Better for Us
Page 16
Donald got on his knees. “Then pray with me. Let’s take your fears to God and then you can go get your woman back.”
Donald’s idea sounded better than the one Noel had come up with—drinking himself into a coma so he’d stop thinking about Ryla. So he got on his knees and said, “Let’s do this.”
Chapter 23
After the service, Danetta invited Ryla to brunch, but Ryla had other plans. “Thanks, girl, but I’m going to pick Jaylen up from my mom’s and then drive to Dallas. I need to talk to Noel.”
Danetta smiled. “I’m proud of you, girl. Handle your business.”
Ryla hugged Danetta. “Thanks for being my friend. I should have taken your advice in the first place. But I’m learning that God gives us second chances, and I’m hoping that Noel will also.”
“He will—just keep the faith.”
Oh, she had the faith, all right, and Ryla never wanted to let it go. She picked up Jaylen and put a smile on her child’s face when she explained that they were driving to Dallas to see Noel.
She stopped off and purchased some burgers in case Noel was hungry. Every time she had dropped Jaylen off at Noel’s house during the summer, it never seemed as if Noel had much food in the cabinets. He was strictly a dining-out kind of man. Noel lived in the high-priced Southlake suburbs of Dallas, where food and amenities were plentiful, so it didn’t matter that he didn’t cook much.
When they arrived, Ian and Donald were on their way out the door. “You don’t have to leave because of us,” Ryla told them.
“We don’t mind leaving. We’ve been with your knucklehead husband all morning, and trust me—we need a break.”
Ryla laughed. “He’s not that bad.”
“Yeah, you heard her. I’m not that bad.” Noel picked Jaylen up and hugged her. “Hey, little one. I really missed you.”
“I told Mommy that you’d be missing me if we didn’t come back to Dallas, but she didn’t believe me.”
“You were right. So don’t ever stay away from me this long again.”
“I won’t,” Jaylen assured him, and then wrapped her arms around him again.
Ryla sat quietly as Noel and Jaylen watched cartoons and played silly games. She joined in a few times. But when Jaylen finally fell off to sleep, Ryla turned to Noel and said, “I came here to tell you that I will give you the divorce you want. I never should have tricked you into marrying me. And I don’t want you to feel trapped into staying with me.”
Dumbfounded, Noel asked, “What happened to change your mind? I mean, when I originally asked for the annulment, you plotted to seduce me instead.”
“I attended church today. The message delivered and a little talk I had with Danetta helped me to see that I had been so unfair to you.” Tears streamed down her face as she continued to pour out her heart to him. “I lost faith in men after my father left my mother for another woman, and that caused me to spend the last eight years making you pay for what another man did.”
“And so, what are you saying—going to church helped you to have faith in me?” Noel asked.
“It wasn’t just going to church that did it. It was the message from the pastor on trusting God. It helped me realize that if I put my faith and trust in God, then I don’t have to worry about what you may or may not do sometime down the line. I can just trust you, and freely offer you my love.... But I also know that this marriage didn’t start off right. So, even though I desperately want to be with you, I will let you go. Because I want to do whatever will make you happy.”
Noel grabbed hold of her and kissed her with the hunger of a man who had fasted for a month. When he finally released her, he said, “You were right the first time, baby. Being married is definitely better for us.”
“Oh, Noel, do you mean it?” Ryla asked with hope springing in her heart.
He kissed her again, trying to show her all the love that was growing in his heart. As they pulled apart, he confessed, “I’ve been a fool, Ryla. I’ve never stopped loving you and I would be so very miserable if you left me again.”
“Do you think you will ever be able to forgive me for keeping Jaylen from you?”
Nodding as he lightly sprinkled kisses from her forehead to her chin, Noel said, “I don’t want to hold any more grudges against you, baby. All I want to do is love you from this day forward. Can you handle that? Do you want to be married to me for real, Ryla Carter?”
She looked at him, and with mischief in her eyes, she said, “I do.”
Noel grinned, and as his heart filled with love, he told her, “I do, too, baby. Now and forever.”
* * * * *
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ISBN: 9781460300824
Copyright © 2013 by Vanessa Miller
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