CHAPTER 3
Indie’s fingers were tight around the wheel as she drove to The Tea House. She should be thinking about Noah. Her brother was home, and she was about to see him for the first time in months.
Instead, that damn IVF appointment still played on her mind. It had been days, and she wasstillthinking about it. A month ago, she’d been so sure she wanted to give it one last try. Okay,surewas an overstatement, but she’d been interested in the information. Then Colt strolled back into her life and the idea of having a baby who wasn’t genetically Colt’s just felt wrong.
The second she’d gotten home, she’d plonked the folder of sperm donors onto her kitchen table, which was exactly where it had sat ever since. She hadn’t touched it once.
Why did having a baby have to be so hard? For her at least. Why couldn’t she have been one of those women who just decided they wanted a baby and a month later, she was pregnant?
Because everyone has their hard, and this is yours, a voice whispered in her head.
She needed to shove all the IVF and Colt stuff to the back of her mind for now and focus on Noah.
While she’d never been close to her sister, she and Noah were best friends. Maybe because they were the closest in age, with him only a year older. Or maybe because Bonnie was three years her junior, yet had always found a way to act even younger.
Of course, Bonnie wasn’t in Amber Ridge any longer. Not after what happened to her boyfriend, then their parents a few weeks later.
Indie’s heart clattered against her ribs. Thirteen years since the car accident that had killed her parents. And thirteen years since Bonnie had up and left town, not caring about everyone she left behind.
She’d tried to keep in contact for a while, but Bonnie never responded, so she’d stopped. And even though they hadn’t been close, it hurt. It all hurt.
She pulled into The Tea House parking lot, took a deep breath, then climbed from her car. That’s when she saw him.
Noah.
He was across the lot, getting out of his truck. He looked exactly the same as always. Tall, with sandy-blond hair and bright blue eyes.
A smile she couldn’t stop stretched her mouth, and she ran toward him, sprinting across the lot before leaping at him. He caught her easily, his strong arms wrapping around her, and she breathed her brother in.
“Hey.” His deep, familiar voice hit her in the chest.
She buried her face into his shoulder. “I’ve missed you!”
“Can’t be as much as I’ve missed you, sis.” His arms tightened around her.
When they finally separated, she wiped tears from her eyes. “You’re home.”
“I’m home.”
“For good?”
“I hope so. I’ve got nowhere else to be.”
She linked her arm through his as they walked toward The Tea House.
“So why are we at a tea house instead of Rob’s Diner?” Noah asked.
“Because the diner coffee sucks, whereas Mrs. Gerald’s will make you want to order ten on the spot.”
“Good coffee? In Amber Ridge?”
“You’ve missed a bit, big brother.” They stepped inside and found a booth, and she couldn’t take her eyes off her brother. “I can’t believe you got out.”
“I gave a lot of my life to the Marines. It was time.”
Mrs. Gerald stopped at the table. “Hi, Indie. Your usual chai spiced latte?”
“Yes, please, with a side of rhubarb pie.” She looked across at Noah. “Mrs. Gerald, this is my brother, Noah. He’s just got out of the Marines.”
