Redemption's Road, page 12
part #3 of Five Points Series
“Says the woman who left her entire life to come here. I’d say that’s a pretty grand gesture in comparison to me putting a ring on your finger.” I smacked myself in the forehead. “I haven’t even done that yet.” I rolled us over and found the box I’d dropped when she’d accepted my proposal. I fumbled to pull the platinum band from the box. She held out her left hand, and I slipped the brilliant-cut, princess diamond I’d waited too long to give her on her third finger. In my life, I’d never experienced the level of joy that washed over me. “So, do I take your name, or do you take mine?” I watched her grin.
“I think Naomi Deklan has a nice ring to it.”
I sat back and interlaced my fingers. “I don’t disagree. Are you sure?”
She ran a finger over my lips.
“When I first met you, the glassy-eyed, barely conscious woman sitting in my pew looked so lost…until I grabbed my guitar.”
I growled slightly. “I’d never seen anything so sexy. There you stood in a black miniskirt, pirate boots, wearing a clerical collar over a black silk shirt.”
She nodded. “Over the next few months, that same woman kept showing up. Her eyes weren’t glazed anymore, and she sat up a bit straighter. I watched your fingers work through every chord I played. I knew it was important to learn your name. Over time, you introduced yourself as Bek.”
“You asked me if Bek was short for something.” I kissed her softly. She pulled me from the floor and over to the couch, where I covered her body with mine.
“Rhebekka Lynn McNally. I loved the way your first name rolled off my tongue. I couldn’t spend enough time with you. Every moment you weren’t on tour for the next four years. Right before things went off the rails with us, you told me you wished you could completely reinvent yourself. I’m guessing the person you imagined was Rhebekka Deklan. Now, every part of you is the strong, beautiful woman I fell for, cocky grin and all. The only difference is you’re not running flat out to avoid your past.”
She stopped to kiss me again and rested her hand on my cheek.
“So, that’s the woman I’m marrying. Your last name is the one I want to carry with me for the rest of time, because it’s a name that brings you no pain and no bad memories. Layman isn’t the name I was born with anyway.”
I stared down at her, as she shifted my bangs out of my eyes. “You know none of that would have been possible if I hadn’t met you.”
“Oh, I don’t know. This woman was inside you all along, hidden among the chords and amplifiers.”
“Maybe it took someone like you to unplug it all and hear the notes underneath.”
My phone rang, and I let my forehead fall to hers, cursing under my breath. It was Tank’s ringtone.
“Duty calls, love. Life isn’t going to stop because we want to cocoon ourselves away from the rest of the world. You get that, and I’m going to shower.”
I reached for my phone. “Hang on one minute, Tank.” I sat up and watched her crawl out from under me. “Feel free to look around and use anything you want.”
The diamond I’d put on her hand glinted, as she made the okay sign before disappearing into the bedroom.
“What’s up?” I caught the time and saw it was a little after ten.
“I take it the reunion went well?”
I couldn’t help the grin that formed. “You could say that.”
“Then I’m guessing you want me to cover the after-school program?”
I rubbed my eyes. “Shit. No, the kids count on me. It will be a good time to introduce her to everyone.”
“Naomi sticking around for a while?”
I flashed back to my proposal and realized my toe was throbbing. “More than a little while.”
“Huh?”
I got up to grab a bottle of water and some Advil for my toe. “Naomi’s here for good.”
“Wow, that must have been some talk.”
“Oh, we did a little more than talk. I asked her to marry me.”
Tank’s yell forced me to pull my phone from my ear. I laughed with true joy.
“About damn fucking time. What about Durango?”
“I’ll fill you in later. Right now, there is a beautiful woman in my shower, likely completely naked.”
“I’d hope so, taking a shower with clothes on makes no sense. Congratulations, Bek, I’m happy for you.”
“Thanks. Keep that under your hat for now. If Ellie finds out you knew before she did, there’ll be hell to pay.” I downed the last of the bottle of water and cringed. Bringing up Ellie right now probably wasn’t the kindest thing I’d ever done.
