Chapter 27 #2
He looked tired. Not exhausted the way he had after the game but worn in a way I recognized now. The kind of tired that came from worrying but still showing up. His hair was damp like he’d showered. He wore a hoodie and sweats and looked like a man who could run through a wall if he needed to.
“I come bearing offerings,” he announced, kicking the door shut behind him with his heel.
Daniel stood up immediately. “Oh my god,” he said, like he’d forgotten Noah lived here.
Noah’s mouth twitched. “Hey, man.”
Daniel made a noise that was somewhere between a laugh and a choke. “Hi. Hello. You’re still stacked.”
Noah blinked, then looked at me like, is he always like this?
I shook my head slightly, smiling despite myself.
Noah set the bags down on the counter and pulled out burritos like he’d planned it.
He also pulled out a container of cut fruit and a couple of bottles of water.
He didn’t ask if we wanted them. He started placing things where we’d see them, like he’d learned fast that asking gave people room to say no.
He held up the bag of ice. “For your hands,” he said, looking at me directly. “Daniel told me they were hurting.”
“I’m fine,” I started automatically, because that was my favorite lie.
Noah’s eyes narrowed slightly. Not angry. Firm. “Em,” he said, like my name was a warning.
I shut my mouth.
He grabbed a clean dish towel, dumped a portion of ice into it, and folded it into a rough pack.
Then he walked it over and pressed it gently into my palms like he had every right to take care of me.
The cold shocked my skin. The relief that followed made my throat tighten again, because apparently I was emotional over ice now.
“Hold that for five minutes.” He sat next to me, positioning my hands between his. His eyes were intense again as he stared at me. He smelled like cologne and soap, and my stomach fluttered when he brought my hands up to his mouth and kissed the back of my hands. “Good girl.”
My stomach swooped. “I-I thought you were the one with a praise kink,” I whispered, damn well blushing and not caring Daniel could probably see us right now.
“Not the only one.” He winked, and his attention moved to the organized chaos. “Okay, talk me through the plan. What’s happening?”
I filled him in on the plan. Theo and Audrey, renting a place. Getting help. “They are flying in tonight I think, then we can move all this to a place tomorrow.”
He nodded, his full attention on me almost unnerving. He never stopped holding my hands, and his thumb rubbed small circles over my wrist. “I can get you help.”
My brows came together. “What do you mean?”
“Do you need people who can sew or do everything else?”
“Uh, both, probably?”
Noah grinned and leaned back, his teeth flashing at me. A spark entered his eyes. “I need to call the squad.”
“What squad?”
“Oh, Em. What is the point of being on the Rampage if I can’t call in an SOS to the boys’ chat?”
I rolled my eyes. “Noah, the team cannot help with this.”
“And why not? Don’t think a bunch of jocks could do it?”
“No, it’s not that. Just why would they want to help? This work is tedious. Hard.” I swallowed, already imagining them scoffing at what they would say. My dad’s words echoed in my brain, how this wasn’t real or worth it or stable.
“Yeah, and we help each other. You’re part of the family now, Em.” Noah kissed my forehead, taking the ice from my hands. “Now, I’ll take the trash out and walk Sassy. You get back to work.”
I nodded, even though my chest was tight with that familiar mix of gratitude and disbelief.
Noah made things sound simple without making me feel small for needing help, and that mattered more than the actual help itself.
I studied him as he grabbed the trash bag, tied it off with a practiced twist, and slung it over his shoulder.
He didn’t make a show of it. He never did.
Daniel waited until the door closed behind Noah before he leaned over and stage-whispered, “I would like to formally apologize for ever teasing you about being in love with him.”
I snorted, turning back to the machine. “You absolutely will not stop teasing me.”
“Correct,” he said easily. “But now it’s affectionate.”
The apartment fell back into motion after that, the rhythm settling again.
I worked in focused bursts, hands moving faster now that the nerves had burned off, muscle memory taking over where my thoughts tried to interfere.
The machine hummed under my fingers, steady and familiar, and I let myself sink into it instead of fighting the noise in my head.
Daniel bounced between tasks like he’d been built for this.
He packed finished pieces with care, double-checking labels and addresses, then hopped back to the laptop to answer emails with a tone that was professional but warm.
He flagged messages for me when they actually needed my input and handled the rest without drama. Something loosened in my chest.
I wasn’t alone in this. Not anymore.
My phone buzzed on the table, and for half a second I worried it would be my dad again. Instead, it was an email notification from the Windy Lakes—the women’s soccer team. I wiped my hands, steadied my breathing, and opened it carefully like it might explode.
