7. Noah
Chapter seven
Noah
Sleeping beauty.
~ The Next Day ~
“You’re heading out too?” I ask Gabe as I watch him pulling on his sneakers.
“Yeah, I have a photo shoot for some ad my agent thinks I should do. I shouldn’t be gone too long.” I nod at his response. “Where are you going?”
“I have something to do. I’m gonna pick up Veronica on the way and drop her off.”
She’s not supposed to be working today. But since tomorrow is game day, she offered to come in today so that tomorrow she wouldn’t be in the way, and we could fully focus and rest. I told her it wasn’t necessary, but she insisted.
I’m starting to think she just likes being here or with us. I’m hoping it’s the latter.
“I don’t understand why she takes the subway over. Doesn’t she have a car?” Gabe frowns like the thought of being on one of those disturbs him. Or maybe it’s the safety aspect, I’m not sure.
“She does, but she said she lets Aubrey use it during the day. That’s why I offered to give her a lift this morning.”
“That’s another thing I don’t get. Why hasn’t Ford gotten a car for Baby Ford? You’d think he’d want his sister to be safe behind a wheel, instead of walking around everywhere.” Ah, so it is about safety.
I chuckle. “Yeah, that’s none of our business. Knowing Aubrey, she probably doesn’t want Greyson spending money on her.”
“You’re probably right. Anyway, I’m out. See you later.” He heads for the elevator with a wave.
In the kitchen, I fill two travel mugs with coffee, one for me and one for Veronica. Then I make my way into the elevator and down to the parking garage, where I jump into my silver Aston Martin.
Barely fifteen minutes later, I’m pulling up in front of Veronica and Aubrey’s condo.
I never realized until now just how close they live even though we helped them move.
I make my way to the entrance of the building, noticing there’s no doorman or security like at ours.
But the door is still locked, so at least it’s somewhat safe.
I ring the buzzer to their condo and wait.
“Hello?” Aubrey’s soft voice filters through the speaker.
“Hey, it’s Noah. I told Veronica I’d be picking her up.”
“Oh, okay. I’ll buzz you in, come on up,” she says.
Seconds later the buzzer to the door sounds and I pull it open, then take the elevator to the fourth floor. Once at their door I knock and suddenly start to feel nervous, like when you’re going on a first date and picking her up at her door, which hasn’t happened in a long time.
I know this isn’t the case, but it still feels the same. I could have simply stayed in the car and texted her to come down, but I wanted to see where my Kitten lived, what she was really like behind closed doors.
The door swings open with Aubrey standing on the other side in a camisole and shorts, her long ash-blonde hair up in a messy bun. “Hi, Noah.”
“Hey, beautiful.” I step in, kiss her cheek, and on cue, she blushes. That girl is always blushing. She really is a beautiful woman, but I’m not into shy girls. Plus, Greyson would rip my head off if I ever went there.
“Ronnie should be out in a sec.” She smiles and turns back to their kitchen.
Their place is nice and spacious, all white walls with turquoise-blue accents everywhere and a big kitchen filled with a whole bunch of appliances. I’m guessing Aubrey spends most of her time here, since she’s the talented baker in our group.
Voices sound from down the hall seconds before Veronica appears with a big blond guy at her side, his hand resting on her lower back. They stop at the mouth of the hallway, where he places his other hand on her hip and turns her to face him, but she doesn’t lift her head.
She keeps looking down, arms wrapped around her stomach and seeming lost in thought. I can’t hear what he’s saying to her, but she shakes her head, smiles faintly, and places her palm on his bicep while saying something back.
A streak of jealousy rushes through me like lightning. My jaw clenches as I widen my stance and fold my arms over my chest, shoulders wide and head held high. Finally, Veronica steps out of his hold and turns my way.
When her eyes meet mine, she stops, eyes wide and mouth open in surprise. “Noah, I didn’t know you were here.”
The guy behind her looks me up and down but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t look upset that another man is in her space either. He just looks… unfazed, like my presence doesn’t threaten him in the least.
“Sorry, I forgot you had company…” Aubrey says in a quiet, apologetic voice.
My teeth grind together. I don’t normally get jealous, but I hate knowing Veronica spent the night with another man, especially after she left our place last night. I thought we were getting somewhere with her.
I guess I was wrong.
“It’s okay, Nathan was just leaving.” Jesus, if Aubrey knows his name, it’s because he’s a regular. Not just some random hook up. Veronica looks back at me with a small smile, not like the one she gave that asshole. “Just give me a few minutes to get my things.”
