CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
“SHE WAS PROBABLY FOUR or five at the time,” Drew said in a boisterous voice, trying to hold in his laughter. “God, she was so mad! She was dancing around in the basement to Air Supply, building something with her blocks. I have no idea what.”
“It was a wall to keep stinky brothers away,” I shot back with a smirk, catching Noah’s enamored gaze out of the corner of my eye.
“She never even saw it coming. As she was in mid-spin, I knocked her hard work down. She chased me all over the basement, screaming, ‘Give you to me!’”
Even though they all knew the story, everyone laughed…except Noah. His hand brushed my leg beneath the table.
“Give you to me?” he mused in a sexy voice, raising his brow.
I shrugged. “It was before I became so eloquent with words.” I took a sip of my wine. “All these years later, whenever I get mad at him, I still say that.” I winked at Drew, who wore a satisfied expression on his face as he looked between Noah and me.
“Although these two barely ever fight,” Brooklyn interjected. “They have an oddly close relationship.” She paused briefly. “How about you, Noah? Any brothers or sisters?”
“Four sisters,” he answered. “Molly met one of them. Piper. ”
“She’s a doctor, too. A gynecologist,” I added.
Brooklyn’s eyes shot to mine as she put two and two together. “Who you asked…?”
I nodded. Sensing Noah’s eyes on me, I turned to him. “I gave her the bullet points about last night.”
“I figured as much.” He winked.
“Did you grow up in Boston?” Uncle Leo asked.
“No, sir,” Noah answered respectfully. I marveled at how well mannered he was. He had held my chair out for me as I sat at the table, even in the relaxed atmosphere of my family. It was such a small thing, but it spoke volumes as to the kind of man he was, how different he was from all the others who’d come before him. They’d never opened or held the door for me. They’d never shared their umbrella with me when we got caught in the rain and I forgot mine. They’d never thought about anyone but themselves. I supposed I hadn’t, either…until now.
As I surveyed Noah’s silhouette, unbeknownst to him, I considered the possibility there was a reason I never wanted anything more than an occasional fling before. Maybe I knew those guys weren’t enough for me. Maybe I had been subconsciously waiting to find a man who would treat me the way a woman deserved to be treated…like a queen in public and a goddess in private. I craved the moment Noah would worship at my altar again.
“I grew up in New York.”
Gigi gasped, as if he’d confessed to murdering children. Clutching Uncle Leo’s hand, they looked at Noah. “New York? You’re not…” She trailed off, unable to finish the words.
“No, ma’am. I am not a Yankees fan.”
She breathed a huge sigh of relief, doing the sign of the cross. Baseball was as hallowed as religion in our family. “Thank God.”
“Yeah!” Alyssa said, finally taking a break from stuffing her face with homemade spaghetti. “No Yankees fans are allowed in here. Daddy already told me I’m never allowed to date anyone who’s a Yankees fan…or Canadian.”
“You’re never allowed to date, period,” Drew corrected with a smile. “But if you do, it’s not all Canadians. It’s Montreal Canadien fans.” He returned his attention to Noah, shrugging. “Old hockey rivalries never really die.”
“Speaking of which…” Noah raised his wine glass to his lips, taking a sip to wash down the hearty Italian meal. I couldn’t help but think there was something incredibly erotic about the way he swirled his wine, savoring the robust cabernet sauvignon he chose to pair with his Braciole, my aunt Gigi’s specialty. “Ever think of getting back in the game?”
Drew lowered his head, staring at his plate as he toyed with the noodles, twirling them around his fork. “I’ve had some offers to coach, but I need to put my girls first. Coaching would mean being away from home for weeks—”
“Not if you coach college,” Gigi interrupted.
Drew shot daggers at her. I got the feeling they had this conversation many times before. Drew was just as stubborn as I was. It was nearly impossible to convince him to change his mind once it had been made up. His love for his girls was unmatched, but it was clear how much he missed the thrill of being around the ice, although he’d never admit it. He’d bought the café from my dad when he could no longer manage it on his own due to his illness. Drew didn’t really run it any more than my father did. That was all Aunt Gigi.
“I’d still have to be away from the girls. Maybe not for weeks at a time, but still longer than I’d like. Coaching is out of the question.” He glared at Gigi, silently telling her to drop it. Then he turned back to Noah, anxious to change the subject. “Do your parents still live in New York?”
“My mother does.” He stabbed his fork into his salad. “My father passed away when I was in college.”
“I’m sorry,” Drew offered.
“Alzheimer’s,” Noah added. Every pair of eyes in the room shot in his direction. “He’s the reason I chose the path I did.”
“Grandpapa has old-timer’s, too!” Alyssa’s voice cut through the solemn air at the table, a smile on her face. I wished she could always stay young and innocent, that the cruelty of how easily people could leave and forget you never really affect her as it had me. “He forgets a lot and it makes him angry.” She tilted her head at Drew. “Isn’t that right, Daddy?”
Drew nodded with tight lips. “He doesn’t mean anything by it. It’s just the way his brain is wired.”
“Is my brain wired the same way?” Her eyes grew wide, her soft chin trembling. “I’m not going to forget and be mean, too, am I?”
“Of course not, pumpkin.”
“Promise?” Her eyebrows furrowed, concern etched on her face. “Because I really don’t want to forget you or Auntie Molly. Or Auntie Brook or Charlotte.”
