by Shandi Boyes
She barely gets her sentence out before another contraction rips through her. I’m not an expert, but if her contractions are this close, Nick needs to get her to the hospital right now, or she’ll deliver in their driveway.
Eager to get them out of here, I tug Emily back from the door, slam it shut, then tap on the roof three times, giving Nick the signal to leave. “Emily will pack your bag; then we’ll bring it to the hospital for you.”
I’ll hand Nick the rights to “Player” if he’ll get her the fuck out of here. I love him like a brother, but I do not want to watch his fiancée giving birth.
“Thanks.” Nick throws a set of keys at me that I catch mid-air before he dives into the driver’s seat, backs out of the driveway, then takes off down the road like a maniac.
Emily and I peer in the direction they fled for several long minutes with our mouths hanging open. That’s not exactly how I predicted my morning to go.
When I shift on my feet to face Emily, a grin tugs my cheeks high. She’s smiling brightly, her excitement unmissable. “I’m about to become an aunty!”
Caught up in the hype, she leaps into my arms and kisses me hard on the mouth. She tastes so fucking good, it takes everything I have not to ravish her against the front door of Jenni and Nick’s house. I wouldn’t hold back if she didn’t need to be there for her friend, and I didn’t need to stop being so selfish.
“We better get Jenni’s bag ready,” I mumble over Emily’s plump lips. “If her screams were anything to go by, she may need it sooner rather than later.”
Emily yanks back, her eyes bulging. She was so enamored by our kiss, she forgot her best friend just left here in labor. I shouldn’t love that I can make her so daft, but I do.
Over the next ten minutes, I shadow Emily around Nick and Jenni's house as she packs a bag. After gathering the necessities every overnight bag needs: toothbrush, comb, soap etc., she shifts on her feet to face me. Her nose is screwed up in the most adorable way, and wrinkles are indenting her forehead. “What do you wear after you’ve had a baby?”
I shrug; I have no fucking idea. “Pajamas?” Even a stranger would hear the hesitation in my voice. After my mom had Michael, she spent most of her day in her pajamas, but she also had postnatal depression, so I’m not sure if that is the norm.
I think I’m on track when Emily smiles. “Good idea. PJ’s will work.”
She grabs several nighties out of drawers on our right before shoving them into the overloaded suitcase on the bed. It’s so fucking heavy, it takes both Emily and me to carry it down the stairs, then more than double the muscle to ram it into Jenni’s car’s trunk. She no longer drives her navy-blue BMW. It’s been replaced with a much more compact car.
After wrangling the bag into the tight confines, I naturally veer toward the driver’s side door. Even with Emily having her license, I’ve always done a majority of the driving in our relationship.
I slip into the leather-lined seat before yanking it back as far as it can go. Even with the seat being at the last notch, my knees sit around my ears.
Recognizing we aren’t going anywhere soon, Emily offers to drive. It takes more effort for me to peel out of Jenni’s car as it did to enter it. I even honk the horn with my crotch a handful of times, which Emily finds amusing. I don’t mind hearing her laughter. It’s a beautiful way to repair the damage her heartbreaking sobs did to my ears.
As we make the twenty-minute trip to the hospital in silence, I watch Emily’s profile. Any time she notices my stalker watch, her teeth rake her bottom lip to hide her smile, but she keeps her focus on the road. I don’t know how. The sexual chemistry that forever bounces between us is still in abundance. It may even be more intense because of our weeks of absence.
Emily’s eyes turn from the road for the first time the past twenty minutes when I murmur, “I missed you so much, Beautiful.”
She smiles in a way that sets my heart racing before she whispers, “I missed you too.”
Chapter 34
Emily
On December third at 9:53 AM, Jasper Nicholas Holt entered the world five weeks early, weighing a tiny five pounds, one ounce. His face is an adorable mix of both Nick and Jenni, but he has Jenni’s strawberry blonde hair and Nick’s elf-like ears.
Although shocked by his sudden arrival, Jenni and Nick’s expressions speak volumes when we’re ushered into their room to meet their brand-new son. “Do you want to hold him?”
