A moment passes between us. Then, softly he adds, “I’ll tell you one thing.” He looks at me with tears in his eyes. “I hope my dad meets you one day. I just know he'dloveyou.” A small, careful smile curves his mouth. It feels like a gift. Like trust.
This confession hits my heart. I know how much Noah loves his dad. How highly he thinks of him. For him to say that…it means a lot.
“You miss him?”
“Every single day. We talked a bit after he left but it wasn't the same.” He blows out a long breath, like the words themselves are heavy. “I know it was hard for him to leave. We were happy… and when he found out, he was so hurt." He fidgets with his fingers. "I don’t blame him for how he reacted. I just… I wish he didn’t have to leave me too.”
“How old were you when he left?”
“Sixteen,” Noah says, dropping his eyes to his hands in his lap.
My heart drops.Sixteen. A time when he should've been out with friends, going on dates and going through his own heartbreaks. Instead, he faced his mother’s infidelity and the loss of his father. And in all the time I’ve known Noah, I’ve never seen his dad reach out. No wonder he had so many walls up when we first met.
"I know what you're thinking." Noah's lip twitches. "I know I should be mad at him for shutting me out. And in a way, I am. But… I also understand." Noah glances at Paislee for a moment before meeting my eyes again. “A bigger part of me just hopes that one day, when he’s ready and healed, he’ll come back… Is that pathetic?”
I shake my head, sadly. "Absolutely not. He probably thinks about you every day. I know I would."
Noah lets out a soft laugh. "I guess… maybe."
I take a deep breath, watching Paislee happily chew on her giraffe. I couldn’t even imagine not seeing her—or him—ever again. The thought is unbearable.
"You're worth coming back for, Noah. But to be fair… I never would have left you to begin with."
His chest rises and falls. "I know…" he says softly.
I wish I could take his pain away. But I know there’s nothing else I can say.
Maybe there’s something I can do.
I shift the guitar to his lap, his eyes immediately brightening up. He grips the handle perfectly, and I position his fingers on some chords.
“Turn your back to me.” I squeeze his thigh gently. He does as I say, turning his back against my chest. I get to work, aligning my fingers with his on the strings.
“Nice and gentle, like this.” I take his right hand softly and brush the chords, as if I was playing.
A beautiful sound vibrates through the air.
“Cool.” Noah laughs softly.
“Now, you can move your hand here, and it’ll play this.” I change his fingers and strum a different pattern.
It takes a few tries but not before long, he’s strumming toSparks by Coldplay.Simple and beautiful.
His soft laughter make my heart swell. I love how happy it makes him. Getting to show him something new. I steal a few glances at his side profile over his shoulder. His eyelashes are so long as they flutter against his skin. His cheeks have the faintest bunch of freckles that no one would know unless they were this close. But the way the sun reflects down on him, you can see them clear as day. I can stare at them forever.
“Oh, some Coldplay in the morning?” A sudden male voice cuts through the air like a knife.
I immediately scooch back on the couch to create some distance.
Kev appears behind us, looking as happy as ever as he strolls in, hands in his pockets.
“Hey, buddy.” I run my hand through my hair. “Yeah, just wanted to show him the ropes.” I chuckle lightly.
“Well, I’ll tell you what, little man,” Kev says, his hand coming down on Noah’s shoulder in a firm squeeze. “If you’re gonna learnanything, this is the guy to teach ya. He’s a pro at everything.”
Kev flashes me a wide grin. “Ran laps around me—especially when it came to the ladies. Remember back in school?”
He gives Noah’s shoulder another squeeze. “That’s really what you should be taking his advice on.”
