Noah
“Okay, so please tell me we don’t have to watch Christmas movies,” Chance whines from the couch. I hand him a mug of hot chocolate and sit next to him with my own cup. “I mean, I will for you, but I might cry.”
The fireplace is going, and the Christmas tree is lit up by the window. The tree we picked out together and brought home to decorate. I didn’t worry about anyone seeing us, although I probably should have.
It’s like now that LeAnn knows and is, of course, totally fine with it, the rest of the world doesn’t matter.
Not even Kensley. I don’t want to lose my job or have it be a big deal, but if I do and it is, well then that’s what it is.
I can’t change it, and I don’t want to hide Chance away.
I want to love him loudly. LeAnn and Daniel are coming tomorrow afternoon.
I double-checked the time. LeAnn never has to knock on the front door when she comes home, but I made it clear that she should probably not wander into the bedrooms without hollering and making her presence known first.
I don’t think she’ll make that mistake again.
We used the day after Thanksgiving to move all Chance’s things from the house he was renting into this one. Daniel was a big help too, which didn’t surprise me. We all doted on LeAnn, which she didn’t appreciate at all.
But she didn’t fight us too hard. Thank God.
“Are you seriously complaining on Christmas Eve?” I ask as he leans his head on my shoulder and settles in.
“No. I’ll watch your cheesy movies with you, if you want. I’ll do pretty much anything you want, Coach.”
I grin and shake my head as I start up Die Hard.
“Oh my God, I think I just fell even more in love with you,” he says happily, and I chuckle.
“It’s a Christmas movie.”
Chance takes a sip of hot cocoa. “Whatever you have to tell yourself so I don’t have to watch Hallmark.”
“Yeah, I don’t watch that stuff either. But there are some damn good Christmas movies out there.”
He kisses my cheek. “I’ll watch them anytime you want.”
I grin because I know without a doubt, he will. These are some of my favorite times, just sitting here on the couch with Chance, watching whatever movie we decide on.
“I think we should go to the diner for breakfast while we’re on break,” I blurt out, and he turns his head to look at me.
“O-kay,” he says slowly. I know why he sounds confused. We’ve been to the diner a few times since that first time, but we never go together. We walk in alone, and we usually leave alone too.
“I mean together. Hand in hand.”
His eyes widen now as he realizes what I’m saying. “Noah, I don’t—”
“I do,” I say kissing him hard on the mouth and releasing him to lay his head back down on my shoulder. “I know.”
“If we walk into the diner—the one diner in town—for breakfast, hand in hand, everyone will know we’re a couple by lunch.”
I smile, no longer afraid of that fact. No longer afraid at all. He’s my future. I know that now. Whether we live here or anywhere else in the world, he’s it for me.
“I know. I want that.”
He doesn’t seem so sure, and I know why. He’s protective of me. Himself too, to a point, but he’s brave. He’ll go after what he wants, but when it comes to me, he’s a little more conservative.
“Look at me.” I put my mug down on the table, then take his too as he turns to look into my eyes.
“Noah, I don’t want to ruin your life. This is enough for me, you know? Coming home, to our home, and being the couple we truly are. I’m okay with that.”
I shake my head. “No.”
“No?” He sounds surprised.
“We aren’t doing this anymore. We aren’t hiding.
Unless you want that for you, but I don’t think that’s the case.
” He looks a little sheepish, and I know I’m right.
“Right. So after the holidays, but before we go back to school, we should do this because I don’t want to hide anymore.
I want the world to know we’re together. ”
He grins at that. “We’re missing Die Hard, you know? It’s a damn classic.”
“You and your damn classics,” I grumble against his lips and hand him his cocoa, then take my own, both of us settling together on the couch.
In our home.