Reverie: a novel (Daydreams & Disasters Book 1)

by Drew Taylor

I’d like to meet her, too.

I’m running away with a man I don’t know to find another man I don’t know because my family lied to me. I’m crumbling, collapsing, caving.

Why would God mean this to happen? What’s the purpose of it all? Great. I’m becoming upset with God over my amnesia again. I thought I had dealt with that many months ago.

“Your prose and imagery. The way you utilize figurative language and other literary devices.” Ashton meets my eyes for a brief second. “Never doubt your skill, okay?”

I gasp at the monstrosity of vibrant red walls, all-black shiny appliances, and a black-and-white marble floor. “Ashton.” I turn to face him, and he’s biting back a laugh. “You’re not a classy guy. You’re a contradiction.”

“Even pre-amnesia me would have hated this.” I scowl at the screaming walls as if they’ve personally offended me.

Then a door closes, and I’m left to break down alone in the bed of a man who loves me. A man I don’t remember. The guilt is suffocating. God, how do I move forward when there’s a missing chunk of me?

Passionate, reckless love withstands the test of time. Their love never fizzles. Some people are so innately full of love that they breathe life into the dead instead of siphoning it from the living.”

In a whisper I pray Lois is too old to hear, I say, “You can just pour that tea on me now. I’d like an excuse to leave and save a morsel of my dignity.”

Logically, I know we will come to an understanding, and all of this will one day be water under the bridge. But right now, it hurts. Like water filling my lungs.

“How do we find Noah on this huge resort?” Ashton scratches his head, looking around. Finally, he lets out an exasperated laugh. “Is it bad I kinda thought we’d arrive here and just… see him?”

Ashton swipes his hand through his hair, and a flicker of something flashes in my head. “Bungalow first, then harassing poor souls after.”

“My painting. Of Noah. I found it!” “And you stole it?” “Just keep running!”

“Sweetie, I need you to know that I want you to have a marriage full of love and romance and friendship, just like I have with your father. Stability is important, but who you marry is the most important decision you can make outside of giving your life to the Lord. When the Lord brings that man into your life, you will know it. Just as I knew your father was the one for me.”

When you can trust someone enough to fight with them, beautiful bridges are built to bury all of the nasty water under it.

I reach into my backpack and pull out my laptop and my printed manuscript. “Here. Dig away. I’m going to go throw up now.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, Meme, but my brother is far from perfect. But—” Ashton throws me a small smile. “—I think he might be perfect for you.”

My stomach clenches at the thought of fiction and reality heading for a crash course collision.

Noah finally looks up. The world ceases to spin… Gravity loses all sense of existence… Oxygen is sucked from the atmosphere… When his eyes meet mine.

It’s like my body and soul recognize him, but my brain hasn’t caught up yet.

“And then I told you that they were emotionally unintelligent boys who didn’t know what to do with a woman like you. A brave, intelligent, beautiful, meek, and kind woman.”

“I’m just glad God saw fit to bring you back into my life, even if it’s just in this small manner. Him and I went rounds over you.”

“Really? You saw a broken woman on her honeymoon alone and thought ‘yep. I’ve gotta talk to her’?”

You started smiling and laughing, and I was—am—mesmerized. You opened up to me, and you trusted me. And you were a safe place for me to land.”

You’re so easy for me to talk to, Esme. You're my landing pad, even with miles of memories between us.”

I know you have a head-start in this relationship—” He laughs, and I notice his eyes misting over. “—but I’d like the opportunity to catch up to you.

They sit down on either side of us on the recliners, and Noah holds my hand for dear life.

Suddenly nervous, I drop his hand and face him, rocking back and forth on my heels. “So, this is where I live. I know it’s small, but it’s cozy and mine.”

“Of course, Esme. I’m sorry; I was joking. I tend to not think before I speak sometimes. I can’t promise it won’t happen again, but I will try my hardest to be more careful because I respect you and this relationship, and I don’t want to cause you to stumble.”

Thank you, God, I silently pray. Though I don’t understand, and I likely never will, thank You for bringing beauty to our brokenness.

There is beauty in the brambles,

Noah, to my utter surprise, leans down and kisses me right on the lips. Murmurs float above the crowd, intermingling with a few high-pitched whistles. Noah straightens and announces, “Hi, everyone. My name’s Noah Ashley Prewitt. I’m from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, twenty-nine years old, have a steady but flexible career, and I’m willing to relocate to Whitney so that you can keep your Esme close. I love her. She’s my world. I promise to cherish her, protect her, and take care of her until the Good Lord sees fit to split us apart.” Then under his breath, he sighs. “Again.”

“Noah Ashley Prewitt, who even are you?” He kisses my forehead and takes my hand under the table. “I’m yours, sweetheart. All yours. And if you come with this town—including a guy who calls himself Crazy Colt—then so be it.”

For starters, if this is how everything went down when Bryan left you, he better pray he doesn’t run into me. I have zero respect for the Bland Box of Crackers (Ashton told me that’s what we call him).

“What a fusty, barren-spirited, abomination of a man.”

“Love isn’t about how much time you spend with someone or the amount of dates you go on. Love is impossible to put into words. It catches you off-guard and defenseless when you least expect it to. Love makes sense of things previously unclear while muddling things you once thought you understood.”

sweetheart. I remember you didn’t quite like my adventurous dates like hiking back on the island. I thought I’d try something quiet, romantic, and soft. A date fit for my introverted and a little anxious woman.

“But I want you to know that I value your love, your choice to love me. I will not take your love for granted. I promise to keep our love alive. Always.”

“There is beauty in the bramble. Our mess is ours, and it’s my favorite.”

And now I need to discover where the new boundary line is for my flirty mouth.

He’s golden and glistening from the water. He smells like sunshine, salt, and citrus. Like happily ever afters are real.

Like I found people who were never supposed to be mine but, somehow, they are.

I kept him away because I was embarrassed of him. Embarrassed of the way he treated me. Embarrassed that I let it happen. Embarrassed that I was settling even though I didn’t want to admit it to myself.

As soon as he opens his mouth to comment, I nail him with a warning glare. He swallows the retort. “Right. I’m working on not letting my sexy inside thoughts out until we’ve said our vows. Sorry, sweetheart.”

I’d been studying the book, trying to make sense of why God does the things that He does. I concluded I will never understand the mind of God, but all that matters is that He is God and He is good.

“Then there you were. Standing in front of me. The answer to my most desperate of pleas.”

“Noah Prewitt, there isn’t a fictional character around that measures up to the reality of you. Lane lied to me. A real man is better than a book boyfriend, not the other way around.”

I pray we make each other better for the rest of our lives. It’s been an honor to write this novel alongside you.

As my mom used to say, there is beauty in the bramble. Show me the characters' beautiful life, even in the bramble.

I had trouble keeping my hands to myself when we first met, not to mention when we reunited and started dating. Now that we’re married? Yeah, no. I choose to be that annoying handsy couple. I want the world to see how much I love this woman.