She peers up at me. "You're nice."
"No. I'm not."
"Bear. Youare. You've never been anything but kind to me." She rolls into me, half on her side, half lying against me. "Told you my problem was stupid."
"Noelle, your problem isn't stupid. It ain't a competition. It's real to you. It's upsetting to you."
"I guess." A sigh. "You had to worry about being stabbed. My worst problem was a silly fight with my siblings. Hard not to see that as stupid, in comparison."
"What's your family like?" I ask.
She laughs, trailing off into a sigh. "They're a lot. I have two sisters, twins, four years older than me, and two brothers, also twins, four years younger than me. Natasha is the oldest by six minutes, then Nikki. Nat is a pediatric resident at McLaren, Nikki is a news anchor at Channel Four, and Nate and Noah just graduated from Central Michigan and are trying to start a business. So far, they've tried a car wash, a car dealership, and some sort of app. Mostly, they're into partying, playing video games, chasing girls, and off-roading. And giving my parents gray hair with their antics. They're twenty-six going on sixteen."
"And your sisters?"
She sighs. "Annoyingly perfect. Straight-A students, never in trouble, beautiful and thin and popular. Like I said, Nat is a doctor and Nik is a journalist on her way to being the next Connie Chung."
"And your folks?"
"Mom's the principal at the middle school, and Dad teaches psychology at the U-of-M satellite campus here in town.”
Successful parents, successful kids.
"You guys get along?" I ask.
She shrugs. "Mostly. I'm the middle kid, which is its own weird, difficult thing." A self-deprecating laugh. "Sorry, that's another complaint from someone who's lived a charmed, privileged life."
"Weird and difficult how?"
She shakes her head. "Doesn't matter."
"Does to me."
She tucks her chin into my shoulder and gazes at me. "Why?"
"Curious, I guess. Never had a family." I long to let my arm slide down and curl around her shoulders, hold her close and never let go. I don't. "Wanna know things about you."
"Well, four years is a tricky gap when you're little. When I was four and old enough to want to play with my sisters, they were almost nine and didn't want me in their way, messing with their big girl stuff. The boys were just babies and took all of Mom and Dad's time and attention, which left me to sort of fend for myself, which meant I played alone most of the time. That's how it was growing up. Nik and Nat had their lives, Nate and Noah had theirs, and I had mine. Now that we're all grown, it's a bit better, but the twins, being twins, have this bond with each other that I just can't even touch."
"Sounds kinda lonely," I say.
She nods. "Yeah, I guess it was. People don't understand how you can be lonely in a family of seven, though." Her voice is slow and sleepy. "Mind if I rest a minute? I was up at five this morning."
“Go for it," I murmur.
She sinks into me, so I slide lower on the couch and put my feet on the table. Her cheek rests on my chest. She lets out a soft, contented sigh and sidles closer yet, snugging her hips and belly against my side, one arm wedged between us, the other curved low across my belly.
"You're very cozy," she whispers.
"Got you, Noelle. Rest."
"Mmm."
My heart pounds in my chest, hammering a mile a minute. What does this mean? What do I do with this, with her feeling so comfortable with me? It feels good. So good. Makes my stomach flip and tighten, makes my heart swell with pride. Makes some part of me way deep down sit up and snarl—daring anyone or anything to threaten this sweet, sexy, beautiful, kind, innocent, trusting little woman in my arms.
Panzer gets up, takes a long, splashing, gulping drink from his bowl, and then resumes his spot in the open doorway. I should close it so bugs don’t get in, but I'm not gonna disturb Noelle for a single goddamn thing.
She sighs sleepily and nuzzles closer, and the slight adjustment in angles draws my arm off the couch back, so I have no choice but to let it drape over her. I absolutely refuse to take any kind of liberties with her body, so I make sure my arm rests on her shoulders and my hand on her waist, well away from her hips or anywhere even remotely erogenous.
