This:
Lois blushed and laughed and felt a warmth spread across her chest that might have been the cider, but felt more like her life settling into place.
And this:
“You didn’t take him from me. I gave him to you.”
Wow. Good wow.
These honest sentiments are, all at once, both beautiful and poignant. But they feel like a resolution. I'm sure many readers would love fifteen more chapters of love, love, self-awareness, love, epiphany, love, love, re-commitment, love, reconciliation, love, and more love. I don't think that's what's in store for these two. We'll see more pain, more heartache, more speed bumps and potholes on the road to the second wedding. Got to be.
And that's not a critique, it's a plaudit. Any two people who have had a close relationship ripped asunder have issues which require resolution,
especially if they both want to reconcile. Lois is making excellent progress, as is Clark, but this can't be the whole of it. There will be conflict, there will be sharp disagreements, there will be hard choices to make, there will be a difficult path to follow. All that they've done so far is take the first steps along a long and winding road to mutual happiness.
I'm eager to see how you bring them to this conclusion, Annie. You're doing a wonderful job. You've captured Lois' emotional baggage and made her deal with it honestly and openly. Her understanding that she was the main driver in the divorce - not the only one, mind you, but the one with her pedal to the metal - is a huge reveal. Now she and Clark have to work past all the residual hurt and dueling expectations for their new level of relationship. It's good that they're being honest with each other.
I wonder how long it will be until one of them suggests something - an activity, a change in their relationship, a discussion of some truth with Mattie - that the other doesn't want to address just yet. Will they be able to work through that disagreement, or will the volatile emotions take over again and threaten to break them again? I understand the passion in their relationship, especially since they've been living separately and alone for so many years, but it's very possible that the level of intimacy will be a disadvantage because it can mask underlying issues neither wants to deal with.
I'm confident that you'll bring them through all the trauma you plan to inflict on them. I have my popcorn ready.
