Chapter 172: Answered Prayers

Naomi stopped and smiled. "I am. I’m staying at my in-laws’ place for a few days, and this was the closest church."

"Well, we’re happy to have you." He smiled. "It’s nice to meet you, Mrs...?"

"Mrs. Heathcliffe. But you can call me Naomi. I’m still not quite used to being addressed by my husband’s name."

The priest smiled knowingly. "Newlyweds, then?"

Naomi opened her mouth. "Oh... uhm..."

How exactly did one summarize her marriage without sounding clinically insane?

"It’s complicated," she finally said. "I... I don’t think it’s a story I should be telling you."

The priest chuckled. "You would be surprised by the things people tell a priest."

Naomi’s eyes widened slightly. "Yes, of course. Right." She laughed nervously. "I forgot what your job is."

"That does happen occasionally."

"Well, I should go. Maybe whenever next I’m around, I’ll drop by."

"Again, It was nice meeting you, Mrs. Heathcliffe. The Lord’s doors are always open for you," he continued. "I pray He answers all your prayers."

Naomi took two steps then stopped.

Something about those words caught her.

She slowly turned around. "See... see... see... that’s the thing." She walked back toward him. "He is answering my prayers now."

There was an accusation in the way she said it.

Naomi gestured helplessly. "I mean... why wait until now? Why wait until now before showing up?" She had prayed before.

God knew she had prayed as a child, as a teenager.

On nights when Richard frightened her, when she struggled with money, when she worked until she could barely stand and still wondered how she would make the next payment.

She had prayed for things to become easier, for something to change.

And then nothing had.

So she learned to survive without expecting rescue.

Now suddenly there was Dorian.

A man who defended her without asking what he would get in return.

A family that welcomed her.

A career beginning to open up.

A marriage that had the potential to be blissful.

Now?

After she had spent years teaching herself not to need anything?

The priest smiled faintly. "I don’t usually get that question. Most people ask why He is taking so long?"

"Oh, I asked that too. Believe me." Naomi laughed softly at herself. "A lot."

The priest smiled. "And now you ask something else."

"I know." Naomi sighed. "I sound ungrateful." She gave him a small, awkward smile. "I’ll just leave you alone." She started to step away, already embarrassed that she had turned what should have been a simple goodbye into a long talk.

"You didn’t allow me to answer your question."

She stopped. "Oh, right. I just thought you would have regular parishioners to get back to."

"Everyone is important, Mrs. Heathcliffe. Everyone." He continued calmly. "God waits for the best time to turn things around. Would you have appreciated what you have now if you had it, maybe ten years ago?"

She thought about that.

Ten years ago, she had been younger, still trying to understand why life seemed determined to make everything difficult.

"No," Naomi admitted. "I guess not."

"Five years ago?"

She thought again then slowly shook her head.

The priest nodded. "And now you have it, and you treasure it. That is what God expects you to do with His gifts."

She looked toward the street for a second. "But then I’m afraid to lose it all. I know how much it would hurt if I lost it." She had already gotten a glimpse of it the day before.

Seeing Dorian’s wrecked car being towed away, walking into that hospital room terrified that she had arrived too late.

The possibility of losing him had nearly ripped her apart. So what exactly had all that emotional caution achieved?

Nothing.

"I’m afraid to hurt." Naomi looked up at him hopefully.

It felt strange, placing that admission in the hands of a man she had met barely ten minutes ago. But maybe that was why it was easier.

He was simply a wise man she had happened to stumble across during one of the most confusing moments of her life. "Then love while you can. Nurture what you have. You never know. It might last forever."

Forever sounded suspiciously like something she wanted.

"And even if it doesn’t," he continued gently, "at least you were happy in the time you had it. Isn’t that what matters the most? Happiness?"

"I made a promise to my mother that God would be the only love in my life," Naomi said quietly.

"Even God commanded us to love."

"But how do I know?"

A small smile touched his face.

"I think you already do. You don’t need anyone else to confirm it for you."

Naomi lowered her eyes. She knew exactly what he meant.

And she could feel the fear in her chest spreading through the rest of her body.

"I’ll just go now," she said quickly. "Thank you."

The priest nodded. "I’ll see you again, I hope."

Naomi managed a small smile. "I hope so too." She turned and started walking back toward the Heathcliffe home.

This time, she didn’t check the GPS every thirty seconds. Knowing the way home did absolutely nothing to help with the mess happening inside her head.

Everything she had held on to throughout her adult life seemed to be crumbling around her so quickly that it was frightening.

The rules had always been simple. Do not depend on anyone. Do not expect anyone to save you. Do not love someone enough to let them destroy you.

And definitely do not build your entire life around a man.

She had lived by those rules for years.

Naomi walked slowly, taking her time. She was going to stay married to Dorian. She had agreed to permanence without even allowing herself to understand what permanence meant.

And she was already thinking about having an actual family with him.

A home.

A real life.

She almost turned and ran in another direction.

By the time she reached the Heathcliffe home, Naomi noticed Daniel’s car parked outside.

That meant the boys were probably there.

A smile immediately crossed her face as she went inside. The volume hit her almost immediately. The house was loud, as it usually was whenever the children came over.

Voices overlapped from the living room.

Eleanor sat in the middle of it all, completely surrounded, while the children competed to tell her about their week at the exact same time.

There was warmth everywhere.

She spotted Daniel nearby and walked over. "Hi..."