26. Noah
Chapter twenty-six
Noah
I t was Christmas morning and I realized, a little too late, that I hadn’t put a time in the note to Catherine. So, I headed to the treehouse as soon as I finished walking Wally. Wally had liked Catherine so far, so I didn’t think that he would have a problem being involved in this little scheme.
Upon arriving at the treehouse, I found that Catherine hadn’t yet arrived. Wally worked his way up into the treehouse, and I gave him some pets on his head as I waited for Catherine. She arrived not three minutes later, her hair up in a hat to protect it and some gloves on her hands. Her large coat was more than obvious from up here.
“As much as I want to ask what you want, I remember sneaking out here early Christmas morning when we were kids so that we could have fun before we opened our presents from Santa,” Catherine said as she got comfortable. “My parents actually had to tell me that I could not, under any circumstances, go out through the door in the kitchen. I had to go out the front door and around if I wanted to go to the treehouse before presents because they didn’t want me to spoil the fun for Chris.” She laughed a little. “They kept all the presents from Santa in the kitchen pantry until they were ready for us to wake up with breakfast in bed,” she continued.
I smiled.
At least she was willing to have a conversation with me.
“Do you remember bringing your new doll out here one year and then we got caught in a snowstorm?” I asked. “I walked you and your doll to your kitchen door while holding my coat over you and the doll because you got cold easily. And you certainly didn’t want your doll to get cold. Your mother refused to let me go home until the storm ended.”
“Oh, I remember her calling and thanking your mother for raising you right to be worried I wouldn’t make it home safely,” Catherine added. “We played in my room until the power went out.”
I laughed. That was one interesting Christmas Day, and I was somewhat shocked to find that Catherine still remembered smaller details that I didn’t. We continued to discuss it a little longer, as it was perhaps one of the most memorable examples of our relationship from childhood.
“Catherine, why don’t we take a walk to the footbridge?” I asked, gently guiding Wally towards the exit of the treehouse. “I think a little conversation there would be a wonderful way to start this Christmas morning.”
I’d just taken Wally for a walk into town, but no dog ever turned down a second walk. And the footbridge would be a better spot to have the conversation I wanted to have with Catherine. I wanted her to know for sure that I still loved and cared for her, despite whatever she believed after Tiffany’s appearance at the dance.
“A walk to the footbridge sounds like fun,” Catherine said. “Though, I’m a little curious as to why.”
“Patience, Catherine. At the footbridge,” I said. “Please?”
She raised an eyebrow but nodded. She got down out of the treehouse and helped keep Wally from running off as I came down. When we were both on the ground, I took the leash. We walked to the footbridge in silence, with the only sound being the crunchy sound of newly fallen snow under our boots. Wally stayed a good distance ahead of us, almost at the end of his leash, but he was simply excited to go for a longer walk. I could never deny that Wally loved going outside and getting as much time walking as possible.
The walk itself to the footbridge was quiet between me and Catherine. She didn’t seem to know what to say, and I wanted to say everything I had to say when we arrived at the footbridge. Every now and then, I’d call out to Wally to get him to slow down. It didn’t work for long, but it was long enough to allow Catherine and I to catch up on the snow.
We arrived at the footbridge to find it had been iced over just a bit. I carefully cleared some of the ice off as best as possible, digging my heel in for support and chipping at it before nudging the ice chips over the edge of the bridge.
Once I had made a spot for us to stand, I helped Catherine onto the bridge.
“It feels so odd to be here when the bridge is so icy,” Catherine mentioned as she held tight to the railing beside her. “Almost like we could ice skate on this bridge, you know?”
I nodded with a soft chuckle. That was exactly what I was trying to avoid by making enough space for us to get a grip with our boots on the bridge. Wally didn’t seem too bothered by the ice; he was sliding up and down the bridge beside us and having a grand time.
“So, you said that what you had to say would be best said here at the footbridge?” Catherine asked.
I nodded.
I took her hand gently in mine, allowing her to keep a grip on the railing of the footbridge. In all honesty, I didn’t want to be the reason that she fell over. So, when she didn’t object to this, I turned to face her.
