Page 120 of How to Love Your Neighbor
“I had a plan but I didn’t account for how seeing you would scramble my brain.”
She laughed, understanding. “Plans are good. I’m sorry I haven’t answered your calls.”
His jaw tightened. “You needed time. I want to give you whatever you need but I can’t wait any longer to make things right between us.”
Airwhooshedout of her lungs. “You still want there to be an us?”
He closed the distance but still didn’t touch her. “I want that more than I’ve ever wanted anything. I have something to show you, if you can give me a minute?”
He walked to the table. Grace realized Rosie had left her computer attached, and Noah fiddled with it, then adjusted the lights in the room. He pulled a chair closer to the screen while Grace did her best not to wring her hands. She’d forgotten how to breathe without him in her life, and now she pulled in oxygen like she’d been starved of it.
What really struck a chord was the realization she’d come to over the last few days: she’d follow him anywhere. She understood how her mother let herself ache over a man for years upon years, carrying the flame and the hope of him coming back. Because if she couldn’t fix things with Noah, she’d do the same. She also understood how that could make a person hard. Closed off. Like a wounded animal lashing out in the face of more hurt. That didn’t excuse her mother’s behavior, but it lessened some of Grace’s anger.
Noah gestured to the chair. “Can you have a seat?”
She sat, hands clasped in her lap, heart beating like a rabbit on the run.
His fingers flexed, in and out. “Six weeks ago, I didn’t see the words ‘house’ and ‘home’ as different. They’re synonyms, essentially the same thing.”
A small smile snuck onto her lips. He was presenting a project just as she’d done.
“I’ve learned a lot in that time. Not just about what makes a house a home but what kind of man I want to be, what kind oflife I want to live. What kind of person transforms you, much like you transform spaces.” He paused, cleared his throat, and Grace could see the nerves in the way he stood. His eyes were tired, like maybe he hadn’t been sleeping any better than she had.
She was transfixed by every little thing about him. The way his hair looked slightly mussed, how his shirt fit perfectly over his strong arms and chest. How his lips twitched just a little and his gaze held hers like they were tethered, like they were keeping each other afloat.
Noah pressed Play on his slide show. Her heart squeezed painfully hard when Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani’s duet “Nobody but You” came through the sound system. It was his words coming up across the screen, however, that put her back together again.
I had no idea what made a house a home.
Until you.
A 3D image of the first level of a house appeared. It was empty.
A house becomes a home when you make it your own with the person you love.
Splashes of paint colored the image, furniture zoomed in, landing in spots on the screen, transforming the room from barren and empty to full and vibrant.
It isn’t paint on the walls or the furniture you buy. It’s who pulls you out of the couch when you’re stuck.
Grace laughed too loud, her eyes filling with tears.
The song continued to play, talking about loving no one else.
A beautiful slide with a picture of Noah’s house filled the screen.
This is just a house. Without you, it’s empty. Without you, I am empty. A house is a shell. A blank canvas. A home is a masterpiece.
Their paintings appeared on the next slide. The final slide was black. The words that came up made it hard to breathe.
You are my home, Grace. My everything. Nothing matters without you. I’m sorry I didn’t listen but I hear you and will do better in thefuture. I want a future with you. Finding you helped me find myself. I love you.
Grace was so blown away, she forgot to breathe. He moved toward her as she stood up and crossed the room. Their arms went around each other, and she buried her face in his neck.
His hands moved over her like he was making sure she was real.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“So am I.” She leaned back just enough to see him. “You want to protect the people you love. I should have been more understanding of that.”
