Chapter Fourteen

        

        “Okay, before you say anything, I have something I need to say first.”

        “Okay,” Noah said with a nod.

        They’d gotten home from the grocery store and Emma Jean immediately attempted to use the chore of putting all the food away as an excuse to delay their talk, but Noah wasn’t having it. He was about to force her attention to him when she spoke first. He needed to lay out exactly what was happening here, but he’d let her speak her piece first. Better for him to prepare an argument for whatever messed up reasoning she was about to give.

        “I know that you think there’s some sort of attraction here…”

        Noah couldn’t help the journey his eyebrows took to his hairline.

        “...and I suppose you wouldn’t be completely wrong about that.”

         No kidding.

         “But, I really think that what you think you feel beyond any...physical attraction...is just a sense of duty. You want to protect me because I’ve known you almost my whole life, and I’m like ...  a sister to you.”

        She’d floundered with that last bit, and Noah pursed his lips to keep from laughing at the absurdity of her claim. They both knew there was nothing familial about his feelings. When she didn’t continue, he spoke.

        “Is that what you wanted to say?”

        “I think so.” She busied herself filling a pot with water to boil the pasta she’d apparently decided they were having for dinner.

        “Okay. Now, it’s my turn. I don’t think of you like a sister. I never have. In fact, let me lay it out for you. I’ve wanted you since we were teenagers. I was going to ask you out before you started dating Cody, and every day since I’ve kicked my own ass over the fact that I waited and he got you first. But, now, Cody’s out of the picture, and we’re here, together. This is my second chance, and I’m determined not to blow it. So, here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to be together. Starting right now.” He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “We can take this as fast or as slow as you want to. I’m kind of hoping for fast since I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for you and me to become an us. You wanna take it slow, I can live with that, but this is happening either way.”

        “You can’t just declare us to be a couple, Noah.”

        “Just did.”

        She narrowed her eyes. “I’m still married,” she said softly.

        He shrugged. “That’s just paperwork. Tell me where your heart is. Is it with Cody?”

        There was a slight hesitation, but her answer was resolute. “No.”

        “Right. I meant what I said before about our chemistry. We have that in spades. And I know I’ve wanted you, hell, maybe even loved you, since I was seventeen. And I know love at seventeen is different than love at twenty-four,” he waved off whatever she was about to say and kept speaking. “But in all these years, what I felt for you has only gotten stronger, not weaker. And it sure as hell hasn’t disappeared.”

        He watched as Emma Jean’s mouth opened and closed several times.

        “I don’t even know what to say to all of that. It was quite the speech.”

        Noah didn’t bother fighting the grin that spread across his face. “I’m an artist. I tend to get passionate about things.”

        “I noticed.”

        He moved into her space, gently pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. “You know I’m not Cody, right?”

        “Of course, I know that,” she said, her agitation evident in her tone.

        “And you know I’d never hurt you, right?” he persisted.

        “Not intentionally. Don’t forget, Noah, you’ve been a part of my life just as long as I’ve been a part of yours. I know you as well as you know me. So, don’t, for one second, insult me by implying that there’s any way I would ever confuse the type of man you are for the type of man my soon-to-be ex-husband is.”

        “Okay, feisty girl,” he teased, “put down your dukes.”

        He felt a shiver run through her when he dragged his fingertips down her arm to her hand and intertwined their fingers. He’d known she wasn’t going to give in easily, just as he knew he still had a battle ahead of him. A fight he was determined to win because there was no way in hell he was going to let Emma Jean go.

        “Glad we got that settled, sweetheart.”

        He used their clasped hands to tug her into his body. Lowering his lips to hers, he whispered, “I’m gonna kiss you now.”

        And he did. His lips moved over hers in a whisper of a touch, waiting for her to give him a sign that this was what she wanted despite all her protests and excuses. When her lips parted and she granted him entrance, his heart did a victory dance like it had just scored the winning touchdown at the Super Bowl. With his free hand, he clasped the back of her neck and positioned her head to grant him all access to the honeyed oasis of her mouth, and when a faint whimper escaped her, he used his whole body to press her back into the counter, ensuring full body contact.

        Eventually pulling back, he looked down at her dazed expression and nearly gloated over the effect he had on her. He had no problem admitting to himself that she had the same effect on him, but then again, she always had. He was just thrilled to find out it wasn’t a one-way street.

