Chapter 40
Liv
Two months later . . .
“I have two job offers. Both are lucrative, but I’m not sure if I like the companies.” Noah finishes filling two glasses, then grabs the wine bottle before returning to the living room, where most of us have been hanging out tonight. “I’m looking for something to challenge me.”
Harbor takes one of the glasses and then a sip. “If you’re really up for it, I have a lead for you.”
Noah tops my glass, then Tuesday’s glass with wine before sitting in a chair at the opposite end of the coffee table from me. “What is it?”
“Join the Formula 1 Westcott team. We’re at the stage where I need to build a marketing team. It only makes sense to ask you. Are you experienced? No, but you have the know-how, and I know you have the drive to succeed.”
“Are you kidding me right now?”
“No, I’m not.” He grins and then clinks his whiskey glass against my very sexy boyfriend’s glass.
Noah’s eyes are wide despite the amount of liquor he’s consumed this evening. “Are you asking me to help build this team, to work on it, or to consult? What are you saying, Harbor?”
“I’m saying you can be involved as little or as much as you like. I need an insider to keep the team’s best interest at the forefront and to keep the Westcott name clean.”
He sets the glass down as he edges toward the end of the chair cushion. “Are you fucking kidding me right now? If you’re pulling my leg, I’ll fucking pummel you, dude.”
We’re laughing because of the entertainment factor, but if I’ve learned anything about the Westcott family, they take care of each other.
Harbor is still chuckling when he replies, “I’m not kidding you or pulling your leg. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about it for a while, but with Mavie being born, I’ve been a little busy.”
Noah flops back in the seat, his eyes set on mine. “This is nuts, right?”
“I don’t think so,” I reply. “I think he’s serious.”
Whipping his gaze back to Harbor, he asks, “Where would we be based?”
“I’m not going to be involved in the day-to-day, so I need a strong team.
We need a location where we can buy a sizable plot of land and set up a corporate office, maybe a test track.
It would be a great place for my clients to drive their new cars for the first time.
In the vicinity of New York City would be beneficial since that’s where my operations are based, and Lark will have the opportunity to return to work if she chooses.
” He sits forward, resting his arms on his legs.
“Lark’s father is the best mechanic out there.
He’s local. He can build out a solid team of mechanics right here in Beacon.
Since Westcott Law has been retained as a legal partner, I need my little brother to hit the trifecta to make our racing team dreams come true. How do you feel about returning home?”
Noah’s eyes find mine again, the question marks set inside. Like I would ever say no to him or this beautiful town. He once mentioned he’d like to see Max have the freedom to live outside without the confines of concrete—I want that too. He asks me, “What do you think?”
“I think the three of you working together is a force to be reckoned with.”
Instead of going to his brother, Noah comes to me. Pulling me to my feet, he looks at me with the same smile that melted my Ice Queen heart many months ago. “Thank you.”
Kissing him, I close my eyes to enjoy the sweet pressure, though it’s only briefly. We don’t mind packing on the PDA, but we also don’t need to make a scene in front of the family. “So you’re taking it, right?”
He glances back at his brothers on the couch. “The dream team?”
Loch stands first and then Harbor. All three brothers are toe-to-toe. I shoot a look at Marina sitting in a chair next to mine, who rolls her eyes. “Hug it out and get it over with, guys,” she teases.
Lark comes into the living room and stops. “What’s going on?”
Tuesday raises her arm behind her, reaching out for Lark. “They’re having a silent standoff or something. Who knows?” When Lark takes her hand, she asks, “What can I get you?”
“I’m good. Mavie’s asleep, so I get a few hours to play with the grown-ups and the Westcott brothers.” She laughs and shakes her head. “Here we go again.”
Loch exchanges a look with Harbor, and then it happens so fast that Noah doesn’t see it coming.
Loch scoops his legs up from under him, and Harbor holds him under the arms. While Noah threatens to get revenge, Marina opens the door for them to run through.
She says, “Brr. That pool is going to be cold.”
“Wait, what?” I rush for the door.
“They do this to each other at least once a year,” Lark says. “They’re so competitive, but it’s all in good fun. We just let them get it out of their system.”
Tuesday follows us outside, closing the door. “What comes around goes around with these guys.”
Noah is laughing but reaches his arm out for me. “Save me, babe.” He’s tossed in before I can reply.
I laugh, and then ask, “Should I get him a towel?”
Lark wraps her arms around herself. “They’re all going to need one tonight.”
We watch as Loch and Harbor start running across the lawn with Noah in fast pursuit. “Your helicopter can’t save you now.”