“I’ll see you this afternoon. Tell Naomi congratulations for me.”
“Will do.”
I hung up and limped into the bedroom, stripping off my shorts and T-shirt on the way. I could hear her singing. As she washed her hair, I slid in behind her and swayed with her body, harmonizing to a song that spoke of everlasting love. I kissed her naked shoulder and nuzzled her neck, as I pressed myself to her back. Her right hand reached into my hair. I held her left hand, so I could admire the symbol of my devotion on her finger.
“You’re going to make a beautiful bride.”
She tightened her grip on my hair.
“This time, for the right reasons.”
Naomi had married when she was young and divorced several years later, which was likely why she wasn’t attached to her last name. Coming of age in a traditional home, she was expected to marry and have children. She’d done the marrying part and spent years teaching music. She found her true calling by starting Open Door Ministries.
She turned and slid her arms around my neck. I wrapped mine around her waist and pulled her as close as I could while I kissed her. The hot water poured over us, and I rubbed my lips over the simple dove image on her shoulder.
“I promise, unless you want to renew these vows twenty years from now, it’s the last time you’ll ever have to do it.”
She pulled back and looked at me. Her fingers began to travel over my arms. Some of the tattoos she’d never seen.
“Halleluiah to that. I can tell you’ve been spending a lot of time with Roman. Turn around so I can get a better look.”
It hadn’t escaped my notice that she’d been eyeing my ink, likely catching glimpses of my body while we made love. Something told me she hadn’t noticed the full detail in the dim fire and lamplight. When I turned, I heard her audible gasp.
“Oh my God, Rhebekka. This is stunning.”
“Roman is an unbelievable artist. I started this right after…well.”
She kissed both sides of my back, giving equal treatment to the angel and the demon that resided on my skin. I felt her fingertips trace the outlines of the demon’s wing. I wondered when she’d see the intricate script woven there.
“You have the twenty-third Psalm around this.”
“I do. Keep looking, my love. You might see something else.”
It was obvious when she found what I was referring to. It wasn’t her fingers that traced the scripture outlining the angel’s wing. Her lips caressed my skin before she uttered each verse with care.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”
Naomi turned me, then pressed in close and kissed my chest near my heart, where the skin was raised. “You have my name branded on your skin.”
“You were branded into my heart years ago. I wanted a permanent reminder of the only woman I’d ever love.” I turned and held her face in my hands. “You are the only woman who ever saw me. All of me. The sinner”—I kissed her left eye—”and the saint.” I let my lips linger gently on her right eye. “You, Naomi. You saw all of me.”
“But you had that done after we were apart.” Her brow was drawn.
“We were always together here.” I placed my hand over my heart. “No one touched that. You were the first person to peel away every one of my masks to find the real Rhebekka. You were also the last.”
We stayed in the shower until the water grew cool, our tears mixing and mingling with grapefruit-scented body wash until all of the sorrow of the past swirled down the drain. I couldn’t get back those years we’d been apart and refused to lose a second more. I pulled Naomi from the glass and tile enclosure. Once she was wrapped in a plush towel, I kissed her again and held her hand bearing my ring to my lips. I was so in love, and I had things to show her that I hoped would demonstrate the person I’d become.
We dressed and headed downstairs, where I could introduce her to the space I’d created to spread the word about God’s grace. I watched her eyes roam over the wooden stage. I’d chosen this space because of how much it reminded me of the place where I’d found my own redemption. Naomi’s sanctuary was different than mine, though I’d worked hard to recreate the atmosphere where I’d experienced the grace I felt so undeserving of.
“This place is extraordinary, Rhebekka.”
I took a deep breath of relief. I watched Naomi touch every chair, before she stepped up onto the stage and picked up one of the guitars I kept there.
“How are the acoustics?”
