Epic Love

by Trudy Stiles

  I sink down onto the bed next to him and curl my legs under my body. “I don’t have a place to stay in Pennsylvania.”

  He shakes his head. “There’s no question about where you’d stay, Noelle.”

  “I’m selling my father’s house,” I state.

  He raises his eyebrow with a mix of confusion and sadness in his face. “Really?”

  I nod. “Heath, I don’t think I could live in that house.”

  “I understand. But that’s not where I was suggesting you live.” He places his hand on my knee and circles his thumb on my skin.

  I have a feeling I know where he’s going with this, and I smile. “I’m sure I can find a new place. Or maybe I can live in the house that my father bought at the beach.”

  His face drops a little as I tease him with this option.

  “That’s also not what I was thinking.”

  “No?”

  “My place,” he grins.

  While I already guessed what he was thinking, I’m not sure it’s the best idea. We’re still reconnecting and learning things about each other that we missed over the years we were separated.

  “I’m not sure it’s a good idea to rush into something like that just yet.”

  He shakes his head. “There’s nothing you can say that will change my mind about this. You know this, right? We’ve spent too many years apart for us to waste any more time.” He squeezes my knee lightly, and I squirm.

  “That tickles!” I exclaim.

  “You can decide when you want to come home, but the house is already waiting for you.”

  “What do you mean?” His house is ready for me?

  “I’ve made some modifications that I think you’ll absolutely love.” His smile is huge and now I’m curious.

  “What modifications?” His house is gorgeous as it is. It’s a custom home in a private neighborhood, not unlike the neighborhood we grew up in. His yard is gorgeous and private. The house is large, but not obnoxious.

  “I’ll just say this, my mother approves, and you’ll see when we go home tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?” I swallow hard. Am I ready to go home with him? Live with him?

  “I told you I wasn’t leaving here without you, and I meant it.”

  I lean back against my headboard and look out of the sliding doors. The ocean is breaking against the rocks, and I point to the gorgeous view. “How can you expect me to leave here? I mean, look at my view.” This view has calmed my nerves on more than one occasion. It’s perfect.

  “And we’ll see it often,” Heath says, raising my curiosity.

  “Really?” I ask.

  “We could come here anytime we want. You’ve made a life for yourself here. You’ve made life-long friends here. I would never ask you to sell this beautiful place–it’s so much a part of you. And I want it to become a part of me, too.”

  He pulls me against him, and I smile. “You’re amazing, you know that?” He realizes how much my home here in Chappy means to me. “But, let’s not rush things, okay? I promised you that I won’t leave, ever again, and I meant it. I just need some time to figure things out, but I will go home with you tomorrow, temporarily.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” he smiles, kissing my neck. “But you should know that I’m really good at getting my way.”

  “I believe you.”

  And then he gets his way with me over and over again.

  Heath

  Present

  “NOELLE, WAKE UP,” I say, trying to coax her from her sleep. We caught an early ferry from Chappaquiddick this morning and were able to get one from the Vineyard to the mainland shortly after. Noelle passed out cold as soon as we got through Connecticut and has been asleep ever since.

  Every time I look over at her sleeping peacefully, I can’t believe she’s here with me. Coming home with me. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind and full of memories and emotion. But somehow we’ve managed to close the distance that time stole from us. And now, as we pull into my driveway, we’re about to make a new home for the two of us. We’ve agreed to keep her home in Chappaquiddick and spend as much time there as we can. She’s also decided to keep her father’s home in Point Pleasant. Her uncle has already put her house next to my parents’ on the market and it’s not expected to last very long. Although my mom and dad are bummed they’re going to have new neighbors soon, they know it’s what Noelle wants and they fully support her decision.

  “Where are we?” she asks, groggily. A smile spreads across her face when she realizes where we are.

  “We’re home,” I state and throw the car into park. We drove her car here since I didn’t have one with me.

  “That sounds awesome,” she says as she stretches in her seat. “I don’t think I can move my legs, they’re still asleep!”

  “Take your time. The house isn’t going anywhere,” I joke. Although I’m dying to get her inside.

  A few minutes later, she’s standing in my driveway on wobbly legs, trying to work out the pins and needles.

  “Ready!” she exclaims.

  We walk into the house, and it smells incredible. Rosie must have cooked all day today so she could stock the refrigerator for us.

  “It smells delicious,” Noelle notes as we walk through the foyer.

  “Lasagna,” I say. “Rosie’s specialty.”

  “I can’t wait to try it.”

  “You won’t be disappointed,” I promise, turning toward her. I sweep her into my arms and kiss her underneath the large chandelier in my foyer.

  “What was that for?” she asks, playfully.

  “You have two options.”

  She raises her eyebrow and rubs her nose against mine. “What are my options?”

  “One, we could go upstairs and properly celebrate your homecoming.”

  “Or?” she teases me, pressing her lips to mine.

  “Two, I can show you the surprise.”

  Her eyes open wide. “Surprise?”

  I can tell she’s excited to find out what I’ve been hinting at for the past few days.

  “I guess it’s number two?” I ask, and she nods wildly.

