Page 88 of When We Were Young
Something else. At the Taylors’ house Daddy had told them he wasn’t leaving. Over and over again he told both of them. Olivia didn’t understand. She was too little. But Aiden was old and it made sense to him.
Still Aiden didn’t know for sure it was true until they were at the park. That’s when he turned around and saw Daddy and Mommy kissing. Aiden smiled in the dark. It meant Daddy wasn’t ever going to move away. He was staying right here.
Where he belonged.
•••
EMILY HAD BEENtrying to grasp all that had happened, how God could have worked such a miracle. Noah was a completely different person. All he wanted the rest of his life was to love her and the kids. It was enough to make Emily wonder if this time she was the one dreaming.
That night when the kids were in bed, Noah led her to their room. The place where they hadn’t loved each other for longer than Emily could remember. He took her in his arms and held her face in his hands. “Emily... I will never, ever do something to harm you again.” He kissed her with a passion that made her dizzy.
“Wait.” She wanted to kiss him, wanted to fall back into their bed with him and show him how much she still wanted him. But she had something to tell him first. They were both breathing faster, the anticipation there for both of them.
He searched her eyes. “What is it, Emily?” Concern flashed on his face. “Is it too soon?”
“No.” She laughed and this time she kissed him. “Not soon enough.” She released a quiet laugh. But just as quickly she felt her smile fade. “I have to tell you something, Noah.” She ran her thumb gently along his cheekbone. “The struggle between us, it wasn’t just you.”
“It was all me, Emily.” He rushed ahead, running his hands down her arms. “Don’t say another word. This was my fault.”
She let him finish. Then she shook her head. “God showed me. I changed, Noah.” The sting of tears hit her. “I was mean and short with you. I lost my patience and stopped trying to talk things out.”
“Emily...”
“I mean it.” She wanted him to truly grasp this. “It was you, but it was me, too. Kari gave me a list of things her mom taught her, ways to make a marriage work.” She looked into his eyes and let herself get lost in the depths of his love. “Maybe we can read it together.”
“We will.” He looked like he was hanging on every word she said. “There’s nothing more important in all the world.”
All she wanted was to kiss him. But she needed to finish. “I’m sorry, Noah. For how I treated you.” She blinked and felt a tear roll onto her cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s behind us now. We’re both sorry.” He came in slowly, desire dark in his eyes. “Now we can move on.”
Their kiss took Emily back to the first time they’d come together this way, depth and emotion and a desperate kind of love. A oneness Emily couldn’t live without. The kiss grew, and in a different kind of dance, they moved to their bed and for the next hour they proved to each other just how much they’d missed this, how very much they had when they were together. Not just their beautiful, physical love but something more.
The certainty of forever.
•••
A WEEK HADpassed since his crazy night of horrible dreams. Seven days since he and Emily had been back together—heart, mind, body and soul. They had celebrated their eighth anniversary and these had been some of the best days of Noah’s life.
But there was still something he had to do before they could turn the page, before they could start living out the next chapter of their lives. He thought about how he was going to do it, what he was going to say.
That first night he’d simply posted the Bible verse from Deuteronomy. Every day since then he’d let that last post sit there. He hadn’t been near the computer. Now it was Saturday morning and it was time. Noah got up as quietly as he could, but next to him Emily stirred.
She blinked her pretty eyes open and looked at him. “Mmm... where are you going?”
“I have to take care of something.” He leaned over her and kissed her. However long God might give them together, he knew one thing—he couldn’t get enough of her.
She smiled at him. Whatever he was feeling, he could see in her expression the feeling was mutual. She’d proven that a number of times this past week.
He stepped out of bed and looked deep into her eyes. “I’ll be right back.”
Then with all the purpose he’d ever felt in his entire life, he walked to the den and turned on the computer. He started with Facebook. A few clicks and he was staring at the question.
Do you want to delete the page @When_We_Were_Young?
Noah didn’t hesitate. He clicked the yes button and then signed off. Instagram was next. He went through the same steps and then he did it again for Twitter. Each time he clicked yes. In five minutes he erased every bit of their Internet presence. All of it was gone. He turned off the computer and took a deep breath.
Freedom coursed through his veins. He felt perfectly wonderful. No more living in the virtual world. The one he had here and now was far too beautiful. Noah wouldn’t do anything to threaten that ever again.I’m back, Lord. Back when we were young.