“Well, this place used to be an old theater, so not bad. I enhanced it a bit, added a few things to project and reflect the sound. Try it out. Play for me.” I loved to see her dimples appear. Everything about her was beautiful. My heart pounded every time the light caught her ring. She started to play, and I pulled my phone out and snapped a photo. I’d recorded numerous videos of her in the past and watched them obsessively since we’d parted. I was captivated by her voice and found myself completely lost as she sang.
I watched her pace and sway around the antique wooden stage. It wasn’t hard to envision her sharing her words of grace and love with my congregation. More than that, I could picture a lifetime with her. The thought brought a peace to me that I hadn’t experienced in a very long time. When she’d quietly ended the hymn, I clapped with appreciation and watched her take a slight bow with a smile.
“The sound in here is great and, as always,”—she held up my guitar—“your instruments are superb.”
“Want to see the rest of the place? The kids will be here around three thirty.”
“How many kids?”
“There are about seven teenagers who come in for two hours, sometimes longer, depending on what we have planned. Do you remember Daniel?”
“Ellie’s geek?”
“That’s him. Let me show you something he created for me.” I held out my hand to her and was pleased when she put hers in mine. In the video room, I put a set of headgear on her and booted up ArchAngel.
“Holy shit, Rhebekka. Warn a girl, would you? This is so cool!”
“Daniel is a genius when it comes to programming. The kids have to earn the armor.”
Naomi pulled off the headgear and walked over to yank me into a passionate kiss.
“You are so amazing. Did you dream this up?”
“I did. I was trying to come up with a way to incorporate the things their generation thrives on with what I wanted to accomplish. I brought you back here for another reason. Hang on.”
I connected the screen to my phone and called Ellie. Naomi moved in front of me and pulled my arms around her. We stared at the call screen displaying a photo of Ellie in full Regal Crimson costume. Within seconds, a live video chat connected, and my sister smiled back at us.
“Hey, you two, how are things? I didn’t think you’d be out of bed yet.”
Naomi tilted her head and shook a finger at my sister. “Behave.”
I loved the relationship between the two women I cared about most.
“Hey, little sparrow. We’re fantastic, and vertical because I have kids coming here in about two hours. But…” I paused to build suspense. “We have news.”
Ellie bounced up and down. “She convinced you to come to Pittsburgh?”
I didn’t want to break her heart, but I was sure the news I was going to share would soften the blow. “I asked this beautiful woman to marry a fool like me, and she said—”
“Yes!” Naomi held her hand up and displayed the ring.
Ellie’s hands went to her mouth before she started jumping up and down. She made the screen bounce all over, and her squeals were deafening. “Oh my God, you guys, it’s about fucking time!”
Naomi bent forward and laughed. “Amen.”
“I wish I were there to celebrate with you. Honestly, Bek, I was worried you didn’t have the guts. I guess calling Naomi was one of my better ideas, if I do say so myself.” Ellie buffed her nails on her chest.
I shook my head at her and kissed the back of Naomi’s head. “I won’t disagree with your diabolical plans, but don’t think I don’t know you two have been in cahoots for a long time.”
Ellie put a hand on her hip. “A long damn time, trust me. I knew how you felt about her. I just needed you to get out of your own fucking way. God, you are so stubborn. Be glad you have a saint for a fiancée.”
I pulled Naomi closer. “I won’t disagree. Now, look at your schedule, because it’s your tour dates that will likely screw with any plans we make. I intend to do this soon, like within two months, no longer.”
I felt Naomi nod as she spoke. “I’d do it tomorrow if we could get you here. I’ve been waiting a long time to get Rhebekka this far. I’m not giving her any wiggle room to back out before we get to the altar. Besides, my Colorado driver’s license runs out this year. If I’m doing an address and name change, we can kill two birds with one stone.”
Naomi stretched an arm up so that it cupped the back of my neck. I melted into her touch, even as I laughed at her task combination skills. Ellie had her hand over her heart, with tears glistening in her eyes.
