Beautiful Together (36 page)
Read Beautiful Together Online
Authors: Andrea Wolfe
I could see the tears forming in her eyes, and it got to me quickly. "It's okay, mom," I said, also starting to cry. "I forgive you. I really missed you."
"I was so out of line. And I'm still so ashamed. It wasn't... a godly thing to do. I love you, but I still treated you that way. It was just... terrible."
"It was a hard time for all of us," I said, fighting the urge to sob. "But everything's fine now. I love you so much, mom."
We cried and hugged until the world seemed okay again. I could tell she had really changed—it was the most obvious thing on earth. More than anything, it was good to feel that mother/daughter relationship again, one based upon unconditional love instead of rigid expectations. I didn't realize how much I missed it until it was back.
But I also knew it wouldn't be the same. I was grown up now, an adult, finally doing something exciting with my life. I was going to be a veterinarian! I had a successful, rich, talented boyfriend who loved me just as much as I loved him.
I felt closure.
I felt whole again.
***
Things went well with Jesse's parents too, although they kept asking when we were going to get married.
"When things settle down," we both kept saying, and we meant it. I was definitely a little bit nervous about starting veterinary school—the plan was that I'd have an apartment in Davis and we'd visit each other on the weekends and any other free times—but I knew things would work out just fine because they always did. I would finish school, and
then
we'd get married.
I had finally learned to stop worrying and start trusting.
We even stopped in to see Donna. She had gone back to school and finished her social work degree. Now she had a great job working for the Department of Human Services, and she looked so proud when she talked about it, the same way she had looked when she talked about Mason.
We all reminisced about him together, and it felt right. It felt
so
right.
It didn't hurt so badly anymore, which meant we could finally let go and just celebrate him like he truly deserved—together.
Not long after we got back to California—and not long before I started school—Jesse proposed to me. He filled up the whole kitchen with roses and bought me a jaw-droppingly huge ring that he attached to the collar of a little corgi puppy with a pink bow on her head.
Let's just say I was excited.
"Oh my God!" I yelped. "Look at the little legs! She's so cute!" The puppy ran right at me as I kneeled and jumped into my arms—and that's when I noticed the ring. I plucked it off the collar and clutched it tightly. "Jesse!"
He smiled. "The distance might be a little tough at first, so this is my way of saying 'I'm not gonna give up on you no matter what.' And when you're done with school, we're going to build our dream house together and live happily ever after."
"Can I have my own attached clinic?" I asked jokingly, staring back at the man of my dreams through the fuzzy glimmer of tears while clutching the adorable little pup in my arms.
"We can definitely afford that. It might be harder to get permits and all that, but I'll make sure—"
"I was just kidding," I whined, cutting off his answer. "You don't have to be so damn perfect."
He smiled. "Well, if you want it, it's yours, Naomi," he said. "I mean that. Anything. Now what are we gonna name this little girl?"
"Penny!" I said. "Her name is Penny."
She jumped off my lap and ran straight to Jesse and he scooped her up into his arms. "Hi, Penny," he said as she licked his cheek. "It's so nice to meet you. I think you're gonna like it here."
If I had died then, it would have been just fine.
After I said
yes
, we went out for a fancy dinner, frolicked naked in our pool like a couple of drunken lovers—well, that's actually
exactly
what we were—and then made love.
I fell into the most peaceful slumber of my whole life, wrapped up in the arms of the man who loved me more than anyone else in the world. And I knew I deserved it.
The darkness of the past didn't drown out the light of the present anymore. The mistakes I made didn't matter, because I had learned from them. The pain and hurt had faded away.
I had my family now, my fiancé, my future,
and
a puppy. I had it all.
Everything had come together perfectly. Well,
more than
perfectly.
When I think back to those challenging days of high school, there's no way I could have ever predicted
this
. All of the broken pieces of my life came back together, and I'm beyond grateful for that.
Even after they were torn to bits, set on fire, and then stomped on until they were nothing but ashes and dust spiraling in the wind. Somehow, they came back together and survived.
No matter how I looked at it, life was perfect.
And it was all mine now. No, scratch that.
Life was all
ours
.
The End
Thanks so much for reading! Once again, if you liked this book, please leave a REVIEW and spread the word! It would mean so much to me. Thanks for coming along on this journey with me!
-Andrea
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