NOAH RANG ELLA’S doorbell and stood back, straightening his tie and gripping the bouquet of flowers tighter. It was March, but it was Southern California and the late-afternoon sun was warm on his back. Ella had fled snowy Second Chance and snowy Philadelphia for a place where he understood she’d never feel cold and relive her childhood nightmare.
In the two months since Noah had seen Ella last, he’d done the opposite. Instead of running away from his past, he’d faced it, beginning with a long-overdue conversation with his father about practicing medicine and accepting imperfection.
At Noah’s feet, Woof’s ears perked up, an indication that Ella was home.
“Let’s hope she lets us in.” Noah shifted on his feet. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this nervous. But then again, he could. It’d been the day she’d rejected his marriage proposal.
The door to the condominium opened.
“Noah?” Ella’s sun-streaked blond hair was a mess, twisted and held up with a pencil. Her eyes were glazed over, but they brightened at the sight of him. “How did you find us?” She glanced down at her wrinkled blue tank top and white capri leggings. “I’m a mess. I was studying real-estate regulations.”
“I should go.” He’d come at a bad time. Maybe there would never be a right time like they’d had when they’d been snowed in in Second Chance.
“Oh, no. You’re a welcome distraction.” She drew him into the foyer and after a moment’s hesitation kissed his cheek.
“Woof! Woof-woof-woof!” Penny ran to the door. Noah noted she’d gained new skill as a runner, although Sophie’s twins would still be faster. “No-ahhh.” She hugged the dog first, giggling when Woof licked what looked like spaghetti sauce from her face. And then she raised her arms to be picked up. “Petty fowers.”
“Yes, pretty flowers.” Noah handed them to Ella and then scooped Penny into his arms. “White roses.” With the thorns trimmed off. “They’re for your mom.”
“Fowers for me,” Penny said staunchly.
“I’m sure your mother can share.”
Ella hustled them down the hall, closing the door behind them.
The condominium was cozy with French doors that opened to a small patio area. There was light and there was color, but Noah couldn’t have told you later what kind of furniture Ella had or what pictures hung on her walls. He only had eyes for Ella and Penny.
“Look at Woof.” Ella scratched him behind the ears. The act of leaning over sent her blond hair spilling around her shoulders and the pencil tumbling to the tile floor. “He doesn’t have a limp.”
“His surgery was successful.” Like Penny, Woof’s mobility was still improving, and those improvements made Noah happy. “Although we’re sticking to flat ground for another four weeks.”
“Woof,” Penny called to the dog, holding the bouquet. “My fowers. See how petty.”
Noah chuckled. “A three-word sentence. I didn’t think her vocabulary would get that good in such a short time.”
“She goes to preschool a few mornings a week.” Ella moved into a small kitchen with white shaker cabinets. She got down a vase and filled it with water, placing it on a white granite counter next to a glass bowl with an odd collection of things, including a scuffed baseball, a smooth river stone and a small photograph of the hand-drawn map of Second Chance that hung in the Bent Nickel. “How did you find us?” She sounded curious, not angry.
A good sign? Noah had no clue.
“Shane told me.”
“That just proves you can move out of the Monroe compound but not out of the Monroe universe.” She faced him. “What brings you to Southern California? Dressed so nicely.” She hadn’t stopped moving since she’d opened the door. Now that she had, he could see she was nervous. Her smile wavered, and her gaze kept dropping. “I’ve missed you. We both have.” But she didn’t throw herself into his arms and kiss him.
“I missed you both, too.” More than he could put to words. “I got a job at a sports clinic in Los Angeles.” Contingent upon him getting his license to practice in the state of California. Dr. Noah Bishop’s reputation opened many a door in orthopedics.
“You got a job here?” She frowned. “As a surgeon?”
“No. As an orthopedic staff doctor and consulting physician.” A practice that served several professional sports clubs in the city and was glad to have an experienced former surgeon on staff, one who was interested in researching new techniques and treatments. “You were right.”
“About what?” Her gaze dropped to the floor and then popped right back up.
“Everything. Me not being ready for you. Me needing to find the right career path.” Seeking out a way to pursue his once-lofty dreams. Noah held up his hands. “Me needing to be comfortable in my own skin.” He no longer considered himself a beast.
She blushed. “Are you happy about that? I hope you’re happy, Noah. You deserve to be.”