Not waiting for me to answer, Jenni gestures for Nick to hand me baby Jasper. I stand frozen, equally awed and in shock at the little person staring up at me. A mere hour ago, he was nestled in his mother’s womb. Now he’s peering up at me with big blue eyes and the heart of a stallion.
The miracle of life truly astonishes me—so much so, I grin like a kid at a candy store. Thankfully, I’m not the only one smiling. Noah is watching me as intently as he did during our drive to the hospital. He’s got the same sentimentality on his face, but it has a touch of pride to it now. Even though he’s scared shitless about having children, he’ll be a fantastic father one day. His parents showed him the wrong way to raise children, but with the right guidance and trust in his self-worth, his offspring will grow up in a nurturing, loving environment.
I just hope I’m the one who makes him a daddy.
Images of a young Noah stop running through my head when Jenni fails to stifle a yawn. My mom has often said that my quick delivery wasn’t any less exhausting than Lola’s sixteen-hour labor, so I’m not surprised Jenni is zapped of energy. Her body just ran a marathon in under forty-five minutes. I’m tired just thinking about it.
After pressing a kiss to Jasper’s gooey head, I carefully hand him back to his mother. I fumble to keep his neck protected, but Jenni takes it all in stride. She’s a natural already.
“You did so well.” I beam proudly at my best friend. “He’s perfect.”
Noah moves to stand next to me. “He sure is, guys, congrats.”
He thrusts his hand not clutching mine toward Nick. I smile when Nick slaps it away before counterbidding his offer by holding his arms out wide for a hug. Proof beyond reasonable doubt that Noah is trying to fix the wrongs he made is shown when he accepts Nick’s offer. Only six months ago, he would have decked Nick just for trying to hug him.
As Noah and I make our way out of Jenni’s hospital room, my steps reluctant, I sling my eyes back to Jenni. “I’ll come visit you this afternoon, okay?”
When she smiles and nods, my eyes drift to Nick. “You also did well.”
For the smile on his face, anyone would swear I told him he’s a better kisser than Noah. Although I never want to be the judge of that, I don’t need to be to know the results. Nick would never win—not in a thousand years.
Noah and I walk through the multistory hospital parking garage hand in hand. My heart is beating triple time, excited my nephew is here and safe, but a small part of me is a tad bit jealous that Jenni became a mom before me. I’ve always loved kids, but just like I didn’t want Noah to propose before he was ready, I don’t want to force him into the dreaded parenthood talk either.
Just as we reach Jenni’s car, my cell vibrates in my pocket. Pulling it out, I peer down at the screen. I don’t recognize the number, but that means nothing these days.
Shrugging, I swipe my finger across the screen before pressing my phone to my ear. “Hello—”
A cranky voice interrupts my greeting, “Is Noah with you?”
“Yes, he is—”
“Can I speak with him?” She’s demanding, not asking.
Noah’s dark eyes bounce between mine when I hand him my phone. The confusion on his face changes to annoyance when he scans the number on the screen. I don’t recognize the voice, but he clearly recognizes the number.
“Do you mind?”
I shake my head. “Not at all.”
I untwine our fingers, preparing to wait for him in the car. He tightens his grip on my hand before I even get two steps away from him.
He doesn’t say anything, but his eyes plead for me to stay.
With my feet planted next to his and a fake smile on his face, he presses my phone to his ear. “Hello, Delilah.”
Now his hesitation makes sense. Noah gets along with everyone... except the Ice Queen in charge of the band’s public relations. She reminds him too much of his mother for their relationship to ever be amicable, much less the pressure she places on him every week.
I try to keep my nose out of Noah’s business but miserably fail. I’ve always been a snoop. “Yes... No. That was not my intention... I understand... I said I fucking understood.” When he loses his temper, his eyes dart down to me to give me a silent apology. "Uh-huh... yep!”
He hangs up without saying goodbye. I doubt his quick disconnection saved Delilah from hearing the string of curse words he bites out while his thumb repeatedly jabs the end call button. He’s frustrated but trying his best to project his anger at the person responsible for it.
