Stitch grinned. “She is a good cook though, huh?”
With my mouth full I bobbed my head, and my friend left the room, thoroughly amused.
I checked my phone as I ate and sent Noah a text when I saw she hadn’t messaged me yet.
Are you still sleeping, green eyes? It’ll be great for my ego if you are.
My phone buzzed within seconds.
I’m awake, but you’ll be happy to know . . . I can practically feel you with each step I take.
Amused, and very much filled with pride, I tapped a text out on the screen.
Stroking my ego will get you everywhere with me.
I washed my dirty plate and fork before placing them on the drying rack. I checked my phone when I was done, and grinned when I read Noah’s reply.
I’d rather stroke something else . . . text me later, I’m researching flower shops to see if anyone is hiring. When I get my boot off in a few weeks I should be ready to get back working. No harm in looking. Wish me luck.
As long as she was just looking and not planning to march off to a job tomorrow, I was happy for her. I knew how eager she was to have some semblance of normality back in her life.
Good luck, I replied. Love you.
Her reply was instant.
Love you too.
“Why’re you staring at your phone with that creepy smile?”
I looked up. “Stitch let ye live, I see.”
“No thanks to you.” AJ glared, rubbing his stomach. “Move away from the fridge. I took a solid to the gut to get some of that fucking pasta and I’m having a big plate.”
I stepped away and gestured for him to have at the fridge.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
I hopped up on to the counter and watched AJ move about the room.
“What question?”
“Why were you smiling at your phone like a creep?”
I snorted. “I was textin’ Noah.”
“Sexting?”
“No, perv.” I grinned at his frown. “Just regular textin’. I told her I loved her and she said she loved me too. I’m still gettin’ used to hearin’ it again. Makes me feel all special and shit.”
AJ didn’t tease me; he surprised me by nodding.
“I’m happy for you, brother,” he said. “You and Noah deserve the best.”
“Thanks, man.” I patted his shoulder he passed me by to heat his food up in the microwave. “How are things with Dani?”
“I told her to move in with me and she said okay,” he answered. “She was sleeping over at my place five nights a week before we even made things official. It makes sense just to move all her crap in.”
He said this so casually that I thought I’d misheard him.
I stared at him in disbelief. “You want her to move in – you’d have never brought it up otherwise.”
AJ scowled. “Don’t overanalyse things, fanny boy.”
I widened my eyes when he appeared . . . flustered.
“You’re in love.”
“I am fucking not.”
“Ye are.” I hopped down from the counter. “You’re in love with Dani and you’re havin’ a silent panic attack. I can see it in your eyes!”
“You shut your whore mouth!”
“Admit it!” I demanded. “Admit you’re in love with Dani.”
“Okay!” AJ shouted, his hands flying up in the air. “You’re right, I love her. I am a man in love. Christ, help me. I’m freaking the fuck out. I only realised it this morning when I caught myself smiling at her like a fucking creep while she slept. What do I do? She can’t know; the power it’ll give her over me will be a force to be reckoned with.”
I burst into uncontrollable laughter.
“Me boy is a man, he’s in love.”
“Stop smiling at me like a proud mother and help me. Slap this out of me! Do your duty as my brother!”
I hugged him instead, making him curse me as he gave my back a rough slap.
“Tell her,” I said, ruffling his hair like he was a kid. “Trust me. Tell her all the time, she’ll love hearin’ it and ye’ll feel good sayin’ it.”
“I’m shittin’ it . . . What if she laughs at me?”
“You just echoed exactly what I said back when I told Noah I liked her on me eighteenth birthday . . . Ye told me then that ye know women, so why are ye askin’ me?”
“’Cause Dani’s not just any woman, she’s my woman, and I love her so much it scares the shit outta me.”
I snapped my fingers. “Repeat those exact words to her. That was gold.”
“I have to time it right,” AJ said, scratching his chin. “How did you tell Noah?”
“She was actually in the middle of breakin’ up with me when I told her, and then we had sex for the first time in her parents’ house right after.”
“You’re no fucking help, Irish.” My friend looked me up and down. “None at all.”
I was chuckling as my phone began to ring. It was my mother, and I answered it straight away.
“Heya, Ma, I’m at work—”
“Elliot!” My mother’s voice sobbed through my phone, pulling the smile from my face. Suddenly I got a feeling in the pit of my stomach of sickening dread. “Oh, Elliot. Noah knows . . . she knows about Bailey! Please, come! Oh, Elliot. Please.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
NOAH
Three days had passed since I was discharged from the hospital, and I had been in a bubble of love with Elliot for two of them. We were holed up in our flat just enjoying being with one another. We ate together, watched films together, showered together and made love to one another every chance we got. I was happier than I had ever been, and the only thing that was stopping me from throwing myself into my new life was Anderson Riley. The man deserved better than what he thought I could give him, and I hoped that, with time, he would understand that the divorce I wanted would be as much for his benefit as it was for mine.
I just had to get up the courage to