Was that blush a good thing? Since he’d left Second Chance, Noah hadn’t heard from his snarky alter ego. He was alone or perhaps unified in his own head.
He cleared his throat. “You told me once that you fell in love with your husband at first sight.”
“Yes. I know it’s hard to understand, but it’s true.” She laughed self-consciously. “My father-in-law never believed it.”
“I believe it.” Noah rushed on before she could say anything more. “Because I fell in love with you the moment you walked into the Bent Nickel. And I shamefully fought the inevitability of that love until the day you left me.” He held up his scarred right hand. He’d been working on strengthening and stretching the muscles and tendons with some success, but wouldn’t ever regain his full dexterity. “Because of this. Because I didn’t think a woman like you would be able to love a man with one ugly hand.”
“Your so-called ugly hand doesn’t make you ugly to me, not on the outside or the inside.” Her voice was soft. Her gaze misty. “I tried to tell you that. Many times.”
She had. “But I wasn’t ready to listen.” He took Ella’s hands. He’d only been bare-skin-to-bare-skin with her palms one other time. “Your words finally sunk in. I was hiding in Second Chance and I was unhappy. I wanted to stay in Second Chance so I could stay hidden. But you forced me to acknowledge there’s life beyond what can be found inside a one-room cabin. Being a country doctor can be rewarding. It has been for me in a way. But if I want it, I can be more than a country doctor. I can be a superstar in the medical field, hurt hand and all. Most importantly, I can be a superstar to my family, meaning you and Penny.” His voice lost its strength, became a whisper. “If you let me.” If she gave him a second chance. “If you don’t run from me again.”
“Oh, Noah.” Her words were taut with emotion. “I left Second Chance and you for many reasons. I didn’t just turn you down because you weren’t ready.” She drew a deep breath. “I wasn’t ready either. I fell for you fast and yet I couldn’t trust those feelings because I was judging them by the Monroe standards. I couldn’t be a Monroe without doubting what my heart was telling me, because…you know…ice cream.”
It took Noah a moment to catch on. “I’m not ice cream, Ella. I’m going to be here every day because that’s what makes love special. Love may come on like a lightning strike, but true love…true love is still standing after the storm.” Their separation had been a storm, of sorts.
“It took a little time,” Ella said ruefully. “But I’m comfortable being Ella Bowman Monroe.”
Noah’s heart swelled with love.
“Woof.” Penny giggled. She’d been feeding the dog her garlic bread.
He realized this was his moment. Noah got down on one knee, which attracted Woof to his side, followed by Penny.
Ella gasped, clasping her hands over her heart.
“Sit,” Noah said to the dog.
Both Woof and Penny sat next to him on the floor.
“I love you, Ella. I love you so much I crawled out of my cave to be with you.”
“I wuv you, No-ah.” Penny stood and kissed Noah’s cheek. “Kiss-kiss.”
Noah drew Penny closer with one arm and Woof with the other. “Marry me, Ella.” The words were gruff with emotion. “You can have a long engagement if it’ll make you feel better about what people think, but our love is real and ready to blossom. All you have to do is say one word.”
Yes.
“I wuv you. I wuv you.” Penny hopped like a bunny out of his arms, until he drew her to him once more, pressing a kiss to her sweet cheek.
Noah sought Ella’s gaze. Her insightful, loving, patient gaze. “Aren’t these the three faces you want to wake up with every morning?” His, Penny’s and Woof’s.
Ella turned away abruptly, moving into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator door.
Was she rejecting him again?
But then she stood before him, holding a tub of ice cream.
Noah wasn’t sure what the ice cream meant. “Is that a yes?”
“Yes.” Smiling, Ella dropped to her knees for a group hug. “Yes, I’ll marry you. I love you so much. I love you whether we’re having an ice cream moment or not.”
“Ice cream!” Penny cried.
“This is definitely an ice cream moment.” Ella pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I want to be with you, Noah, forever. I’ll marry you today or tomorrow or a year from now.”
“Well, I really thought you should pick.” Noah grinned. “But if you’re letting me pick, I say we get married in Second Chance on the hill overlooking the river come spring.”
Her smile widened. “The hill I slid down?”
Noah nodded. “The one you slid down.” Having taken his heart with her.
* * * * *