Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Noble
N oble stared at the man across from him, slowly sipping his glass of water. He hadn’t expected to meet his mate during a late-night swim. Questions swirled in his mind: Has he lived in Valleywood all his life? What does he do for a living? Is he seeing anyone?
“This was not on my bingo list for the week,” Jersey said, breaking Noble’s train of thought.
“I was thinking the same thing,” Noble admitted with a smile. The surprise in both their eyes created an unspoken connection between them.
“So how do we do this?” Jersey asked.
“First, I need to know—are you in a relationship? Hell, are you even ready for a mate if you’re not seeing anyone?”
Despite what he’d told Taye, Noble wasn’t sure if this was the right time to find a mate, but he couldn’t deny the man in front of him. He needed to get to know him before introducing him to his daughter. As wonderful as finding a mate was, protecting his daughter remained his top priority.
“I’m not seeing anyone, but truthfully, no, I’m not ready at the moment,” Jersey said, his voice soft. “But I’m worried about what will happen if we walk away from this.”
Noble leaned back in his seat, gazing out the window in thought.
"I hope I didn’t upset you,” Jersey mumbled, a hint of worry in his voice.
Noble shifted his gaze back to Jersey. “No, far from it. I was just thinking... I don’t want to rush into this.”
“I understand,” Jersey nodded, his tone thoughtful.
“Do you?” Noble asked, raising a skeptical brow.
“Yeah, and I agree,” Jersey replied. “Taking things slow works for me too.”
Noble smiled but then glanced at his watch and hissed, “Damn, I have to go.” He turned back to Jersey. “Can I get your number?”
“Um... sure,” Jersey replied. They quickly exchanged numbers, stood from the booth, and walked outside together. Noble accompanied Jersey back to his car.
“I could drive you back to the beach,” Jersey offered.
“Nah, I’m fine,” Noble replied. “You head on home.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I’ll call or text you so we can meet up again. Are you cool with that?”
“I am," Jersey said with a nod.
They stood silently, staring at each other, before Noble opened Jersey’s car door. “Get in.” Jersey followed his lead, sliding into the driver’s seat and starting the car. Noble closed the door and stepped back, waiting until Jersey drove off. Once the car was out of sight, Noble turned toward the figure lurking in the shadows, watching them.
“Come out,” Noble growled. “You shouldn’t be here.” He turned to face Port Montgomery, still hidden in the shadows.
“Who are you to tell me where I shouldn’t be?” Port sneered, stepping closer.
“As the Alpha of our kind, I have every right. You were banished.”
"I want to come back," Port said, cutting off whatever Noble was about to say.
"What?" Noble asked, his voice filled with surprise.
"I said, I want to come back." Port stepped into the light, revealing his sunken cheeks, dirty skin, and messy clothes.
Why does he look like this? When Port was exiled with his father, Noble had given them enough money to last a lifetime—if they used it wisely. Noble wasn’t heartless; he wouldn’t have let them suffer.
"Why should I let you and your father back into the pack?" Noble asked, his tone calm and measured.
"Not my father, just me," Port clarified. "Truthfully, I never wanted to leave, but my father forced my hand. Not long after we were exiled, he left and took all the money you gave us. I haven’t seen or heard from him since. I’ve been trying to survive on my own, but it’s hard without a pack." He hesitated before continuing, "I need your help, Noble. I don’t want to be alone anymore."
Noble sighed, taking in Port’s disheveled appearance. He wasn’t sure if Port was telling the truth, but Noble couldn’t turn him away—not when he was asking for help.
"I can’t agree to take you back just yet, for a couple of reasons—one being that I don’t trust you," Noble said bluntly.
"That's fair," Port whispered, his voice barely audible.
"However, the decision isn’t mine alone. You’ll need to stand before the council and make your case. If they sympathize with your situation, I’ll consider bringing you back—but it will come with strict conditions."
"I can handle it," Port said quickly, nodding.
"Don’t be too quick to say yes," Noble warned. "Let’s see what happens down the road." He was about to walk away when Port’s next words stopped him.
"Um... could I borrow some cash to crash at a hotel and grab something to eat? I promise I’ll pay you back as soon as I can."
Noble looked at Port, who kept his head down, refusing to meet his gaze.
"Where’s your stuff?" Noble asked, his tone even.
"My stuff?"
"Your clothes? Anything you consider valuable?" Noble clarified.
"I—I don't have anything," Port stuttered.
