Just an Illusion, Side A: Side A
Page 27
“Belle, you know that’s not true.”
“But that’s how they’ll see me. Come on. Their mega famous, mega rich son just happens to knock up a reporter?”
Her frustration with the situation is apparent, but I know her heart, and it’s not what she’s describing.
“They’re going to love you. And when they see that ring on your finger, they’re going to know Darren loves you, too, and that there’s so much more between the two of you than the peanut in your belly. Speaking of … Have you given any more thought to his proposal?”
I’m being evil right now because Darren is standing in the hall listening to us with his finger pressed against his lips, asking me to keep quiet.
“Of course. It’s all I think about when I’m not throwing up, worrying about his family hating me, and of course, keeping up with my job.”
“I know you have a lot on your plate, but soon you’ll just have to worry about work. Your morning sickness will be over in a few weeks and you’ll meet the family today. So what did you decide?” My feet are bouncing up and down as I wait for her answer. Darren is leaning against the wall, smiling and waiting as well.
“I’m not ready. But after the baby, if it goes well and we still get along and can manage to live together amicably, I’d absolutely marry his fine ass.”
She’s going to kill me for this, but Belle will hold back her feelings until the end of days just because she can. “Do you love him?”
She taps her nails against her knees with a thoughtful expression. “Do you remember that summer when we discovered Jolt Cola?”
This is random, but I’ll go with it. “Of course, how could I forget? It’s what led to my coffee addiction.”
“Exactly. You know how it was the best thing ever and it gave us tons of energy and we were completely addicted to it?”
I nod my head in affirmation.
“Then you remember how bad it sucked when we didn’t have any? And how miserable we were that our parents wouldn’t let us have it anymore? But we didn’t realize how addicted to it we were until they took it away?”
“Yeah, that was a pretty rough transition.” I understand her point, even though Darren looks totally confused.
“Darren is Jolt. Except I didn’t realize it until he left that night when I told him about the baby. I know it was only a few hours, but it was enough to make me realize how much I would have missed him if he were gone.”
A smile spreads across his face and mine. “So you love him.”
She nods. “God help me, I do. Enough to wear this ridiculous ring for the next how many ever years it takes to get comfortable with the idea of marrying him.”
“I love you, too,” he says, stalking toward her. She shoots an evil glare my way before turning to him.
“I’m going to take that as my cue to go talk to Noah.” Her expression softens with the thought of what I have to tell him.
“I’ll deal with you later,” she says as I blow her a kiss on my way down the hall. Those two are going to be fine. They’ll probably be the happiest of us all.
Noah is still dead to the world as I crawl back into bed and wrap my arms around him and squeeze tight. He mumbles a bit and eventually turns over, facing me, slowly wiping the sleep from his eyes.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he says in a sleepy, gravelly voice. “What time is it?”
“Early, too early for you, but we need to talk.”
“Can I use the bathroom first?”
“Of course, I’m not sadistic,” I answer with a laugh.
A few minutes later, he crawls back into bed with minty fresh breath and an empty bladder. His lips meet mine in a soft, lingering kiss. “What would you like to talk about?” he asks as he brushes my hair away from my eyes.
“Eli,” I whisper softly, and he tenses in my arms.
“What about him?”
“He’s going to be at the video shoot on Friday,” I confess, watching his facial expression change from neutral to furious in less than five seconds.
“The hell he is,” he bites out.
“It will be fine, Noah. I need to talk to him, anyway, and clear the air. It’s time.”
He sits up and leans against the headboard with his arms crossed over his chest. “After what he did to you? He’s lucky he’s still breathing. No way is he going to be at the show. I won’t allow it.”
I knew he was going to be mad, but this is worse than I thought. I crawl up into his lap and straddle his legs, reaching over his shoulders and holding on to the headboard for balance. “His cousin Jessie, who I adore, by the way, won the tickets from the Slammed promo. It’s already been announced and their paperwork confirmed. She picked Eli as her guest. You can’t punish her because he’s her favorite cousin. Besides, I really would like to see Jessie and I’d hate to break her heart if you pulled strings to get them banned.”