“It’s fine. I’ll wait for you downstairs,” I say a little more harshly than necessary. I know I probably look angry right now, but I don’t care. I turn and rip the door open, striding out and back down the elevator.
I get outside to my car and pace a few times, unsure what to make of her and that guy. Is he her boyfriend? I thought she didn’t do boyfriends. Hell, didn’t she go home with that Jessie guy the night of the gala? Morgan’s billionaire neighbor. Maybe they aren’t exclusive? Ugh!
I pass my hands through my hair, then reach into my car for the two travel mugs. Leaning back against my car, I take a sip from mine and wait, keeping my eyes on the entrance door of their building.
Five minutes later, the door opens, and Veronica walks out with that Nathan guy beside her. They stop, and he opens his arms for her. She seems reluctant at first but finally steps into his embrace. Although she doesn’t hug him back, keeping her hands tight around her body.
I can’t help the smirk that forms on my lips. She may be intimate with him, but he doesn’t give her the same sense of security I give her.
He lets go of her and walks to his car that’s parked two vehicles ahead, while Veronica walks slowly over to mine. “Hi,” she says softly. “Sorry I made you wait. I didn’t know what time you’d be here.”
“It’s fine.” I hand her the travel mug. “It’s for you. I wasn’t sure how you took your coffee, but you look like a sweets kind of girl. So, I put a bit of cream and two sugars.”
She smiles down at the mug as she takes it. “Your assessment is right, but it’s three sugars.”
I grin back at her before pulling the passenger door open. “I’ll remember that. Come on, let’s go.”
“Nice car. I’ve seen it before; I just wasn’t sure if it was yours or Gabe’s,” she says as she sits in carefully.
“Mine, and she’s my baby.” With a wink, I close the door and head to the driver’s side.
“Ah, so I’m guessing no one gets to drive her but you?” She smirks with a knowing look.
“That’s right.” I nod and start the car, pulling out onto the street.
Veronica makes a weird sound, then lets out a shaky breath.
I look at her as we stop at a red light and notice she looks different today.
She’s not wearing her usual high skirt, stockings, and heels.
Instead, she’s wearing black and pink leggings with a pink sports bra and sneakers.
Her complexion seems pale, her face is makeup free, her hair is down and looks finger-combed, and a lost look fills her gaze.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Her head rests against the seat as she looks out the window. She turns to me, offering a small smile that doesn’t reach her eyes as she says, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine,” I tell her.
“Thanks, Casanova.” She gives me an annoyed look before turning back to the window.
“Kitten.” I place my hand gently on her thigh and give it a small squeeze. She looks down at it, then up to me. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant that you look tired, maybe even sick. If you want to take the day off, you can.”
Her hand comes down above mine. “It’s okay. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry about me.” Yeah, that’s not possible.
“Okay,” I finally say. Clearly, she won’t admit what’s wrong, so I’ll just let it go for now. “Have you had breakfast?”
She shakes her head. “No. Not yet.”
“Okay, we’ll stop to pick you up some food. Ellis isn’t home right now, so he won’t be able to make you something. And the groceries aren’t set to arrive until later this afternoon, so there’s not much in the fridge.”
Thanks to the app she’s put on our phones, we can see when the deliveries will be made. And yes, I called it home, because even if she doesn’t know it yet, that’s where she belongs.
“Okay, thank you,” she says quietly.
More proof that she isn’t doing well. Veronica never speaks in a small voice. Yes, she can be tender and delicate, but she’s never sounded like a wounded animal.
VERONICA
A few minutes later, Noah pulls up to a breakfast place and stops the car before turning to me. “Do you want to eat here or at home?”
“At the penthouse, if that’s okay?” I’m really not feeling up to sitting in a restaurant around all those people.
As if on cue, my lower abdomen contracts and a blinding pain shoots through me. I fight the urge not to bend in half or cry out by taking deep breaths through my nose. My menstrual cramps have always been tremendously severe.
I’ve ended up in the hospital more times than I can count over the years, and the doctors never find any reason behind it. I’ve tried every form of birth control, hoping it would help. None have worked except for the implant, which is what I have now.
Thankfully, I don’t get my period every cycle anymore, but every three months or so, it comes, and the pain is horrible once again.
Although I’ll take that over having it every twenty-eight days.
I also have prescribed medication that helps, but I ran out, and with no insurance, I can’t afford more right away, so now I’m stuck suffering.