What the hell is going on?
Noah puts the car in park and hops out, running around to first get our daughter and struggling only briefly to disconnect the carrier from the base before he returns to my side. He opens the door for me and offers his hand to assist me with getting out. I shoot him a questioning stare, but he just nods encouragingly, a soft smile curving his lips.
Once I’ve successfully extracted myself he wraps his free arm around my waist and guides me towards the porch. Up the steps we go and then Noah produces a key, slipping it into the lock and flinging the door open with a flourish.
There are those lovely bluish-green slate tiles in the entry, the gorgeous board and batten … I float across the threshold, noting briefly that the living room is empty of furniture. I turn to face Noah with a questioning look. The grin that splits his face stretches almost from ear to ear.
“Welcome home, Luce,” he says triumphantly.
Warm brown eyes meet hazel, and the world stops.
“What?” I finally manage to gasp.
Noah nods, his gaze soft.
“I bought it. For you. For us.”
Is he for real?I must be dreaming.
Tears spring to my eyes and my chest feels tight.
I struggle to suck in a breath.
My knees turn to jelly and I wobble a bit.
Noah grabs my arm with his free hand to stabilize me, then, once he’s convinced I’m steady, he slides his hand down to interlock our fingers and pulls me through to the kitchen. There’s a folding table and a handful of chairs set up in the breakfast area, but that’s about it. He deposits our daughter in her carrier on the island counter, then pushes me gently down into one of the chairs.
“This place is ours?” I ask him with a shaky breath.
Slowly, so slowly, he gets down on his knees before me on the chair, taking both of my hands in his. “Yeah, kitten,” he answers. “I thought, after everything that happened that a grand gesture might be in order. I wanted to make sure you know I’m fully committed to this life we’ve been building, to make sure you never question my devotion to you and our little girl.”
I’m openly sobbing now.
“How did I do?” he asks with a wry smile.
“You knocked it out of the park, you jerk,” I say between sniffles which causes him to throw his head back with a joyous laugh. And–I laugh too, in disbelief, in happiness, unable to contain it. The sounds of our joy echo around the nearly empty room, bouncing off the walls. I feel our love reverberating throughout the house, filling up the home–our home–just the way I always imagined it would.
Happy tears continue to spill down my cheeks. Noah sobers, leaning in to brush them away with his thumbs.
“I can’t believe it, Noah,” I whisper. “I can’t believe you did this.”
“I would do anything for you, Lucy. I love you.So much. And I want to make all your dreams come true. Not just the things you’ve always wished for, but the ones you’ve been afraid to let yourself want.”
“We’ve both been guilty of that, haven’t we?” I murmur. “Afraid of letting ourselves want …?”
“Yes, we have, but no more. Our baby girl, our family? It’s a dream come true. And I want us both tokeepdreaming–more dreams,newones. Together.”
Emotion swells inside of me and I let out a sob as I reach for him. Our lips meet in a rough kiss that instantly goes deep. Noah’s lips are firm yet also soft against mine, and I grip his shoulders as our tongues dance together. He answers my moans with some of his own, the both of us desperate to rekindle our physical connection. I missed this. Missedhim. He tastes me with a fervor that ignites my own. My nails dig into his shoulders, pulling him tighter against me, and then–
Pain. I flinch and Noah immediately breaks the kiss.
“No, no no …” I whine, reaching for him again.
“I hurt you,” he says sharply, dropping back on his heels.
I shake my head, touching my fingers to my now-swollen lips. “I hurt myself with my eagerness,” I say, then I offer him a seductive smile. “Totally worth it though.”
He shakes his head too, exasperated with me, but his lips are tipped up in an amused smirk. “It’s for the best that we stop. You’re still healing, and you know we wouldn’t be able to take it any further. Best to avoid the temptation, don’t you think?”
