“I’m sorry I acted like that,” Noah said when we got outside. It was chilly, but his hand was warm in mine.
“It’s okay. I was pretty horrible to you when we met.”
He glanced at me with a smirk. “I’m pretty sure that’s not true.”
I shrugged. “I didn’t believe you when you said you were a pediatric oncology nurse and asked you about it a few times.”
He laughed softly. “Most people don’t believe me.”
“Yeah, but I was kind of nasty about it. Especially when you came in to order flowers for your mom. I really thought you were playing me.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “If I’d known you worked there, I would have come in a lot sooner. I didn’t want you to leave that first night.”
I smiled. “I didn’t want to leave either, but my life is kind of complicated. I was… in a bad place that night. I didn’t want to bring you in to my drama.”
“And your life is less complicated now?”
I shook my head with a smile. “No, but it’s complicated for a different reason.”
“What reason is that?”
“You,” I said softly.
He pulled me to a stop and faced me. “I’m not trying to complicate your life, Tara.”
I nodded. “I know. It’s not a bad complicated. I’ve just had a lot of things to think about lately, and it’s hard not to think about you when I make decisions.”
“What kind of decisions?”
“Staying in Winterville?”
His eyes narrowed. “You’re staying?”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one when he asked me like that. “I’m thinking about it.”
“Is that what you want?”
I shrugged and tried to push down the fear that was rising in my throat. “I think so. You don’t sound like you want me to stay though.”
He shook his head and grinned, then pulled me into his chest. “God, no. I’d love it if you stayed, but I don’t want you to stay for me and end up hating me for it.”
I tipped my head to look up at him. “Are you sure?”
He nodded and leaned down to seal our lips together in a gentle, loving kiss. When he pulled back, he said, “I’d love to have you here. I’m falling for you, Tara. I know it’s fast, and you’re probably not ready to hear that, but I’m definitely heading toward something more with you than a casual fling.”
“Is that why you kissed me in the middle of the hospital?”
He smiled and shook his head. “I kissed you in the middle of the hospital because I couldn’t have you thinking I wanted anyone but you. And because you were so beautiful I couldn’t hold back any longer.”
“Will you come with me to meet my friends?”
He shook his head. “I’d love to, but I need to get back to work. I have a lot of kids who can receive treatment and need it today. Don’t you get together every Tuesday night?”
I nodded. “We probably won’t tomorrow though. I’m guessing Carrie will be going home tomorrow or Wednesday so everyone will be cleaning their house and stuffing their fridge.”
“Your friends sound pretty amazing.”
I smiled. “They are. You’ll really like them.”
“How about next week then? If you think they’d be okay with me crashing.”
I laughed. “There’s so many of us it’s not a big deal. All the husbands come so you won’t be the only guy. The kids come, too.”
“Sounds like a party.” He smiled and kissed me again.
“It is.”
We turned around and walked back toward the hospital. Before we walked inside, I stopped him. “Hey Noah?”
“Yeah?”
“I just wanted to tell you that you aren’t the only one falling.”
His face lit up and he pulled me against him. “Oh yeah?”
I nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well, that’s the best news I’ve had all day.”
I spent the next two days helping the others take care of everything for Carrie and Drew. By the time they came home with baby Joel, their fridge and freezer were packed with enough food to last them a month. Xander put what couldn’t fit in the freezer at their house in the freezer at XD Home Restoration to grab whenever Carrie and Drew started running out of food.
I stopped by to see them Thursday morning before going to Daisies. Carrie was smiling but looked tired.
“Have you gotten any sleep yet?”
She shook her head. “He still has his days and night confused. The pediatrician said it could take a week. But he’s a good baby.”
“How are you handling it all?”
Carrie rolled her eyes. “I’m sore as fuck down there. Well, really, more sore than fuck. But I’m glad I did it natural. Drew was awesome through the whole thing.”
“You’re lucky. You found a good one.”
She grinned. “I really did.”
“Do you still think you’re going to like staying home?”
She nodded. “I’m sure there will be days that I’m dying to get out and do something, but I finally feel like I’m where I should be. Drew is going back to work next week so I’ll be on my own, but I think I’ll be fine.”
“I’m around so if you ever need anything, make sure you call me.”
“Thanks. I’ll do that.”
A soft cry echoed through the house, aided by the baby monitor sitting next to Carrie on the end table.
“Let me go grab him and then you can hold him for a minute before he eats.”
She disappeared before I could say anything. There was a part of me excited to hold him, but another part that was nervous. He was only three days old. I’d held Sam’s daughter, Madison, when she was that little, but only for a minute.
With my hormones in full swing, begging me to have my own little baby, I wasn’t sure I could handle holding Joel without my ovaries aching.
I heard soft voices and singing through the monitor. Joel cooed along with Carrie and Drew. I smiled at the family, feeling like I was invading their privacy for listening, but unable to turn off the monitor. I wanted to hear them. To share in the little glimpse I had into their lives.
When Drew carried Joel out, he kissed my cheek before he handed over his son. I looked up at him and saw so much love that I nearly fell over. When his eyes swung to Carrie, I realized how lucky she really was.
Even scarier was that I’d seen a look very similar to that one on Noah’s face more than once.
“How are things going with Noah?” Carrie asked, as though she could read my mind.
I kept my eyes on the beautiful little boy in my arms. Thick dark hair peeked out from beneath a blue knit hat. Wide, brown eyes stared up at me as he smacked his lips. He turned in my arms, rooting for something he wasn’t going to get from me, and I laughed.