“Not her, then, just him,” he says stubbornly.
“Noah … for me, please let it go.”
“You’re the reason why I want to kill him,” he states simply, and I shake my head.
“Don’t do that. Don’t let my past be a reason to bring hate into your heart. It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it. You are the man I love now. You’re the only man I want.”
With a raised brow, he exhales as I grind myself on top of him. “Really? Using sex to distract me?”
“Never,” I whisper, bringing my lips to his, tasting his lips with my tongue before he opens to me and allows me to set the pace of our kiss. “This is to remind you I belong to you now, not Eli.”
“Fuuck. That might be the best thing you’ve ever said.”
“Well … now I’m going to kill your high. We need to get dressed and go to the store. We’ve got a Thanksgiving list to fill and condoms to buy.”
“Martha already did all the shopping for Thanksgiving.”
“Not from my list. There are things I need to make Belle’s favorite sweet potatoes that you don’t have. And I’m not borrowing condoms from Sawyer all week. Get dressed and let’s go before the crowds start and all the women fawn and fondle you instead of their groceries.”
The heated stare he’s giving me sets me on fire. One look and Noah has my panties soaking. It’s not fair, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“You know, you’re pretty sexy when you’re bossy.” He smacks my ass as I get up.
“Hmm, goes back to that teacher fantasy, huh? Maybe you want to be spanked by my ruler?”
“Kinky … Maybe I want to spank you with your ruler. Turn the teacher into the student.”
“Well, I have been a naughty girl, Mr. Weston. Maybe I deserve detention.”
Noah groans and wraps his arms around my waist. “Come on, dirty girl. Let’s shower before you have me coming in my boxers.”
“You need all of this for sweet potatoes?” Noah asks incredulously as he tosses the condoms in the grocery cart. “Bourbon, oranges, two forms of cinnamon, canned milk?” he questions with a turned up nose. “And two kinds of marshmallows? What else could you possibly need?”
He’s laughing now, but wait until he tastes the magic. “Yams, butter, brown sugar, white sugar, and vanilla,” I answer proudly.
“And this is a two-day process?”
“Absolutely, and they’ll be the best you’ve ever had. Trust me.”
“If you say so.”
“You’ll be begging for me to feed you more,” I respond to his skeptical look.
“Maybe I’ll just eat them off of you,” he whispers in my ear seductively. He’s now standing behind me, with his arms around my waist, pushing the cart. It’s completely awkward and totally fun.
“And you called me kinky. Do you have a food fetish, too?” I whisper back at him.
“No, I have a you fetish.” His words fill my body with need.
“I don’t think you have enough condoms.” I’m looking down at the box in the cart.
He captures my groan with a kiss, sucking the frustration straight from me. As we wait in line at the checkout, our faces are front and center on the cover of Slammed. This is awkward. I haven’t been on the cover of anything since my dad died. Noah has a hat and a hoodie on, but I’m not disguised at all. I didn’t even think about it, and apparently, neither did he. And like idiots, we ducked out without any guards. This is exactly why I wanted to get to the store early, but our shower took a little longer than expected and now the store is filling up.
“Relax, babe. We’ll be fine.” He pulls my hand to his mouth and kisses it softly.
Everything is fine until we’re paying and the two women behind us start gossiping about the magazine cover.
“Can you believe he’s with Joey Triton’s daughter? That’s got to be a couple destined for the lifetime love hall of fame. I mean, Joey and Iris had an epic love story.”
The second girl clucks a disapproving sound. “I don’t think so, girl. She used to date Eli Watts, and it’s a long-known fact he’s been pining away for her for years. In fact, I heard in one of his fan groups they may be reuniting soon at some secret event.”
