“But you just offered me to stay here with you. Forever? And I want to, I do. But-”
“No buts. You’re naked, that’s all I care about.”
My stomach chooses this moment to make a loud rumble. We’ve not eaten, and it seems the random meals have caught up with me. We both stop.
“Maybe we can have tea and brunch? Just get used to the idea?”
“Fucking is still part of the deal, Neve.” He bites the lobe of my ear, which sends ricochets around my body.
“And it can still be. Just, this… it’s a lot to take in.”
He drops me onto the bed, and I’m quick to sit up. “Make sure you’re dressed when I get back from the village. And don’t do something stupid.”
“Noah?” I stop him before he walks out of the room. “Thank you.”
I take my cup of tea and sit out in the garden with the shawl from the small sofa draped over my shoulders. I say garden, although it’s more of an expanse of wildflowers and plants that haven’t been looked after for a while. It’s charming in a way, natural and enchanting, like a secret garden waiting to give up its treasures.
Murph would be able to hunt and explore here. I could learn what flowers I liked and how to tend them and give it the love it deserves.
Give Noah the love he deserves.
Despite my family upbringing, I didn’t need the lavish or the expensive. While my apartment building isn’t cheap, it’s not in the same league as Landon or Ivy. Quality items, but not for the sake of it. Somewhere I can call home has more value to me.
But do I want to turn my back on my family? Can I simply leave them for a relationship that’s so new and raw? This journey started with me running, but I never envisaged running forever.
The car pulls up, and I go to meet Noah, trepidation in my steps as I contemplate the conversation ahead. He’s got a shopping bag of groceries, and my stomach grumbles in protest of food, again.
“Fried breakfast,” he says, and I follow him inside.
He unpacks and grabs an iron pan from a drawer and starts with bacon before sawing through the loaf of bread.
All I do is watch. I wish he’d give more of himself, instead of keeping it locked away from the world, but that’s not Noah. I put my tea down and step towards him. He pauses to look at me and gives me a half-smile, something he doesn’t do often. My hands hold his jaw, and I press my lips to his.
In this moment, we have a future. We have something to look forward to together. He’s done the hard part and offered – given a part of himself to me, and it kills me that I’m going to break that. All I can do is pray it doesn’t devastate everything between us.
“We need to talk,” I whisper, suddenly wishing I could run from this.
“Food first. If we can’t have sex first, you’re not getting to talk first.”
I pull his hand away from the ingredients and shut off the stove. “I need to clear my name.”
The words hit him, and I see the relaxed look on his face morph into one of confusion and then anger.
“Only if you’re not going to stay here.”
“I want to. I do, but how can I just vanish?” My hands plant on his chest, hoping he’ll hear me out. “You say stay here with you, but under the radar. What will that mean? How can we live a life together like that?”
“I manage.” He grabs my wrists and moves me away.
“But you said I’d have to leave my family behind?”
“Do you think Landon would allow this? That he’d leave me in peace? I gave you a choice, Neve.”
“And I love that you did that, but-”
“No!” he shouts, turning back to me. “I’ve put myself on the line. Now it’s your turn. You don’t get a choice after this. Now or never, Neve.” He holds my gaze, challenging me to make a final decision. It’s on the tip of my tongue, but I know, deep down, I’d resent him for forcing me to choose. That’s not fair.
“Do you know how much I want to stay here? How much I wish I could shut off from the rest of the world and hide here with you? To have what we have, but with no fear or worry about the future?”
