Whatever came next—court dates, arguments, hard conversations, fear—I was done hesitating. I wasn’t going to let guilt or doubt talk me out of what was right in front of me. I was doneassuming I didn’t deserve this or that wanting it made me selfish.
I was going to fight for them.
Not because I was supposed to. Not because it made sense on paper. But because they already felt like my family—and I wasn’t losing that.
17
EM
By the time five o’clock rolled around, I had rearranged the same stack of fabric samples on the desk four times and still hadn’t opened my laptop. The designs stared back at me like they were judging my life choices, and my brain refused to cooperate. It stayed stuck on a loop of Noah’s mouth, Noah’s hands, Noah sayingtonightlike it was a promise and not just a word.
I hated that I cared this much already. I hated that the anticipation sat low and warm in my stomach like it had unpacked and decided to stay there permanently.
This was not a real date. Right? Right. I was almost sure about it.
I repeated that to myself like a grounding exercise, as if saying it enough times would make my heart slow down and my thoughts behave. It didn’t help. Nothing ever did when Noah Abbott was involved. The hot, strong, kind man who I always loved who was now something…more.
My phone buzzed on the desk, rattling me out of my spiral.
Noah:You free around 5:30? I booked you something. I’ve gotMiles and Sassy covered. Just… show up back home in something comfortable at 8.
I stared at the message, pulse skidding. Booked me something? That wasn’t very Noah, which somehow made his text more unsettling. He wasn’t flashy or mysterious. He was practical, steady, the guy who refilled the Brita before it ran out and replaced the batteries in the smoke detector without being asked. What did this mean?
Me:You booked me something??
The reply came fast.
Noah:Relax. Nothing sketchy. I’ll explain later.
That didnotrelax me. Before I could spiral further, my phone rang again. Daniel’s face filled the screen, his dorm room chaos visible behind him—posters crooked, laundry piled, some neon green energy drink on his desk.
“Oh my God,” he said immediately. “Is it true?”
I groaned. “Hi to you too.”
“You kissed Noah Abbott,” he said, voice dropping dramatically. “Don’t lie to me, Emily.”
I closed my eyes and pressed my forehead to the desk. “Wow, full naming me? Okay, Daniel Davinson Sanders.”
Daniel grinned, absolutely delighted. “Defensive. That means it’s true. I’ve been telling people for years that if Noah Abbott ever looked at me the way he looked at you, then it would be over for him.”
“He didn’t look at me the right way,” I protested weakly. “The look was…situational.”
“Em,” he said patiently, like I was the dumbest person alive. “I watch every Central State game from like…ten years ago. I have eyes. That man has been in love with you forever.”
My face burned. “Please stop saying sentences like that.”
“No,” he said cheerfully. “This is the highlight of my freshman year. Also, Mom’s being weird again. Forgetting wordsmid-sentence, disappearing for hours. Pen told me she’s going to the doctor again. Also, Dad keeps talking about you making sound rational decisions whenever they visit me.Have you talked sense into your sister? Is she making right choices?
I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. The call with my dad had hit me in the gut. He thought I was foolish. Stupid. Not choosing wisely. The fact they talked to Daniel about it made me so angry. “They’re just…worried,” I said, my teeth grinding together.
“They’re always worried,” Daniel said. “And you’re always the one who deals with it ever since Theo moved out and moved to Minnesota. Maybe let someone else take a turn.”
I swallowed. Daniel had a way of saying things casually that landed hard.
“So,” he continued, his tone turning mischievous. “What does this mean with you and Noah Abbott?”
“You can call him Noah, you dork. But I don’t know. We might… be doing a date tonight?” I blushed, covered my face with my hands.
