Chapter 6 #2
It was a challenge to keep him on task, but we finally got it done.
I was hot and sweaty as I walked behind him, pulling his suitcase and turning off the light as we exited his room.
I collected my bags, and with my luggage and Timothy’s in hand, we made our way to the front door, where Noah’s small duffel bag sat.
Timothy got his shoes on while I headed into the living room to find Noah.
He was sitting on the couch with his legs stretched out in front of him and his eyes closed.
For a split second, I entertained the thought of leaving without him.
But then guilt coated my chest, and I leaned forward and tapped his shoulder.
My issue wasn’t with Noah, it was with the board.
Noah was just trying to do his job. It wasn’t his fault that his job required him to tag along with me.
“Ready?” I asked, my voice hushed.
Noah startled, and his gaze snapped to me. He looked panicked, so I offered him a weak smile, hoping he would see that he was not in danger. He blinked a few times as he straightened.
“Um, yeah,” he said as he placed his hands on either side of him and pushed off the couch.
He didn’t say anything more as we walked out of my condo.
Timothy skipped ahead of us to the elevator.
His oversized backpack, which was full of the stuffed animals he insisted on bringing to show Uncle Bash, shifted across his back as he moved.
When we got to the parking garage, I rolled our suitcases over to the trunk, intending to put them inside, but Noah beat me to it.
His fingers brushed mine as he moved to grab the handle of my suitcase. My entire body froze from the sensation. It had been so long since a man had touched me that I couldn’t seem to process it. I just stood there, staring at Noah, while my brain short-circuited.
He seemed to sense my reaction, because he paused before he slowly met my gaze. “I can load them,” he muttered as he nodded toward the car. “If you want to get in.”
I thought about rejecting his offer but then decided against it. I pulled the strap of my purse further up on my shoulder and made my way to the back door and opened it.
Timothy had his iPad out, and the laugh track of his cartoon filled the air as I slid onto the seat and shut the door. Noah didn’t say anything as he climbed into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
We drove the twenty minutes to JFK. Once we were through security, Noah made his way to the Torres hangar.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to interact much with Noah once we were out of the car.
There were people there to take care of our luggage, and all Timothy, Noah, and I had to do was make our way up the stairs and get situated inside the company plane.
Timothy and I sat next to each other while Noah chose to sit behind us. Timothy was plugged into his device, sipping on a Sprite that Carol, our flight attendant, had gotten for him. I tipped my head back and allowed my body to relax into the soft leather.
Today had been exhausting. From working out with Noah this morning, to my meeting with the board, and then packing to head to Harmony, I was ready to sleep.
And, apparently, sleep was ready for me. I didn’t wake up until my body jerked from the force of the wheels hitting the tarmac. I startled and yelped, my gaze shooting over to Timothy’s seat…which was now empty.
“Timothy?” My eyes were wide as I swept the inside of the plane for my son. “Timothy!” I demanded, more desperate this time. I was struggling to process what was going on as sleep still clung to the corners of my mind.
I heard Timothy’s giggle from behind me, and I whipped around to see that he was sitting next to Noah, the glow from his iPad illuminating their faces.
They each had a set of headphones and were smiling at whatever was playing on the screen.
Timothy’s laugh was high-pitched and frequent while Noah’s was deep and sporadic.
My entire body felt heavy as the adrenaline started to dissolve. I was left feeling lightheaded and shaky.
Noah’s gaze turned to me, and his entire expression fell. He quickly pulled his headphones off and then nudged Timothy to do the same. It took a second, but Timothy begrudgingly slipped his off as well. “You’re up,” Noah said.
I nodded. “What are you…what are you two doing?” I asked, forcing my lips into a smile as I turned to focus on Timothy.
“Watching a movie.” Timothy shifted in his seat, looking annoyed that he had to pause his show to answer such an obvious question.
“You shouldn’t be bothering Noah,” I said and moved to unbuckle my seatbelt. But I heard Carol’s tsk from behind me, so I slid my hand away from the clasp.
“He’s not bothering me.” Noah’s response was instantaneous.
I glanced over at him and then back to Timothy. “Still, you shouldn’t have left your seat without telling me.” I narrowed my eyes as I studied him.
Timothy just sighed. “You were snoring,” he said, his attention shifting back to his iPad. He dragged his finger around on the screen like he was searching for something.
Red-hot heat permeated my cheeks. “I was not snoring.” I knew I shouldn’t care, but the thought of Noah witnessing me do something like that made me feel so…vulnerable? Embarrassed? I didn’t like that I had that reaction, but my body seemed dead set on not doing what I wanted when it came to Noah.
Timothy stopped moving and lifted his gaze to meet mine. “Mommy, you looked like this.” He closed his eyes and tipped his head back, allowing his mouth to fall completely open before he released a deep-throated snore.
“Timothy!” I blurted out, but Timothy’s only response was another exaggerated snore.
Thankfully, the plane had slowed as it entered the hangar, and Carol had unbuckled and was now standing. Taking that as my sign, I released the clasp of my seatbelt and stood.
I called Timothy over and instructed him to gather his things that had spilled from his backpack. Noah lingered behind us like he wasn’t sure what I wanted him to do but wanted to be there just in case I needed him.
Carol opened the plane door and stood to the side, waiting for us to disembark.
I gave her a smile, and she nodded at Timothy first and then to me as we passed by.
I could feel Noah walking behind us. It was strange how in tune I was to this man.
It had to be residual embarrassment from what Timothy had said.
A black BMW with a driver was waiting for us in the hangar. He had on a hat and sunglasses and was leaning against the car with his arms folded. Timothy didn’t wait to check that this was our car. He just pulled open the back door and climbed inside.
“Timothy,” I said, but he had already disappeared. I sighed as I glanced around to make sure that our luggage was being offloaded and brought over. When I turned to my right, I came face-to-face with Noah, which stopped me in my tracks.
“I, erm…” He paused as he met my gaze briefly and then dropped it.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say, but I also couldn’t just walk away. So I stood there, like an idiot, not really acknowledging Noah but also not ignoring him.
“You weren’t snoring.”
His words caused me to pause. I turned to meet his gaze. “What?” I asked, wondering if I had heard him correctly.
Noah blinked and pulled back before he cleared his throat. He looked unsure of what else he was supposed to say. “What Timothy said wasn’t accurate. You weren’t snoring.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I wasn’t?” Heat from embarrassment warmed my body.
“Well, you were.”
Now I was confused. “I was snoring?”
Noah cleared his throat as he pushed his hand through his hair and glanced around. From the uneasy expression on his face, I wondered if he was praying for a hole to open up and swallow him.
I was struggling to understand what Noah was trying to say. Either I’d embarrassed myself by snoring, or I hadn’t. And for some reason, I needed to know which scenario had happened.
“What I was trying to say was, you were snoring, but not like Timothy said you were.” He met my gaze and offered me a half smile. “It was more like this...” He paused before he started to breathe. It was deeper than a normal breath but much softer than the snore Timothy had performed.
I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say to that. “Oh. Thanks for clarifying,” I whispered.
Noah nodded. “Sure.”
An awkward silence fell between us. Instead of lingering in it, I just gave him a weak smile before I hurried over to the car and climbed inside. Noah stayed outside to help put our luggage in the trunk, and then he and the driver climbed into the front at the same time.
The driver started the engine and then turned to wink at me. “Ready?” he asked.
I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly as I shifted my gaze out the window. “Ready,” I responded.