CHAPTER 37 - Noah Black #2
“I’m so sorry for everything you had to go through,” Tessa says, kneeling in front of me. “But that hell is over, and now you’re free.” I nod, and a small, proud smile spreads across her face. “And damn, you’re the most incredible girl in the world, and I’m so proud to be your friend.”
“Thank you,” I say, and she steps back. “How long are you staying in town?” I ask as her phone chimes with a message.
She glances at the screen and sighs.
“I’m not sure yet, but I’ll let you know,” she replies, tucking her phone away. “What are you going to do now that those two bastards are dead?” she asks, and I feel like she’s dropped a stone into my chest.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
I have nothing to say because the truth is, I don’t know what to do.
Damn it, I don’t want to cry anymore!
“We’re going to Las Vegas.” I glance over and find those blue eyes fixed on me. “In a few days,” he adds.
“Is that what you want?” she asks, studying me.
“Yes. I want to go with Bryan, but I still don’t know what I’m going to do with my life.” I shrug, trying not to seem as lost as I really am.
“You’ll figure it out, but starting therapy is a great first step.” She hugs me and I hug her back. “If you need me, call me. I know I’ve been absent, but I’m going to change that, okay?” she asks, letting me go, and when I look at her, I see Luke in the background watching us.
His eyes are fixed on my friend’s back.
There’s something dark in the way he stares at her.
A mixture of hatred and admiration that leaves me confused.
“I don’t have a phone,” I say, turning my attention back to her, and I catch her glaring at Bryan.
“I just got her out of that bastard’s hands a few hours ago,” he says defensively, and I laugh. “I have several phones, so I’ll get your number from Greta and set one up for Noah.”
“Very well,” she says, and I notice her body stiffen. “I really need to go,” she announces, quickly saying goodbye with brief hugs.
I don’t know how, but she senses Luke’s presence and for some reason bolts like she’s seen a ghost, never once looking back.
“I’m going to rest,” Greta announces, and as I watch her head toward the hallway, I notice my brother-in-law has already vanished.
“Want to lie down?” Bryan asks, getting my attention, and I push thoughts of Luke and Tessa aside.
They definitely had some kind of falling out, but I have no idea why.
“I think I’ll stay on the porch for a bit,” I reply, and he narrows his eyes. “I need to clear my head.”
“Alone?”
“If you want to stay with me, I won’t mind.” He smiles, helps me up, and we walk outside.
Bryan sits on the top step and I settle below him, leaning back against his chest.
I stare at the dirt driveway in front of me and let the early morning chill surround me. I close my eyes as his fingers caress my skin.
“What’s bothering you so much?” he asks, and I almost smile because he knows me like no one else and can tell something’s on my mind.
“I don’t know what to do from here on out.” I’m being honest, eyes still closed, breathing in the cold air. “I wanted so badly to be free, but I forgot I don’t know how to be anything other than a prisoner.”
“We’ll figure this out together, my love,” he says, turning me to face him.
“Where will I stay?” I ask, staring into his ocean-blue eyes.
“In our home,” he answers without hesitation.
“Ours?”
“Yes. My house, your house, our house.” He smiles and I fall a little more in love. “Little by little, you’ll figure out what you like, what you love, what you can’t stand—and I’ll be right there beside you, supporting you through all of it.”
“Do you think I’m good at anything? I want to work and help out.”
“I have no doubt you’ll be amazing at plenty of things, but if you’re worried about money, relax.” He caresses my cheek. “I have enough that you’d never need to work.”
“I want to find out if I have a calling,” I explain, and he nods.
“You seemed pretty comfortable with the plants the day I found you in the greenhouse.”
“I love taking care of them!”
“We could set up a flower shop for you,” he says, and my jaw drops. “Or two, three, however many you want.”
“I think I’d rather start with just a greenhouse to see if that’s really what I want to do,” I interrupt.
“You can do whatever you want, go wherever you feel like, you hear me?” He holds my chin gently. “I didn’t pull you out of one prison just to shove you into another.”
“So if I decide I don’t want to stay with you, that I want to go enjoy the world on my own, you’ll let me go?” I ask, and his eyes instantly darken. “Will you give me the choice to leave you?”
“That’s the one thing you don’t get a choice in,” he says, his voice low, leaving no room for negotiation.
“But if you ever want something so absurd, I’ll move heaven and earth to change your mind.
” His lips brush against mine. “After all, you’re mine, remember?
” he murmurs, and I nod with a goofy smile.
“Lucky for you, I don’t want to spend a single day away from you,” I tease, and he pulls back after leaving a quick kiss on my lips.
“I hate to keep talking about that bastard, but there are still a few things we need to handle,” he says, cracking his neck. “We need to sort out your inheritance.”
“Inheritance?” I ask, confusion giving way to a sliver of fear in my chest.
“With Gavin’s death, everything he built becomes yours,” he explains, and I shake my head in refusal. “We’ll void Sadie’s birth certificate with a DNA test and the evidence of what he did, but even so, his entire empire will be yours.”
Images from years of suffering flood my mind.
Nothing from that man is any good.
Nothing that carries his name belongs to me.
“I don’t want anything from him. Not a single cent.” He nods, as if he already knew that would be my answer. “Can we donate every cent to a shelter for women and children? Something like that exists, right?”
“It does, and I think that’s the best option,” he agrees, and I sigh with relief. “You don’t need their money because I’m going to take care of you.”
“When I figure out what to do with my life, I promise to pay you back for every cent you spend on me and Sadie.”
“If you dare give me money, I’ll set it on fire.”
“If you keep setting fire to everything, I’m going to start calling you an arsonist,” I tease, and he narrows his eyes. “I don’t want to be a burden.”
“You’re the woman of my life, and that little girl sleeping in there is my daughter.” My heart flutters and butterflies swirl, throwing a party inside me. “I’m going to give you both the whole damn world, and that’s not up for discussion.”
“How do you get even more handsome when you’re being bossy?”
“And how do you get so hot saying things like that?” he retorts, tilting my chin up. “I’m counting the hours until I have you alone. Until I can show you my room.”
“Is it beautiful?” I gasp as his fingers tighten their grip.
“No, but it’ll be beautiful once your naked body has been in every corner of it,” he purrs, making my entire body ignite. “I’m going to call the lawyers at dawn to handle all the paperwork, because we need to leave as soon as possible.”
“We need to go home,” I declare, my voice barely a whisper, getting used to the idea.
“To our home,” he replies, finally pressing his lips to mine, and for the first time in a long time, I feel like we’re truly free—that nothing and no one can separate us.
I can finally believe that the drawing Sadie made of us together will become reality.
Me, him, and our little one.
Free, happy, united, and being each other’s home.
Officially a family.