Would it be painful for the one in love to see the other one bringing someone home and sleeping with him or her?”
“Sounds like logical questions that might come up.” He nosed the truck into a parking space at the Dairy Queen. “What kind of arguments are you going to give them?”
“That love isn’t logical. It’s trust,” she said.
“Good answer.” He got out of the vehicle, rounded the front end, and opened the door for her. “Without trust, all relationships die. Do you trust me, Teresa?”
“With my life.” She squeezed his hand. “Maybe after a while I’ll even trust you with my heart.”
“I hope so,” he said. “You’ll let me know when the jury is ready to pass a verdict, won’t you?” Her hand in his felt small, but he had no doubts about Teresa’s strength. She’d endured a horrible childhood, and that had to have made her strong as steel.
“I can’t believe you never found someone to settle down with before now,” she said as they walked inside.
“Had to get my life in order first.” He looked up at the menu board and told the guy waiting for their order, “I want a hot fudge sundae.”
“Me too,” she said.
“Have them right out,” the fellow said when he’d taken payment from Noah and made change.
“This must be a special day, if you’re having a hot fudge sundae.” Noah ushered her to a booth with his hand on her back.
“It isn’t only a celebration day.” Once they were sitting, she reached across the table and took his hands in hers. “This is the most special day I’ve had since I left home eleven years ago. I feel like my life is finally beginning to fall into the place it was meant to be.”
“Let’s make a pact to always come here when we get to celebrate something,” he said. “Whether it’s getting past our first fight or if we’re happy about me winning my first case.”
“I love that idea.” She squeezed his hands. “No matter what happens, this can be our place.”
“We’ll even claim this booth.” He brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed the knuckles.
“Shall we carve our initials in the tabletop?” she asked.
“I left my pocketknife at home,” he answered. “Next time we come here, I’ll bring it.” He nodded.
Yes sir, life with her was going to be a fun trip.
Chapter Twenty
When they were all gathered at the new house, Kayla took one look at the walls and said, “Teresa is a perfectionist, so she can tape off the woodwork, so paint don’t get on it. I will do the trim work that the rollers can’t reach. Since Noah is tall, he can paint the upper half of the rooms, and Sam can work on the lower parts. How’s that sound? When Will gets here, he can relieve Sam and Noah.”
“You’re not my boss, and why do you think I’m a perfectionist?” Teresa asked.
“Hey, I’ve seen you cook. You count the grains of sugar that go into making a batch of peanut butter cookies,” Kayla said with a laugh.
“I do not,” Teresa argued. “And in my defense, you have to be precise if you want a good outcome.”
“Miss Janie and Delia both measured things like that, and I got to admit, whatever they were making was always perfect,” Sam said.
Teresa picked up a roll of blue painter’s tape and sat cross-legged on the floor. “I’ve seen you cook, and you’re as careful as I am when it comes to baking.”
“Exactly like Miss Janie taught me.” Kayla poured paint into a cup and started working right behind her.
“I’ve never done this before,” Noah admitted, “so I’m going to watch Sam for a couple of minutes before I start.”
The smell that filled the room brought memories back to Teresa’s mind that she thought she’d forgotten years ago. She was four years old when Angel decided to paint her bedroom bright red.
“Can I help, Mama?” Teresa had asked.
“You don’t call me that again, or I won’t even let you watch. I told you time and time again to call me Angel.” She had swept back her dark hair with a flick of her wrist and gotten a bit of paint on the ends, but Teresa didn’t say a word about it.
At that age, Teresa couldn’t understand why she would call her mother Angel when her name was Angelina. Angel and Angelina didn’t even sound the same. When she went to first grade and discovered that the two words were spelled