Laughing at how incredibly cute she is, I smile and nod. “But you need to keep your hands to yourself,” I tease. “I know how tempting I can be.”
She rolls her eyes. “Why must you suck the fun out of it?”
Gently, I shove her shoulder. “Shut up.” I laugh.
She smirks, which turns into a full smile. “I just want you to hold me for a little bit. That’s all, truly.”
I shoo her toward our room. “Off we go then.”
She turns and lazily skips back through the open door. “Woohoo! Cuddles!”
She throws herself onto the bed, and her golden-blonde hair fans out around her head. An angel.
Shivering, I climb under the covers, and Noelle slithers between them, joining me. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her into my body, molding us together.
My body and mind instantaneously relax when I have her in my arms. When I breathe, I smell the sweet scent that isher. Noelle is invading all of my senses, and I don’t think it will ever fade.
“You want me towhat?Noelle! Why would you do that? I have nothing prepared. And I have no idea what I will do!” I whisper-shout at her because of the news bomb she just dropped on me.
“You will be perfect, and we will love every second of it, no matter what.” She soothes.
Noelle decided it would be a fun idea to have me teach a painting class to her family. I think she has lost it.
“But I need materials. Paint, canvases, brushes, aprons—”
She cuts me off. “Oliver and Emma will be getting everything you need for us. Kat, you love to paint. You told me it’s where you feel the most like you. I want my family to see that side of you too.”
Pressure lifts off of my chest. “You always know exactly what to say.”
She smirks. “You do remember what I do for a living, right?”
Cocking my head to the side, I glare at her. “Yes, I remember. I just sometimes forget that your vocabulary doesn’t clock out.”
She laughs at this. We both know she doesn’t clock out either. She owns her own private firm, specializing mostly in corporate law.
My heart melts at her request. She wants me to teach a painting class to her family, so they can see me in my element. That is so … thoughtful. Noelle never ceases to surprise me.
“Got a pen and paper?” I smirk.
Her nose wrinkles, and her eyes squint as happiness radiates off of her. “Yes. I knew you would come around.”
Still feeling a bit sassy, I quip, “Oh, really? You think you know me so well?”
She scoffs, “I know you better than you would probably expect. It’s my job to know. I’m good at figuring people out. Although, at first, you were a bit harder to read. But I think I would do pretty damn well at Kat Claus trivia.”
“Well, now, we have to play that.” I laugh.
She hands me a pen and paper. “Whatever you need, love, jot it down, and it’ll be here within the hour.”
“How will you get it here that fast?”
She smirks. “Oliver and Emma are already at the store, waiting for me to text them your list.”
My stomach flutters. “You just knew I’d say yes, huh?”
Her eyes gleam with a devilish thought. “I had a feeling if you said no, I could find a way to convince you.”
“Tsk-tsk.” I smile.