Sighing once more, Noble started walking away. "Follow me. I’ll take you somewhere you can shower, eat, and sleep." He didn’t need to look back to know that Port was following. They walked away from Nellie’s and crossed the street toward Noble’s bike shop, which had an apartment attached.
Noble didn’t usually use the apartment, but it was fully furnished and stocked with non-perishable items in case he worked late and didn’t go home. It was a short walk to the shop, and for that, Noble was thankful. His thoughts drifted back to Jersey and the possibility of getting to know his mate over the coming days, weeks, and months.
Noble opened the door and led Port inside. “You can stay here for now. The fridge and cupboards are stocked. You’re about the same height as one of my guys who works at the shop, and he’s left some clothes here, so they should fit you.”
"Thank you," Port said quietly once Noble finished explaining.
“Don’t thank me yet,” Noble responded, his voice firm.
Noble could tell that Port wanted to say something but held back.
"Speak," Noble ordered in his alpha tone.
"Th—that man you were with at the diner...is he your mate?" Port asked softly.
“You don’t need to know the answer to that,” Noble said as he headed for the door. “I’m heading out.”
Port nodded silently.
"One more thing: Don’t step outside this door or let anyone know you’re here—at least not until after the council and I make a decision." Noble placed a hand on the door handle. “When and where was the last time, you saw your father?”
“It was a few months after you kicked us out of the pack. We were staying in Bridgewater Springs. I stuck around for a while, hoping he’d return, but he didn’t. So, I wandered around, doing odd jobs here and there for a few years until I finally got the nerve to come see you.”
Noble clucked his tongue. Bridgewater Springs was a three-day drive from Valleywood. If Port were telling the truth, any trace of Percy would be long gone since it had been years.
"Alright, I’ll check on you tomorrow. If you need anything, let me know."
"Okay," Port said with a weak smile, but Noble didn’t return it. He simply walked out the door.
The following morning, Noble didn’t rush like he normally would since he didn’t have to worry about JaMari, who was staying with her grandparents. Still, that didn’t stop his busy day. He first headed to Yaz Fitness to meet with his father, something he hadn’t been able to do the day before. During the entire meeting, Noble’s thoughts kept drifting back to Jersey. He wasn’t ready to tell anyone he’d found his mate—not until he got to know the man a little better.
"Alright, tell me what the hell is on your mind because you’re clearly not here," Nico said, eyeing him suspiciously.
“Port Montgomery, Percy’s son, came to see me last night,” Noble said.
"What?" Nico exclaimed in shock.
Noble nodded. “He asked to be let back into the pack.”
"No," his father responded immediately.
"I told him I'd bring it to the council," Noble replied. "I honestly don’t trust his motives."
"I can't say I blame you. Where is his father?" Nico asked.
Noble shook his head. “I don’t know. According to Port, his father took off shortly after I exiled them. He’s been alone for a long time and says he’s tired of being alone.”
“Okay,” his father sighed. “I’ll take what you’ve told me to the council and get a trial set up.”
“Okay. I’ve got to get to the shop—I’m interviewing part-timers today.” Noble stood and walked to the door but paused with his hand on the handle. “Oh, Dad, next time you and Mom want to get freaky, don’t do it at work. Or at least lock the door. Yesterday was traumatizing.” He quickly ran out of the office, chuckling as his father grabbed a stapler to throw at him.
Noble stared at his phone screen for what seemed like hours. He hadn’t gotten any work done, and as much as he didn’t want to admit it, he definitely felt nervous. He hadn’t asked someone out on a date in years, and his relationship with Yaz had started instantly due to their attraction.
Sighing, Noble realized that he wouldn’t get to know Jersey unless he called him. Scrolling through his phone, Noble brought up Jersey’s name. Before he could back out, he pressed the call button but was disappointed when it went straight to voicemail.
Noble debated if he should hang up but found that he liked the sound of Jersey’s voice. It was soft and smooth like he’d remembered last night. Lost in the sound, he was caught off guard when the beep came at the end of the message.
“Um…it’s Noble, we met last night on the beach. Uh…call me back when you’re available.” He ended the call and relaxed in his chair, congratulating himself on not sounding like an idiot. Now that he had gotten that out of the way, Noble focused on the work that he had put off all morning.
Hours Earlier, at the Firehouse
Jersey looked at his cellphone, sighed, and set it back down. Minutes later, he picked it up, turned it on, checked the cell signal and battery life, and saw they were fine before turning his phone off again and putting it in his pocket, pretending it wasn’t there. He tried to get some work done but found it difficult to keep Noble off his mind.
