Chapter 52
Chapter Fifty-Two
Tori
The flight to New York was long and exhausting. Noah kept checking I was okay, and being everything I needed at that moment. But all his reassurance, love, and compassion can’t erase the anxiety and fear that is growing by the hour. Now, the shock has worn off, I am feeling it all.
I knock on Harry and Ali’s apartment door with a shaky hand and let out a slow breath just as Noah wraps a comforting arm around my waist and Harry pulls open the door.
His gaze bounces between Noah and I.
“What are you two doing here…together?” he asks, eyeing us suspiciously. Silence falls, and I swear I am about to throw up what little I have in my stomach. But I’m thankful when Noah springs into action.
“Nice to see you too. Can’t your two favorite people surprise you?” he says with a fake grin.
“Sure,” he says, tone unsure. “Come in.”
We walk in, Noah wheeling in our cases. Ali leaps up from her spot on the couch and runs towards me.
“Tor, aaahh. It’s so good to see you.” I throw my arms around her. She pulls back, hands clamped on my shoulders, and eyes me suspiciously. “What’s wrong?”
“I umm, need to talk to Harry. There’s something I need to tell him,” I whisper, hoping she understands the unspoken words in my tone.
Her mouth falls open, and I nod slowly. I know she doesn’t grasp the full weight of what I am about to ambush Harry with, but I’m so thankful she gets it.
“I got you, girl.”
“Noah,” she says louder than needed. “Always a pleasure. Harry just got a new wide screen fitted in the den. Wanna get some beers and see, so these twins can catch up.”
Noah glances over at me, and I give him a subtle nod.
“Sounds good,” Noah says, following Ali down the hall.
“So, what’s wrong? Tell your big brother all about it,” Harry says, walking towards the large sectional couch in the middle of the giant space they call an apartment.
I take a seat beside him, shrugging off my jacket and clasping my hands together.
“Nothing’s wrong,” I declare,” I just wanted to see you.”
“Victoria May Walker, my twin senses are tingling. Something’s wrong, and it must be big if you have flown all the way here to tell me.”
I cross my legs and take one of the large decorative cushions and hug it to my body as if it were a shield. A layer of protection for myself.
I close my eyes, searching for the right way to drop this bomb on him. When we planned this trip, it was just to tell him that Noah and I were together, but now, with a baby in the mix, this feels harder to say.
“Tori, you’re scaring me. Are you sick? Is everything okay? Is it mom or dad?
I open my eyes. “No, they’re fine. It’s about me, and…” My words trail off.
“And…” he says.
Come on, Tori, just rip the band aid off.
I take his hand in mine and squeeze it tightly.
“I’m pregnant,” I say, my words rushed.
Harry’s mouth opens, making an O shape, and when I see he’s about to speak, I blurt out, “And Noah’s the dad.”
He blinks animatedly. What feels like minutes pass, and he says nothing, just stares straight through me.
“Harry, please, say something.”
He clears his throat. “I’m, umm, just processing.”
“I know it’s a lot to take in.”
He presses his lips together and nods, eyes bulging. Then, he stands up and begins pacing in front of the window. “So, you and Noah?”
“Yes.”
“My twin sister and my best friend, Noah?” he says to himself, but I answer anyway.
“Yes.”
“How, when… why?” he asks, scratching his head.
“It’s complicated,” I say, fiddling with the loose thread on the cushion.
He continues pacing like a caged animal. “I need a drink. Do you need a drink? I’ll get us a whiskey. Shit, you can’t have whiskey. Tea? Can pregnant women drink tea?” he rambles.
“Yes, we can drink tea.” I huff, rolling my eyes. “Please sit down,” I beg, gripping his wrist and tugging him back down on the couch.
“Are you okay?” he asks, with a tenderness to his tone that has my eyes burning with unshed tears.
“I’m scared,” I admit.
“So, this thing with Noah, it’s serious?”
I give my first genuine smile since I landed in New York earlier today.
“Yeah. He’s excited about the baby. It was unexpected, so we have things to figure out, but he says he’s in it for the long haul, so you don’t need to worry,” I reassure Harry.
He shakes his head. “I never doubted that. Noah is one of the best guys I know. He’ll be there for you, just like he always has, it seems.”
“I love him, Harry. After Trent, I didn’t think I’d love again, but Noah, he feels…” I swipe the tear rolling down my cheek. “He feels like he’s my person, you know?”
He nods. “I get it. I felt that way about Ali.”
“The love you two have, that’s what I want, and I think I’ll have that with Noah.” A wave of guilt hits me, and my stomach curls into a tight fist.
“I know you miss him, and we’ll never forget him,” Harry says, knowing what I was thinking and feeling at that very moment. Call it our twin–tuition. “But it’s okay to move on, to be happy again, and I couldn’t think of a better man than Noah for you to be with.”
I wrap my arms around my brother, squeezing him tightly, silently thanking him for being everything I needed and dissolving some of my fears.
Maybe this is all going to work out after all.