“Seriously you two, if there ever was an answered prayer, it’s the one I’ve been asking for more times than I can count. Let my sister be happy, and let it be because Naomi will be my sister-in-law. I’m so completely over the moon for you two. I’m finding the first date I have an opening. Hell, I’ll cancel an event if I have to, because you two are getting hitched pronto!”
I gave my sister a big thumbs up. “And with that, your future sister-in-law and I have a few more calls to make before my kids get here. Call me when you can.”
Ellie blew us several kisses. “Will do. I love you guys.”
When the screen went blank, I turned Naomi around and picked her up until she slid her legs around my waist. “Anyone you want to call with the news?”
“A few friends and Ashley. I’m sure she’ll want to make the trip. I assume you want to do this here? I don’t care where we have it, but small. Small and intimate, my love. I’ve shared you with the masses for years.”
“I agree, close friends and family. Hell, I wouldn’t care if it was just the two of us, but that would likely lead to a need for a lot of hospitalization. Trust me, Ellie can throw a hell of a punch.”
“Okay, enough of this for now. We’ll make my calls later. We have your kids to get ready for. What are you going to tell them?”
“Well, they’ll be pretty surprised, for sure. I’ve never hidden my sexuality with any of my congregation. If I want them to know there isn’t anything wrong with it, then I’m not going to make it weird for them. I’ll introduce you, confess that I’ve been an idiot for too long, and by the grace of God, you’ve forgiven me. Grateful isn’t a strong enough word to describe how I feel about the fact you didn’t give up on me.” I held her and thanked God for answering Ellie’s prayer and mine.
***
Introducing Naomi to the kids went smoothly. She could immediately put anyone she met at ease. The kids knew me well and didn’t hesitate to question why they’d never heard of Naomi. I sat on the edge of a table, dangling my feet, with her at my side. “I’ve loved her for a long time but didn’t think I deserved her, because of a monster mistake I made.”
Naomi rubbed my arm and threaded her fingers in with mine.
“On top of her bad decision, she wouldn’t forgive herself. She did hurt me, but I forgave her the way God forgives all of us. She didn’t repeat that mistake.”
Listening to her gently use our situation to show God’s love and forgiveness was just one more example of what a wonderful pastor she was. Talking about it still wasn’t easy. It made my heart bleed over the pain I’d caused her. With her hand in mine, I had the strength to endure anything.
“I also wouldn’t make the mistake of walking away from her again. I did what I should have done a long time ago.” I held her diamond-clad hand up to the broad grins and claps of my young flock. From the surprising joy I saw in their faces, I knew they’d already accepted her as part of my life. The minute she dropped my hand and pointed to their schoolbooks, they also accepted her as a leader.
“Okay, show and tell is over. Get that homework done so we can go play ArchAngel. Let’s see how good you guys are.”
Backpacks were emptied and books slapped open, as they enthusiastically got to work. With the promise of ArchAngel, their acquiescence was easy. Naomi grinned with a raised eyebrow in my direction.
I leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Lion tamer. And the promise of ArchAngel? You are brilliant.”
“It never hurts to offer a little incentive. It seemed to work on you.”
“That it did, that it did.”
Chapter Sixteen
WE SPENT THE NEXT three weeks reacquainting ourselves. Not a day went by when I didn’t kick my own ass for the time we’d missed. It was comforting to see her coffee cup beside mine in the morning and the refrigerator containing more than a six-pack of Brimstone Stout and a takeout dish from Karmen’s. Naomi flowed into my life like rain on parched earth. I soaked her in.
Her melodious voice called me from the other room. “Breakfast is ready.”
“Coming.” I ran a hand through my damp hair and tucked my T-shirt into my jeans. She placed a plated Belgian waffle topped with strawberry preserves on the bar, and I stopped to show my appreciation. When I bent her back during the kiss, she was forced to wrap her arms around me or fall down. “Good morning.” I pecked her on the nose.
