Chapter 21 Naomi
Chapter twenty-one
Naomi lifted her eyes from her screen. Becca, Riley, and Abby were staring back at her, collectively holding their breath.
Even through the sandstorm of thoughts churning in her mind, she understood why.
Whatever she did next—whatever choice she made about Will—wouldn’t just shape her future.
In some small way, it would shape theirs too.
As if sensing the weight of their expectations, Abby reached across the booth table where they were all seated together and put a hand on hers. “You don’t have to do anything right away. You can think about this and decide what you want when you’re ready.”
What she wanted?
The question felt like trying to take a drink from a fire hose.
It had been two weeks since she had sent the text message to Will and followed up with a public statement that laid out her past and her reasons for keeping everything secret.
While the Internet had plenty to say, Will hadn’t said a word.
He’d remained completely silent. She had taken his silence to mean that he was moving on and that she should too.
Until today, when her phone dinged that she had been tagged on a Facebook Live video. Will’s video.
She had watched the whole thing. Every word. Every pause. Every unguarded emotion in his voice as he told the world—told her—that he believed her. That he loved her. That he wanted to be with her.
Now, as she stared at the screen, Will sat framed by Lake Michigan, pulling a book from his messenger bag, waiting.
Emotions swirled inside Naomi like a merry-go-round of feelings.
Pain, joy, fear, excitement, spun around until they were a blur, and she could barely make out what her heart was saying.
But even through the dizzying rush, one feeling began to take shape, clear and certain.
She couldn’t imagine what her future was going to look like, but the idea of it having Will in it …
She looked up at her friends and whispered the thought, as though speaking louder might scare it away, “I want to go to him.”
Her friends, in contrast, didn’t see any need to contain their thoughts and began screaming with abandon. People were probably staring, but she didn’t care.
“Oh, thank God.” Abby collapsed onto the table in relief. “I didn’t know how long I was going to be able to act neutral.”
Riding the wave of their collective energy, Naomi’s voice grew stronger.
“I’m going to go to him.” Once the words were out, they felt like they had become solid and were pushing her out of her seat.
The next thing she knew, she was dashing outside, her hand shooting up to flag down the first cab in sight.
It only dawned on her that her friends were following her when they all clambered into the cab, a tangle of limbs and excitement.
She could hear them talking around her—at some point, a tube of lip gloss was shoved into her hand—but her thoughts were singularly focused on Will.
She’d spent the last two weeks trying to understand if getting back together with him could even really happen.
It wasn’t as simple as him saying he forgave her.
If this was going to work, he had to be more than the man who had once loved her.
He had to be the man who stood beside her, no matter how complicated or uncomfortable things got.
The man who didn’t shy away when things got messy and real. The man who wouldn’t run away.
She had changed. And if they were going to move forward, he had to change too. And he had.
She left the lip gloss and everything else as she ran from the car, across the large green expanse, until she could see the large rocky stairs leading down to the lake.
To a place she had instantly recognized when he’d arrived.
The place where they had had their first kiss, where he had proposed to her.
Her friends' voices trailed behind her, a distant and breathless chorus, but Naomi’s world had narrowed down to a single point ahead.
When she got to the top of the steps, she paused to look down.
The lakefront was empty, and she had to scan for a second before she spotted Will, tucked up against a rock with a book in hand.
Without hesitation, Naomi leapt over the jagged rocks that led down to the water's edge and ran towards Will.
Her feet pounded against the ground as she closed the distance between them, her heart racing with anticipation.
Will's head came up, his expression, momentarily unsure, giving way to disbelief and then elation.
A burst of laughter and tears erupted from Naomi as she reached him, her pace slowing to an unsteady stumble. Collapsing onto her knees, she pulled him into a kiss that was as intense and powerful as the vast expanse of water stretching out before them.
He wrapped his arms tightly around her, breaking away from the kiss long enough to say, “I’m so sorry. I love you,” before he was showering her in kisses again.