He hadn’t lied when he told Noble that he wasn’t ready for a new relationship, but when fate was involved, he wasn’t going to be a fool and deny what could be the greatest love of his life. He had done that once before and had been cheated on. But he couldn’t deny that he was equally wary and excited.
“So why hasn’t he called?” Jersey mumbled to himself. “Maybe I should call him?” He pulled out his phone but was stopped from dialing Noble’s number when one of his crew members spoke up.
“Alright, that’s it. You’ve been mooning over your phone, not getting any work done. I’ve been doing all the equipment maintenance on my own. So, who are you waiting to hear from?” Silas teased.
“I’m not mooning over my phone,” Jersey denied, trying to sound casual, but his coworker wasn’t buying it. “Fine, I was checking my stocks,” he lied.
“Uh-huh, I could have sworn you were hoping someone would call,” Silas said with a smirk.
Jersey shook his head. Although he worked well with these guys, he had never shared anything personal with them. He trusted them, but he wasn’t ready to open up about his past hurt. All they knew was that he had transferred in from another station.
The loud ringing of the house bell pulled Jersey out of his thoughts. He sprang into action, pushing thoughts of Noble aside. After turning off his phone, Jersey focused on the fire call—they had to rescue a driver trapped in their car after an accident.
When he returned to the firehouse and hung up his gear, he quickly grabbed his phone, turned it on, and saw a notification. His eyes widened when he saw Noble’s name on the screen. Jersey stared at it for a few moments before calling him back.
“One second,” came Noble’s voice after the call was picked up on the third ring.
Jersey heard a muffled conversation in the background that lasted a few seconds.
“Sorry about that,” Noble said apologetically when he returned to the phone.
"Did I call at a bad time?" Jersey asked cautiously.
"No, I was finishing up an interview," Noble explained.
“Oh,” Jersey said. “I’m sorry I missed your call earlier. I was out on a fire call.”
“It’s alright. Fire call? I realized last night that I never asked you what you do for a living,” Noble said.
"I'm a firefighter. What about you?" Jersey responded.
Noble didn’t respond right away, and Jersey started to worry, his heart beating a little faster with each passing second.
"Fuck, I just imagined you in the wickedest ways," Noble admitted with a chuckle, his voice low and teasing, before finally answering the question. "I own a few businesses in town."
Jersey smiled to himself, admitting that he liked the soft baritone of Noble’s voice.
"Are you free tonight?" Noble asked.
“Yes,” Jersey answered quickly, not even considering that he might seem too eager.
"Would you like to have dinner with me?" Noble asked.
“Yes, just not at Nellie’s this time—unless you own it,” Jersey teased.
Noble chuckled, and goosebumps instantly prickled on Jersey’s skin.
"Nellie's isn't one of mine," Noble said.
"Okay, good. So where and what time?" Jersey asked.
"Let's make it easy and meet at the Fusion Vine Restaurant at seven," Noble suggested.
Jersey had passed the place a few times but had never eaten there. The meals were a fusion of different cuisines, appealing to various palates. The casual atmosphere seemed comfortable enough to enjoy a nice dinner with good company.
"Okay. See you tonight," Jersey agreed.
They ended the call, and Jersey knew he was smiling, but the nervousness soon crept in, replacing the good feeling he had while talking to Noble. It had been a while since he’d gone out on a date. He leaned his head back, gently banging it on the locker, and stared at nothing as questions swirled in his mind.
What the hell are we going to talk about? Gods, I hope I don’t talk too much. No, let him do all the talking, Jersey thought anxiously.
“Did you hear? Noble Aquillar is retiring from the game,” Beaker said, snapping Jersey out of his thoughts.
Hearing the name “Noble” jolted Jersey back to his senses.
“Why? His team just won the championship,” Jameson sighed. “Man, I was hoping he’d stick around for another season. Any word on why he’s retiring?”
“Last I heard, family reasons,” Beaker replied.
“Ah, yeah, I forgot he had a kid,” Jameson added.
Jersey listened to the entire conversation, hoping it wasn’t the Noble he’d met. Many people had the same name, so it was possible it wasn’t him. But the part about Noble having a kid worried him more.
Is he married? If he is, how could fate do this to me again? Jersey thought in frustration.
