Chapter 45 Noah #2
My little guy shakes his head. “Nah, I’m gonna make her work for that. Kissing feels like a second-grade thing.”
Sienna’s shocked laughter rings out, the sound lighting me up inside.
After dinner and a round of Chutes and Ladders, she offers to clean up while I get Ollie ready for bed. Before he heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth, he throws his arms around her waist, surprising us both. “I’m so glad you came to see us.”
Once he’s tucked in, I turn off his bedroom light, leaving only the nightlight above his bed on so he can read for another fifteen minutes, then shuffle out to find my girl.
She’s settled on my couch, a full wineglass on the table in front of her, a blanket draped over her legs, and a book in her lap. She’s made herself comfortable, and I like that more than I can explain.
When she spots me, she breaks into a soft smile.
Tonight was a good night. And I can’t help but dream of a life where every night looks like this.
A wave of melancholy hits me next, because every night can’t be like this since I don’t have Ollie full time. And honestly, I’m not sure Sienna’s in this wholeheartedly yet.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, her brow creased.
I force a smile and ease onto the couch beside her. “Nothing. You’re here. I’m happy.” I pull her legs over mine, settling my hands on her bare shins. She’s dressed in a pair of jean shorts and a simple black T-shirt, looking all sorts of relaxed.
“Don’t lie to me. I saw the smile drop for a second. Tell me what you’re thinking.”
I let out a low laugh and look toward Ollie’s bedroom. “I was just thinking about how nice it is having you both here and how I wish it was like this more often.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
Her soft tone lures me back to the moment, and I meet her inquisitive gaze. “It is for a person who travels as much as I do. I don’t get enough time with him as it is, and today I found out I’ll have to miss his T-ball tournament because of the charity skate Ezra coordinated in Michigan.”
Lips twisting, she nods thoughtfully.
“You know what the worst part of it all is? It’s how understanding my kid was when I broke the news. He didn’t even get upset. More than anything, I wanted to tell Gavin that I wouldn’t be there. That I had other obligations, but since I’m up for contract negotiations, I have to play ball.”
Sienna’s eyes widen. “We can’t talk about that.”
I squeeze her thigh. “You don’t have to say anything. This is me talking to Sienna, the woman I can’t stop thinking about. Not Sienna the CEO.”
Her brows lower, her expression guarded. “You know I want you to stay.”
I grin, eager to lighten the suddenly somber mood. I’m not as worried about the contract as I probably should be, and I definitely don’t want her to think I expect her to do anything on my behalf. “Do you, now?”
She nods, her teeth scraping over her bottom lip. “I, uh, I wanted to show you something.”
“Mmm?” I settle deeper into the cushions, relishing how right it feels to have her this close.
She tucks her chin and studies the book in her hand for several seconds. When she holds it up, there’s this moment before I understand what I’m looking at. A heartbeat, really. And when it’s over, I’m suddenly no longer the same man. I’ve changed irrevocably and completely.
The truth slams into me like a boulder, knocking the air from my lungs.
I’ve seen hundreds of these books. Hell, I purchased hundreds of them. But this one looks worn, and this inexplicable nudge, this voice in my head, tells me that it might actually be the one.
The book I brought to the Bahamas. Hannah’s debut novel. The one I was reading on the plane the day I first laid eyes on Sienna.
At that time, I couldn’t have fathomed what she’d come to mean to me. I never would have believed she’d be the love of my life.
Yet here we are. And I’d bet everything I have that the object in her hand is the book.
I grasp it, and for a moment, we hold it like that, the both of us.
“I never thought I’d find this,” she whispers.
A hope stronger than any I’ve ever known bursts to life inside me. “But you did.”
With a nod, she releases it.
I take a steadying breath, eyeing it, then her. When her lips tick up just a little, I ease the cover open.
There, in black ink, are my name and number, along with the first message I left her inside one of these paperbacks.
The first of many.
Because I cheated. I signed far more than one.
But only this one was also signed by Hannah.
This is it.
The chances that she’d find any of them are slim. But this one? It was a proverbial needle in a haystack.
Sienna’s soft voice breaks through my spiraling. “I think we can both admit that we mean a lot to one another. And maybe it’s time to acknowledge that the universe wants us to be together.”
I smile. “Yeah, it would appear so.”
She gnaws on her lip. “So please talk to me. About everything. Your concerns. Your fears. About life and Ollie and—” She shakes her head.
“I know I’m not his mom, and I know he’s got a great one, but I want to be there for you.
I want to help in any way you’ll let me.
I really care about him. And you.” She swipes a tear from her cheek, her lips trembling with emotion.
“Oh yeah?” Grinning, I brush away another falling tear.
Throat bobbing, she holds my gaze. “Yeah. And I want to be with you.” She shrugs, suddenly radiating nervousness. “If that’s what you want, that is.”
I chuckle. “Oh, Sienna Langfield, I want to more than be with you.”
She straightens. “Like you want to be my boyfriend?” Her eyes flash with a mix of excitement and nerves. Like she thinks a universe exists in which I don’t want her with my whole damn heart. Fuck, if that’s the case, then I’ve done a shit job of showing her how I feel.
I smooth my thumb across her damp cheek and shake my head. “No, but we could start there.”
Her confidence falters, her shoulders falling. “Start?”
Angling in, ensuring her eyes are on mine, I lay it out for her.
My voice doesn’t shake, and my focus doesn’t waver.
A peace settles deep inside me, anchored with the certainty I feel when it comes to this woman.
I’m confident. Settled and sure that Sienna is my future.
“You’re asking me if I want to be your boyfriend.
I’m telling you, if it was my choice, I’d be your husband. ”
I wait for her to rear back. To brush off the statement. To backtrack like she has so many times since I found her again. Instead, her green eyes widen and glitter with hope. Then a wide, surprised smile splits her face.
Warmth flashes through my veins, lighting me up all over. The emotion radiating from her is one I want to hold on to forever. I want to grow old with this woman. I want her to be the last thing I see before I leave this earth.
“Okay,” she rasps.
My heart stutters as the word bounces around in my brain. “Okay?”
Her smile lights up the room as it grows, and her giggle is like a perfect fucking song.
She leans in, fisting my shirt, and crawls into my lap.
“Okay.” She drapes her arms around my neck.
“We’ll do it your way. But the boyfriend thing first.” She shrugs like she didn’t just tell me that one day she’ll agree to be my wife.
Like she didn’t just make me the happiest fucking guy alive.
I hold her tight and close my eyes and just breathe her in. There’s nothing left to be said because Sienna Fucking Langfield is officially my girlfriend.
Now, we just have to tell her brothers.