Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
NOAH
I n the end, I only arrived in Austin on Thanksgiving Day. There had been a few more things for us to wrap up in New York than I’d realized, and I’d known Brandon, Lewis, and Jack had all been eager to get home to their families, so I’d volunteered for duty.
I strode into Brandon’s sprawling home on the four-acre estate he’d bought last year. Situated in a thick wood of live oaks and elm trees, the seven thousand square foot house was the kind of place dreams were made of.
Striding through his foyer, I grinned as I dropped my bags and kept going down a long, wide hall to join him in the den. He was watching reruns of a ball game. “Hey, man. I thought you had big plans with the family.”
“Later,” he said, only glancing at me for a moment to nod at the solid wood bar in the corner before he returned his gaze to the screen. “Help yourself. The beer is cold and the day is going to be long. Grab a seat. It’s no use rushing anywhere on a day that’s about to be about gratitude.”
After grabbing myself a beer, I dropped onto the sofa across from him. “Yeah? Why is that? What are you grateful for that you’re not in a rush to celebrate?”
He chuckled. “I’m grateful for being able to sit right here on my ass and not having anywhere to be until four. I told the parental units not to expect me a minute before that. You sure you don’t want to join us for dinner? Mom said to remind you that you’re very welcome.”
“I’m sure. Tell her I said thanks, though. Maybe next year.”
He sat up a little straighter and finally turned to face me. “You’re really going to Thanksgiving dinner with Airplane Girl?”
I nodded slowly, my upper body rocking with the movement. “I really am. They’re all getting together at Deb Guntry’s house. You know her? Apparently, she’s some big deal author.”
His eyebrows swept up. “I don’t know her personally, but I dated a girl once who was more obsessed with that lady’s books than she was with me, so I definitely know of her. Didn’t realize she was local, though. It looks like you’ve found yourself a woman with friends in high places.”
“She’s not my woman, man. Just a friend. I’m due there at four as well. Apparently, we’re going to go TP a house after dinner. I’m not really sure why, but I’m sure you’d be welcome to join us if you’re interested in a good, old-fashioned prank.”
He chuckled. “Thanks. That would’ve been awesome. I haven’t done anything like that in years. But I’ve already made plans for after dinner. Tamsin West is in town too. She invited me over tonight.”
I grinned. “Get it.”
He winked, raking a hand through those long, blond locks the girls went gaga for. “I plan to. You know how I feel about country music, bro, and Tamsin is the epitome of country right now. I love her stuff. I’m hoping she’ll sing while she rides me like a bucking bronco.”
“That was unnecessary,” I said, chuckling and shaking my head. “Have you ever thought about actually speaking to a woman? Being a friend?”
He scoffed. “You just told me to get it.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t all have to be about that.”
Brandon looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language all of a sudden. Then he chuckled and got up. “That’s all it can be about right now, heartthrob. Besides, I’m the bad boy, remember? I have to keep the persona tight.”
I laughed, leaning back against the sofa and kicking my feet up on the coffee table. “No one would blame you for having a heart, man.”
“Maybe not, but I’d choose my cock over my heart every time, Parks. You should know that by now.”
“Oh, I do. I was just checking,” I said, getting comfortable before eventually going to pack my things away.
The guest room I’d claimed as my own and that I still stayed in every time I visited was a large suite on the other side of the house from the master bedroom. I had a feeling it had been meant for in-laws, but Brandon wouldn’t be having any of those anytime soon at the rate he was going.
Walls clad in stone and hardwood floors with a small, iron fireplace in the corner made it feel homey in there. The large four-poster bed and adjoining bathroom completed it. I fucking loved the place. It wasn’t mine, but it was one of the places in the world where I had come to feel most at home.
I didn’t have a lot of places like that.
Once I was done unpacking, I headed back out to the living room and spent the next few hours with my friend. I was as grateful for the time off as he was. These last couple months had been hectic.
Actually, the last couple years had, but the more people were starting to know us, the busier we were becoming. It was a blessing, a real dream-turned-into reality kind of situation, but shit. It didn’t give us much time to breathe.
Brandon and I left his property at around the same time, with me having rented a car rather than catching a ride with him. I hadn’t wanted to be late or early, and I hadn’t wanted to make him late either.
He tipped his hat at me as he turned his truck in the opposite direction I was headed, and my car navigated to the address Gemma had sent me. I arrived at four on the dot after stopping to buy a fall floral arrangement for both her and our hostess.