        She blinked up at him with her big doe eyes. “What exactly did we settle?”

        “You’re mine. I’m yours. We’re an us.”

        “Oh.”

        “Yeah,” he smiled. “Oh.”

        “I don’t get a say?”

        “You just did. The way you kissed me back told me everything I needed to know.”

        “I have to boil the spaghetti.”

        He grinned.

        He let her have her escape but promised there’d be more of what they just had before the night was out. He gave her hand a squeeze before letting her go and leaving her to finish preparing their dinner.

        “Noah,” she called softly as he turned to leave the kitchen. “You weren’t the only one who wished you’d made a move back then.”

        Her confession socked him in the gut, and he once again kicked his own ass for not having done what he wanted to do all those years ago.

        “I plan to make up for lost time, Emmie,” he swore to her back when she refused to give him her eyes. “And I’m starting right now,” he added to himself, making his way into his office to call his sister. He was going to need her help.

***

Seven years ago

        The July sun reflecting off the surface of the lake temporarily blinded Emma Jean. She squeezed her baby blue eyes shut against the glare and fumbled about for her sunglasses.

        “Here, I got you.”

        She peeked out from her squinted eyes to find Noah acting as a barrier between her and the UV rays. She tugged the sunglasses out of his hand with a soft ‘thanks’ and slid them on.

        “Noah, you’re blocking the sun,” Tally complained. “I don’t need a tan line in the shape of your shadow, thank you very much.”

        “You don’t need a tan line at all,” he retorted. “You should cover yourself.”

        Emma Jean smiled at the bickering siblings. She knew Tally had intentionally worn the skimpiest bikini she could find solely because Luke was there, and Tally liked poking the bear when it came to her overprotective boyfriend.

        “I don’t see anything wrong with what she’s wearing,” Emma Jean supplied, feeling the need to defend her friend.

        Noah’s gaze narrowed. “You should cover up, too.”

        Emma Jean felt a warmth spread through her that had nothing to do with the sun. She was wearing a bikini nearly identical to Tally’s except in color. Where Tally wore her signature sky blue, Emma Jean’s suit was baby pink. She felt good in it, and having an athletic body, she knew she looked good in it too. That was probably why she didn’t get angry at Noah’s bossiness. He was looking at her the same way Luke was glaring at Tally. With a mixture of annoyance and hunger.

        “Why would I cover up? It’s like...ninety degrees out here.”

        “You’re just...showing a lot of skin,” he said, waving his hand at the length of her body.

        “I am. Like I said. Ninety degrees.” If he thought to shame her into modesty, he had another thing coming. She would show as much skin as she liked, and if he didn’t want to look at her...well, he didn’t have to.

        She was disappointed, though, when he gave up and walked away. She wanted him to argue with her. She wanted a chance to push his buttons the same way Tally pushed Luke’s just to see how he’d respond. Maybe then he’d be forced to finally make a move. She was starting to lose hope that he would ever see her as something other than his little sister’s best friend.

        “Come on.” Tally’s voice interrupted her pouting. “Let’s cool off.”

        Emma Jean let Tally pull her to her feet. They waded into the lake where Luke and some of his friends from the baseball team mingled with some of the girls from town. They walked until they were about waist deep before dunking themselves. Coming back up, they spent several minutes floating in the cool water.

        “Oh, my God.”

        Emma Jean followed Tally’s line of sight and heard her best friend snort just as she had the displeasure of watching Lisa Mickens make a fool out of herself trying to get Noah’s attention. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth puckered in distaste. She knew Lisa had a huge crush on Noah. She also knew that Noah would never give her the time of day, despite the fact that she was strutting around in a bikini that was arguably skimpier than hers.

        “You might want to do something about that,” Tally muttered.

        “He’s a big boy. I’m sure he can take care of himself.” Her tone was casual, but she couldn’t deny the incredible urge to march over there and stake her claim on the boy who wasn’t really hers.

        Noah wasn’t even really a boy anymore. He was eighteen  and a senior. He was an athlete, so he was already toned, but as he aged, his muscles became more defined, his jaw more angular. No, Noah Hawkins was definitely no longer a boy.

