by Amy O'Neill
Without another thought, Trent hung up and went left when the light turned green. Right or wrong, time would tell, but for now all that mattered was Noelle.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Noelle watched the city race past the window as Trent drove them away from the motel. Her eyes saw the landscape, but her mind was stuck on replay of everything. Images from before and snippets of tonight blurred together. Just like Delphine said, the past and present warred with each other.
Trent reached out and lightly touched her hand. She jerked away and had to fight the tears wanting to fall. Her voice broke as she pleaded, “Please don’t touch me. I can’t take it right now.”
She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. Delphine’s last statement ran through her mind. Noelle truly was trying to believe that Trent hadn’t intentionally put her in danger. But all she could think about is what he didn’t do – he didn’t arrest them, he didn’t have his gun to shoot them back, he didn’t stop them from finding her.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, because on the other hand, all she saw was him standing between her and pure evil. He had been ready to take a bullet for her, even after she’d accused him, even after she’d cursed at him. He’d been ready to lay his life down to protect her. Noelle couldn’t wrap her mind around it, it was too much.
The scenery began to look familiar and Noelle knew he was taking her to his place. “Are you sure this is safe? What if they found out where you live?”
Trent shook his head. “They’re gonna spend at least tonight locked up. We’ll know more tomorrow, and we can go from there. Right now, this is the best place for us.”
She nodded and silently followed him into the house. She waited at the door as he turned on the lights.
Trent reached for her bag but she tightened her grip. “Come on, Noelle. I’ll take this up to the room. You look like you need some sleep.”
She shook her head. “I won’t be able to sleep. Can I lie down in the guest room?”
Trent gave her a questioning look. “Why don’t you use my room? I’ll sleep down here on the couch if you want.”
She shook her head and walked upstairs without another word. Noelle couldn’t tell him what she felt; that the thought of being in his bed without him made her feel an emptiness that nearly stole her breath.
She wanted to be safe in his arms more than anything, but what she needed now was space … space to think, space to breathe, space to cry.
Sometime later, she heard Trent’s footsteps in the hallway. She shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. He opened the door and she could sense him approaching the bed.
He pulled the throw blanket up to her shoulders and bent down to kiss her forehead. There was a gentleness to his actions. To her dismay, she heard him sniffle as his fingers caressed her cheek.
His voice, heavy with emotion, quivered as he whispered, “Good night, mi amor. Te amo.”
Though she didn’t know what he said, she felt the emotion in it. The words creep into her and nestled deep in her heart.
A moment later he closed the door, and she finally allowed the tears to fall. In the course of just a few hours she had embraced, and then nearly lost, true love.
Trent hummed to himself as he used a whisk on a bowl of egg yolks. The smell of bacon and coffee filled the air and he had to admit it was nice. Usually he didn’t take the time to make breakfast, and when he did it was usually cereal or toast. But there was something gratifying about making a hearty meal today; especially knowing he would be sharing it with Noelle.
A few moments later, she walked down the stairs. He poured her a cup of coffee and grabbed the creamer from the fridge. “Did you sleep alright? When I went to check on you, you were out.”
She nodded and wrapped her hands around the warm mug. “What time is it?”
Trent looked at the clock on the stove, “It’s just after eight. Are you hungry?”
Noelle nodded again. Her hair was a chaotic, fiery halo, and there were red marks on her cheek from where she’d slept hard. She was breathtaking.
He went back to scrambling the eggs and then buttered some toast as the bacon cooled. Every few seconds he would look over at her. That blank stare was back again and this time she peered into her mug.
Trent made a plate of food and slid it across the counter to her. “I talked to my boss this morning. Len …”
Noelle held up her hand and shook her head. “I don’t want to talk about it right now. I don’t want to think about it.”
He took a seat next to her at the counter and nodded. “Okay. Do you feel like visiting Avery and Damien today? I thought maybe some time with friends would help get your mind off stuff.”
She shrugged and took a small bite of toast. He wanted to tell her there was nothing to worry about, that Lenny and Frank would be in jail for at least a few more days, but he wasn’t about to make her talk about it.
They ate in silence, both seemingly lost in their own thoughts. The only sound was that of the few cars driving by outside and the occasional barking from the neighbor’s dogs. Noelle ate only a little bit more and pushed her plate away.
“I thought you were hungry.”
She shrugged. “I thought I was too, but all I really want to do is go back to bed and hide under the covers. I’m not feeling social today.”
Trent took their plates around to the sink and turned on the water. “That’s alright. Visiting Avery and Damien was just a suggestion. We can do whatever you want. If you want to sleep, I’ll leave you alone. Do you want me to call Delphine for you?”
Noelle shook her head. “No, I already spoke to her before I came down. I feel bad that she’s gotta clean all those room on her own, but I just can’t go back there right now.”
“That’s understandable, I’d offer to go help, but I’m not sure if I want to go back there either. Why don’t you go back up, burrow under the covers, and I’ll be down here if you need me.”
She nodded and started to walk away. When she reached the bottom step, she paused and looked over her shoulder at him. “Trent?”
“Yeah?”
Her voice quivered slightly. “Thank you.”