  I kiss her one more time before releasing her. I grab her hand to lead her through the hallway into the newly renovated kitchen. A project that would normally take about six weeks was completed in just over two, construction crews working around the clock until every detail was complete.

  As soon as we enter the room, she gasps, “Oh my God, Heath.”

  Her eyes light up as she spots the new breakfast nook at the far end of my kitchen. I had it designed and built to mirror the one in my parents’ house. This one has bigger floor-to-ceiling windows and a higher glass dome for the roof. The way the glass is shaped over the nook gives it an incredible greenhouse look and feel.

  She walks closer to the addition and stops next to it. As her eyes travel to the windows and glass ceiling, inaudible squeals escape her lips.

  “It’s incredible,” she says and points in the air toward a shiny object hanging in the window. “Is that–?”

  The light catcher that I gave her for her fourteenth birthday is hanging in the center of the window facing the backyard. Tears fill her eyes when I nod my head. “Yes.”

  “And those?” She points to the six other light catchers adorning the other windows. She’s about to cry, but happy tears.

  I walk into the nook and point to the first one that’s the shape of a lion cub.

  “I bought this for you in Columbus at the zoo. I saw it in the window of the gift shop across from the lion exhibit.”

  She watches it as it spins in the window, reflecting colorful light through the glass.

  I turn to the other side of the nook and point up. “This one I found in St. Louis.” She smiles as she watches the light catcher in the shape of the famous Arch illuminate.

  “This is so wild,” she gasps. “I have no idea what else to say.”

  “Then just listen,” I state as I point up to the glass ceiling.
<
br />   “Okay.” She slides onto the bench in the nook.

  “This one here is from Tulsa. I was out buying it when you tried to take off.” My tone changes slightly, scolding her once again for her bad judgment.

  “Is that a rose?” she asks, ignoring my mild jab.

  “Yes.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  “And this one is from Sandia Peak.” It’s an incredible light catcher that captures a perfect sunset. The glass inside deep oranges, reds, and purples.

  “It looks like the picture we took,” she says. “It looks like Heaven.”

  “When we were in Albuquerque is when I realized you were never going to run away again. You were finally home.”

  She stands up and throws herself into my arms. “I’m sorry for putting you through so much. I wish I could take it all back.”

  “I told you never to apologize again, and I meant it. Okay?” I kiss the top of her head and squeeze her tight.

  She nods against my chest.

  “I have one more to show you,” I say and release her so I can turn her around to face the breakfast nook. I wrap my arms around her from behind and point to the light catcher hanging from the light fixture above the table.

  “I found that one at the lodge we stayed in while we were at the Grand Canyon,” I say. It’s a large heart, filled with every color imaginable, colorful light fills the kitchen from this single piece.

  “Oh, Heath. This is all so incredible.” She walks forward, admiring all of the light catchers filling the windows of the nook. “I can’t believe you did this.”

  She reaches out and touches the heart-shaped light catcher, and together we watch it spin.

  “When we were traveling together, I realized so many things,” I admit, and her eyes glisten. “I’ve only ever existed for you.”

  “You have all of me, Noelle. My heart for yours.”

  When all is forgotten you find new ways to rescue me.

  Noelle

  Present

  “NOELLE!” HEATH calls from the back door. “Will you hurry up?!”

  He sounds eager as I take my time tying my shoelaces. “I don’t know what your rush is,” I joke, winking at him.

  “Seriously?” He looks playfully annoyed as I slide on my baseball hat and grab the Wiffle ball bat.

  “I’ve been practicing my knuckle ball. You won’t even be able to touch it,” I joke and run by him.

  He slaps my ass, and I squeal.

  “You’ll pay for that later. But first, it’s time to put it in the books.” He smiles and takes a familiar notebook out of his back pocket. As he fans through the pages, I realize it’s the book from our childhood. The one in which he kept track of our scores so diligently.

  “Oh my God,” I gasp, stopping in place. “I can’t believe you kept that.”

  He tosses it to me so I can look through the years of scores. Years of memories. So long ago.

  “I could never get rid of something so valuable,” he declares, pulling me in for a kiss.

  “Ready for a whooping?” I ask and nip his lips lightly with my teeth.

  He laughs as he grabs my hand, leading me to the backyard. He’s been working on building us a field similar to the one that we made together so many years ago. However, this field looks more ‘professional’ with a real pitcher’s mound and a set of small bleachers on the side. We don’t have any ‘fans’ watching us right now, but he is planning a tournament sometime this fall, and I’m sure the seats will be put to good use.

  This is our first time christening the field so he suggests that I throw out the first pitch for good luck.

  We toss the ball back and forth for a little while as we get a feel for it all over again. I’m transported back to my childhood, remembering the first time I played ball with Heath. He was my savior back then, allowing me to escape in our games, even if it was just for a few minutes. He taught me so much about the game as well as myself those first few years.

  He taught me that it was okay to trust someone else. And he eventually taught me that it was okay to love.

  “Are you ready?” he asks, and I nod.

  He drops the ball that we’d been warming up with and pulls a fresh one out of the front pocket of his shorts. He tosses it to me, and I hear a strange rattling noise as it lands in my hand.