For a moment, there was nothing else but them. In truth, it may have been longer than a moment. Disappearing into their kiss, time had lost all meaning. It was only the whistling and clapping from her cheer squad that brought her back to the present.
Will released the kiss, but not her. He looked up at where Abby, Riley, and Becca were standing off in the distance and, with an enormous grin, waved at them. “I see you brought company.”
She cut her eyes to his phone, still propped up in their direction. “I think my three don’t really compare.”
Will laughed, the sound carrying all the same feelings whirling around inside of her. “I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready to be done with the audience. I want to start over. With you. And only you.”
He intertwined his fingers with hers and guided her hand to his lips, the tender gesture spreading warmth across every corner of her body.
“Let’s do that then,” she said. She reached out with her other hand and, with immense pleasure, hit the End Live button.
“It really is only me now. There’s nothing left to hide. ”
Will's grip on her hand tightened as if he didn’t want to let the moment slip away.
“Good,” he murmured, gazing at her intently.
“Because I want you. All of you. If I could, I would rewrite our past, make better choices, and be the person you needed me to be. But all I can do is promise to be here for you now, completely and honestly.”
“I wouldn’t want to rewrite a single moment.
” Her voice was steady. “It took each of these moments, the good ones and the bad ones, to get us here.” It felt strange to say.
For so long, she had wished she could make her past disappear.
But now, for the first time, she understood that her past, with all its imperfections and scars, was a part of what made her whole.
Will's arms enveloped her in a warm and secure embrace.
His lips met hers once again, this time with a gentle intensity, and Naomi melted into his kiss, letting the familiar feel of his body against hers wash away the hurt and loneliness of the past weeks.
As they parted, he looked into her eyes, a mixture of curiosity and hope crossing his expression.
“Okay,” he asked softly, “so what does starting over look like for us?”
She hadn’t been prepared for the question. Or the thought that followed. Something so preposterous that she bit down on her tongue before it spilled out.
Will wasn’t fooled for a second. “Nice try. What is it?”
She released her tongue, and a smile crept onto her lips. All of it was preposterous. From the minute they met at her high school reunion until this moment. What was the point in stopping now? “I was thinking … if you really want to start over, then let’s do that. Let’s start over.”
“From the beginning?” He extended a hand. “Hi, I’m Will—can I buy you a drink?”
“No,” she laughed. “No, let’s start over from where we left off. At the altar.”
His answer was a kiss so deep, she thought her heart might stop beating altogether. “I will marry you this instant, Naomi,” he said into her ear when he finally pulled back.
Now she was afraid her heart would fall out of her chest, it beat so hard. “Then let’s do it,” she declared. “Right now. I don’t want to wait another second.”
Will reached for his phone. “Nothing involving social media, don’t worry,” he said, with a chuckle. He tapped something into this phone, then looked up. “Seems like there’s no reason we couldn’t. It says here you only need a marriage license, an ordained minister, and two witnesses.”
“I have our marriage license at home. And I’m confident we can get some volunteers for witnesses.” She motioned towards her friends with her eyes. “What about the minister, though?”
“It says anyone can get ordained online in minutes. Which means between Riley, Becca, and Abby we have everyone we need.”
“Are we really doing this then? Getting married?”
Will looked at her, his eyes so intense they looked like they might ignite. “Naomi, before the day is over, I want to be your husband.”
His words left her with no choice but to kiss him again.
Their lips had barely touched again before they heard Riley shouting at them. “We’ve been really patient while you made out! I need to know what’s happening!”
“For once, I’m with Riley on this one!” Abby shouted.
“Because of this beautiful moment, I’m choosing to ignore how you worded that,” Riley said, loud enough for them to hear.
Naomi laughed and yelled back to them, “We’re getting married!” Her volume was fueled not only by the need to reach her friends, but by the sheer excitement erupting from her. “Again! Right now!”
Her friends let out ecstatic screams, rushing over to envelop her in a group hug that was as warm and enthusiastic as their shouts.
“You’re getting married like now, now?” Becca asked as the group hug came to an end.
“Now, now,” Naomi said.