Sighing, Jersey quickly searched for the name he had just heard, his heart pounding in his chest. Jersey wasn’t into sports, so he had no idea what his co-workers were discussing. His heart sank when he saw the face of the man he’d met last night—the one he’d made a dinner date with. Clicking on the story, his eyes scanned the words, spotting two important ones: widow and single father . His eyes widened when he scrolled further and saw the picture of JaMari, the little girl who had tried to convince him to meet her father.
“Holy fuck,” Jersey mumbled, staring at the pictures of JaMari and Noble, thinking that fate was either toying with him out of boredom or rewarding him for being good. Whatever the case, he and Noble had a lot to discuss on their date.
Noble walked out of the apartment next to the shop where Port had been staying after updating him on the upcoming meeting with the council, which was scheduled for two months from now. He’d handed Port a prepaid credit card and instructed him to stay out of sight for the next couple months, promising to check in on him from time to time.
At seven on the dot, Noble arrived at the restaurant but didn’t go inside right away. He took some time to check himself over and make sure his nervousness didn’t show. He wore a sports jacket, black slacks, and a dark fitted shirt underneath, hoping he hadn’t overdressed.
The Vine Fusion wasn’t quite as casual as it was supposed to be. He had asked his parents to watch JaMari for another night, and he was relieved they didn’t question him—he honestly didn’t know what he would have told them.
Fuck, I can’t do this , Noble thought, panic creeping in.
He turned around and returned to his car, but he didn’t get far before bumping into something. He instinctively grabbed whatever it was, only to realize it wasn’t an object but a person. Noble looked down and locked eyes with sky-blue ones staring up at him in wonder, set in a charming face he knew he wouldn’t tire of looking at for the rest of his life.
“Hi,” Jersey whispered, his voice soft and almost shy.
“Hey yourself,” Noble responded, reluctantly releasing Jersey and stepping back, though part of him didn’t want to.
“Were you about to leave?” Jersey asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.
"Would it look bad if I said yes?" Noble asked, a hint of hesitation in his voice.
Jersey smiled and shook his head. "No, I’ve been here for about fifteen minutes and was thinking about leaving myself."
Noble chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "I’m not an asshole, I promise. I just haven’t done this in a while...or ever."
"I know what you mean." Jersey sighed, his shoulders relaxing a little. "How do you want to do this?"
"I made reservations, hoping to impress you with my good looks and charm," Noble said with a grin, "but honestly, I’m not really in the mood for a fancy dinner. How about we go somewhere else?"
"What do you have in mind?" Jersey asked, curiosity sparking in his eyes.
"Let me make a quick phone call," Noble said, pulling out his phone.
"Okay, do your thing," Jersey replied, giving him a small, encouraging smile.
Jersey nodded and watched as Noble walked a short distance away to make his call. After looking more into Noble’s background, he had considered canceling their date. But he had talked himself into going, and even though he showed up early, he had been ready to back out—until he saw Noble and realized the man was just as nervous as he was.
He wasn’t bothered by the fact that Noble was famous, and from what he could tell, Noble didn’t seem like one of those cocky assholes who were all about their fame. Jersey had met a few celebrities in his day. What concerned him was JaMari. He liked kids and wanted kids, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to be a stepfather.
“All right, everything will be taken care of by the time we get there,” Noble said as he returned to Jersey’s side. “Come on, let’s take my car.”
“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?” Jersey asked, raising an eyebrow playfully.
“It’s a surprise,” Noble said with a mischievous smile.
“Okay, I’m trusting you,” Jersey replied, smiling back.
“Are you sure you want to do that? I might take advantage of you,” Noble teased, his voice deepening slightly.
Jersey chuckled. “As long as it’s in a very good way, I’ll let you do anything you want to me.”
“Fuck, I’m trying to be good. Don’t make me show how ungentlemanly I can be on our first date,” Noble leaned down and whispered in Jersey’s ear.
Goosebumps rushed all over Jersey’s skin, and he had to bite the inside of his cheek to hide his reaction. But he didn’t want to be outdone, so he moved closer to Noble, pressing his body against the man’s hard, muscled chest.
“Who said I want you to be good?” Jersey whispered, leaning up to lightly bite Noble’s strong chin. Then, he turned and walked toward where Noble had parked, hearing the taller man chuckle behind him.
“You’re playing with fire, little omega,” Noble said, catching up to him, a playful warning in his voice.
“As long as you’re the one doing the burning, I don’t mind,” Jersey shot back with a grin.
They stopped, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. The nervous tension between them had slowly dissipated during their playful banter.