I stepped closer without thinking, closing the small space between us until my forehead rested against his chest. His heart was still beating a little fast beneath my cheek. “I wish we could come too, but I can’t miss this moment, Noah. This is it for me.”
His arms wrapped around me automatically, firm and sure,like he always used to in college. He pressed his mouth into my hair and breathed me in. “I know, but I can still hate leaving you,” he murmured. “It feels wrong to go when you’re in the middle of this. When you’re doing something this big.”
I pulled back enough to look at him, my hands sliding to his ribs, feeling the tension there. “You’re not leaving me,” I said. “You’re going to work. I’m staying to work. We can both chase dreams together.”
“I know.” He cupped my face and ran a thumb over my lip, his eyes sad and filled with anguish. “I’ve gotten real used to seeing you, Em.Everyday.”
My breath caught in my throat at the raw emotion pouring out of his voice. And a million littlewhat-ifsdanced in my mind. What if…he felt the same way about me as I him? What if I wanted to see him every day too? What if…I was too much for him when he needed stability with Miles?
I state none of those things. Instead, I smiled, kissed his palm and then took it and threaded our fingers. “Well, how should we spend our last night together then before you leave?”
Noah Abbott, a huge offensive lineman, with a carved face and the biggest heart in the world, blushed.
“Oh, what is going on in that dirty mind of yours?” I teased, my skin heating at the mere thought of him touching me. We’d had no alone time the entire week—not with the store and the orders we had to make. The lack of sleep and utter chaos was like pulling all-nighters in college studying for a test where that was all that mattered.
But the way he stared at me, his gaze moving to my lips, caused a warm tingling sensation down to my core.
“Make sure the store is locked up. Then we can head back.”
I frowned, my brows coming together at his curt reply. “Whoa, what is with the tone?”
“No tone. Come on. Let’s go home.” He released my handand made sure the door was locked, then jutted his chin toward the direction of his apartment. “Okay, we’re good. All secured.”
“Noah, what’s…did I do something?”
The fuzzy sensation shifted to worry fast. I was tired, sore, my muscles hurt and my fingers ached, and sure, I needed to sleep for a freaking month straight, but his sudden change had me stressing.
“No, of course you didn’t.” He stood rigid on the sidewalk, stared at me, then broke into a smile and scrubbed a hand over his face. “God, I’m the worst.”
He laughed and met my eyes, which only confused me more.
“What?”
“I’m sorry. I have a surprise for you, and I wanted to act normal to not give it away, and in my attempt… I might’ve messed up.”
Wait.What.
“You planned a surprise for me?” My voice squeaked out, timid, unsure.
“Yes.” He grinned again and took my hand, his thumb tracing the inside of my wrist. “I’m sorry I’m a dumbass. I tried hiding it, but clearly I fucked that up. Come on, Em, let me show you.”
He took my hand and led me back to his place, talking about his favorite parts of the week without expecting a response. I loved that about him. Always had. He was the easiest person to chat with because he was so unassuming. His chattiness was also a tell he could be nervous about what the surprise was.
I wasn’t sure how he had time to plan anything with the week we had, and the same warm gooey feeling filled my chest that felt a lot like love. Not the “I love my best friend” type feeling. Or the one with my family. The kind that filled my entire soul and body and caused my heart to race and settle at the same time because he was my person.
“Noah,” I said once we got to door of his building. “Hey, it doesn’t matter what the surprise is, okay? I want you to know that I…” He gazed at me, his beautiful eyes so focused and intense on me. He stared at me like I mattered every single time, and my voice shook. “I l-love everything y-you’ve done for me. You are amazing. The most incredible person I know. And I just can’t thank you enough.”
“No need to thank me, Em.” He chuckled and kissed my forehead. “I’d do everything a thousand times over and will continue to. Now, come on.”
He led me to our unit, pausing right outside his door. “Mm, let me get Miles to bed first, okay?”
“Sure, of course.”
“God, you’re so fucking pretty.” He grinned, ran a finger down my hair and sighed. “Okay, uncle duty first.Focus,Abbott.”
His self-talk made me chuckle, but it was the right shift in mood as we went inside to check in with Daniel and Miles. The two had become best buddies, and I loved both of them with my whole chest.
Noah disappeared down the hall with Miles a few minutes later, his voice dropping into that soft, steady register he used only with him. I stayed by the kitchen counter, rubbing my sore hands together and listening to the muffled cadence of their conversation. It wasn’t loud or dramatic—just gentle reminders to brush teeth, to pick pajamas, to choose one book instead of five. Bedtime was routine, but after losing his mom…the routine and normalcy was essential for Miles. God, I was emotional! My eyes prickled thinking about the two of them and the family they created.
