40. Laurel
Laurel
THE DISTANT SOUND of birds enjoying a spring afternoon was what I woke to several hours later. I stretched out on my soft mattress and reached for Noah. But when I came up empty, my heart stopped.
I clutched at the sheet and jackknifed up as memories of another time and place haunted me. But then the familiar sounds of my home instantly calmed me, and I looked out the window to see the large branches of a tree swaying in the breeze.
I smiled to myself as I remembered exactly where I was and whom I was with, and then I reached for my dress and climbed out of bed.
After slipping it on, I padded out to the kitchen to see if I could track down Noah. That was when I spotted the notepad and pen. My heart thumped, but when I picked it up and read, I’m in our spot. Come find me, Bonnie, I knew immediately where he’d gone.
I rushed to the back door and pulled it open, then hurried around the balcony to the very back of the house. When I spotted Noah sitting beneath the large red oak, my feet froze in place and my heart soared.
He looked perfect there, exactly how I always remembered him. When he picked up my book and patted the grass beside him, nothing in the world could’ve stopped me from going to him. I ran down the stairs and across the backyard.
Noah held a hand out to me. “Hey, sleepyhead.”
“Hey.” I slipped my hand into his and moved down to my knees. As I settled back on my heels, I looked to the oak, where little daisies still flowered around it.
There on the trunk, where it had been all these years, was my promise to him, and I reached out and traced its jagged lines.
Bonnie & Clyde
Together Forever
My eyes blurred as I turned to face him, but when he held out my book, I smiled.
“You want me to read?”
“That was always your favorite thing to do when we came here.”
“Not always.” I took the book.
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
He reached for me and tugged me onto his lap, and as I settled into him the way I had too many times to count, I let all of the memories I’d locked up rush back in and fill me with hope. “This is nice.”
Noah wrapped his arms around me and kissed the top of my head. “It is. I can’t believe you bought this place.”
“Really?” I rested my head on his shoulder and looked up at him. “I figured if I was going to stay here, I wanted to be somewhere I loved. This place felt like home. A place for me and Jake. It reminded me of you—even if you weren’t here with us.”
Noah cupped my cheek and gently kissed my lips. “I love you. I don’t think I ever actually stopped. The second I saw you again, I knew.”
I placed my hand over his and drew it down to cover my heart. “I love you too. I always have. And when I found out about Jake, I was happy. Scared but so happy, because I knew I’d always have a piece of you forever. It just happened to turn out that he’s one hell of an awesome piece.”
Noah chuckled but then sobered and ran a hand over the back of my hair. “We’ve lost so much time—”
“But at least we have today and tomorrow.”
“And every day after that.”
“What about Italy?”
“What about Italy? It’s not going anywhere, and we have a year to work out how I can make that work.
However, maybe this summer I could take my head sommelier over there for a tasting.
We have all the time in the world. But right now, I can’t think of one place I’d rather be than sitting here with you under this tree, watching you read the afternoon away. ”
I tossed the book down beside him and moved to straddle his lap. Then I wound my arms around his neck and nipped at his lower lip. “Liar. You hate sitting still. You always have.”
Noah smiled and pulled me in tight. “Maybe I’ve changed.”
“I sure hope not, because I had another favorite thing I loved doing down here with you.”
Noah rolled me to my back and hovered over the top of me. “Why don’t you show me, just in case.”
I threaded my fingers through his hair, and when he leaned down to kiss me in the afternoon sun, I knew this was it. We had so much to catch up on, so many years to fill in. Noah had a son to get to know, and I wanted to learn everything I could about the man I’d fallen in love with.
This was our time, and I wasn’t about to let any more of it slip away. Noah was my past, my present, my forever, and I knew I would love him—always.