Page 16 of When Love And Destiny Collide

Noah asks me to stay for lunch, and afterwards, we go for a walk in the garden.

"I'm so glad there's a swing set out here for Davey," Noah says. "The attached treehouse must've taken hours to build."

"Adam and Aaron put that together as soon as Jon got the keys," I say. "Then they brought all the kids over to test it out."

"You guys thought of everything," he laughs. "There was even a welcome home note taped to my ice cream in the freezer."

I laugh, "That was me."

"Thank you," he says, his dark gaze brimming with appreciation.

We find a bench and sit while Davey explores the grounds. We're deep in conversation when he approaches us, holding something in his hand.

"Look, Daddy, I found a lizard."

I let out a high-pitched shriek and leap off the bench with such force that I tumble right into Noah's arms as he stands with me.

"Woah!" he exclaims, his arms wrapping around me. "Are you okay?"

"I don’t do well with reptiles," I admit, pressing closer into Noah’s arms as Davey proudly holds up a tiny green lizard. I turn my head, trying to avoid the sight. When Davey’s giggles fill the air, I realize how silly I must look and reluctantly try to pull away from Noah's strong, warm embrace.

"Davey, put it down," Noah says gently. "How about over there by those bushes?" He motions to the bushes and trees that line the fence but doesn't let me go.

"Okay, Daddy. I'll be right back."

We watch him walk away and hear him say, "It's okay, little guy. She scared me, too."

I look at Noah, and we both start laughing.

"Noah?"

"Yes?" he says, smiling down at me. He's so close I can see the golden amber in his eyes.

"I think I'm safe now. You can let me go."

He immediately releases me, and I immediately feel exposed, cold, abandoned.

We settle back on the bench and watch Davey discover another reptilian critter. When he glances our way, Noah shakes his head subtly, silently asking his son to keep his distance.

After Davey plays for a while, he bids his little friends goodbye and heads over to the swing set, climbing up the slide and waving at us.

"Noah?" a voice calls from behind.

We turn to find Patrick and Cara Lewis, our neighbors and long-time family friends, standing there. Next to them is their six-year-old granddaughter, Ava.

"Hi!" Noah exclaims, rising to greet them with warm hugs. "It’s so good to see you both."

"Hi, Lily," Cara says with a smile.

"Hi, Cara," I reply. "And hello, Ava. How are you, sweetie?"

"I'm good," she says, her eyes shining excitedly. "Can I play on the swings, Grandma?"

Cara looks at Noah.

"Yes, of course," he says. "Davey! Hey, Buddy, this is Ava. She came over to play with you."

Davey jumps off the swing and runs over to meet Ava.

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