"Don't do this, Mel," Noah pleaded against her cheek. "I'm so sorry. I wasn't thinking straight."
Melanie tried to hold onto her anger, but as Noah held her in his arms, it was hard too, and soon, his words and warmth nearly melted all of her strength away as he turned her around in his arms, still not letting her go.
"I'm sorry, Mel. I didn't mean to ignore you. I was just pissed," Noah explained. "I just want you so bad, and sometimes, I'm afraid you're going to leave me."
"You idiot. Why would I leave you when I'm risking so much by being with you now? If I didn't want to be with you, I definitely wouldn't be in a relationship with you. You have to understand that."
"I know that now," he said. "I didn't realize it before, but now I know why you want to keep our relationship a secret, and I won't force it anymore. Just stay with me. You know I care about you, right?"
Melanie nodded, and Noah pulled her into a hug. They stayed in each other's arms, enjoying each other's warm as Melanie breathed in his scent. She really missed him.
"I'm glad you got over yourself," Melanie admitted. "Because it would have sucked to spend this snow day by myself."
Noah laughed before he picked her up, wrapping her legs around his waist. "So, you can make me watch your soap operas with you?"
He carried her over to the couch and sat down with her on his lap.
"Exactly," she said. "And don't think you're getting out of this. I saved the ones you missed."
Noah sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "You really love torturing me, don't you?"
Melanie smiled, just glad to have him back. "I do."
CHAPTER
43
MELANIE
I
T TOOK FOUR HOURS FOR NOAH TO DRIVE WITH MELANIE FROM WESTON TO NORTHFIELD, where his parents’ cabin was. When Noah told her he was taking her to a cabin for the weekend, Melanie had expected some tiny cabin in the woods that would make her paranoid that someone was going to kill her. But as Melanie climbed out of Noah's truck and looked at the cabin in front of her, she had to admit the drive had been worth it.
The cabin was huge, and from the outside alone, it looked like it could fit more than ten people in there. She wondered how many rooms there were.
“Wow,” Melanie said in awe, taking in the beauty of it all. The truck door slammed, and Noah appeared next to her with their bags in hand. He dressed for the weather in a thick hoodie, gloves, and a hat that covered his dark hair. Melanie could see that he was wearing the necklace she had given him for Christmas and smiled. He had worn that necklace every day since she had given it to him. It looked good on him in his all black.
“You checking me out, Mel?” Noah smirked cockily, flashing his dimpled cheeks. Melanie rolled her eyes. So arrogant. If she gave him an inch, he ran with it every time.
“I still can’t believe you took me to a cabin,” Melanie said. Or more so, she couldn’t believe she let him talk her into it.
After Noah and his teammates won the game last Friday, it had gotten them a place in the Frozen Four. Noah wanted to celebrate his win with her, and his idea of celebrating was taking her to a cabin. So, Melanie left one of her classes early today, and they got on the road and headed down here. Now that Melanie took in the beautiful mountains and the fresh air, she could understand why Noah wanted to spend his time up here. Melanie wasn’t much of a mountain girl herself, but she didn’t mind indulging him if it made him happy.
“Let’s head inside,” Noah said, and they both walked inside the cabin. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside, if not more. It had a second level, and in the back, there was a pool. Noah dropped their bags by the door as Melanie walked around, checking out the huge fireplace. It was a little dusty inside, but that made sense since Noah told her that his family hadn't visited this cabin in years.
“You ready to head out and explore the town,” Noah asked her.
They had just gotten here after a four-hour drive, and Noah had driven the whole time because Melanie didn’t like driving trucks. It made her uncomfortable and nervous to be up that high.
“Are you sure you’re up for that?” Melanie asked, and Noah laughed.
“I’m not tired. I'm wide awake. Besides, I want to show you around. They have a lot of fun stuff to do in town,” he said. “Will you do me that honor?”
“Okay,” Melanie said. “Just let me freshen up.”
They both took showers and dressed. They then left out and headed into town. The fun stuff Noah told her about consisted of a sauna, which had been the relaxation both her and Noah needed, in-door rock climbing, which had been a blast. Melanie was more limber than Noah, so she beat him every time to her amusement. Shopping, where they had gone to a strip full of boutiques and stores and picked out a few things. And then, they went to one of the local restaurants that served great southern food. After Melanie and Noah both finished their ribs and Noah paid the bill, they got ready to leave when they were stopped in their tracks.
“Noah, is that you?”
