16. Maddy
16
MADDY
“ A re you okay?” Noah asked, watching me through narrowed eyes.
We were heading down the hallway to Nia and Hope’s apartment, and I thought I was covering up how nervous I was feeling. “Yeah. It’s just…”
“You want us to all get along,” he finished for me. “Don’t worry, I know how to make people like me.” He took my hand and squeezed it.
I had firsthand experience with his powers of persuasion, but my girls were next-level at judging people. Especially people who’d been claiming all of my time for the past month.
“It’s just weird, you know? Both of my worlds colliding.”
He paused and cupped my chin in his hand. “Don’t worry. It’s going to be great.” Noah gave me a quick kiss.
I sure hoped so. I’d been part of the judge and jury when Hope had introduced us to a guy she claimed to be falling for. Nia, Cassie, and I had picked him apart in a cross examination like he was on the witness stand at a murder trial. Before long, he’d revealed that he’d never done his own laundry and he didn’t know who Ruth Bader Ginsberg was. I wondered what shocking confessions they were going to try to dig out of Noah. And more importantly, I was a little curious if he had any worth discovering.
“Here we go,” I muttered as I knocked.
The door swung open almost immediately.
“Baby girl!” Nia shouted and pulled me into a hug.
We laughed and held each other tightly. When she finally let me go I stepped aside. “Nia, this is Noah.”
Her megawatt smile dimmed slightly. I expected her to give him a hug since she hugged everyone, but she held out her hand instead.
“Nice to finally meet the person who stole our friend away.”
Noah laughed good naturedly and took her hand. “I can’t promise it won’t happen again. Maddy has become an integral part of the team.”
Nia didn’t laugh with him, and my heartbeat sped up as we walked into the apartment.
“Is that the Madster?” a voice inside called out.
I was relieved to hear Hope’s cheerful voice. She was always the honey to Nia’s vinegar.
She and Cassie jogged over to say hi, and they both gave Noah equally cool greetings. I glanced over to see if the tension was impacting him, but he was wearing the same friendly expression he used when trying to win over judgy players’ mothers. He had his work cut out for him here—my trio was tough .
“I put some apps out on the table,” Hope said, pointing across the room. “Noah, what can I get you to drink?”
“Water or seltzer is fine for now, thanks.”
Cassie raised an eyebrow, and I wondered if she considered Noah skipping alcohol a plus or minus.
“Maddy, can you give me a hand in the kitchen?” Hope asked. “Nia and Cassie can keep Noah company while we finish up.”
I shot him a nervous look as I followed behind Hope, but he smiled and gave me an encouraging nod.
She pulled me close once we were alone in the kitchen. “He’s hot in real life! Like, way hotter than his pictures.”
I laughed. “Yeah, he is.”
“But… how old is he again?”
I knew it was coming, but I hadn’t expected her to go there immediately. Noah was gorgeous, but seeing us together in person made the age gap between us obvious. “Forty-three.”
Hope’s expression went serious. “So that’s…” she moved her lips silently as she calculated the number I already knew, “… eighteen years. Hm.”
“Yeah, and?”
Hope shook her head and moved to the stovetop to stir a pot. “Nothing.”
I leaned on the counter next to where she was working so I could see her face. “You’re a terrible liar. Tell me.”
She paused mid-stir. “I’m just a little worried that he’s…” Her expression went pained.
“Hope, come on. Just say it.” I wasn’t sure where the conversation was headed. Was she worried about the fact that he was my boss? His money and lifestyle?
“I think he might be, like, you know, a substitute father figure.”
Ouch .
Hope’s gentle tone took some of the sting out of her accusation. I’d never considered that it could be part of my attraction to Noah—and I still didn’t believe it was—but now that she’d said it I could see where she was coming from and why she’d be worried about that.
“Hopie, I swear that’s not the case. I’m attracted to Noah the man .”
“So it’s just sexual?”
I choked out a laugh. “Geez, did you turn into Nia while I was gone? No, that’s not it either. We just connect. Obviously sports is a big part of it but there’s so much more. Being away with him gave us the chance to connect as people, not colleagues. Honestly, I don’t even think about our age gap. We discovered we’re really compatible, and we like the same stuff.”
“Well, that’s not surprising. Who wouldn’t like five-star restaurants and hotels?” Hope laughed and went back to stirring.
“It’s more than that,” I protested. “He can be kind of intimidating, but he also really wants the best for his clients. And while he has high expectations, he would never ask any of his employees to do something that he’s not willing to do. It’s the reason his business is so successful. You’ll understand once you get to know him.”
She turned to face me. “I hope so. Because we’ve never seen you like this, and we don’t want you to get hurt. He doesn’t seem like a ‘two kids and white picket fence’ kind of guy.”
I laughed again. “Whoa, slow down. This is all pretty new. And I’m not even sure that’s what I want.”
Nia poked her head in the kitchen. “Noah changed his mind, he wants to try my sangria!” She glanced between us and picked up on our serious expressions. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, we’re good,” Hope said. “How’s it going out there?”
“He’s growing on me,” she admitted begrudgingly. “We tried to get him to break but the man can take a beating.”
“Nia,” I chastised. “Be nice !”
“What? I am nice! And what’s wrong with asking if he’s good enough for you?”
