by Morgan Utley
“I thought it might be nice to go on a walk,” Noah suggested and grabbed Peyton’s hand. “What do you think?”
“Sounds good to me. Especially after all that food I just ate,” groaned Peyton and rubbed her stomach. “I didn’t need to eat four tacos, plus more chips and salsa.”
Noah chuckled, “Oh Peyton. Well, we’ll see you guys in a little bit,” he waved, and Peyton smiled.
“See you later.” She put on her shoes and followed Noah out the door.
They started walking on the same path and headed to the back of the property where the river was.
“What did you do today?” asked Peyton.
“I had some errands to run, mostly,” he said vaguely, but Peyton decided to not pester him.
“Where are we walking to?”
“I thought we could go to the river. We haven’t been there in a while, and it might be nice to watch the sunset,” he offered.
“Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I bet I’m going to need to start cutting the brush back soon…,” Peyton trailed off.
They found the fork in the path that led to the river, and once they turned onto the other path, Peyton started seeing pink rose petals lining the path.
“Hmm, I wonder if someone put these here by accident,” wondered Peyton.
“Yeah, maybe,” Noah shrugged his shoulders and kept walking. After about a hundred feet, she saw battery-powered candles flickering on the ground alongside the rose petals.
“Wait a minute, did you do this?” she asked, bewildered.
He tilted his head as if trying to hide a smile and said, “Maybe this was originally for Chris and Gloria, and your parents forgot about it.”
“Right. I would have known about it. What is this?” The trail opened up to the river, and on the pier were dozens of the lighted candles with more rose petals. Peyton walked onto the pier and stared at all the candles and petals, “Noah…” she trailed.
Noah turned to face Peyton and took both of her hands, “Peyton, you are the most incredible, kind, and beautiful woman I have ever met.”
“Thank you, but Noah…” she got interrupted again by Noah.
“You’ve been through so much. More than anyone should ever go through, but you have handled it so well. Not to mention, you’re patient, hard-working, willing to help at a moment's notice, thoughtful, and caring. You are the woman of my dreams. I know I could never replace Derek, nor would I ever ask to, but I hope that you could give me the chance to be the man of your dreams and let me take care of you and love you the way you deserve,” Noah expressed to her.
“Noah, you already are the man of my dreams,” Peyton whispered and stroked the back of his hand with her thumb.
“I was hoping you would say that,” Noah knelt on one knee and pulled out a ring box that held a gorgeous diamond ring—small diamonds intertwined around the band with a big diamond in the middle.
“Oh my…” breathed Peyton as she stared at the rock he was holding. “What are you doing?”
“Peyton, I love you. I love you more than I have ever loved anyone. I love being with you and spending time with you, I love holding your hand, and I absolutely love kissing you. When I’m not with you, I miss you like crazy. All I do is think about you and wonder when I’m going to see you again. That’s about the time I text you and try to make plans with you. I don’t want to spend another day, another moment, or another second without you in my life. I love you, and I promise that I will take care of you, be there for you, and love you forever. Peyton, will you marry me?” Noah asked with all the love and affection in the world.
Peyton looked at him and was in complete awe of him. He looked at her as if he was longing to grab her and kiss her. His eyes twinkled in the candlelight, and her favorite crooked smile was on his face. Peyton had barely noticed the sun going down, until she noticed shadows casting across Noah’s face. She stared at his face and smiled. She loved him, with all her heart. She wanted to be with him, take care of him, and support him, and never lose him. She couldn’t imagine him not being in her life anymore. In every situation, thought, or hope she had, he was always included.
“Yes, I would love to marry you!” Peyton promised. Noah took the ring out of the box and placed it on her ring finger. Peyton looked at the rock now on her finger and briefly forgot how to breathe.
Noah stood up, picked her up, and swung her around. Then he kissed her with a passion Peyton had never felt from him. They locked lips for a couple of minutes and then Noah gently put her back down. She definitely felt dizzy now but in a completely good way.
“I love you, Noah,” swooned Peyton, and she kissed him again.
“I love you, too, my love. I cannot wait to spend the rest of forever with you,” Noah purred and kissed her again.
All of the sudden, Peyton heard squealing coming from behind them and was rammed into by a body that started squeezing the two of them. Peyton was able to pull her head back just a little to see that it was her mother holding her phone in her hand, which made Peyton assume she had been taking pictures of the proposal.