After sliding my cell into his jeans pocket, he bands his arms around my shoulders and pulls me in close. The mad beat of his heart subsides when he burrows his nose into my hair and inhales deeply. “You smell so fucking good.”
My cheeks rise against his chest, loving that he enjoys smelling me as much as I love smelling him. "As do you." I'm not lying. He smells like a freshly laundered shirt left on a sandy beach to dry. It's a manly yet unique scent.
I could stay in his protective bubble for years, but lose the chance when he bursts it by disclosing, “Delilah is pissed about the stunt I pulled on MTV. She pulled a lot of strings to get us that spot, and I ‘supposedly’ fucked it all up. She threatened to toss my ass to the curb if I do it again.”
I pull back far enough to glance into his eyes. I need to see them while pondering if I want to ask about the stunt he pulled. His reference to Delilah threatening to fire him is nothing out of the ordinary; she did that a minimum once a week their first few weeks on the road, but the MTV part of his confession, I’m more than interested in unearthing what that is about. The half-smile he’s wearing assures me he didn’t throw his career down the toilet, but there is a gleam in his eyes I can’t ignore.
“What happened on MTV?”
His half-smile turns blinding. “It’s a secret.”
With a flirty wink and a tap to my backside, he slides into the passenger seat of Jenni’s car, leaving me gobsmacked on the sidewalk. I’d be all up in his business in an instant if I truly believed it was a secret; unfortunately for him, nothing the band has done the past three months has occurred quietly. I’m so confident his “stunt” is plastered all over the internet, checking my Google alerts for Rise Up will be the first thing I do when we return to Jenni’s house.
That, and steal a handful of Noah’s shirts from his luggage. I don’t even care if they’re dirty. It will better if they are.
Eager to both snoop and replenish my wardrobe, I slide into the driver’s seat of Jenni’s car and crank the ignition. Noah has barely latched my seatbelt into place when I tear out of the parking lot like a maniac. My speed is so excessive, we get airborne when I hit a speed bump too fast to be safe.
“Jesus, Emily.”
I laugh at the fake panic in Noah’s tone. He’s a revhead, so it takes more than a few miles over the speed limit to get his heart truly pumping. I’d give him more of a thrill if I was confident in my driving skills. Regrettably, I’m not. I’d never forgive myself if I lost control. The last thing Noah needs is another wreck to contend with. He’s handled his fair share of carnage, so I refuse to add more to his plate.
With my heart beating slower than it was, I lighten my pressure on the gas pedal. It fully ascends when we reach the T intersection separating our hometowns. When I indicate a left turn, Noah asks, “Can you take me to Jake’s so I can pick up my truck?”
I assume his awkward phrasing is compliments of the tight confines of Jenni’s car. It’s so compact even I struggle to fit comfortably, so I can imagine how uncomfortable it is for him. But his next set of words corrects my misconception. “And maybe once we're there, we can talk?”
Noah hates talking about anything, much less his feelings, but if we want any chance of getting our relationship back on track, we need to do this.
When I nod, the concern hampering Noah's face fades. If only it could work its magic on the worry flaring through his eyes.
A few minutes later, I guide Jenni’s car down a gravel driveway. A gentle breeze blowing from the west adds to the dust cloud the tires make, but not even a murky haze can’t reduce the blueness of the sky. A new day has dawned, and I plan to make the most of it.
After parking next to Noah’s truck, I swivel my torso to face him. “Where do you want to talk?”
When his lips curl into a panty-dropping grin, my eyes narrow. He won’t tell me where we’re going because he’d rather tease me. He gets an immense amount of pleasure from forcing me to be patient. Usually, it’s only in the bedroom. Thank god.
“Come on.”
With the core of a gentleman but the face of a sex god, he assists me out of Jenni’s car before aiding me into the passenger seat of his truck. Heat spreads across my chest when he fastens my seatbelt before jogging to his side of the truck and hopping into the driver’s seat. He’s wearing a smile I’ve only seen a handful of times before. He’s nervous, yet relaxed—if that makes any sense?
