Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
MOLLY
“Never again.” Tilly leans back in her chair, rubbing her stomach. “That is the hardest thing I have ever done in my life.”
Oddly, it was difficult for Tilly to score each dessert.
She was all over the place. I had a hard time because I could see the hopeful expressions on the contestants' faces and I wanted all of them to win. That wasn’t Tilly’s problem.
She was a hundred percent focused on the food.
She even had to go back and retry several things.
That could have been a ploy for more treats, but who knows.
"All right, I'll count you out for next year. I'm sure I can find someone else to help judge."
"Slow your roll. We don't need to get carried away. I think I'll push through the next one."
"Are you sure? Maybe—"
“Don't you dare take this from me," Tilly cuts me off. “I need this.”
I laugh at how dramatic she is in true Tilly fashion.
The bake-off competition is over, but people are still hanging around.
I'm lingering because I don't want to go home.
I also don't want to check my phone. I purposely left it behind because I knew I would have been checking it nonstop. It was better to not have it on me so I wouldn’t think about Noah the entire time.
"Do you have any plans tonight?" I ask Tilly as my eyes drift across the people still milling around. It's split between locals and tourists, and each year this gets bigger and bigger.
My eyes linger on the couples, and I swear everyone is paired up this year. A few even have silly matching Christmas sweaters. I picture myself getting some for Noah and me. I can almost imagine the way he’d give them strange looks, but I think he would still wear it.
Who am I kidding? I'm making up crap now. I don't know if Noah is coming back, and I need to stop putting those thoughts into my head. Until I know where we stand, it’s pointless. Next I’m going to be picturing our kids wearing the sweaters too. All three of them. Okay, maybe four.
“Molly,” Tilly says, poking my side.
“What?”
“You asked me a question, and I answered. Are you daydreaming over there?” she asks, and I nod.
“It will break my heart if he doesn’t come back,” I admit out loud for the first time. Tilly reaches over to grab my hand and gives it a squeeze.
“What if he asked you to move to the city? I have no idea what he does for a living, but it’s there, isn’t it?”
“I think he travels sometimes for work, but a lot of his jobs are in the city,” I tell her.
“Answer the rest of my question. I don’t know why you think those little tricks work on me.”
“It’s not that I don’t want to answer. I was thinking it over.”
Tilly’s brows rise in surprise. “Molly, if you’re weighing out your options, I think that kind of says it all.”
As the time away from Noah has started to stretch longer, the hole in my chest is getting bigger.
It’s letting me know exactly how deeply I’m in this with him.
I was thinking yesterday that if by some chance he came to live here, I would need to pull back on my hours and slow down.
Yesterday it would have been wonderful if I could have gone with him for the day.
I was already sorting out in my mind how I'd do that and the changes I would have to make to the bakery if that were the case.
“I know,” I say and let out a deep breath. “It’s going to hurt if it falls apart, which it already might be.”
“Yeah, but you’ll get through it. Going through these experiences is not the worst thing that can happen.
I know you don’t want to, and I get why.
You’ve had a lot of big losses in your life, but wouldn’t it be worth it if in the end you get what you truly want?
Because if you never get it, that will hurt too. Maybe even more.”
"Stop being all logical," I say as I elbow her.
"He'll be back," Tilly says with pure confidence.
"How do you know?"
"You're easy to love and adore."
"Now you're going to make me cry." I elbow her again, and she turns, pulling me in for a hug.
"You got this. You're tougher than you know. I couldn't even pick the dessert. Did you see the little red-haired girl with the curls and oversized glasses?"
"Tilly!" I gasp. "You were judging off the people too?"
"Maybe?" She bites her bottom lip nervously, and I grin.
The little girl won the competition. She came with her uncle, and they made the cake together.
"You're a sucker,” I tell her as I hug her again.
Tilly is truly my counterpart. She pretends to be extra tough, but that girl is all marshmallow inside.
“Don’t you dare tell anyone,” she says and then rolls her eyes at herself.
“Never,” I agree and stand up.
“Where are we going?” Tilly hops up next to me.
“I’m going to head home and call Noah,” I tell her, and she beams.
