Chapter 29
When Noah woke, he was on his back, covered by the most amazing woman on the planet. He kept his eyes closed a moment, soaking it all in: the night before, the words he and Olive had said to each other, then hours of not speaking at all, communicating solely with their bodies. He didn’t have to open his eyes to search hers and try to guess what she might be thinking; neither of them were hiding anymore.
He looked down. Snugged up against his side, Olive was burrowed into the meat of his shoulder, an arm and leg thrown over the top of him. He could tell by her breathing she was still out.
They hadn’t gotten to sleep much more than an hour or two ago. He could use a bunch more hours, but the sun was high and slanting in through his bedroom window and across the bed.
The air was frosty, but beneath the down comforter, their bodies generated a heat that warmed every last dark corner of his heart.
Then he realized Olive had woken and was quietly studying him. “Regrets?”
she asked softly.
“Only that I can’t make you breakfast in bed. I haven’t been here in weeks and I don’t have any fresh food.”
“It’s okay. I have the feeling we don’t have time for that anyway. I can hear both of our phones going off.”
She sat up. “The real world is calling.”
He sat up too and pulled her onto his lap so that she was straddling him. “This is the real world, Oli.”
“Is it?”
she asked quietly.
He let his voice fill with promise. “Yes. I’m yours, and I want to be yours.”
She stared at him, then smiled. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
He really didn’t want to do this, but . . . “We should get back for Katie and Joey.”
“Agreed.”
She slid out of bed without a stitch of clothing on and turned coyly back to him. “Coming?”
He groaned. “You’re a cruel, cruel woman.”
“What?”
she asked innocently. “You’re the one in a hurry. I’m going to take a really fast shower.”
He was out of bed in a flash. “We’ll shower together to save time.”
Note that they did not, in fact, save time at all . . .
Several hours later, Noah led Olive into his sister’s house by the hand. The living room was quiet, so he took the opportunity to press her back against the closed front door and kiss her. “The first time I met you, I had no damn idea I’d come to love you with everything I’ve got.”
“?‘Damn’ is still a bad word,”
Joey said.
They both turned around to find they had an audience crowded in the open doorway to the kitchen. Joey, Katie, Noah’s mom . . . and—
Joe, leaning on Katie, one arm slung around her shoulders, the other holding Joey’s hand.
“You’re home!”
Noah strode over and hugged him hard, too choked up at the sight of him to say anything else.
Katie smiled at Olive. “What, I don’t get a hug?”
Olive’s jaw dropped. “Really? I can hug you?”
“No, I was just kidding.”
Olive hugged her anyway. As usual, Katie endured it, hands down at her sides, but she was smiling.
Joe was still holding tightly onto Noah. “If you think the hug’s gone on too long, it’s because my legs have decided to take a nap.”
Noah gently pushed him into a chair. Joe swiped an arm over his wet eyes, and Noah wasn’t too proud to do the same. “Man, you’re a sight for sore eyes.”
“Seems fair,”
Joe said. “Because everything I own is sore. And you know I don’t like to be the only one suffering.”
Katie made a funny sound deep in her throat and everyone turned to look at her. She had tears streaming down her face.
Olive gasped at her. “Are you . . . crying?”
“No, you’re crying.”
She went to swipe her tears away.
“Stop!”
Olive yelled. “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve been prepping for this moment since we were fourteen, so don’t move!”
She pulled tissues from her pocket, which were slightly wadded. “I’ve had these for a long time.”
“Ew,”
Katie said.
“But good ‘ew,’ right?”
Olive asked.
“No, you weirdo.”
But she took the tissues, blew her nose, and then handed Olive back the tissues. Or tried to.
Olive put her hands behind her back.
“Oh, so you want to hug, but you don’t want to hold my boogers?”
“I do not,”
Olive said. “And you just made it weird.”
Katie sighed. “I know.”
She looked around, clearly for something to distract them, like she always did after she’d embarrassed herself. “Noah and Olive have been sneaking around.”
“No,”
Noah said. “We’re not.”
Olive stilled, looking stricken.
Joe looked at his wife. “I honestly thought he had more game than this.”
“We’re not sneaking around,”
Noah said to the room while holding Olive’s gaze. “It’s out in the open. We’re seeing each other and it’s serious.”
His mom, who’d just come down the stairs, gasped with delight, but before she could speak, Katie stepped forward. “Hold on!”
she said. “I mean, yes, it’s great these two pulled their heads out of their butts, but I have bigger news!”
“Bigger than your husband coming home from the hospital?”
Noah asked. “Which, by the way, you could’ve told me. We’d have gotten here sooner.”
“I called you like ten times! And never mind about that right now. Guess what?”
She beamed wide. “Joe isn’t going back to the job! He’s going to take some time to fully recover, and then run the shop so Mom can retire and go travel with her friends.”
Olive beamed at her. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you, for all of you.”
“Me too.”
Noah pointed at Joe. “But don’t think I’m going to help you with the shop.”
“You’ll be too busy,”
Joe said. “I heard you’ll be taking over Neil’s job.”
“You heard wrong.”
Noah looked at Olive. “I’m going to keep my job on this side of the country. For now anyway.”
Joe looked at the way he was holding Olive close and smiled. “Nice.”
His mom had been quiet. Smiling, but quiet. At the lull in conversation, she walked toward the woman Noah intended to spend the rest of his life with.
“I’m truly sorry,”
she said to Olive. “I never should have—”
Olive hugged her, then pulled back. “You did what you had to, and so did I. Let’s look forward to what’s ahead.”
Noah’s mom looked hopeful. “And what’s ahead for you two? A wedding? Kids?”
Noah grimaced. “Mom.”
Olive waved him off. “You know what? I’m going to amend my statement. Let’s all spend a little more time in the moment before getting too far ahead of ourselves.”
Noah grinned at her, never loving her more than he did in that moment. “Agreed,”
he said. “But just to be clear, I’m looking forward to this moment, and all the moments to come. With you, for as long as you’ll have me.”
“That might be a long time.”
He nodded, his eyes reading her face, which was more fascinating than any book on the planet. “I’m counting on forever.”