74. Noah
NOAH
The room was so silent you could’ve heard a mouse fart. Willow is just staring wide-eyed at Jenna, who is very pleased with herself. Please don’t look at me for an answer, because I swear I’ll run upstairs right now and show her the goddamn ring.
I told her she was my forever. So, of course, I looked for rings for years before finding the perfect one. I’ve kept it locked away in my safe upstairs since I bought it when I turned eighteen. All I needed was to find her, so I might as well be ready.
Granted, I don’t think Willow is anywhere close to being ready to get married just yet. Judging from the silence still sitting heavy in this room, I can almost guarantee it.
“There’s no rush. I’ve waited fifteen years to have her back in my arms. I’m fine with waiting however long she needs,” I say confidently.
Jenna’s head snaps in my direction, whereas Willow’s slowly turns until she’s looking at me.
“What?” I ask.
“You’re not even slightly shocked about what she just asked?” she manages to say.
She reaches for her cup and downs the rest of her coffee before grabbing my glass. Oh yeah, she’s definitely not ready yet. Plus, we have a few other things to take care of first.
“If Noah had it his way, they’d have signed the wedding certificate last night. Or maybe he would’ve snuck it in when she was signing her new contract to work with us,” Jeremy laughs, but Jenna elbows him in the ribs.
“Wait, did you accept the job?” Jenna asks.
“Well, I mean, yeah. Kind of,” Willow stammers.
“She said yes,” I tease, and I watch Willow’s face turn bright red.
Fuck, I can’t wait to go all out when I propose to this woman.
“Okay, so what happens now then?” Jenna asks as she picks up her plate and continues eating the now very cold breakfast. Maybe we should’ve waited to talk until after we all ate.
“I’m going to reheat your plate,” I say as I kiss Willow on the cheek, then grab her plate and head to the kitchen.
“What about mine?” Jeremy whines.
“You have two legs. Fucking use them,” I laugh.
He comes walking into the kitchen with his and Jenna’s plates. He dumps the fruit onto one and then all the other stuff onto another before sticking it in the microwave.
“So, how’s she handling everything?” he asks quietly as he glances over to see Willow and Jenna deep in a hushed conversation.
“She’s doing better than I thought she would be, honestly.”
“So when are you going to show her…You know?”
He glances down at the floor where the monster is hidden beneath our feet then back up at me.
“When she’s ready. I don’t want to rush her.”
“Hey, all I’m saying is the thread’s about to be cut, man,” he says as the microwave timer ends and he pulls out the hot plate.
“What?”
“You know, the thread of life…fates…Jesus, you really don’t know movie references, do you?” he says, shaking his head before dividing up the meals again.
I put Willow’s plate in and press the thirty-second button to heat it back up.
“Is it one of your fairytale, love-sick movies again?”
“No. Hercules. The Disney one. Remember when the fates snip her thread of life?”
“What does this have to do with the issue?” I ask, confused.
He smacks a palm over his face and groans.
“He’s going to die. Honestly, sooner than later at this point. You might want to speed up this little present of yours,” he whispers before snatching up both plates and walking away.
I’ve kept the fucker alive this long, so he can keep breathing for a little while longer. She needs to be the one to end him. She deserves that closure.
“What were you guys talking about?” Willow asks as she steps up behind me and wraps her arms around my waist.
“He wanted to know how you really were doing. He was worried about you,” I tell her, and I can feel her body relax.
“I’m good.”
I spin around and wrap my arms around her to not let her back away.
“You sure? It’s okay if you’re not okay. No one would expect you to be.”
“I just keep worrying now that Jenna and Kyle know I’m still alive that somehow my father will find out and come looking for me.”
“I can kill him if you want.”
“My father?” she asks, stunned.
“Well…him too. But, no, I mean Kyle. Then the only people that will know are us three.”
“Oh, my God. You’re not killing Kyle. He isn’t going to tell anyone,” she laughs.
“You sure? Not even just a good crack to the head so he loses his memory?”
“Nope. Not even that. You can kill my father though, if he ever finds me.”
She buries her face deeper into my chest as I wrap my arms tighter around her.
“You’d want me to do that for you?” I ask.
“I don’t know.
“Would you want to kill him if you ever saw him again?”
“I…” Her voice stops suddenly, and I feel her body go tense. “Am I a horrible person if I say yes?”
Her voice is so quiet that no one but me could have heard. I pull slightly away so I can cup her face and make her look at me.
“Listen to me, Willow. No one, and I mean no one, would ever think you’re a horrible person. He ruined your life. He took your mother away. He deserves to grovel at your feet and beg for forgiveness before you kill him.”
Her tears have stopped, and her eyes are wide as they look deep into my own.
“You wouldn’t think I’m horrible?”
“Little Rabbit, I’d happily sharpen the knife you’ll use to slit his fucking throat for what he put you through. If it ever happens, I’ll be right by your side as you end his life.”
She wraps her arms back around my waist and holds me close. I can feel her shoulders shake as she starts laughing.
“What is it?” I ask, a bit concerned.
“It’s a good thing we’re lawyers,” she laughs.
“Why is that?”
“Because we know how to get away with murder,” she says as she smiles up at me.
You have no idea how right you are, Little Rabbit.