38. Noah
Noah
Iwas back at my house, thinking over the past forty-eight hours, when Ma called.
“Hi, Ma.”
“You get your girl yet?” she asked.
“Wow, you just came in swinging, didn’t you? No warm-up or anything,” I said.
“You know me better than that, Noah,” she replied.
I sighed, walking outside and sitting on the front steps.
“I…sort of have her?” I said, hesitantly. “Unclear at the moment,” I mumbled.
She groaned. “My goodness, Noah, what was there to mess up? I want my gosh darn daughter-in-law. Preferably before I’m too old to chase grandbabies.”
“She needs time to think, and she deserves that. If she chooses Bexley, chooses me, it has to be because she wants it. Not because I guilt-tripped her into staying,” I said.
“And she knows you want her here even if she never planned another event?” she asked.
I paused. Did she know that? I wanted her to know how talented and special she was, without her thinking it affected how much I loved her. She could say screw the inn, and I’d still be hopelessly in love with her.
“As much as Bailey needs to choose you, you need to make sure she knows you’re choosing her as well,” she said.
Ma was right, per usual. I didn’t know where her endless bucket of wisdom came from, but I sure was grateful I had it in my life. My phone pinged, and I quickly glanced at the notification, dread washing over me.
“Hey, Ma, something came up. I’ll talk to you a bit later, okay? Love you.”
I hit end before she could say love you too. The email notification on my phone read:
“Bailey Collins - Resignation Notice.”
I sighed, raking a hand down my face. What was that saying? If you love someone, let them go? I swallowed past the lump in my throat and opened the email.
Hello Mr. Whitaker,
I regret to inform you that I’ll be resigning from my position at The Whitaker Inn, effective immediately.
I am grateful for the opportunity and learning experience and wish you nothing but success in the future.
Please let me know what final steps I should take to turn in my laptop and secure my final paycheck. I appreciate your understanding.
Best,
Bailey
Two things could be true at once: I could be devastated at losing Bailey, and also proud that she was pursuing what was best for her.
My girl was bright and bold and deserved to have anything and everything that she wanted.
That didn’t stop my mind from being littered with regret, though.
Maybe I had come on too strong or not strong enough?
Maybe I hadn’t broken through on the promise that my love wasn’t conditional like her parents’ was.
These were regrets I would live with for the rest of my life, because coming across someone like Bailey was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
If she had known sooner that I loved her, communicated my plans better, I wouldn’t be sitting on my front porch steps all alone like a line out of a sad country song.
Fuck, this hurt.
My phone pinged again, and I almost chucked it into the yard.
No one else was here, I could pitch a fit, right?
I went inside, the heat from this Tennessee summer not helping my anxiety or spiraling thoughts.
God, where did I go from here? How was I supposed to show up to work on Monday and act normal, like my entire world hadn’t collapsed?
I leaned my head against the wall, taking another deep breath before opening my phone again.
“Bailey Collins - Lifelong Acceptance.”
Hi Noah,
I hope I didn’t make you sweat too much with my earlier email. Actually, yes, I do. It’s fun to turn the tables on you sometimes.
I moved here with so much weight on my shoulders, and week by week I’ve started feeling lighter and more like Bailey.
That’s because of you. You see all of the rough, unfinished parts of me and you love me because of them, not in spite of them.
Bexley Grove wouldn’t feel like home if I didn’t have you, and if I didn’t have you, I wouldn’t have a home at all.
I resigned from the inn because I plan to pursue my own event-planning business here in town (I was told I had a hot investor ready to assist me). Just so my decision is 100% clear, I choose you. I choose Bexley. But most importantly, I choose myself: flaws and all.
Professionally yours,
Bailey
I thought I was too young for a heart attack, but clearly not—my heart was racing like it could burst out of my lovestruck chest at any moment. I pulled up Bailey’s number, immediately hitting the call button, and of course, my sweet girl answered on the first ring.
“Hi, Noah.”
“Hi, baby.”
Emotion I wasn’t expecting hit me full force, and I rapidly blinked my eyes.
“Where are you, peaches? I need you in my arms right now.”
A knock on my front door caught me by surprise.
“Why don’t you check outside?”
I damn near ripped my door off its hinges, and there she was. Dressed in one of those sundresses that drove me crazy, her curls barely contained by the headband on her head, and the most beautiful, authentic smile I had ever seen. Utter perfection standing in front of me.
For a second, I just stared at her. Like my brain couldn’t catch up to the fact that she was actually here.
“I thought you deserved a grand gest—”
I knocked the wind out of her with how quickly I scooped her into my arms, my lips immediately finding hers before she could catch her breath or get another word in. Her arms wound around my neck, and her legs wrapped around my waist.
I dug my face into her neck, inhaling the peach scent that drove me wild. Our lips came together like magnets, and a part of me felt like I could finally breathe now that she was back in my arms.
“I love you so fucking much,” I mumbled against her lips, pressing her back against the nearest wall.
“I love you too,” she whispered. “I’m not going anywhere, although I guess I am homeless now.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it,” I ground out.
I was quickly getting drunk on the feeling of Bailey being back in my arms and knew we needed to have a conversation before I lost all my composure. I let her feet hit the floor, tucking a curl behind her ear.
“I love you. I love that you dish shit out to Grant on the daily.”
A watery laugh escaped her.
“I love when you purposely put your ice-cold feet against my calves in the middle of the night.”
“You hate that,” she whispered.
“I absolutely do,” I said. “Still love you anyway. I love it when you forget to put a new roll of toilet paper on the holder, and most importantly, I love it when you finally release your stress from the day and take comfort in my arms.”
She looked up at me with tears and adoration in her eyes, her cheeks flushed and heart racing.
“What an honor it is to love someone as dynamic and imperfectly perfect as you, Bailey. You know that, right?”
She nodded. “I know that now.”
She gripped my shirt, tugging me even closer if that was possible.
“I know the people who were supposed to love you left you,” she said.
Images of my dad briefly flashed across my memory before Bailey centered me again. She cradled my cheek in her hand. “That’s not me. I’ll be here as long as you want me around.”
“Is it too much if I ask for forever?” I asked, not caring if it was too much too soon.
“You’re never too much for me.”
I wound my arms around her waist, pouring every bit of devotion I had into our kiss. My tongue teased her lips, and she opened, letting me consume her. I picked her back up and headed toward the bedroom.
“Permission to keep you in bed for the rest of the day?” I asked, tugging her dress strap off her shoulder.
She gasped, clutching my hair.
“Permission granted.”