Page 85 of Pages of Amber
He crossed the room to stand beside her. The cold night air drifted in through the open windows as Amber lifted the mug to her lips. Her eyes widened over the rim and Noah chuckled.
“Oh. My. God.”
“Told you. Dad makes the best tea, whether ginger, chamomile or oolong. He’s never told us the secret ingredient. Mom might know, but he must have sworn her to secrecy or something.”
“I totally agree with the swearing to secrecy thing. It’s delicious. I wouldn’t want anyone getting their grubby hands on my precious tea, if it were me.”
“Greedy, are we?”
“Only with the things I like.” Her smile was bright as she took another sip. Right then, she was herself. She was sunshine Amber again, gifting the world with her happiness and light. “In fact, ginger tea might be my favorite tea now. And to think I wouldn’t have gotten to discover that if I hadn’t come back.”
Her voice lowered on the last few words. Her head dipped, along with the brightness that had shone on her face only moments ago. Noah was sad to see it go. But she needed a shoulder to lean on. She was vulnerable and she needed someone to embrace her, to shield her.
“You’re not ready.”
“What?” she raised her head, those capturing blue eyes swimming with sadness and confusion.
“You’re not ready to talk about it.” Her brows creased. “And that’s okay. Take all the time you need. We’ll be right here. I’m right here.”
Her hands lowered to her lap, the mug gripped tightly in her grasp.
“They’re not mad at me?” her voice was low, scared.
Did she mean his family? A pang went through him that she felt guilty for disturbing his family.
“Of course not. Look at me.” His hand fell over hers on the mug handle. He waited until she looked at him again. He held her gaze, pouring sincerity into his words. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you need, okay? It’s time to put yourself first. You’re sunshine. You’ve always been sunshine, lighting the path for everyone, but even the sun has to go down, Amber. It’s okay to let yourself feel down. It’s okay if you want to pass the torch or drop it. You don’t have to feel guilty for choosing yourself anymore.”
Tears dribbled down her chin, her eyes burning red but she kept her gaze on him. He raised his hand to push tendrils of hair behind her ear. She must have been so weary carrying the load on her shoulders. He knew exactly how tiring it could be. His burden had been lightened today but hers was still lodged on her, breaking her down as it grew heavier.
“I want to. I want to try,” she whispered. Her eyes fell shut, the tears cascading as her body shook. “I’m so tired, Noah.”
“I know,” he said quietly.
Her head dropped onto his shoulder as she sobbed, her hands slipping from the mug. He quickly caught it and put it away, his arms wrapping around her as though he could push comfort into her by holding her closer.
If being her shoulder to cry on was what she needed tonight, he would be that and more. He wasn’t leaving her side anymore. The conviction ran through him, bolstering his courage even as her sobs threatened to hack his heart in two.
It’s you and me, m’lady, he repeated to himself. I promise.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
SUNLIGHT STREAMED THROUGH THE windows, streaking across the pine green bedspread. She watched the curtains dance against the motion of the air that filtered in, a dull ache pulsating in her ankle. Spring had snuck up while she wallowed in her bedroom back home. She wondered about her garden. Were her flowers waiting to embrace the season only to remain thirsty and unkempt because she had abandoned them?
Amber shut her swollen eyes. She had been up since four am, unable to find relief even in sleep. She’d pretended to be asleep when Noah had snuck in to check on her before leaving for school. He’d been amazing the past four days. Kind, gentle, a shoulder she could lean on. The doubt began to creep in again. How much longer would he wait for an explanation?
The smell of something delicious had been drifting through the door for a while. Her stomach rumbled for the nth time since she had skipped breakfast, prompting her to finally get up. Every part of her ached as she climbed off the bed and made her way out of the room. When Beverly and Evelyn had found her last week, she had injured her toes and set back her ankle’s healing. Then, she had worsened it by walking to Noah’s house barefoot, scraping her feet in the process. She was a mess, both inside and out.
If only her father could see her. He would be heartbroken.
“Hungry?”
The question pulled her attention to the kitchen where Mrs. Rhodes sat at the counter, sipping a cup of coffee. “I kept your breakfast warm.”
Amber crossed the room to the counter, the bottom of her feet still smarting when she stepped hard.
“Thank you,” she said as Mrs. Rhodes shut the laptop before her and pushed a plate of scrambled eggs and toasted bread to Amber. Her gaze flitted over the woman as she bustled around the kitchen, pulling ingredients here and there.
“I’m thinking of making rice with romesco sauce and fried chicken for lunch. What do you think?”