I stared at her for a beat in horror. “Seriously? You asked him that?”
“Oh come on, of course I didn’t.” She shot me her version of innocent eyes. “Cassie did.”
I sighed. “That’s it. I need to come out and supervise.” I pointed to the stove. “Hope, do you actually need my help, or did you just get me in here so the others could pick Noah to shreds?”
“I’m good, go save your man.”
Nia stayed behind to pour the sangria, so I headed for the family room where Cassie and Noah were sitting.
“Sangria is on the way. I’m guessing you need it,” I said, throwing myself on the couch next to him.
He chuckled. “Now why would you say that? Your friends are being wonderful hosts.”
“Liar.”
Cassie widened her eyes innocently. “It’s a host’s job to take an interest in her guests, right? So what’s wrong with me asking about Noah’s dating history, specifically the exact duration of his longest relationship?”
“ Cass ,” I scolded.
Noah reached out to grab my knee. “She’s kidding. I was telling her about how all of the footballers in Prague kept falling all over themselves to talk to you.”
“Our girl is a hot commodity,” Cassie shrugged. “You should consider yourself lucky.”
“Oh, I do.” He gave my knee a squeeze and held my gaze, making me feel all shimmery inside. I’d expected him to be more reserved around my friends, but he was the same warm, thoughtful Noah I’d come to know over the past month.
“I’ve got drinks, it’s time to toast,” Nia said, walking out holding a tray. “Sangria for everyone but our momma-to-be.”
Noah turned to Cassie. “That’s right, Maddy mentioned you’re expecting. Congratulations.”
“Thank you,” she said, smiling as she ran her hand down the world’s tiniest bump. “I’m excited to make these ladies my baby’s godmothers.”
“Do you know what you’re having?” Noah asked, taking his glass from Nia.
“A boy.”
“Yeah, she had a wonderful gender reveal party, but Maddy missed it because you stole her away,” Nia said. Her tone was joking but her expression wasn’t.
If Noah noticed he didn’t let on. “That’s such a difficult part of my business. There are quite a few important events I’ve missed because I had work commitments. Even getting to James’s wedding in time for the ceremony was tricky. He wanted me to be a groomsman, but I couldn’t say yes when I knew I’d have to miss all the events leading up to the wedding. I do have some regrets.”
His candor seemed to stun Nia and Hope into silence. They’d probably been ready for him to push back.
“So, do you want kids?” Cassie asked.
Hope burst into the room clapping her hands. “Dinner everyone, let’s go! The stuffed shells are ready.”
I’d never been happier for an interruption. I glanced at Noah and he looked unfazed, but then again, remaining unruffled was a way of life for him. He’d never let anyone see him sweat.
“To answer your question, Cassie,” Noah said as he stood up. “Yes, I do want children.”
Why did hearing it send a shiver of excitement up my spine? We were still in the beginning stages of whatever it was we were doing. His confession that he wanted kids had nothing to do with me. And yet… it made me feel hopeful.
We all settled in for what turned out to be a delicious pasta dinner. I was a little too nervous to eat as much as I usually would, even though the interrogation had settled to normal getting-to-know-you chatter. The fact that my girls were laughing at his stories, really laughing and not just being polite, warmed my heart.
“Let’s say one of us is single,” Nia cleared her throat and pointed at herself then tossed her hair dramatically. “Do you have any clients who are looking for a petite, badass bombshell?”
The groans and laughter filled the room.
“Now that I’ve gotten to know you, I’m not sure any of my clients could handle you,” Noah said with a grin. “You’re quite a formidable presence.”
She frowned. “You’re telling me not one of those big boys could take me on?”
“They could try, but I can’t think of any who would deserve a woman like you. Like any of you.” He glanced around the table. “It’s no surprise Maddy’s closest friends are all as strong, intelligent, and impressive as she is. But I don’t want you to misunderstand what I’m saying about my clients. They’re all impressive in their own right. They wouldn’t be with PSM if they weren’t.”
Noah adjusted his glass. “But if I’m being honest, something about the professional athlete lifestyle changes a lot of them on a fundamental level. They all come into the game with the same bright-eyed, overwhelmed eagerness, but after a few months of star treatment they start to change.”
I thought about Matthew Garrison. It didn’t seem possible that he could give off anything but the sweet little brother vibe. I hoped Noah was wrong.
“So they all turn into assholes?” Cassie asked pointedly.
Noah chuckled. “Some do. But it’s more an air of…. Let me say it this way; they know how to work hard on the field or on the court, but once they step off, they expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter. There are some women who are happy to go along with it—we all know that there definitely are perks that come with being a player’s girlfriend—but I think too many of these guys lose sight of the important stuff in a relationship.” Noah glanced around the table then let his gaze linger on me. “Partnership. Trust. Commitment.”
“I sort of feel bad for them,” Hope said, plopping her elbow on the table and cupping her chin in her hand.
“Yeah, I do too. I do my best to advise them, but there are so many other outside forces at work.”
The room went quiet as we all seemed to consider what was important to us in a relationship. So far Noah had definitely checked the boxes for me—he respected me, appreciated my insights. And I was slowly coming to trust him.
All that was left was commitment, and I had no idea if Noah Parker could go the distance, or if he even wanted to.