I almost had to laugh. I’d finally resolved one question, and now a million more decisions awaited me.
Still, everything had changed now, and I wasn’t sure how to navigate it. Where was Lara’s easy commentary when I needed it?
I rapped on the studio door before I could talk myself out of it.
A few moments passed – I could hear shuffling, as though Noah was moving canvases or supplies around. When the door finally opened, Noah looked surprised. But also resigned.
‘Molly,’ he said, ushering me inside. Nervous at finally being inside the studio, I fidgeted with my hands, not quite sure what to do with myself. Not quite sure how to say what I’d been dying to.
‘Are there any leaks?’ I asked awkwardly. ‘The house is in quite a state.’
Noah shook his head. ‘No, thankfully, because oil paint and moisture don’t play well together. And watercolours are even worse.’
I stepped forward, then back as I saw the portrait on hiseasel. It was of me. A loosely, yet lovingly rendered sketch of me perched against the boardwalk railing, my hair whipping in the wind, my eyes narrowed slightly against the glare of the sun. I’d never looked more beautiful.
‘Wow,’ I whispered. My breath was shallow.
Noah started to shrug, then stopped himself. ‘You looked stunning that day.’
I flushed, wiping damp hair from my face. ‘Thank you. So …’
Noah propped himself against the side of a chair. ‘I figured this was coming. I’m guessing you’ve already spoken to Finn.’
I nodded.
‘You know that he cares for you,’ Noah said, his voice cracking. Candle shadows danced on his face. ‘Of course you’re in love with him. It makes sense. It’s the way things go.’
Josephine’s ring smarted on my finger, and I could tell that she was furious at me from beyond the grave. I hadn’t meant to hurt Noah. Or Finn. I hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. I just hadn’t wanted to risk listening to my own heart, and that was a painful thing to realize.
Because when you try to hurt no one, all you leave in your wake is hurt. How was anyone meant to know where they stood if all you did was hide it from them?
Noah was right to be upset. He’d painted me, over and over. He’d taught me to drive the ridiculous golf cart. He’d embarked on a jigsaw puzzle with me. He’d made himself vulnerable … only for me to pull back when it mattered most.
‘Noah, it’s you.’ My voice hitched. ‘It’salwaysbeen you.’
And it had been. I just hadn’t seen it, hadn’t even entertained it as a possibility.
When his dark gaze finally met mine, I couldn’t take it.
I rushed forward, pressing myself against him, reaching my hands up to caress the sharp angles of his cheeks, his jaw.Our lips joined, and it was like every dream, every flight of fancy I’d ever had, pressed into one single moment. I felt electric, magical, and not from the guiding force of the ring. This was something real and internal, something that ached to be expressed.
Noah’s thumb grazed my face, and the gentleness of his touch made me swoon. I grabbed his hand, dragging my lips over his sun-darkened skin, trying to drink him in. He groaned lightly, spurring me into action. Barely thinking, justfeelingfor once, I pushed him towards the daybed at the back of the studio. He moved easily and readily, as though he’d been waiting for me to finally see what was right in front of me. And I’d known it, of course I had. But the thought of actually acting upon it had been too terrifying to even contemplate. What if I’d humiliated myself? What if it didn’t work out? What if? What if?
Thosewhat ifs had turned into armour. I’d been so worried that I might ruin our Summerween getaways or the dynamics between our families that I’d risked creating a gulf between us instead. And in that one final push to try to make this all work, I’d cosied up to the person that could hurt him most: his own brother. Yes, I loved Finn. But not like I loved Noah. Finn was sweetness and joy – an easy way to enjoy the moment. A path towards a fun, agreeable life. But with Noah there was something deeper, something lasting. Something thatwouldwithstand the turning of the seasons and the peaking of the Summerween magic.
Andthatwas what my heart had been aching for.
I could feel it sparking between us: a magic that swirled and flowed, buoyant on the combination of our own unique magical signatures. It shimmered in the gaps between our bodies and effervesced where our skin touched. I pressed myself against him, hands against his chest, working at the buttons of his shirt as our mouths met over and over, deliciously, hungrily.
As we kissed, Josephine’s ring glowed bright, then snapped clean in half, falling to the ground with a clatter.
Startled, Noah pulled back.
‘Long story,’ I whispered.
‘Molly,’ he murmured, setting a hand to my waist.
Magic crackled from his fingertips up my spine, and I had to brace myself to stop my knees buckling.
