31. Noah
Chapter 31
Noah
S ilence greets me as I walk into Mom and Dad’s house. Usually, a family barbecue is filled with noise, so the silence is a little disconcerting. I'm guessing everybody's outside in the backyard.
With the six-pack in my hand, I step to the back door. Through the window, I can see everybody gathered on our back patio.
It seems like the whole gang is here: all my aunts and uncles, cousins, everyone.
I take a deep breath and then open the door.
“Heyyy, there he is! How's the chicken wing?” my uncle Levi shouts across the sporadic conversations. His outburst is met with laughter and a chorus of hellos.
I shake my head as the sling my arm is tied up in pinches my shoulder. I'm already tired of wearing this stupid thing.
And I've only had it for a week.
Mom comes up to me and kisses me on the cheek to say hello. Dad steps in next to give me a side hug, being careful not to bump my shoulder. I tried to use my arm as an excuse not to come to the barbecue tonight, but Mom and Dad didn't let that fly. Since I'm only taking over-the-counter meds to manage my pain, I didn’t really have a good excuse.
“Heard you took a tumble,” Uncle Cooper says, coming up to say hello.
I grin at his good-natured ribbing. “You heard correctly.”
“You okay otherwise?” The concern in his eyes softens me a little.
“Yeah, I'm fine. Need a little time to heal, but I'll be back on shift in no time.”
“Glad to hear it,” he says. “We’ve got burgers that just came off the grill, so help yourself. Cooler’s over there if you want to put those away.” He gestures to the beer in my hand.
I nod my head.
“What are Lilly and Nellie up to tonight?” Mom asks.
“They’ve got a movie night planned.” Nellie’s been dying to see the latest Disney movie, and they just put it on the app. Now that they’ve gotten all their things replaced, they’ve been spending a lot of time at home.
Mom tilts her head with a knowing smile. “And you want nothing more than to be there with them right now, don't you?”
I cringe. “Am I that obvious?”
“No.” Mom laughs. “You're not obvious. I just know you.”
“Hey, Noie.” Lottie comes up next to me.
I give her a squeeze with my good arm, grinning at her cute face. I've always loved that she never really could get Noah out when she was a kid, which is where the nickname Noie came from. All my cousins started calling me that because of her.
“I saw Lilly and Nellie at the diner the other day,” she gushes. “They are so stinking sweet. I love them. How come you didn't bring them with you tonight?”
“A party like ours would have been a little too much for Nellie to handle. Once we get her introduced to everybody, we'll have her come to one so she’ll feel more comfortable.”
“Good. I'd love to hang out with them a little more,” Lottie says.
I ruffle her hair, causing her to screech, and I dart away before she can retaliate. Grabbing some food, I settle in to eat. I'm hoping I can sneak out of here soon and go spend the evening with Lilly and Nellie.
“Hey, kiddo.” My aunt Quinn sits down next to me. “Glad to see you made it.”
I chuckle. “I don't think I had much of a choice this time, did I?”
“Nope,” she says, popping the P. “But I'm still glad you're here.” We talk for a little while, catching up on everything that’s been going on. Lottie is going to UNC to get a journalism degree, and their other daughter, Caroline, is distraught that her sister is leaving.
A few minutes later, Cooper and his brother, Levi, join me at the table.
“Hey, kiddo, we want to ask you about something if you don’t mind,” Uncle Cooper says.
Levi leans in closer to us. “We wanted to talk to your brother about maybe joining one of my crews.” Uncle Levi owns a pretty lucrative construction company with one of my other uncles here in Sonoma. They've expanded into Westlake, the neighboring town, because everyone in the area knows they’re the best.
I frown at him. “Why are you asking me?”
“Well, we were kind of hoping you would know if he’d even be interested. We weren't sure if he was planning to go to college or if he wanted to stay home.”
“We also didn't want to put any pressure on him if he didn't feel like he could say no,” Cooper adds.
I shrug. “I’m honestly not sure what he's interested in doing right now. At the very least, joining your crew would give him something to do to pass the time while he figures out his next steps.”
