Chapter 21 Noah
TWENTY-ONE
NOAH
“Hi, I’m Noah.”
Devastation sweeps across Sienna’s face.
Fuck.
I knew this moment would come eventually. Hell, I’ve seen the woman from afar more than once since she returned to Boston.
Still, I’m completely unprepared to be standing so close to her. With my son and my sister at my side.
It’s been six years, yet her eyes are more familiar to me than my own. They call to me, draw me in, as if looking into them is the most natural thing in the world.
She thinks I don’t remember her, like I could ever fucking forget. Like I didn’t spend almost five years searching for her, only to find out she’s the sister of one of my closest friends.
Forget her? It would be completely impossible.
“You have a child,” she mumbles as she glances down at Ollie.
“Wait,” Hannah says, her tone ticking higher, like she’s onto something. “You know each other?”
My chest tightens with unease. Now’s not the time to catch on, Han.
Sienna finally blinks and then shakes her head. “No, I just meant hockey player Noah. Noah…” She snaps her fingers like she’s trying to conjure my name.
“Harrison,” I supply.
This interaction and her absolute shock confirm that while I know exactly who she is, she had no idea until this moment who I was.
Sienna nods and forces a smile. “Right. I’ve been studying the players’ pictures so I could put names with faces. I just didn’t know the, uh, picture of the man Noah—this Noah—had a child.”
Hannah frowns. “Why would a picture tell you he has a child?”
I let out a gruff sigh. “It’s been a long day, Han. Cut her some slack.”
Sienna swallows heavily, avoiding eye contact.
“Dad.” Ollie tugs on my suit jacket. “Can we go home now? I’m tired.”
I look down at him, taking in the dark circles beneath his eyes. Shit. It’s late. Before we leave, though, I have to say something to Sienna. But when I look up again, she’s heading toward the door, her back turned.
“Where’s she going?” I ask Hannah, my heart lurching. It’s been six years, and those three damn words—Hi, I’m Noah—can’t be all I say to her when we finally find each other again. She needs to know I remember. She needs to…fuck, I don’t know.
Hannah tilts her head, her eyes narrowing. “Um, home, I’m guessing. It’s late. We should go too.’”
I nod. “Right. Did she say how she’s getting home?”
“What’s going on with you?” my sister demands, a hand on her hip.
“Nothing. She’s just a young woman, and it’s late. It’s called being gentlemanly. And she’s my best friend’s sister,” I add with a bit more force, because that fact still pisses me off. “I’d hope my friends would make sure you got home if I wasn’t around.”
Hannah’s lips twitch like she’s holding back a laugh. “Right, but her brothers are here. Right there, in fact.” She points to the group of them.
All three in attendance tonight are standing around, oblivious to their sister’s sudden departure.
“They don’t seem the least bit concerned.
Probably because she’s a grown woman. A grown woman who no doubt has a driver waiting right outside the doors.
” With every word she speaks, her tone creeps higher and her eyes shine brighter, like she sees right through me.
“Because she’s a freaking Langfield. You realize that, right? She’s a Langfield. And your boss.”
I blow out a breath, keeping my expression flat. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you don’t,” she singsongs.
“Uncle Danny,” Ollie yells, startling me.
Daniel steps into the room behind me, and my little guy darts for him.
Mav bounces in Hannah’s arms, reaching for his father.
Damn. I never thought I’d be so grateful for my idiot of a brother-in-law, but when Hannah’s focus turns to her husband, I’m granted a momentary reprieve.
It’s the break I need to remind myself to shut the fuck up and stop talking about Sienna. She’s fine. Like Hannah says, there’s no way she doesn’t have a driver waiting for her.
And there’s no way she wants me to check on her anyway.
But now that I have her number, the dollar bill it’s printed on is burning a hole in my pocket.
I itch to text her. To check in. Make sure she’s okay. We need to talk. But I don’t have the first clue how that will go or where to start. Or even what I want to say.
All I know is that it’s been too damn long since I last touched Sienna Langfield. And now that she’s within reach, I’ve already fucked it all up.