“Really?”
“You’re right—”
“Obviously,” she interrupts, but I keep going.
“It’s too late for me to avoid this. I’m all in already, so whether I find out today or next week, the outcome will be the same no matter what.”
“I’m glad you’re seeing things my way, but I still think you should give him hell. He said he’d be back last night, and he wasn’t.”
“You’re right.”
“Damn, I’m on a roll.”
"If he really wants to be with me, he needs to tell me. I'm over here thinking about leaving Cheerful for him. What's he doing?"
"You should ask him."
"I'm going to," I say and lift my chin with confidence.
"Good, then turn around."
"What?"
Tilly grabs my shoulders and spins me around, and that’s when I see Noah headed straight for me.
"Go on," Tilly says and gives my ass a playful smack.
I got this, I tell myself as I march toward Noah.
His expression appears irritated, but with him, you can never be certain if he’s actually irritated or just ready to be away from people.
I don't know why, but it's one of the many things I adore about him. I think because when I get a smile or chuckle from him, I know it’s real. He doesn’t pretend, and when his happiness is directed at me, it takes me straight to cloud nine.
I meet Noah halfway, but before I get to say a word, he wraps his arms around me and pulls me in for a kiss.
My body does what it wants, and I melt into him.
The kiss is intense and claiming as he lifts me into his arms, and when he pulls back, we both have to catch our breath. Did he get taller and more handsome?
"We need to talk," he says as he puts me back on my feet.
"Hey, I was going to say that,” I tell him. "And I'm going first." I lift my chin again, and Noah's eyebrows rise.
"All right," he agrees, and his lips pull up on one side.
"I don't like that you didn't come back last night. I had to sleep all alone, and it was terrible. You’ve ruined how I sleep, which means I'll never get a good night's rest again. I hope you’re happy.” I poke his chest. “I’ve been here considering leaving Cheerful, and you're all snuggled up at home.
" I put air quotes around “home.” Wow I’m animated right now.
"You told me about your bare, sterile apartment, and it sounds terrible.”
“It’s the worst,” he agrees.
“But it wouldn't be that terrible if I was in it and we were going to bed together every night."
Noah's expression turns soft as lines form around his eyes. "You'd leave Cheerful for me?"
"If you asked me to. I know more than anyone a home is more about who's around you than where you are. I could make a home anywhere as long as we’re together."
"I'd never ask you to do that," he says, and I let out a small gasp.
When I try to step back, Noah's arm comes around my waist and halts my retreat.
"I really am shit with my words.” His grip on me tightens as he looks into my eyes.
“What I mean to say is that I wouldn't ask you to do that because I love you, Molly.
And I know how much you love Cheerful. So if anyone's moving, it’s me.
I'm staying here, and I'll get you to fall in love with me. "
“You love me?”
“How could I not?” He seems shocked I would even ask this.
“Told you so,” Tilly says from somewhere behind me, but I ignore her.
“And you would move here? You’d be okay with that?”
“Actually, I kind of already did it,” he says, looking sheepish.
“You’ve moved here?” I grip the front of his shirt. “Where?”
“Don’t worry. I can stay at my sister’s cabin until—”
“Until never. You’ll live with me,” I snap out. I guess I found my voice because I can’t seem to shut up.
Noah grins as he touches his forehead to mine. “I think I can do that. If you’ll have me.”
“Of course I will. I love you, Noah,” I say before I press my lips to his. I might have initiated the kiss, but he quickly takes over.
People around us start to cheer, and I break the kiss to look around.
“Do they do that a lot?” Noah asks.
“You’ll get used to it,” Tilly says and claps him on the back. "With you being our new resident and all." She smirks at him. "Welcome to Cheerful."
"Where you don't have to be cheerful," I tease.
"How could I not be? I've finally found home."
"Noah," I say as my voice fills with emotion. "Okay, I'll marry you."
"I didn't ask," he tells me with a sly grin.
"Hey," I huff.
"Oh, you’re going to marry me, but I’m not phrasing it as a question. It’s a direct order.”
"Oh," I say, smiling up at him. "I guess if you insist."
"When it comes to you, always."
Always and forever.