Noah’s hands squeeze my hips hard, and I cover one of them with mine, rubbing him reassuringly as I use the other hand to punch in my PIN number on the keypad. I wish he could see inside my heart and know Eli isn’t competition for him and never will be. Once our bags are into the cart and we’re about to make a clean getaway, Noah turns to the women, whose mouths are now gaping open.
“You shouldn’t believe what you hear in fan forums,” he tells them with a smile. “True love always trumps old flames.”
One of the girls covers her heart with her hands as the other girl flicks her on the shoulder and pops off her opinion. “See, I told you those fan forums are full of trash talk. Will you listen now? It’s obvious they’re in love. They’re even Thanksgiving shopping … Swoon.”
Noah smirks at her words and eyes her purchases, dropping a hundred-dollar bill on the counter. “Happy Thanksgiving, ladies,” he says and pushes our cart outside at a rapid pace. We hurry and load up the car and get out of there before they, or anyone else, can chase us down.
I can’t stop shaking my head at his random act of kindness. “What?” he asks as we pull out of the lot.
“Nothing, I just don’t think I’ve ever met anyone like you before. You’re one of a kind, Noah Weston.”
“Is that a compliment?”
“The best one I can give,” I reply truthfully. He reaches over the seat and laces our fingers together. The drive back to the house is silent, but he’s smiling the whole way there. Seeing him happy is the best feeling. I never realized how much of my happiness could depend on someone else’s. Noah is teaching me a lot about life and love, and he doesn’t even realize it, which makes the feeling even better.
When he pulls into the driveway, there are cars here that weren’t here when we left, and my stomach drops rapidly. It’s like we just crested a hill on a roller coaster and we’re freefalling. Noah squeezes my hand reassuringly. “Breathe, Mel. They’re going to love you.”
I nod absently while I freak out internally. Before we even exit the car there’s an enthusiastic girl banging on his window. Noah laughs with happiness and hops out of the car, scooping her up and swinging her around in circles while hugging her. She throws her head back and laughs, planting a big, loud kiss on his cheek when he finally puts her back on the ground.
Their resemblance is striking. Sure, she’s younger, but she could be Noah’s twin sister more than Sawyer is his twin. It’s uncanny. Same eyes, same hair color, same smile. She’s adorable. Before I know it, she’s pulling me into a huge hug. “You must be Amelia! It’s so nice to finally meet you! I’ve never heard the four of these guys rave about one person before, let alone a woman. You must weave some awesome magic.” She winks at me, and I can’t help but laugh; it’s like her happiness is contagious.
“I don’t know if it’s magic. I just don’t put up with anyone’s shit,” I tell her, and she bursts into laughter.
“My mom is going to drill you for your secrets. I think you’re the only person who Sawyer has ever let put him into place.”
A flash of irritation crosses Noah’s face, but he covers it quickly. “It’s what attracted me to her in the first place. She told Sawyer off and it was incredible. I was instantly in love … or at least like.” He winks at me. “You should have seen the look on his face, Ror. I thought he was going to pass out.”
“That’s what he gets for calling me a princess.” I help Noah start unloading the car.
“I’ve heard you’ve settled into your nickname nicely,” Rory replies, and Noah snickers.
“Yeah, I guess so. For whatever reason, your brother seems to enjoy it. I don’t think he means it maliciously, so whatever works for him.”
Rory grabs the last of the bags and closes the trunk. Noah leads the way into the house, and we follow the endless stream of chatter into the kitchen.
“There’s my boy!” I hear the scream before I see the face that goes with it. As Noah puts the bags down on the counter, he’s wrapped up in a massive hug. “God, I’ve missed you!” Her voice is muffled against his chest because she’s still hugging him.
“I missed you, too, Mom.” She pulls his head down and smothers him in motherly kisses. Noah’s blushing furiously, and I can’t stop myself from smiling. He’s loved, and it’s the best feeling to know he’s not just a good guy with me; his family thinks so, too.
