Page 26 of When We Were Young
Life is full of weeds. It takes love to see them as something beautiful. Something God will use one day to make you smile.
Who even wrote that? Kari couldn’t believe Noah had typed those words knowing that he was about to leave Emily and the kids. Weeds could be beautiful? Was he serious? Had he grown so attached to his virtual world and so disconnected from reality that he didn’t even realize what he was saying to the public?
Kari looked at the likes beneath the post. There were more than ten thousand. She tried to picture that many people. Ten thousand had attended a women’s event she went to a few months ago. An entire arena, every row packed.
That many people.
Kari pulled up the comments. There were eight hundred. She scrolled through the most recent and scanned the things people had said.
What a cutie... just like you, Noah.
Mini-me, Noah... he’ll be just as handsome as you when he grows up.
Where’s the pics of you and Emily... we need more, more, more!
I learned everything I know about love from you and Emily. God bless you both!
Hottest dad. Cutest family. Ever. #futuregoals.
I have one wish in all the world—that I would wake up and be Emily Carter.
The comments went on and on. More than half were from females. They weren’t exactly suggestive, at least not most of them. But some were definitely flirty.
Kari clicked off her phone and closed her eyes. No wonder Emily was struggling. In some ways Noah was having a very public affair with thousands of girls. They adored him, openly complimented him on his looks and his romance and the way he loved Emily.
Some were clearly outspoken about wishing they were in her shoes.
Like the last comment.
She stood and went to her room. Whether she fell asleep or not, it was time to get to bed. Time to settle her mind, give her troubled heart to God and ask Him again for a miracle. The way she and Ryan had prayed for one earlier.
Maybe not just for Noah and Emily, but for Ryan and her, also.
Why did her husband feel the need to change things now, just when life was so good for all of them?
When she was finished praying, she thought again about the Carters’ social media profile. She didn’t know Noah’s motives or exactly what might have happened between him and some of the female fans. But she definitely understood Emily’s anger, her heartache. And something else. The one thing she absolutely knew for sure about Noah’s social media status. No matter what he said about their public persona, it wasn’t love.
Not even close.
9
Emily still wasn’t ready to sleep, didn’t want to move from her spot on the back porch swing. The spot where Noah had promised they would watch their kids grow up. She couldn’t stop thinking about one thing:
She would never sit here with him again.
The breeze had tapered off, and in the still of the night between storms, Emily could feel her heart beat. Hard and fast. Proof that the stress of this season was constant. Even here in this quiet spot. She breathed in slow through her nose and set the seat in motion ever so slightly back again.
No, she had never intended to marry Noah Carter. Never thought about marrying anyone. She had Clara, and that was enough. Her full-time purpose. Clara had no one on earth except Emily. How could there be room for a man in her life?
At first it was easy to live the single life. Emily’s days at Indiana University were crazy busy. Emily arranged her classes and dance practice so she could drive to Clara’s school each day, pick her up and bring her to the university. Clara loved watching Emily dance.
Sometimes Emily would smile at her sister during practice, and the look of joy and excitement in her eyes was easy to read. As if Clara were living vicariously through her, cheering her on. Finding just as much joy watching as she would if her own legs worked.
Three hours of dance, and then Emily would take Clara to the university cafeteria. A quick dinner and they’d head home to study. Finally Emily would make sure Clara got her shower and that she had clean clothes laid out for the next day. In the morning Emily would make breakfast for the two of them, and then she’d drive Clara to school and the routine would start all over again. It was a full schedule, and sometimes Emily would catch a look of guilt from Clara.
“I’m too much,” Clara told her once as they ate dinner in those first few weeks of the semester. “Not fair.”
Emily stood and put her hands on Clara’s shoulders. She looked right into her eyes and prayed her sister would fully grasp every word. “I want to do this, Clara. I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Emily smiled. “You’re my best friend. And you’re all the family I have. Don’t forget that.”