“I am so happy for you two!” her mother exclaimed. “Oh, Peyton, I told you. I told you that you were never going to be alone. You're too precious to be left alone the rest of your life.” She was smiling with tears streaming down her face, looking completely happy.
“Welcome to the family, son!” her dad said from behind Noah.
“Walter, he’s always been a part of the family!” her mom said to him, hitting his chest.
“I know, but, oh, never mind. We’re very happy for you!” he congratulated.
“Come on, Walter. Let’s let them be alone! I need to make some phone calls!” she cheered and walked hand in hand back to the house with her husband.
Once they were out of sight, Noah was the first to speak, “Are you happy?”
Peyton nodded, “I think more than I’ve ever been. You have been the best thing that has ever happened in my life. You pulled me out of a dark place and have shown me a light I never want to leave again. I have you to thank for that.”
Noah shook his head, “I didn’t do anything, I just reminded you of your strength, and you did the rest. You are truly remarkable.”
“Still, I couldn’t have done it without you. And all the while you were finishing up dental school. You truly are amazing. I don’t know what I did to deserve you,” she admitted.
“I could say the same thing,” he kissed her forehead. “But I’m sure glad I have you.”
“Agreed,” she smiled. At this point it was dark, and the candles were the only light. Nearby, she heard the crickets chirping and frogs croaking nearby, filling the air with their own sweet music.
“Should we go back? I need to call my parents and tell them you said yes!” he said excitedly.
“Yes, let’s go back and eat more cake!” Peyton laughed.
Noah wrapped his arm around her, and they walked together, back to the house with some very excited parents ready to start calling all the relatives and make plans for their own wedding. She wouldn’t have been surprised if her mom was already on the phone, spreading the joyous news. Peyton didn’t mind though. Despite what she had gone through, she was given a second chance at love. A second chance to take care of someone and grow old together. A second chance to live a life full of happiness, laughter, and love.
Epilogue
7 years later
Peyton woke up to the sound of her alarm at six o’clock. She turned to look at her husband, who was unaware of the annoying alarm sound and slept soundly. She smiled and rolled her eyes, wishing she could have slept as soundly, but she spent the night tossing and turning and running to the bathroom. She rolled out of bed, got dressed, and went outside for her walk. The temperature was cool for an August morning, but she knew it was going to be hot later. She walked only about a mile because her body started to ache, and the pressure of her belly was bugging her. She then decided to water her garden before the heat came.
Ever since she had had her own home, she loved having a garden. She sometimes compared her plants to her babies. She loved planting the seeds and watering and watching the sprouts slowly pop up through the ground. She felt as if it was some sort of accomplishment to grow something from a tiny seed and have it produce zucchini or peppers. This year, she tried strawberries, which had grown wild throughout her garden. After she watered, she went through and picked several strawberries, a couple of jalapeno peppers, some cherry tomatoes, and a big zucchini then carried them inside to wash.
Once inside, she decided to straighten the house before starting the rest of her day. She unloaded the dishwasher then loaded the previous night’s dishes. She swept and mopped the floor even though she was sure it was going to be a mess by the end of the day. She vacuumed the living room and dusted all the surfaces. Her patterns hadn’t completely changed since she had lived with her parents. She liked starting her day with a bit of exercise and chores so that she didn’t have to worry about it for the rest of the day. She heard footsteps coming from upstairs and figured her husband was finally ready to start the day. When she looked at the clock, she saw that it was after seven o’clock.
“Noah! It’s James’s first day of school, and he’s going to be late for the bus! Will you please make sure he’s awake?” Peyton called up the stairs.
“I’ll go check right now,” Noah called. He heard him open the door and tell their son that it was time to get dressed.
Peyton started pulling out a bowl and his favorite cereal so that the moment her son came downstairs, he was prepared to start eating right away.
“Is he ready?” she asked, trying not to nag.
“He’s brushing his teeth now and is about to head downstairs,” Noah called back down.
“He’s barely going to have enough time to eat breakfast,” Peyton added.
“I’m coming, Mom!” James came downstairs. He was the spitting image of Noah. He had dark brown hair that looked a little messy, but he pulled it off like his daddy. He also inherited his striking blue eyes but had Peyton’s thick eyelashes. He was, simply, an adorable little boy.