“You must be Amelia.” I turn around, meeting their dad for the first time. He’s handsome and really fit for a man in his fifties. Now I know where Sawyer and Noah get it from.
“I am,” I reply with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you …”
“Owen,” he fills in.
“Owen,” I add, shaking his proffered hand.
Before I know it, I’m being flipped around and embraced in a huge hug. “You’re her … and you’re here! Welcome to the family, Amelia. We’re so happy to have you with us.” I’m a bit overwhelmed with her show of affection. I can see Sawyer laughing at me over her shoulder.
“Karen, I think you’re freaking her out a bit. How about you stop squeezing her and introduce yourself first?” Owen tells her as he pulls one of her hands gently away from me.
She waves her hand dismissively, but she does release me. She’s a pretty woman, with light hair and green eyes. Now I see where they all get them from. She’s on the petite side and a bit curvy, with laugh lines that show a life well lived. She’s pretty in an understated way, and her smile is sincere, just like Noah’s. In fact, I definitely think he resembles his mom more in his expressions. Sawyer has more of Owen’s reserved features. Wow … meeting people’s parents can be a trip.
“I’m sorry, Amelia, I was just excited to meet the woman who has stolen Noah’s heart. I’m Karen, but I’m sure you guessed that all on your own,” she adds with a laugh.
“It’s nice to meet you.” As I look around the room, I realize Belle and Darren are missing. Wyatt and Anna are sitting with Sawyer at the table, eating breakfast.
“Where’s Belle?” I ask as I start unloading the bags.
“Oh, she and Darren went to breakfast with his parents. She’s a sweet little thing, isn’t she? She looked more nervous than you did when you walked in,” Owen says with a chuckle.
I’m sure she did.
Thankfully, Noah is keeping close as I unpack the bags. When I get to the bottom of the second bag, I come across the condoms. Shit. After elbowing him in the side twice, he finally follows my gaze to the bag. When he looks inside, he laughs and pulls them out, setting them on the counter as if it’s no big deal.
I’m mortified, and from the smirk on his face, he knows it and is
enjoying pushing me out of my comfort zone. I move to the side, giving the condoms a wide berth, and continue unloading what I need to start the sweet potatoes.
Sawyer is watching it all unfold, and for the first time ever, I see him cover his mouth to hold back his laughter. I’m glad to see they’re all enjoying my shame. Once the last bag is emptied, I swear all eyes are on me and the room is quiet.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Noah. Stop teasing this poor girl and go put your condoms away like a gentleman,” Karen says with a chuckle, and everyone laughs, finally easing the tension. Noah wraps his arms around me from behind and pulls me close, kissing me on the cheek.
“My parents know we have sex, Mel. My mom is always hounding me to be safe, so I was just making a point. This was about her, not you. But I couldn’t love you any more right now if I tried,” he whispers, and even though I’m mad, my heart melts.
“Yeah, yeah, just go put them away and come back so you can watch me make holiday magic.”
“Sure thing.” He picks up the condoms and takes them into his room. The doorbell rings, and Sawyer jumps up to get it. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen him smile this much. Being around his family has a calming effect on him.
“J! What’s up, man?” Noah exclaims from down the hall, where he has a perfect view of the door. Sawyer, Noah, and Jordan walk in at the same time, and they take turns hugging. He’s shorter than I imagined but just as built and tatted up as his cousins … brothers … hell, I don’t even know what they consider each other, but I know they’re close.
“Jordan, this is Amelia, my girlfriend.”
Jordan offers his hand to me. “Nice to meet you, Amelia.”
“You, too.”
A quick look passes between him and Sawyer. Noah didn’t see it; that’s probably a good thing because I’m sure it had something to do with me.
As the family chats and catches up, I find two potato peelers and pass one to Noah. “You’re putting me to work?”
“Hell yeah. This is the most I’ve ever had to make at once. Your family is huge! I need all the help I can get cutting and peeling.”