When Noah takes a left at the end of Jacob’s street, my eyes stray to his. “Alright. Fess up. Where are we going? There’s nothing but cow dung and pastures this way.”
He smiles but not a word seeps from his lips. It's only when he turns down familiar-looking streets do I realize where we’re going. He’s taking the back roads to Bronte’s Peak. Only locals know this way.
We haven’t been to Bronte’s Peak since last summer. Things with the band got so hectic, we didn’t have time to visit our favorite spot. Although it’s usually overrun with tourists every weekend, since it's winter, the crowds shouldn’t be as bad.
With us entering the parking lot from the opposite end, Noah finds an empty spot rather quickly. After turning off his ignition, he grabs a blanket from under the seat—the same blanket he wrapped me in on our first date—then comes around to help me down from his truck.
“Are you sure this is okay?” I whisper, worried people may recognize him. It may not be as packed as it usually is, but there are still a few hundred people taking in the spectacular manmade creation.
“I have my disguise.” Grinning, Noah flicks open a baseball cap he had stuffed in his back pocket before lowering it onto his head. It’s the Parkwood State cap I gifted him months ago when he visited my campus. I hate that it hides his eyes from my view, but by looking like a regular college student, he has a better chance of remaining incognito.
He just needs to simmer down his rock star swagger.
As we walk hand in hand to the wooden staircase that leads to the beach below, a few people look our way. I don't know whether they recognize Noah, or if they just appreciate how incredibly handsome he is. I’d say it’s a combination of them both.
After trekking across the white sandy beach, we merge into a cave at the very end. We discovered this hidden beauty nearly a year ago. If you brave the darkness, your courage is rewarded with the most spectacular view. There’s an opening at the end of the cliff edge. It hangs just above the crystal-blue water of Bronte’s Peak. It's a view money can’t buy.
Noah lays down the blanket on the slippery rock surface, sits down, then gestures for me to join him. I take up the spot between his legs before resting my back on his chest. When he cocoons me with his arms, his heart pounds out a hearty tune against my back. I assume the awe-inspiring visual in front of us is the reason for his heart’s strenuous beats, but I’m proven wrong for the second time today when he murmurs, “I’m sorry about everything I did, Em. I never meant to hurt you.”
“I know.”
Noah is a talented man, but spiteful will never be on
his list of attributes.
“I just thought if I put in the hours now, I wouldn’t have to work so hard in the future.” He swallows away the roughness in his voice before continuing, “It just never occurred to me that you wouldn’t be there waiting for me once I was done.”
“I would have waited for you. I just didn’t think you wanted me anymore.” Tears well in my eyes as I confess words I never thought I’d speak. "My heart could only take so much rejection before my head took control of my feelings. That's what happened yesterday. My head did what it thought was right for both of us."
“Em...” His grip on my waist tightens. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted. I’ll never want anything or anyone more than I want you—”
“Not even your career?”
“Not even my career,” he answers without delay. “I made a mistake, but it wasn’t until I lost you did I realize how stupid I’ve been.” The panic his eyes held earlier reignites as his throat works hard to swallow. “But that will be done with now. It’s time for you to learn the truth.”
Chapter 35
Noah
Emily lifts her head off my chest, her eyes widening. She heard the panic in my tone, felt it slicking my skin. She knows what I’m about to tell her will hurt, but is also aware this needs to happen so we can step out of the fog clouding our relationship. I hate what I’m about to do, but I need to stop lying to her like I've been for the past nearly two years.
“Jacob made me promise not to say anything to you, but you deserve to know the truth.”
The instant Jacob’s name seeps from my lips, the concern on Emily’s face alters. She doesn’t like that I’m keeping things from her, but her mind went in a different direction than the revelation I’m planning to confess. I guess that’s my fault. I’ve kept her in the dark so long, trust is bound to be an issue. I’m just hoping once everything is out in the open, we can start afresh. A clean slate, as they say.