Jill sidles up next to me and proceeds to take Mark’s order, rightly deducing that I’m too shocked to serve him myself. I give him a distracted wave and wander back to my office, head spinning.
When Noah’s head pops through the doorway to my office an hour and a half later I practically pounce.
“What the hell’s going on?”
He rears back in surprise. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about your car!”
“Oh. You know about that?”
“I saw Mark driving it this afternoon,” I explain with a raised eyebrow.
“Well, I was going to tell you.Showyou … actually.”
I just continue to stare at him expectantly with that that raised eyebrow.
“Come on,” he says, reaching for my coat on the hook behind the door. “Let me show you what I bought.”
I sigh and grab my purse, following him through the kitchen to the back. Noah takes my hand when we get outside and leads me through the little fenced patio to the rear lot where a large navy SUV is parked.
He waves a hand towards it with pride. “What do you think?”
What do I think?
“I’m … not sure,” I say slowly and watch as his face falls.
“You don’t like it? It has the highest safety rating of any SUV on the market.”
Oh my God.
“And the trunk space is unparalleled–plenty of room for a stroller plus a diaper bag and any other stuff we might need, and the back seat is spacious enough for a car seat to be easily accessible, then there’s the …”
He continues extolling the virtues of the new car, but I’m no longer hearing him.
No, I’m desperately trying not to break down into a sappy puddle of tears and goo. What this man does to me!
Noah sold his pride and joy to buy adad mobile. He gave up his beloved muscle car–the car he rebuilt with his Pops–for ourbaby.
“I can’t believe you did this,” I breathe out barely above a whisper, but he still hears, trailing off immediately.
He takes a step closer to me wrapping an arm around my waist and gently grasping my chin with his other hand. He tilts my head up so he can study my face. I have no doubt my eyes are red-rimmed and shiny, and when I meet his concerned gaze they spill over in a flood of tears.
I’m so touched, so …overwhelmed.
“Baby, what’s going on? Did I do something to upset you?” He brushes his thumbs across my cheeks to wipe away my tears. “If you don’t like it, I’ll take it back, but I promise you I did extensive research. This is the safest family car …” he trails off and swallows loudly. I watch his Adam’s apple bob, my chest squeezing tight.
Family.
And then there’s a bubbly fluttering in my stomach as the baby kicks and I let out a tear-filled laugh, clutching at my belly. I grab for Noah’s hand and guide it to the spot where our little bean continues to kick, watching as the concern seeps away and a joy-filled smile transforms his face. No matter how many times he feels our baby kick he never ceases to be awed by it.
And I just– I just–
He’s so–
Noah.
I’ve just experienced a rollercoaster of hormone-filled emotions. Surprise, confusion, joy, affection … love.