Harbor yells, “Want to bet?”
Lark laughs. “I think he forgot that we’re staying the night and sent the pilot to a hotel. Yep. He just remembered.” As Harbor legs it toward the woods, she looks at us. “Want to go inside?”
I reply, “I’m hungry. Anyone up for a snack?”
Tuesday says, “I’d love pancakes.”
I rub my stomach. “Mm. Me too.”
The four of us return to the warmth of the house and start digging through the pantry for the ingredients.
Working together, we get the first batch mixed.
While I start cooking the pancakes on the griddle, Marina leans against the counter next to me.
“How’s it going with my brother?” She pops a blueberry in her mouth.
With the spatula in hand, I anchor my hip on the counter to face her.
“Really well. We haven’t been together for that long in the scheme of things, but it’s also like we’ve been together our whole lives.
That sounds weird, right? I just . . . I’ve never been so much myself with someone else.
He loves me for me. He’s an incredible partner, and you already know he’s a great dad. ”
“He is. He’s so good with Max.” She says, “The first time I met you, I saw you were under his spell.”
“The Noah Effect?” I start to laugh, remembering her mentioning it before.
“Yeah. It’s all in the eyes. They don’t lie. The dilation of the pupils when they gaze upon him and then the flirting begins. It’s a whole thing that I used to find so annoying. I even had girls befriend me, hoping to get with my brothers. Ick. So gross.”
I flip three of the pancakes, then snatch a blueberry from the dish. “I’m sorry you had to go through that. Being used never feels good.”
“It doesn’t, but here’s the thing, Liv. It wasn’t one-sided with you.” I meet her eyes, and we hold each other’s gaze. Her heart is on her sleeve as the corners of her eyes soften. “He looked at you the same way.” She pops her shoulders in a casual shrug. “The Liv Effect. He’s so in love with you.”
I love how easy it is to talk so openly with her. She’s warm and inviting, and I love that there’s a protective edge to her when it comes to her brothers. “I feel the same about him.”
The guys crash in through the door, rambunctious and loud enough to wake the dead three counties over.
All three are soaking wet. Their hearty laughter is contagious, though, as Lark shuffles them toward the stairs and sends them up to get dressed.
“I feel like we’re about to get in trouble for waking the parents. ”
Marina says, “One more thing. When he asks you to marry him, I hope you say yes. You’re the perfect addition to our family.”
The spatula falls from my hand as my heart kicks into high gear. “Oh my God, do you know something?”
Horror creases her expression. “No. No. No. I don’t know anything. I just know how much he loves you.”
“Oh,” I reply with relief. “Okay.” I catch my breath. “That caught me off guard.”
Marina is laughing, but she comes to hug me. “Sorry. It was just me being selfish. I adore you.”
Tuesday asks, “What about you joining the Formula 1 team? Any interest, Marina?”
“I don’t think they could handle me.” She’s still laughing when Noah crosses through the living room.
Pulling out a barstool, he asks, “What can I help with?”
Loch isn’t far behind. When Tuesday sees him, she asks, “Did you know that Alison eloped three months ago?”
“Who’s Alison?” I ask.
The room goes quiet, and all eyes are on me and Noah, but he’s suddenly very interested in the veining of the marble countertop. Ah . . . An ex? A hookup? A friends-with-benefits type of relationship?
I don’t care. I’m not threatened. This man would lasso the moon if he knew it would make me happy, so I have no intention of making this a thing between us.
Tuesday replies, “My best friend. She’s been living in paradise and, I guess, has been a newlywed this whole time.”
Why create upset when there doesn’t need to be any?
I stack the finished pancakes on a platter and work on the next batch. As soon as they’re cooking, I go to my man, rub his shoulders, and then kiss his back. Spinning around on the stool, he takes hold of my hips. “Do you want to talk about it?”
While the others busy themselves with things to do in the kitchen, I focus on him. “Four or five months ago, maybe. Now, I have no interest.”
He smiles before tucking hair behind my ear. “We’ve both come a long way, babe.”
“We sure have, and I couldn’t be happier.” Wrapping my arms around his neck, I kiss him. No surprise, it quickly turns heated. The spatula is pulled from my hand, and Loch mans the stove by tossing burnt pancakes into the sink.
I say, “Sorry.” But it’s hard to be sorry when kissing him is so much better than cooking.
Noah stands and tosses me over his shoulder under a fit of laughter he’s elicited from me. “I’m not.” He waves. “Good night!”