rely on our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, and His atonement to take away all of that pain?”
Tears streamed down Noah’s cheeks, and they took me by surprise. He’d never been overly religious, but I guessed I didn’t know everything about him.
I tried to swallow, but my mouth was dry. “I don’t know,” I croaked. Of course I wanted to believe that, but part of me felt guilty. It was like once I had decided to forgive myself and him, all these layers of truth had been pulled back and I could see how stubborn and ridiculous I was. My actions had caused so much pain over the years.
Noah gently pressed his forehead against mine. It was something we had always done as kids. It felt right between us, and painful.
“I don’t understand how you can ignore the past and everything I’ve done and just want to be with me.”
He leaned in, and his lips brushed against mine. I instinctively gave in and melted against him. Maybe this was what people meant by letting go, because I sure felt like I was free-floating, falling, and Noah had already caught me.
After what felt like an eternity, Noah pulled back, gazing into my eyes. “I love you. I never stopped loving you. No matter what we have to go through now, I’ll go through it, because it’s our time to be together. If you need time, that’s fine. I’ll wait.”
I had no response, so I shoved my head into his chest and held on.
As we drove home, we were both quiet, our hands linked together. The peace I had found in his arms was quickly fading. So many questions swirled through my mind.
We pulled up to my house, and he cut the engine and got out. He ran around the Jeep and opened the door for me. Taking my hand as I stepped down, he pulled me into his arms. I was unable to resist him, and I let him kiss me thoroughly.