“That's kind of what we were thinking,” Uncle Cooper says.
“So you don't think he'll be mad at us if we offer?” Levi asks.
“Nah, I don't think he'll be mad. If you phrase it in a way that makes it clear the choice is up to him whether he wants to do it or not, and you don't put any pressure on him about his future, I think it’ll be fine.” I glance over at my brother, who's currently talking to some of our other cousins. Most of them are really close in age, so our families always called them the Scooby-Doo gang. In total, there are twelve of us. I’m the oldest at twenty-six. The rest range from eighteen to ten.
Levi nods. “Then I’ll ask him about it tonight.”
An idea pops into my head. “Hey, would you have some time to look at houses in the area with me? I’d like to find a place to renovate for me, Lilly, and Nellie.”
Levi’s grin spreads across his face. “I’d be happy to. Let me know when you want to go, and I can play hooky that day.” Levi gives me the name of his realtor friend, and I make a plan to call them tomorrow.
I only made it an hour at the family barbecue before I was ready to leave. Everything inside of me was dying to see Lilly and Nellie. Thankfully, everyone understood why I was leaving and didn’t give me too hard of a time for not staying longer.
As I pull into Lilly's driveway, memories hit me like they always do. This house holds so many—both good and bad. It's one of the reasons I want to start looking for a place of our own. I want to create new memories with Lilly and Nellie and not have them clouded by the old ones of Lilly's parents.
Moving around with my arm locked in the brace isn't easy, but I manage to maneuver myself out of my truck with the bag of ice cream in hand. I stopped by the diner after I left the barbecue to pick up our favorites.
I sit it on the steps before wrapping my knuckles against the door. A slow grin spreads across my face as Lilly answers.
Her hair is a mess, piled on top of her head. She's wearing pajamas with dancing cupcakes on them. I only hope that Nellie's wearing matching ones.
Lilly's smile radiates from her when she sees who's at the door. “What are you doing here? I thought you were going to your family barbecue.”
She moves out of the doorway to let me inside. “I did but only stayed for a little bit. I missed you too much. I'd much rather spend time with my girls tonight. Next time, I want you to come with me. I didn't like being there without you.”
Lilly softens with a smile.
“Who's here?” Nellie comes sliding around the corner of the kitchen in her socked feet. “Dad!” She races towards me and wraps her arms around my waist. Matching pajamas for the win.
I love that I get hugs from her now. “Hey, kiddo. Mind if I crash your movie night?”
She grins up at me. “Nope. We’re going to watch Inside Out 2 . ”
“Sounds good. I brought ice cream. Let me put it in the freezer, and then you can show me your setup.”
Once I get everything put away, Nellie grabs my hand and pulls me into the living room. The girls have created a nest of blankets and pillows on the floor.
In the short time they’ve been here, they've made this space their own. Lilly took advantage of the break-in to buy new things for the space, too. It no longer feels like the cold environment it once was; now it feels like a home.
I have no doubt that Lilly will do the same thing to our potential new house that she’s done here.
“This looks great, Baby Bee.”
“Come snuggle. We were just about to start the movie.” She carefully maneuvers around the plethora of snacks sitting on their makeshift bed. I follow her, lying on her left side and leaning back against the couch, while Lilly gets in on Nellie’s right, mirroring my position.
Nellie’s eyes are glued to the screen as she drinks from a juice box, looking fucking adorable as she watches the beginning credits. I glance over at Lilly to see if she thinks Nellie’s as cute as I do, but I find her looking at me.
I shoot her a wink and stretch my arm across the seat of the couch. My hand reaches Lilly’s neck perfectly. I dig my fingers into her muscles as the movie plays.
The story pulls me in more than I expected it to, and the night goes by in a haze of treats and giggles. Before the movie’s over, Nellie falls asleep, her cute lips pursed and her cheek smooshed by her hand.
After all the nights I’ve spent with my girls, tonight feels like the first time we’ve spent time together as a family.
Every other time, somebody else has either been with us or we’ve been working to get to know each other.
Tonight was just comfortable.