I left them in the car at first, not wanting to draw attention to myself by carrying two huge flower arrangements around in the street. As it was, I shoved my hands into my pockets and kept my head down as I jogged up to the front door, smiling when a pretty girl with curly dark hair and gorgeous brown eyes opened it for me.
“You must be Laurel,” I said. “Thanks for letting me crash Thanksgiving.”
“You’re welcome,” she said haltingly, making it sound like a question rather than a statement.
I grinned. “Is Gemma here yet?”
“Right inside.” I blinked hard a few times in rapid succession before she stepped aside to let me in. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to stare. I’m just awkward that way.”
I laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I’ve known you all my life.”
Wrapping my arms around her in a quick hug, I felt her tense like I’d surprised her before she returned the hug, squeezing me fast before letting go. She motioned for me to precede her into the home and I went happily, eager to find Gemma.
Once I had, I would go get the flowers. At least I knew now that I was in the right place and that the people here seemed friendly enough, with nobody outright gawking or racing over to ask who I was or what I was doing here.
I found Gemma in the kitchen with Mariam, laughing until the sound abruptly cut off when she saw me. Her green eyes were even brighter than I remembered. Her tiny body was decked out in a navy blue dress that made her skin look like porcelain and her eyes shine like the sun.
A slow smile spread on her lips as she took a step toward me. “You came.”
I grinned, remembering the night when that had been my line. “I did. I have flowers for you. Want to come get them from the car with me?”
“You brought flowers and left them in the car?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I didn’t want to walk up and down the street with huge bouquets if I was in the wrong place, and I didn’t want to presume that everybody here would appreciate my intrusion today, but showing up with flowers makes it hard for someone to slam the door in your face.”
Her blonde eyebrows twitched. “You thought I gave you the wrong address? Or that my family and friends didn’t know you were coming? Gosh, what have you been through?”
I chuckled. “You don’t even want to know. Shall we?”
Offering her my arm, I held her gaze until she took it. Then I led her back to the street. Her eyes widened in awe when she saw the size of the floral arrangement. After we got back inside, she took me directly to Deb so I could give her the other bouquet, and the woman smiled as she accepted it.
“This is incredible, Noah. And so thoughtful. Thank you.”
“No, thank you,” I said. “For hosting me. You have a truly lovely home.”
“You’re sweet,” she said, then turning to Gemma. “Go get the guy a drink and introduce him to the rest of the crazies. We’ll sit down for dinner soon.”
Gemma nodded, taking my arm once more. She led me around the room proudly, introducing me to her family and her friends. One of the older women leaned in, winking at her and not speaking as softly as she thought she was.
“He’s very handsome, darling. Keep him close.”
“Knock it off.” She laughed, sending me an apologetic smile as she took me to the patio overlooking the backyard. “Sorry about that. Mariam’s mom tends to be extremely blunt.”
I smiled. “It’s no problem. It’s not exactly a hardship to hear how handsome I am.”
She gave me a coy smile. “As if you don’t hear that often enough, Mr. Parks.”
I shrugged. “It’s still always nice to receive a compliment.”
We sat down at a table on the patio with Mariam, Laurel, and some guys called Leif, Jack, and Dave. From the way they all joked and bantered back and forth, I assumed they’d all known each other for ages, but it was clear that Gemma was the extrovert of the group.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. She was so naturally beautiful without even trying and I found her bubbly personality incredibly attractive. Dave kept glancing at her too, and my stomach twisted in knots.
Obviously, I have some competition here . She’d introduced him as a friend, and while they definitely were friendly to one another, he looked at her far more often than I liked.
As the guys and I started a game of football outside with the dads too, I still couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Every so often, when she thought no one was watching, she burst into song and I smiled, loving that she obviously felt just as strongly about music as I did.
The afternoon wore on and everyone around me was festive and friendly, including me in their games and conversations—and feeding me until it felt like I was about to pop. The only darkish cloud about the day for me was the amount of attention Dave paid Gemma, but I buried that under another slice of pumpkin pie.
She was only interested in me, so far as I could tell, and for as long as that was true, I could handle him lusting after her. A lot of men probably did, and the knowledge made an unfamiliar sense of possessiveness streak through me.
At the end of the day though, I was the one by her side, and I was having a blast with her family and friends. Growing up the way I had, I hadn’t ever had a Thanksgiving like this. It really felt normal. Like how I’d always thought the day should be.
Experiencing it firsthand was a genuine honor for me, and Gemma would never know how grateful I was to her for that. No one except for Brandon ever would. As the only person who knew the truth about my past, he was the only one who could ever fully comprehend how much stuff like this meant to me, and I fully intended on keeping it that way.