        While she’d been daydreaming about his pecs from afar, some of his buddies must have rescued him from Lisa’s desperate antics. Noah was currently being encouraged by his juvenile friends to swing from the rope attached to the large willow tree on the edge of the lake. Emma Jean watched in fascination as Noah backed up to get a running start. He took off at a dead run, bypassing a large, felled tree trunk along the way before grabbing the rope and catapulting himself into the fresh water.

        Emma Jean’s eyes widened in a mixture of horror and delight as his swim trunks caught on a branch of the dead tree just as he jumped for the rope. Bare-assed, and balls out, Noah swung through the air and tucked himself into the cannonball position just before hitting the water.

        Emma Jean’s gasp was drowned out by all the hooting and hollering of the guys and snickering of the girls. She knew, without looking, that Tally’s face was twisted into a look of disgust because she was just subjected to her brother’s bare ass.

        “I can’t believe that just happened,” she muttered. “Your brother is-”

        “Awesome?” Noah finished for her, having swum up behind her.

        “Noah! I’m so sorry.”

        “For what?”

        “Well...for  that . You must be so embarrassed.” Emma Jean was mortified on his behalf.

        “Why would I be embarrassed?”

        “Well, because...I mean...you just mooned everyone!” she sputtered.

        “Emma Jean Barker,” he sing-songed. “Were you looking at my butt?”

        She realized belatedly that he was teasing her, and he wasn’t embarrassed at all. Or, if he was, he was hiding it well.

        “You’re such a jerk!” She splashed him in the face.

        “Now, now, Emmie. Don’t start something you can’t finish,” he warned.

        And that commenced their epic water fight.

***

        Someone had made a pizza run, bringing back nearly every topping imaginable. Emma Jean, Tally, Luke, and Noah sat in a circle with a whole pizza in the middle. Ham and black olives because it was Emma Jean’s favorite, and Noah requested it as an apology for thoroughly trouncing her in their water fight earlier.

        “Consider it your consolation prize...loser,” he’d teased her.

        “You only won because you cheated!”

        “How’d I cheat?” he asked, feigning offense at the accusation.

        “You called a truce. And the n  you dunked me anyway!”

        “Yeah,” he said wistfully, obviously reliving his moment of victory. “I couldn’t help it. You’re so cute when you sputter.”

        She shoved his shoulder, but he barely moved, grinning at her. “No need to get violent, sunshine,” he laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders and tugging her into his chest.

        She loved it when he touched her. Sometimes he would tug her hair playfully or throw an arm around her like he was doing now. They were always simple, innocent touches, but he did it all the time, and the fact that they never became more was maddening.

        She heard the click of a camera shutter and tried to pull away.

        “Take another one, Tal,” he ordered his sister who held her phone up with a sly grin.

        She took several more photos while she and Noah posed in various positions, most of them silly but a few that turned out nice enough to be scrapbooked or framed. She’d have to ask Tally for copies later.

        Later, around the campfire some of the guys started, Emma Jean sat alone. Tally had wandered off with Luke a little while ago, and they were most likely making out in the cab of his truck. She wasn’t sure where Noah had wandered off to, and that annoyed her. Partly because she didn’t know where he was but also because it bothered her enough to be annoyed by it in the first place. The firepit on the lakeshore was a romantic spot, so she figured if he wanted to be there with her, he would be. In her mind, the fact that he wasn’t spoke volumes.

        “Is this seat taken?”

        She glanced up to see Cody Sampson, Medicine Wheel High’s star quarterback looking down at her in the firelight. Cody was cute with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a dimple in his right cheek that came out when he smiled. He was also the most popular boy in school, so why was he standing there talking to her?

        “Um, no.”

        “Great.” He gave her his megawatt all-the-girls-want-me smile and sat a little too close to her. “You’re Emma Jean, right?”

        He knew who she was? She supposed it wasn’t totally surprising. She was on the cheerleading squad, after all, so it stood to reason he, a member of the football team, would at least be aware of her presence. Still, she was surprised that he knew her name. “Yeah, that’s me.”

        “I’m Cody.”

        She couldn’t help it, she laughed. “I’m well aware of who you are.”

        He flashed that smile at her again. “So, why are you sitting over here all alone, Emma Jean?”

        She shrugged. “I guess my friends found other things to do.” She didn’t say it bitterly. She didn’t begrudge Tally and Luke sneaking off to have a moment whenever they could. They were young, but they were in love, and it was the kind of being in love that Emma Jean suspected would be forever. The fairytale kind that came with a happily ever after. As for Noah...well, maybe he was off somewhere with a girl she didn’t know about. She swallowed the bile that rose at that thought and turned her attention back to Cody.

