One Last Time(55)

He smirks. “You can’t resist me.”

That is a fact. “You’re no better. Let’s go lover boy.”

Noah lets out a low chuckle. “I’ll make good on that later.”

We head out the door without losing any clothing but gaining a lot of nerves. I’m not sure what we are, but he knows I’m in no way ready to make this a label. Right now, we’re having mind-blowing sex, enjoying being together, and for the first time in over fourteen years, I feel like I have choices.

I may be alone, have a job that is ridiculous, and be a single mom, but losing the two hundred pounds of asshole husband was the best decision I ever made. Leaving may have been hard, but staying would’ve destroyed me.

Plus, I wouldn’t be having the best time of my life with Noah.

“You okay?” Noah asks as he turns into the parking lot of the restaurant we went to for our first meeting.

I shift my body and decide I need to speak what’s in my heart. “I like you, Noah. I like you and I like what we have going here.” My voice is full of worry.

“I like you, too,” he smiles.

“I worry that I’m going to like you too much and then I’ll wish I had stayed away.”

Noah shrugs and releases a breath out of his nose. “I can’t promise anything just like you can’t, but you’re not the only one who worries about this. I can tell you that being around is what I want. We have no guarantees, but at the same time, I would rather risk it all than look back with regrets.”

“You think you’d regret walking away from me?” I ask with a racing heart.

Each time I’m around him, I realize how wonderful he is. He doesn’t have a problem being vulnerable with me. It’s a rarity that I treasure more than he’ll ever know.

“I want to kiss your lips right now, show rather than say the words, but I know without a doubt that I couldn’t have walked away. I’m telling you that you’re the first girl in over twenty years that I’ve talked to my mother about. I know you’re scared, sweetheart, but a life without risk isn’t one worth living. One day, I want to see the mistrust disappear from your eyes, and I’ll only be able to do that with time.”

My throat goes dry and tears well up on my lashes. “I want to trust you. I do trust you more than you might think.”

Noah’s lips move into a small grin. “Then trust that I won’t put you in a position I can’t get you out of. If I thought this place was swimming with reporters, we would have stayed home. But, look.” He ducks his head to look out the windshield, and I follow his movements. “It’s empty, it’s a small step, will you walk it with me?”

I realize right then he’s asking for more than just one thing. If I say no, he’ll turn around and we’ll leave, but if I go with him, it’s saying more.

Do I want more with Noah? Yes, but I am scared.

If fear is the only voice I listen to, I’ll never have the life I want. The only four-letter word I want yelling in my head is hope. Hope that I can have more. Hope that love will be something I share again. Hope that Noah will be careful with my heart.

So, I let that voice speak from my lips. “Yes.”

The look of appreciation in his eyes causes my stomach to clench. I hope one day making him happy doesn’t make me so happy or this could be really bad.

We enter the restaurant, and it’s pretty empty. Tampa’s in the off-season, and it’s past the lunch hour rush. They seat us at a table with a view of the ocean and my nerves start to quell. Noah knew, and I took a step with him toward something more.



~ Two weeks later ~

Noah: You look beautiful.





My heart races as I look around the boat for him. Our eyes meet and my chest constricts. He doesn’t look good, he looks other-worldly. His tuxedo looks tailored and fits him perfectly, it probably was. His gaze moves back to Eli and he laughs but then finds me again.

Me: You’re not so bad yourself. I wish I could be close to you right now.





I send a reply back as I walk around the other side of the room. Both of us have kept our distance and it’s been torture. Today is about Heather and Eli, not my new relationship with Noah. When they got engaged, we decided to spend that time being sure whatever was growing between us could survive.

Now, I’m not sure that I can endure another minute apart from him.

Noah: I have every intention of being very close to you tonight.





I grin and put my phone back in my bag. I can’t text him and keep myself on the other side of the room. It’s too much of an effort as it is now.

My three best friends are all acting like idiots on the dance floor, singing and dancing in a circle. It was a million years ago when that was me in the white dress, happy, thinking life was going to be perfect from that moment on.

The music shifts into a slow song, and I seek Noah out. I watch as Eli heads toward Heather, who stands there with her arms open for him. I lean against the wall, smiling as my best friend steps into her husband’s strong hold. The music talks about a life of devotion, love, and promises.

My eyes meet Noah’s, and the intensity burning between us sucks the air from the room. Every part of my body is pulled to him, and when our eyes lock, it’s as if everyone else in the room drops away, leaving just the two of us.