“Will you help me get her to bed?” Lilly asks when the movie ends. Annoyance flashes through my body. I hate that my arm is too messed up to help carry my daughter to bed.
Lilly slides her arms underneath Nellie’s knees and behind her back. With my good arm, I help her take some of Nellie’s weight and lift her from the floor.
Lilly carries Nellie into her bedroom and lays her down on the mattress. Nellie barely stirs at the movement, and I have to stifle a laugh.
Lilly and I walk back out to the living room together, and instead of helping her clean up the mess, I just lie down on the blankets.
“Come lie with me, Bumblebee.”
Lilly smirks and follows me down onto our pallet. She cuddles up to my side, her head lying on my chest. My good arm is wrapped around her, and my hand is settled at her waist.
For a while, we just lie there, soaking in the comfort of each other’s embraces. Having her in my arms is everything I dreamed about having.
But then my body begins to stir as Lilly’s hands start exploring my chest. “Bumblebee,” I groan. “I can’t properly take care of you with my arm in this stupid fucking sling.”
“Well, how about I take care of you instead?” Lilly says, a sultry smile on her lips.
She slides my shirt to my armpits and begins to kiss down my chest to my stomach. I gasp when her tongue swipes above my waistband. She unbuttons my shorts and yanks them down when I lift my hips.
Her soft hands slide up my thighs. With the glow of the TV behind her, she looks ethereal. I am one lucky bastard to have her back in my life.
All thoughts fly out of my head when Lilly licks a stripe from my base to my tip. “Fuck, Bumblebee.”
She looks up at me like the cat who ate the canary. Then she’s diving back down, and I can’t say a word. Her mouth engulfs my cock in wet heat. I tighten my abs to keep from thrusting into her throat. She bobs up and down, her tongue swiping at my tip. God, the things she can do to me. It’s overwhelming in the best way.
I reach down for Lilly. “Turn around.”
She lifts up with a frown on her face.
“Swing that gorgeous ass around until it’s over my face. I may not have the use of one of my hands, but I still have my tongue.”
Lust deepens her brown eyes, and she quickly strips off her PJs. “We need to make this quick. Nellie could wake up any minute.”
“That’s not going to be a problem,” I grunt. My eyes feast on all of Lilly’s naked skin until she’s straddling my chest. With my good arm, I yank her back by her thigh until she’s hovering over my face. It’s not the easiest angle, but I grab a throw pillow and tuck it under my head to get more comfortable.
Before I can get my mouth on Lilly, she sucks me into hers. “Fuck, that feels good.”
She moans around me, and I shake off the impending orgasm in order to focus on her. Using my tongue, I swipe through her wetness, blown away at the idea of her being turned on by blowing me. I pull her down until she’s all but suffocating me, and go to work on her clit. I listen to every moan and shiver as I work her up. She’s practically riding my face by the time she explodes, her mouth still wrapped around me as she moans. The vibrations send me over the edge, and I flex my hips, shooting my load into her throat.
“Goddamn, Bumblebee.”
She giggles as she drops her head onto my hip. Both of us are huffing, trying to catch our breath. I kiss the back of her thigh, feeling incredibly grateful to have her like this again. Lilly flips back around until she’s lying flat on my chest.
The look in her eyes is filled with love and a little leftover lust. I’ve always loved that sparkle she gets after we have sex.
“I love you, Noah James. I’ve loved you since I was sixteen, and that never went away. Even after the lies and betrayal we both experienced, I still loved you. You’re the best man I’ve ever met, and I am beyond grateful you were willing to give this another try.”
My whole body melts into the cushions. I spear my fingers into her hair, messing up her bun even more. “I’m so in love with you, Bumblebee. Nothing could ever get in the way of that. You’ve been my everything since day one. I’ll never know how I got lucky enough to not only have you in my life, but to be allowed to call you mine. You and our amazing daughter brought color into my life again, and I’ll do everything I can to make you both happy.”
She leans down to kiss me as if sealing our words with a promise.
I’ve never loved anyone the way I love her. No matter what comes our way, I’m going to be by her side. No one can take that from us again.