        “That’s a shame. Shouldn’t leave a pretty girl to sit by herself at a party.”

        She smiled at the compliment. “Well, I’m not alone now, am I?”

        “Nope.”

        She’d had no idea at the time how that night by the fire would change her life so irrevocably. They’d chatted amiably for a little while until one of Cody’s teammates called him over to their huddle where someone had managed to get their hands on some beer.

        After that night, she’d run into Cody a handful of times around town or at other parties hosted by their classmates, but it wasn’t until nearly two month s later, at the beginning of the school year, when Andrea Varletti spilled the beans to Tally about Cody’s plan to ask her out. So flattered by the attention, it dulled the ache of Noah’s lack of interest. Besides, Cody was cute, popular, and sweet to her. So, tired of waiting for someone who was always going to view her as another sister, she said yes when Cody asked her to meet him for pizza after a game.

        And sealed her tragic fate.

***

Present

        Emma Jean wasn’t exactly sure what to think of her current situation. She felt like the freedom she’d so recently gained was threatened. Being with Noah meant belonging to him. She knew it wasn’t the same as being with Cody, but it also wasn’t the same as being single. Was she going to be expected to run every decision by him? She had no intentions of giving up her job or her plans for school, although if she were honest with herself, Noah wouldn’t expect those things of her anyway, so she needn’t worry. She was just frustrated at having him decide th at  they were a couple without letting her have any say in the matter. Well, that wasn’t going to stand, she decided.

        She tossed the spaghetti in the colander to drain and marched toward Noah’s office where she found him on the phone.

        “Thanks, Tal. Text me the details, would ya? I gotta go,” he said, hanging up. “What’s wrong?” He leveled a concerned look on Emma Jean.

        “I have something I need to say.”

        “Okay.”

        “I don’t appreciate you making decisions for me. I lived under Cody’s thumb for years. I won’t do it again.”

        “I can see that you’ve been stewing for the past five minutes,” he sighed, slumping back in his chair. “Sunshine, I have no intention of keeping you under my thumb. We’re partners in this. Equals.”

        “Then why don’t I get a say in whether or not we’re together?”

        “You do.”

        “I do?” She hadn’t expected him to be so agreeable after the argument he’d present ed  her with earlier.

        “Of course, you do.” He frowned. “Do you want to be with me?”

        “I….” It was her turn to frown. “Yes?”

        “Was that a question?” he smirked.

        Emma Jean took a deep breath and tried to look beyond her fear. What did she truly want? Could she be in a relationship with Noah and still maintain her independence? Were the two things mutually exclusive or could she find a way to have both of those things at the same time? If she chose to pursue her independence would she lose Noah? If she chose Noah would she lose her chance at the career she dreamed of?

        “I don’t want to give up my job.”

        “I wouldn’t ask you to.” His frown turned into a scowl.

        “And I’m going back to school. Eventually.”

        “If that’s what you want.”
        “I wasn’t asking permission.” She stood glaring at him with her hands on her hips.

        “Of course not. You don’t need to.”

        “I wasn’t asking permission to not ask permission, either,” she persisted.

        Noah couldn’t hold back his laugh. “Emma Jean. I get it. You’re your own woman. Independent. You do what you want when you want.”

        “That’s right.”

        “Now that we’ve got that established, you haven’t answered my original question. Do you want to be with me?”

        “Yes.” She folded her arms over her chest, stubborn as could be.

        “Then you are. Simple as that. And you can still do all those other things that you want to do. Work, school, whatever. We’re not talking about an either/or situation here.”  

        “Okay.” Her arms dropped, the fight gone out of her.

        “Okay. Dinner ready?”

        “Almost. Give me ten minutes.”

        “Ten minutes, sweetheart.”

        His smile did funny things to Emma Jean’s insides. Walking back to the kitchen she felt something uncoil in her. A tension she didn’t realize she was holding. Some of the apprehension that had been her constant companion for the past few years suddenly dissolved. She was Noah’s now. But as much as she was giving herself to him, she was determined to have him in return. And, for the first time, Emma Jean could claim a man with pride. Because Noah Hawkins was one of the best there was.