Trent walked over to her and reached for her hand. He was pleased when she didn’t try to pull away. “You’re welcome. I’d do anything for you, I hope you know that.”
He saw the tears well up in her eyes and drew her into his arms. He ran his hand up and down her back reassuringly as her body shook with silent sobs. “Shh. It’s gonna be alright, Noelle.”
She shook her head against his chest. “You were right; it won’t be alright until I stop looking over my shoulder. I thought maybe they would leave me alone, I shoulda known better.”
Trent hugged her tighter and gently rocked them back and forth. “We’ll make sure they leave you alone. I won’t let them get to you again.”
She took several breaths until the tears subsided. “I can’t ask you to protect me again. You could have been shot last night. If something happened to you, I don’t know what I’d do with myself.”
Trent pulled back and cupped her face in his hands. “You didn’t ask me to protect you; I want to do it, always. And, yeah, I could have been shot, but I would have done that too if it meant you would have been spared.”
She shook her head. “I said some not-nice things to you. I called you a bastard and accused you of things.”
Trent tilted his head. “You were in an extremely emotional situation, believe me, I’m not offended.”
She gave him an exasperated look. “Why are you doing this?”
His brow furrowed. “Doing what?”
Noelle placed her hands over his, “This. Caring and protecting and still having me around. Why didn’t you take me to the station last night and let them find a safe place for me?”
“Did you hear my boss on the phone?”
Noelle nodded. “Yeah, I heard him tell you to bring me in and he would take care of things.”
Trent s
hook his head. “I couldn’t let you out of my sight, even last night it was hard to not want to check on you every ten minutes. As far as I’m concerned, the safest place for you is right here with me.”
He rubbed his thumbs across her cheeks and rested his forehead against hers. “All that matters is that you are safe.”
He wiped at a tear as it slid down her bottom eyelashes and then kissed her lightly on the lips. As much as he wanted to kiss her all morning, he knew it wasn’t the time for that.
“I’ll check on you in a little bit. Go rest.”
Noelle nodded and headed up the stairs. After a few steps, she turned toward him again. “Trent?”
He smiled and leaned against the railing. “Yeah?”
She bit her lip and gave him a tentative look. “Te amo.”
Without another word she went upstairs. Trent stood frozen until the closing of the bedroom door snapped him out of it.
He smiled to himself and placed his hand over his heart. He’d whispered those same words to her the night before, thinking she hadn’t heard him, but obviously she had.
Trent finished rinsing off the few dishes and thought about how many times he’d heard a woman say those words – I love you. There were more times than he could remember, and each time he’d run for the hills. But he didn’t want to run anywhere now but upstairs to Noelle.
He put the dishes in the dishwasher and hummed to himself again. For the next few hours, he channel surfed and mindlessly stared out the window. All he could think about was that Noelle loved him. Whatever else was to come they would deal with together, but for now nothing could bring down his good mood.
To her surprise, Noelle slept peacefully for several hours, waking only when the doorbell rang. A moment later, there was a soft knock on the door.
Trent opened the door slowly and whispered, “Noelle? Are you awake?”
She sat up in bed and stretched with a yawn. “Yeah. Thanks for letting me sleep. I needed it!”
He walked over and kissed her on top of the head. “You are welcome, mi amor. It seems we have guests. Avery decided since we weren’t going to see them that they would come over here. I’ll tell them to go if you want.”
Noelle shook her head, “No, don’t do that. It’s fine really. Just let me take a quick shower and I’ll be down.”
He eyed her for a moment. “Are you sure?”
She smiled, feeling genuinely happy. “Yeah, I’m in a much friendlier mood than this morning.”
Trent kissed her again and winked at her before heading downstairs. Noelle grabbed a change of clothes and headed for the guest bathroom down the hall. For several long moments, she stood under the showerhead as hot water cascaded over her hair until steam hung in the air.
A few minutes later, she walked downstairs and was greeted by Avery, Damien, and another couple. Trent quickly introduced them as his other best friend Mitch and Avery’s friend Molly.
Avery held out her arms and gave Noelle a big hug. “How are you? When I heard what happened I was so worried!”
Noelle returned the hug. “Thank you, that’s so sweet. I’m doing fine, thanks to Trent.”
She exchanged a look with him as he pulled her to his side and kissed her temple. “Like I said, anytime.”
Avery sighed and Damien spoke up. “Alright, let’s knock off the lovey stuff. Avery’s already been talking non-stop about how you guys would be a great couple.”
Noelle smiled. “One step at a time.”
She wondered how excited Avery would be to know they had already said they loved each other. The thought made her smile even bigger and she ducked her head as she blushed.
Avery broke the silence, “Ok, so usually on Sunday mornings the guys here go surfing, so what if they do that, and us girls can go get a late lunch. My treat!”
Noelle gave Trent a questioning look, waiting for his thoughts. He shrugged. “Hey, I told you earlier, whatever you want to do today is fine with me.”
She asked, to no one in particular, “Isn’t it too cold to surf?”
Damien shook his head, “Naw, we wear bodysuits that keep us warm. I’ve gotten Avery to go out a few times. Maybe we can get you and Molly out with us too.”