Noah squeezed my hand under the table, able to sense my unease as I bore witness to Drew’s exchange with Alyssa. I’d constantly been on Drew’s case that he didn’t visit our father nearly enough. This conversation put it all into perspective for me. I didn’t have anyone I had to explain my father’s deteriorating health to. Everyone I was close to understood what was going on. Alyssa and Charlotte were too young to truly grasp the concept. For them, their grandpapa was no longer the same man one day. He was no longer there to take them to the park and push them on the swing. He was no longer around to play make-believe with. He was no longer around to fill their bellies with gelato and other sugary treats. My heart went out to Drew at what awaited him somewhere down the road…having to explain what death was to two beautiful, innocent souls.
“I promise.” Drew leaned over to kiss Alyssa on the forehead, then got up from his chair, doing the same to Charlotte. He walked to the wet bar and grabbed a few more bottles of wine. I had a feeling every single adult at the table wouldn’t turn down more alcohol as we all silently considered the probability that my father’s time was nearing the end.
“Hey, Alyssa.” Noah’s voice cut through the heavy atmosphere as we all stared at our plates, avoiding each other’s eyes.
“Yes?” She perked up.
“Do you like jokes?”
“Yes, sir,” she answered politely.
“Why is Peter Pan always flying?”
Alyssa contemplated it for a minute, then shook her head. “I don’t know.”
“Because he Neverlands.”
She giggled, her expression brightening. “Tell me another one.”
“Okay.”
I glanced at Noah, who seemed as comfortable as if he were interacting with two little girls he’d known his entire life. I never pegged him as the type of man who was a sucker for kids, not with the intellectual persona he tended to exude, but he was a natural. In my opinion, he would have made one hell of a pediatrician.
“What runs but doesn’t get anywhere?”
Alyssa rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows this one, Dr. Noah. A refrigerator!” She and Charlotte burst out laughing.
“You’re too smart for me,” Noah replied. “Maybe you can teach me a few jokes.”
Alyssa scrunched her nose and looked at the ceiling, as if a joke would be scrawled on it. Finally, after much thought, she looked back at Noah, grinning. “Why can’t you write with a broken pencil?”
Noah draped his arm over the back of my chair, his fingers brushing against my shoulder lightly. The subtle contact warmed me, my face flushing. He winked at me, then turned his attention back to Alyssa.
“I don’t know. Why can’t you write with a broken pencil?”
I felt a kick from across the table. I shot my eyes to Brooklyn, who simply mouthed, Oh. My. God, then feigned swooning. I bit back my smile. I absolutely adored Alyssa and Charlotte, thought of them as my own. My heart was full as I watched Noah interact with them. His interest in my family plowed through the armor around my heart.
“Because it’s pointless!” Alyssa exclaimed, her giggles echoing in the room.
“You got all those jokes from Molly, didn’t you?” Drew asked Noah.
He furrowed his brow, glancing at me, then back at my brother. “No. Why?”
“Really?” Drew was taken aback. “You two are made for each other.” He shook his head, laughing. “Molly has a thing for stupid humor. She got it from my dad. Besides their love of reading, the other thing they have in common is jokes. They’d sometimes have entire conversations with stupid one-liners.”
Noah looked at me. “Really?”
I bit my bottom lip, then shrugged. “Yup.”
“Daddy!” Charlotte said. “It’s your turn! You tell a joke!”
As Drew tried to come up with an age-appropriate joke on the spot, Noah leaned toward me, his breath hot on my neck. “Perhaps I’ve met my match.”
When he ran a light finger down my arm, my body practically fused into the chair.
Perhaps you have, I thought.
~~~~~~~~~~
EMERGING ONTO THE SIDEWALK, I drew in a long breath of the humid Boston night air. An uncontrollable smile formed on my lips as warmth radiated through every inch of my body. Tonight was better than I could have imagined. Watching Noah converse so effortlessly with the most important people in my life meant more to me than I think he realized.
My fingers intertwined with Noah’s as we shuffled the few steps from the front door of Drew’s apartment building, past the entrance to the café, and toward my apartment. I unlocked the door, pulling Noah alongside me. To my surprise, he withdrew his hand, hesitating on my front stoop.
“What is it?” I turned to face him, my brows furrowed.
“Molly…” He brought himself up to the same step I was on, brushing an errant curl behind my ear. I loved the feel of his fingers on my skin. It made me feel alive. I met his eyes, a look of complete satisfaction staring back at me. “I’d love nothing more than to come up, but I don’t think I should.”
“You don’t want to sleep with me?” I swallowed hard, wondering whether Brooklyn or Drew had said something to change his mind since our conversation in the park.
“That’s not it at all.” He dragged my body to his. Leaning down, he softly tugged on my earlobe with his teeth. His tongue traced circles, igniting the fire in my core. “I want nothing more than to sleep with you, to make your body do things you never thought possible.” He abruptly pulled back. His sensual tone turned endearing. “But I want to prove to you that I want you for you, not for any other reason.”
“I know that,” I replied. “You don’t have to prove anything to me.” I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer. His lips were a whisper away and I was desperate to taste them again, to taste every inch of him.
“Let me do this.” He gazed upon me with earnest. This was obviously important to him. “I don’t want you to think I’m only spending time with you in the hopes of ending up in bed together. I want to show you we can have just as much fun outside the bedroom as we can inside.” He pulled back, clutching my hands in his. “I don’t want to just have a fling with you. I want to date you. So please, let me date you.”
A satisfied smile crossed my mouth as I stood on my toes. Meeting his crystal blue eyes, I did something I’d never done before. I gave a very handsome man a kiss goodnight after he walked me to my front door. I went to bed more fulfilled with just that one kiss than I ever thought possible.