They wanted a call tomorrow morning to discuss a potential partnership. I’d emailed them that morning at four a.m. when I couldn’t sleep—and they responded that fast. They’d seen my stuff and wanted in.
I stared at the screen longer than necessary, blood draining from my face. This was unbelievable.
“Good news?” Daniel asked, already peering over my shoulder.
“I think so,” I said slowly. “Windy Lakes wants to work…with me.”
He grinned and hit my shoulder. “Yeah. That tends to happen when you’re good at things.”
I rolled my eyes, but I couldn’t stop smiling as I typed back. I kept my response clear and honest and told them I was deep in fulfillment but excited to plan something sustainable. When I hit send, my hands shook a little.
Another buzz followed almost immediately. Theo.
Theo: Storefront secured. Eight-minute walk from Noah’s place. Keys at four. Audrey’s already planning shelving.
I pressed my lips together hard, emotion spiking fast and inconveniently. Eight minutes. Real space. Walls that weren’t borrowed. I stared at the message until Daniel noticed.
“What?” he asked, already smiling.
“He got a place,” I said, voice rough. “A real one.”
Daniel whooped, loud enough that Sassy barked from the hallway. “YES. Okay. Okay. This just leveled up.”
The next hour blurred. Fabric moved from pile to pile. Finished pieces stacked neatly by size and team. Daniel created a color-coded system that made my brain feel calmer just looking at it. I didn’t question it. I trusted him and kept working.
Noah came back in smelling like fresh air and city noise, Sassy trotting proudly up to him to nuzzle him. He dropped another trash bag by the door, then paused when he saw the progress. His eyes moved slowly over the room, taking it all in.
“Holy shit,” he said quietly. “You did all this?”
“We,” Daniel corrected.
Noah smiled at me anyway, like the distinction didn’t matter. He crossed the room, careful not to bump anything, and leaned down to press a kiss to the side of my head. “You doing okay?” he murmured.
I nodded. “Tired. But good.”
“Uh, Noah, guess who emailed her back already and wants to fucking partner with her?” Daniel blurted out, his energy and excitement uncontainable.
“Wait, who?” Noah’s gaze sharpened with awareness. “Em, who?”
“Windy Lakes.” I blushed as I said the words, my brain not quite able to comprehend that a second professional sports team wanted to work with me. “The women’s—”
“Soccer team, yes. Holy shit, Em.” Noah’s hand went to his hair, pulling as his smile stretched so large he looked like a cartoon character. “I fucking knew it! Em, this is huge!”
He cackled and then picked me up and spun me around. “This is the beginning. I know it in my gut. You are just getting started.”
I smiled back at him. How could I not? He was so excited for me. He believed in me. My eyes welled up, and Noah cupped my face, pride leaking out of every pore. “Theo got a place eight minutes away. I-I can get the keys at four.”
Noah’s eyes shut as he breathed in deep. “I’ll go with you, then I’ll get Miles. If you don’t mind sitting with him, I can help move all the stuff to the new place with Daniel. You should rest.”
“No, I don’t—”
He squeezed my shoulder once, then pulled out his phone. “I’m calling the squad to help with this. We might be jocks, but we’re strong and can move shit. You don’t need to do that.”
Daniel perked up. “I would like to be present for this.”
Noah ignored him, already typing. I watched his expression shift as replies came in, eyebrows lifting, mouth curving. He glanced at me, something warm and determined in his eyes.
“They’re in,” he said. “A few guys can help with the move tonight. A few partners too—whatever you need. Cutting, packing, runs to the supply store. No sewing unless you want them to.”
My throat tightened. “You don’t have to—”
“I want to,” he said simply. “We help our people.”
The word people landed differently now. It didn’t feel conditional. It felt chosen.
By midafternoon, the apartment buzzed with purpose. Orders were labeled. Shipping supplies stacked by the door. Daniel had a running checklist taped to the fridge and crossed things off with aggressive satisfaction. I checked the time and realized I hadn’t thought about my dad once in hours.
That felt like progress.
When Noah set a bottle of water next to me and nudged it closer with his knuckle, I caught his wrist gently. “Thank you,” I said, quieter than I meant to.
He leaned down, voice just for me. “You don’t ever have to thank me for believing in you.”
My chest did that thing again.
The day kept moving, but something had shifted underneath it all. The fear wasn’t gone, but it wasn’t steering anymore. I was building something real, with people who showed up instead of tearing me down.
The back of my mind told me the other shoe would drop. It always did, but I shoved that stupid shoe out of my brain and buried it deep. I wasn’t gonna let anything get in the way of this dream. Not a single thing.