Once the first batch of sangrias were made, Ophelia tried to coax me to try some, but Nix came to the rescue with glasses of non-alcoholic champagne for Sage and me. I told her maybe later, but hoped she’d forget as the night went on.
The other Hutchinson brothers, Preston and Paxton, showed up with their arms full of champagne, and treats for the kids. Sage and I were tucked away from prying ears, and I couldn’t help but lean toward her.
“So, are you terrified there’s more than one bun in the oven, what with all the dang twins in this town?” I whispered, lifting my non-alcoholic champagne glass in hello to Preston and Paxton.
“A little, but I think it’d be kind of fun to have twins,” Sage whispered back.
“Speak for yourself,” I shivered with fear at the idea. Sage could find it fun all she wanted. She had the extra hands. I’d be on my own and completely new to everything, so the idea of having two babies depending on me terrified me even more than one baby.
Parker’s friends came soon after. Kaleb and his wife, Donovan Ashe, Auston Robertson and his girlfriend Lilah Willard with her daughter Riley.
Finally, Noah arrived.
I hated the way my breath caught when he walked in the room. I hated the way my heart stuttered when his eyes immediately found me. I hated the way I reacted to that smile—that devious smile.
I also hated how good he looked. Dressed in a black leather jacket, a dark blue Henley, and dark wash jeans. He’d even gotten a haircut for the occasion, his usually long locks cut short on the sides and longer on top, styled to look effortlessly tousled.
I loved his longer hair, but this haircut had me longing to run my hands through it and see if I could tousle it more.
“Woah, you cut your hair!” Parker said, doing a double take when Noah walked over.
“Yeah, I, uh, figured it was time for a change,” Noah said, and something about that statement charged something within me.
I lifted my glass of non-alcoholic champagne to my lips, just to give myself something to do.
Chapter Twelve
Noah
* * *
Maybe showing up to a New Year’s party after getting a haircut for the first time in well over a decade was a bad call. I’d been thinking about getting a haircut for a while, but something prompted me to go downtown yesterday.
I ended up popping in to Get Buzzed to pick up some of their salon special shampoo and conditioner—I refused to use anything else—and there was a cancellation. I figured it was a sign and decided to let Booker Smith chop it off.
However, I wasn’t anticipating everyone else’s reaction. Parker’s in particular.
“Man, you haven’t cut your hair since your last serious relationship!” Parker said, loud enough for Nellie to hear and look over with an unreadable expression on her face.
“It’s just hair, dude,” I was trying not to show how irritating Parker’s remarks were. I hadn’t even clued in about the timeline, but he was right: I hadn’t cut it since my last serious relationship—in high school.
Tabitha seemed to sense my frustration, and like the angel she was, she floated in to distract him.
“Noah! I’m glad you’re here,” she said, slipping her arms around Parker’s waist. “Are Damien, Charlotte, and the kids coming? I mentioned it to them, and they said they might. I know Easton’s probably at The Quarter Lounge looking for his next conquest.”
“They were going to, but the girls came down with a cold, so I think they’re going to stay in now,” I replied.
“That’s too bad, I hope they feel better!” Tabitha said.
For the first few hours, Nellie tried to keep her distance from me. Any time I got too close, she’d find somewhere else to scoot off to, or get absorbed into someone else’s conversation. I was trying to play it cool, so I let her play her avoidance game.
But I’d seen her reaction when I walked in. I’d seen the way her eyes had heated as she looked at me. I’d seen the interest reflecting in her irises, and the way she immediately tried to stomp it down.
I knew I was playing a dangerous game myself. She was, after all, an employee. But I wasn’t planning on luring her to a dark corner to have my way with her. I wanted to talk to her, see if she felt the spark that flickered between us, or if it was all in my head.
Finally, at a quarter to midnight, I ended up beside Nellie. The table was full of snacks and other delicious spreads, and she was loading a plate with some desserts while talking to Auston’s girlfriend, Lilah.
I was feeling hungry, too, so I’d gone over to get a plate while talking to Donovan about some home renovation project he had gone on. I tried my best to listen, but I was distracted merely by her presence, and trying to play it cool and unaffected.
