AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We won’t lie, it’s pretty hard for us to stand being around each other much,” Julie said with a dry laugh. “So, you’ll see us separately just until we can come to a place where we can have family dinners again and spend holidays together again,” she said.
“You know, Nao…” Roth paused to take a deep breath, “Life is a journey. It’s not static and it’s not always stable,” he said. “I don’t regret marrying your mother or being married to her. I do regret that we ended this way and that’s what we have to heal from. And we will heal from it because we still have you kids, we’re still your parents,” Roth said. Again, Naomi recoiled from shock. A tear fell from her eye and hit her chest, she didn’t realize she was crying. “And I know that I’ve been hard on you more than Jess or Casey and I want to make up for that,” he said sincerely. “Maybe we can be closer now, have days together, just the two of us,” he added.
“I’d…um. I’d like that,” she said. Roth smiled, it was a small smile but the relief was in his face and he let go of a deep breath.
“So,” Julie said in a lighter tone, “the two of you are serious?” she said, looking at me as if I were a welcomed change of subject. I knew the road to recovery with her parents was going to be a long one for Naomi.
“Yeah, um…very serious,” Naomi said. She glanced at me for a second. I didn’t think she was ready to tell them about the baby yet. I didn’t think they were ready to hear news like that either.
“Sorry we just dropped in on you like this. We should probably get out of your hair,” Julie said. “Hopefully we’ll see you again under better circumstances to get to know you,” she added.
“Ditto on that, nice to meet you Josh,” Roth said. I nodded and Naomi stood up to walk them out. I hung back and she stepped out into the hall with them. I looked at Jerry, who looked at me and flicked his tail. I wandered into Naomi’s bedroom and spotted her jewelry box on her nightstand. I tried to see if any of her rings had size numbers in them, of course they didn’t. I heard the front door close and then Naomi called my name.
I stepped out of her room and met her in the living room. I hugged her around the waist and she rested her head on my chest, her arms around my waist too. “You okay?”
“Yeah…that was weird,” she said and we laughed. “But good I guess, that’s what I needed to hear from them,” she said. “Do you think they’ll be happy, like, really?”
“Getting a divorce is not easy. No one really gets married with the thought of getting a divorce. But every situation is different and in certain circumstances, it’s like torture to stay with someone you don’t or can’t love anymore,” I said. “But marriage with the right person is worth fighting for. It’s kind of like your dad said, life is a journey and he doesn’t regret his marriage. He regrets it ending.”
Naomi’s arms tightened around my waist. “Do you…do you feel that way about your ex?” She pulled back slightly to look up at me.
“I don’t feel anything for her anymore. Not since you,” I said. “When we split up, I didn’t regret getting a divorce with her. I regretted not knowing her enough before we got married. I regretted marrying her,” I said. Naomi looked relieved to hear that.
“Would you…would you ever get married again?” she asked.
“I’d get married one more time, one-hundred percent,” I said. She smiled at me and then pulled away to sit down.
“What were you doing in the room, by the way? Hiding in case they came back in?” she joked.
“No, I was trying to find your ring size,” I said. She blinked rapidly at me, trying to compute what I just said. “I saw this ring the other day that fits you and I want it to someday be your engagement ring,” I said. “Because I’m all in, Naomi. I want us to go all the way, married and eventually fat because we’re so happy.”
Naomi’s eyes filled with tears and she sprang up from the couch and I caught her in a tight hug. I kissed her and she molded her body to mine, her lips were soft and slippery with tears. Warmth filled my entire body and I felt like I knew her answer before I could ask the question.
“Would you marry me?” I asked, “When you’re ready?”
“Yes, Josh. Of course I’d marry you,” she said on a hiccupping sob and then she wiped the tears out of her eyes. “God, I’m so emotional, these hormones are gross,” she said and laughed through her tears. I kissed her cheeks, her eyes, and then her lips.
Like the start of our relationship that magnetic attraction pulled us into passion. But it wasn’t tangled anymore, it didn’t have to be hidden. Naomi let herself love me and I got the second chance of a lifetime.