  “What the–”

  I grab the ball and shake it gently, the rattling noise louder now. I look up at him and he’s closing the distance between me and home plate, a huge smile on his face.

  That’s when I hold the ball up in front of my face and peer through the elongated holes on top. I shake the ball again to get a better glimpse and see something large and shiny inside.

  “Heath?” I manage to say as he drops to one knee in front of me.

  I shake the ball again and fall to my knees, arms shaking and tears about to spill from my eyes.

  He grabs my hands, holding them steady as he removes the ball from them. I watch as he twists the top of the ball off and the most exquisite diamond ring sits inside.

  “Noelle–”

  I cover my mouth with my hands as they continue to shake. I can’t believe this is happening. My heart begins to flutter as tears roll down my cheeks.

  “When I was ten years old, the most amazing girl wandered onto my Wiffle ball field. She was curious and smart. Fun and kind. Generous and sweet. She was perfect. And she became my best friend.”

  I’m sobbing now, remembering the first day I met him. The way he looked at me curiously. Trying to figure out where I came from and how I wound up in his yard. I had been watching him from the woods as he warmed up. And watched him some more as he played a game by himself, running around the bases and cheering at his accomplishments.

  “This perfect girl believed in fairy tales. She believed in the power of moonlight to make dreams and wishes come true. And she made me believe.”

  He grasps my hands and pulls them against his chest.

  “I believe in moonlight,” he says, his eyes searching mine.

  “I believe in fireflies.” He leans forward and kisses me softly.

  “I believe in fairies,” he says against my lips.

  “I believe in dreams coming true.”

  “And I believe in us.”

  I smile as he leans his forehead into mine.

  “I’ve waited a lifetime for you. Marry me, Noelle.”

  I don’t even need to think.

  “Yes,” I cry against him. “Yes!”

  He slides the ring onto my finger and pulls me into an embrace, his lips claiming mine once again.

  “I love you,” I whisper. This moment couldn’t be more perfect. More us. So many thoughts and memories flood through my brain, and I’m so thankful to be here, in the present, with him.

  “Now show me your knuckle ball.” He smiles.

  Heath

  Sometime in the future…

  NOELLE AND I ARE sitting in our backyard, entwined together on the couch in our gazebo. We just said goodbye to my parents who were the last guests to leave the party and now it’s time to relax. Time to enjoy this beautiful summer night.

  The sun just finished setting behind the trees, the display of rich colors throughout the sky is astounding. Lightning bugs fill the night air, and I’m tempted to run through the grass, capturing as many as I can. Noelle looks up into the ceiling of the gazebo, miniature lights strung above us. “This is beautiful,” she says. “It seems like everyday, you’re giving us a new gift.”

  I unveiled the new gazebo this morning as we were getting ready for the party. It’s a giant replica of the firefly house Noelle had when she was younger. It’s a gift for Noelle and Luna.

  We watch as our two-year-old daughter bounds through the grass, diving to catch the “Fa-Feyes,” as she calls them. She giggles, missing every time, but trying so hard.

  “You should help her,” Noelle urges. “We have a lot of firefly houses to fill.”

  Dispersed among the lights strung
throughout the gazebo are small firefly houses, hanging from wrought iron hooks. If we fill enough of these tonight, we can turn off the lights and be surrounded by magic.

  I get up and jog toward my daughter, lifting her high in the air so she can attempt to catch a firefly. “Da-da. Fa-Feye! Fa-Feye!” She reaches out and swipes, just missing one.

  “Let me do it, okay?”

  She nods vigorously as I place her tiny feet on the ground. “This is how we do it, Luna. Gentle.” I cup my hands around one of the illuminated bugs and we walk slowly over to the gazebo where Noelle is waiting with one of the firefly houses.

  Luna and I repeat this for fifteen more minutes, capturing at least fifty fireflies. Noelle has hung the houses around the canopy of the gazebo, Luna watching intently and talking toddler gibberish.

  I get down on my knee next to her and say, “Fireflies are magic, Luna.”

  Her eyes light up and she points up. “Fa-Feye!”

  “Tonight, after you go to sleep and when the moon shines on these houses just right, the fireflies turn into fairies.”

  Luna’s eyes widen, and she claps her hands wildly.

  “And then the fairies fly all around, looking for a place to live in our yard. They’re so tiny, you can’t even see them. But they’re always here, watching you. Protecting you.”

  I’m not sure how much she’s comprehending, but she throws her arms around my neck so I can pick her up. “Ma-ma.” She points to Noelle. I carry her into the gazebo and she slides out of my arms and into Noelle’s lap, immediately curling up in her pre-sleep, pre-pass-out position.

  “It’s past her bedtime,” Noelle reminds me as she kisses her forehead. Luna’s curls fall around her face as her eyes become heavier and heavier.

  “Happy Birthday, little one,” Noelle says to our daughter. “Being two is so special. Mama and Daddy love you.”

  Luna’s body goes limp as she falls asleep in her mother’s arms.

  “I can’t believe you did all of this,” Noelle whispers as she looks up at the firefly houses. “It’s completely magical.”

  “Anything for my girls,” I say, wrapping my arms around my family.