“Noah’s good. I told him I’m thinking about staying.”
“What did he say?”
“He doesn’t want me to stay for him, but he wants me to stay.”
“Good answer,” Carrie said.
“I thought it was.” I offered Joel my pinky and he greedily sucked on it.
“How long do you think before she’s pregnant?” Carrie asked.
I was so focused on Joel that I didn’t realize she was talking about me until Drew said, “I would have said a few years, but judging by the look on her face, she’ll be pregnant within the year.”
I finally looked up at them. They were both laughing at me. “Are you talking about me?”
They nodded. “Yep.”
“I’m not having a kid anytime soon. Noah and I just met.”
Carrie smirked and shook her head. “You’re feeling it. You want babies. And you’re not going to take long to have them.”
“That’s crazy. I’m not going to get pregnant.”
But deep inside, I knew they were right. I wanted a baby. I wanted Noah’s baby. I wanted everything they had together. It hurt to think about it because I wanted it so bad. More than anything I’d ever wanted in my life. More than an acting career. More than revenge against Patrick. More than my next breath.
I said goodbye to Carrie and Drew when Joel realized he wasn’t getting anything from my finger and started crying. Their words echoed in my head the rest of the day and all afternoon. When the bell above the door let me know a customer was there, I was still thinking about my desire to have a baby, and wondering how long I needed to wait before I could have one.
“Can I help you?” I asked when the man came into view. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but I couldn’t put my finger on what it was. His dark brown hair was long, brushing his angular jaw. Chocolate eyes examined me closely, as though he was trying to figure out if we knew each other also. He smiled at me, reassuring me that we’d met before.
“Are you Tara?”
I nodded. “I am. Have we met? You look really familiar.”
He shook his head. “I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure. I would definitely remember you if we’d met.”
The creepy feeling that spread over me was not new, but it was worse. There was something about him that told me he could destroy me, for real. Not just in one part of my life, but he could destroy everything in my life. If this man chose to be an asshole, he could take everything from me.
And I wouldn’t have any way of stopping him.
“Are you looking to order some flowers today?” I asked, trying to stop my voice from shaking as badly as my hands were.
He shook his head. “No, but I appreciate the gesture. If you’d like to pretend you don’t know exactly why I’m here, we can go along with it. How about we say I’m ordering flowers for my girlfriend?”
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
He laughed, an evil sound that thumped into my heart. “I’m not the kind of guy who has a girlfriend. Women like you are more my style.”
“What does that mean?” I asked angrily, gripping the edge of the counter between us so I didn’t slap him.
He shrugged. “I like a little meat on a woman’s bones, but it’s more than that. The saucy black heels with the studs? The bright blue satin ruffles? Even the sexy little bows. A woman who can kick ass and still want me to bend her over the edge of the couch. I like that. Or…” He pushed down on the counter between us. “Maybe over the edge of this counter here.”
“If you touch me I’ll knock you out so fast you won’t even know it’s coming.”
He laughed, the sound rocking me back on my heels. He wasn’t intimidated, and he definitely wasn’t fooled.
“I know all about you, Tara. I’ve seen your movies and I’ve read up on your career, such as it was. I was cheering for you. I really hoped you’d make something of yourself. Your big mistake was hooking up with that fucker to start with. I don’t know why any woman would want to be with him.”
“What do you want from me?”
He shrugged. “What everyone wants. A story.”
“What do you have against Patrick?”
“Still on a first name basis with him I see. And here I thought you’d moved on when his relationship with Cassie came out.”
“What do you mean, came out?”
He shook his head. “See, Tara, we could be friends. I could help you before you go on the air next week. Give you some added ammunition against him.”
The idea held appeal, but I didn’t know anything about the guy. “Why should I trust you?”
He smirked and shrugged. “You shouldn’t. In this business, no one can be trusted. That’s what we’ve both learned, isn’t it? And a tiny little town like this one isn’t going to keep your secrets for long. You know that Winterville is going to cough you up once they realize you’re not going to help them. I guess you could be the town tramp, but then the women you think are your friends will turn on you.”
“Stop it,” I growled, low and dangerous. “Just stop now. I am not a tramp. I never have been. Those pictures you seem to think explain so much about me were something fun Patrick and I did. They weren’t slutty. They were sexy. It’s people like you who’ve turned them into something trashy and wrong. People who are in love should be able to do things like that without worrying about the whole world finding out and judging them.”
He arched an eyebrow at me and smirked. “So you’re still in love with Patrick. Isn’t that interesting. I bet your new boyfriend would love to hear that bit of information.”
“Stay away from Noah.”
He lifted his hands into the air, palms facing me, and backed away. I followed him around the edge of the counter, but he backpedaled quickly.
“I think Noah has a right to know who he’s spending his time with. Maybe this tv show is a chance for you to get back together with Patrick. Shouldn’t Noah be aware of what you’re really thinking? Wouldn’t want him to get hurt.”
He pushed out of the door before I could reach him. When I got outside, he was already peeling out of the parking lot, gravel flying behind him.
“Dammit!” I yelled into the sky.
How did that guy know so much about me? And Noah? I wanted to know who he was, but he didn’t even give me a name to check out. All I knew was he was dangerous, and he had the potential to ruin everything I’d worked so hard for in Winterville.
Especially what I had with Noah.