“For what?”
“For being here with me. For making me laugh.”
“Always,” he murmured.
They strode up to the front door, and Jane pushed it open, guiding the two of them into the foyer. It was a modest home, one similar to his own. The living room was off to the left, and a wide hallway ahead would lead to the kitchen. Voices could be heard in that direction.
“Mom? We’re here.”
The voices stilled, and Jane’s mother materialized. Her eyes darted from Jane to Noah and back before she clapped herhands with a squeal and rushed forward, arms outstretched. “Jane! You made it.” She pulled Jane into a hug, forcing her to release Noah’s hand. Then she glanced to him. “And who is this?”
“Mom, you remember the Reese family? This is Mack’s little brother, Noah.”
Her mother’s brows creased momentarily, then she grinned. “Oh, of course,Noah.” There was something in her gaze as she slid her focus back to Jane, an unspoken question hanging in the air.
Before Noah could clarify that he was here as her friend, Jane blurted, “We’re dating.”
Noah had to fight the urge to gape at Jane. What? When had she decided on this? What was she up to? Thousands of questions dragged through his head, demanding answers, but he knew he wasn’t going to get them right now.
Jane avoided his gaze while her mother pulled him in for a bear hug. “That’s wonderful! We’ve waited so long for Jane to find someone. I suppose the adage is right. The best things come to those who wait.”
“Mom,” Jane groaned, flicking one quick look at Noah. “Don’t embarrass him.”
“Oh, he’s not embarrassed, are you, Noah?” She slipped her arm through Noah’s and guided him toward the kitchen. “I have so many questions.”
Noah shuffled forward. Was he going crazy? He had to be. First with Tif, Jane had insisted that they were friends. But with her mom? Now they were dating? Nothing would make him happierthan for this moment to be real, but he knew better. She was manipulating the situation. She wanted her mother to ease off her, and she’d made a decision without his input.
They made it to the kitchen table, and just before he took a seat, a bright flash of light splintered the sky outside the kitchen window. Jane’s sisters startled, varying squeaks of surprise escaping their lips. Their husbands chuckled.
Seconds later, thunder boomed, eliciting more murmurs of surprise.
“I don’t know if it’s a good idea for you two to drive all the way back to Rocky Ridge,” Jane’s mother mused as rain now pelted the window. “The house is big enough for you to stay. It would be best if you stay the night.”
“Oh, I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Jane insisted.
Noah nodded in agreement. “My truck has been through worse.” At his words, the rain pounded against the house some more.
“If you lived close, I’d agree. But Rocky Ridge is too far. The weather service has said that the wind is going to pick up.”
Jane and Noah exchanged looks. He couldn’t see a way out of this without making Jane’s mother upset. It appeared that Jane felt the same when she sighed. “Yeah, okay. But we’re leaving first thing.”
To someone on the outside, the conversation around the table would appear easy. People laughed and caught up with each other’s lives. But between Jane and Noah, the tension had skyrocketed. He could taste it in the air between them. She’d said they were dating.
And he wanted nothing more than to tell her he wanted it to be the truth.
Jane fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she sat beside him. He watched the movement with mild amusement. Then he reached for her hand and took it in his own. She risked a look in his direction, and he offered her a reassuring smile. Everything would be okay. He wasn’t mad. Either something would come of this, or it would be a story they could laugh about.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Here you are.”
“Mom,” Jane turned to her mother. “We can’t share?—”
A dismissive wave of her hand was all her mother offered. “We added a pull-out couch bed to the guest room. There are no other options. Your sister Ruth chose to stay, and her kids need space, too.” She turned to Noah and placed a hand on his bicep. “You don’t mind, sweetie, do you?”
Jane let out an exasperated sigh. “Mom?—”
“It’s fine,” Noah assured them both. “I can sleep on the couch. I don’t mind.”