Noelle laughed and her eyes got big, “I don’t know about all that, but maybe someday.”
Trent smiled. “I look forward to that! Seeing you in a bikini sounds like a plan to me.”
Noelle backhanded him playfully. “You wish. Molly, does Mitch get you out in the water too?”
Mitch coughed and Molly blushed. “Uh, no, we aren’t a couple. We are just friends of Damien and Avery. I’m from Minnesota where the wardrobe in November is thermal underwear and wool socks.”
They all laughed and Noelle felt herself relax even more. “I think Avery’s plan is good. I’m starving!”
Trent eyed Avery, “Do me a favor, don’t go telling her all the bad things about me.”
Avery huffed playfully and put her hands on her hips. “Geez, thanks for the vote of confidence!”
Noelle waved him off. “Oh, don’t worry. I’m pretty sure I’ve already figured out the bad things about you. Need I remind you of your lame one-liners the night we met?”
Trent’s eyes widened and he looked slightly shocked for a moment, but finally he broke into that dimply smile. “Now there is the Noelle I know and love.”
She leaned in and kissed him, not caring that other people were around or that Avery let out an excited squeal.
Mitch slapped Trent’s arm when they finally broke their kiss. “Alright Romeo, grab your gear, we got waves to catch.”
Trent rolled his eyes, “Yeah, Yeah.” He turned back to her and whispered, “Are you sure you’re alright with this?”
Noelle smiled at him and lightly touched his cheek, “Yes I’m fine with it. You’re right; some time with friends will help today.”
Ten minutes later, the two groups were loaded into separate vehicles. Avery honked as they pulled out of the drive and headed south. “Alright ladies, I think I see some peach maragritas in our future!”
Molly agreed. “Sounds like a good plan to me!”
Avery eyed Noelle in the rearview mirror as she stopped at a red light. “What about you Noelle, do margaritas sound good?”
Noelle nodded. “Sure. Trent took me to a really good Mexican restaurant in San Diego, I think I remember how to get there.”
Avery smiled at her again as she accelerated the car. “I know which one you’re talking about, he took me and Damien there to celebrate our engagement.”
Molly nodded in agreement. “Oh yeah, I love that place! I think it’s called Habaneros or Jalapeños or something like that. I know it’s named after a pepper.”
Noelle spoke up, “It’s Habaneros. Trent said the owners are family friends.”
For a few minutes, they chatted about random things - the half-off sale at the thrift shop, what the weather was going to be for the week, and how the driver in the car next to them looked like the pregnant hooker from their favorite soap.
Finally, Avery let out a sigh. “Alright, I can’t take it. Start talking Noelle.”
Noelle eyed her in the mirror and gave her an innocent look. “What are you talkin’ about?”
Avery returned to look with a laugh. “Oh don’t give me that. You know what I’m talking about. What happened between the Trent and Noelle that were at my house two days ago and the Trent and Noelle who were all googly eyed in the kitchen ten minutes ago?”
“Oh, that.”
Molly turned in her seat and gave Noelle a pitying look. “I’ll forewarn you, you might as well spill the beans, because this one here is worse than a pitbull with a T-bone.”
They all laughed when Avery nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I am. She’s right.”
Noelle sighed. “Alright, fine. Where should I start?”
Avery pulled the car to a stop in the restaurant’s parking lot and looked at Molly, then turned to look at Noelle. “I’m good if you wanna fa
st forward to the steamy stuff.”
Noelle laughed again. “Let’s get inside and order some drinks before we get to that part. Do you think the guys are gonna grill Trent too?”
Molly and Avery both nodded.
“I’m sure of it. In fact, when we pulled out, I’m pretty sure I saw Trent slug my dear, sweet hubby in the shoulder. That’s a clear sign to me that he asked something inappropriate.”
They were shown to a table in the corner and ordered the biggest margaritas they could get. When the drinks finally arrived, they were the size of a fishbowl. The women exchanged looks with each other, and then looked back at their drinks.
Molly took a sip first. “I have a feeling we are gonna be here awhile. I think it’s safe to start at the beginning Noelle. And don’t leave out a single detail!”
By time they left the restaurant, the ladies had the rated – PG version of the last few days with Trent. Noelle also had another new friend in Molly. It was the first, and best, girl’s lunch she’d ever had.
As they drove back to Trent’s place, Avery said a silent prayer that days like today would become more common, and nights like last night never happened again.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Trent sat up on his surfboard and ran his hands across the surface of the cool water. It was almost surreal to be sitting so calmly out with the guys, doing the norm, when last night had been one of the scariest of his life. As much as he tried to clear it out of his head and enjoy the day, it was still there, replaying on a loop.
He sighed and tried to focus on the present moment. “Well boys, I don’t think it looks like we’re gonna get many more waves today.”
Damien nodded, “Yeah, even the ones we’ve gotten haven’t been all that exciting.”
Mitch raised his face to the sun and exhaled. “Man, this would be a great day to go golfing, clear skies, mild temps, barely a breeze … it’s perfect.”
Trent and Damien exchanged a look and then said simultaneously, “We aren’t going golfing!”