“I know that there has been a lot going on in the last few days as far as what kind of plans we’re going to make and carry out for our future,” I said. “But I want you to know that I do truly love you. There is nothing I want more in this world than the chance to be your husband. And I would love to make a life with you here, in Indigo Lake. But I realize that I can only control my feelings.”
Catherine didn’t say anything immediately. Her face had turned slightly pink, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of the cold or a blush that had started because of what I had said. I didn’t try to address it. Instead, I let the moment go as she pleased, allowing her to control how quickly we had this conversation.
“I–I…” she started, but her voice trailed off. “I don’t know what to say. What about Tiffany?”
“Tiffany has finally seen that I do not want to be with her,” I said. “I know she was pretty insistent when she was here, but when I told her repeatedly that I didn’t want to be with her, I got it through to her. I didn’t shut her down at the dance because I was so… well, stunned by her boldness. I didn’t know what to do other than to introduce the two of you and minimize the awkwardness. I realize now that that wasn’t the best decision. I’m sorry if it hurt to see me do that. I never meant to hurt you.”
I squeezed her hand softly, hoping that this apology would give her some indication that I was sincere.
She pulled her hand away from mine before gently wrapping her arms around me.
“Noah, the only thing I want to do now is-”
She was interrupted by a yip, and then more of her weight was on me than she had intended. I quickly put my other hand on the rail to balance us as Wally pushed against us. I laughed a little.
“Wally, you can’t just push her into me, you crazy dog,” I said as I pulled the leash softly to keep him away from her. “I’m sorry about that, Catherine. Sometimes, Wally just gets these ideas, and I can’t get him to stop.”
Catherine laughed a little as she pulled away, balancing herself on the railing.
“It’s all right. And he must have known that you would never let me fall. Thanks,” she said with a genuine smile. “Now, as I was trying to say, the only thing I want to do right now is enjoy Christmas. My flight to California is in two days. But I do want to see how you and I are going to work.”
She gave me the hug she was trying to give me when Wally pushed her into me. I heard him yip again, and this time, he sat beside me happily, his tail wagging on the ice as if there was nothing to stop him from doing anything else.
I wrapped my arms around Catherine, holding her close.
“Then, does this mean you’ll give me another chance?”
“Yes, Noah. It does,” she said as she pulled away. “But for now, I want to spend Christmas with you. Too bad we both have other plans with our families.”
“My family isn’t leaving for Mary’s until noon. Mary wanted to do Christmas breakfast and have the girls open their presents from Santa before anyone came over,” I said. “And I’m sure your parents won’t mind if you’re not home for a while longer. If you’re worried, you can text your mom to tell her that you’re going to be out for a bit.”
She pursed her lips before nodding slowly. She quietly pulled her phone out and then texted her mom. I checked my phone while she was doing that, just to make sure that nothing had changed. Mom had texted me to make sure that, at least, I was aware that we needed to leave the house at noon. She expected me to be ready to head to Mary’s by then.
I could make that happen. I quickly replied that I would be ready in time and then put my phone away. Catherine was still typing like a fiend on her phone. She had always had the habit of texting minor novels, in my opinion, so I bent down and gave Wally some pets behind his ears. His tail started wagging even more on the ice, and I could only laugh. Of course, that would make him happier.
“What’s so funny?”
“Wally has always loved getting scratched behind his ears. If I didn’t know that he was happy before I started giving him pets, I know now,” I said. “Look at how fast that tail is wagging.”
At this, Catherine looked up. It didn’t take long for her to start laughing because Wally’s tail was whirring like a windshield wiper in a blizzard. It was something I was used to seeing, but I supposed that Catherine may not have seen this before, having never had a dog when growing up. Neither had I, honestly, but Wally was the sweetest dog I’d ever met.
“Mom told me our presents and dinner wouldn’t be until one, so we can take as long as we need,” Catherine said. “I told them I would definitely be home by noon at the latest because of your schedule, but I would text them to let them know otherwise.”
I smiled a little.
“Then, why don’t we talk some about how to make this work? I know long-distance is hard, and this time, I want to be ready.”