“Would you like some cereal, bud?” she asked.
“Yes, please!” he answered. Peyton handed him his bowl of cereal with a spoon, and he started chowing down.
“Do I get some cereal too?” Noah asked while walking down the stairs wearing a pair of tan trousers and a blue long sleeve button dress shirt.
Peyton whistled, “Someone is definitely getting cereal.”
Noah chuckled, “Good morning, beautiful,” he kissed his wife and then her tummy, “How’s little sis doing this morning? I heard you get up four different times last night to go to the bathroom.”
“She’s resting right on my bladder. I can’t help it,” Peyton complained. “I’m not getting any sleep. I’m surprised you heard me.”
“I was a little nervous about James’s first day of school and had a harder time sleeping,” he explained.
“Yeah, I was too,” she told him. “Are you excited for your first day of kindergarten?” she turned her attention to her son who had just taken a big bite of cereal.
“Yes! I can’t wait to play with all the kids!” he said with a mouthful of food.
“You are going to have so much fun! Are you sure you want to ride the bus? Daddy or I can take you to school if you want,” she offered and secretly hoped he would take her up on it.
James shook his head, “Nope, I want to ride the bus. It looks so cool!”
“It is cool, buddy,” Noah chuckled
“Mommy, when is sister going to come?” James asked.
“In a couple of weeks, honey. Are you ready to go? The bus is going to be here in two minutes,” Peyton handed James his backpack and handed Noah a banana and a granola bar.
“No cereal?” he teased.
“I didn’t think you would want it since you have to be at work in fifteen minutes!” Peyton deflected and started getting out another bowl, “Let me get you some cereal.”
Noah started laughing and closed the cabinet, “I’m only kidding. You know just what I need. I am late, I have an early patient this morning that needs a couple of teeth pulled. Oh, honey, the bus is here!”
“James!” Peyton called, “Come on, let’s go! Noah, get your phone ready, so we can take pictures!”
“Okay!” he answered.
The three of them ran outside toward the bus, and Noah pulled out his phone. Peyton and James first took pictures together, and then Noah took a turn.
“Mom, I’m nervous about going to school. What if no one likes me?” James wondered, almost on the verge of tears.
Peyton kneeled slowly, so she was looking at James straight on and smiled, “You just be your nice, kind self, and everything will be fine. Show them that fun, bubbly personality of yours, and you’ll have friends in no time. I love you so much, James Derek Hart. I will see you this afternoon, okay?” She gave him a big hug, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Then, he ran over and hugged his dad.
“Love you, buddy. You’re going to do great!” Noah encouraged and kissed his son on the top of his head.
James ran to the bus and waved before he got on, “Bye, love you!” Then the doors shut, and he was gone.
“I can’t believe our baby is going to kindergarten,” Peyton sniffled, and Noah helped her off the ground.
“I can’t either. It seems like yesterday we were changing his diaper or teaching him to walk,” reminisced Noah.
“I know,” Peyton cried. Noah rubbed her back and guided her back through the front door.
“It’s alright, honey. I’m sorry you're sad, but I gotta go. That poor kid is probably waiting for me to yank his teeth out and is a nervous wreck,” Noah reckoned.
“Now, you're leaving me too! I’m going to be all alone! What am I going to do all day?” Peyton wailed. Clearly, her pregnancy hormones were getting the best of her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. What you need to do is rest and try to take a nap. Just remember, I’ll be back later and so will James. Every time I leave, I will always come back. You’ll never be alone again,” Noah kissed her and walked to his car. “I love you!” he called back.
“I love you too!” Peyton said back. Then she all of a sudden remembered, “Oh, don’t forget, we're having dinner at my parent’s house tonight! Chris and Gloria are in town, and James will get to play with Mario and Hector.”
“Okay, honey. Bye!” he climbed into his car and drove away.
Peyton waved and smiled. She missed him the moment he left but knew that he would be back. Just as he said, she was never going to be alone again.
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Author Biography
Morgan Utley was born and raised outside the city of Portland in the lush green state of Oregon. Morgan is currently residing in Orem, Utah, where she is raising four handsome boys while supporting her husband through medical school. She considers her faith and family to be the most important parts of her life. If she isn’t chasing her boys around, you can find her outside enjoying a run or in the kitchen baking something sweet. The Second Chance is Morgan’s first novel.
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