Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 59713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59713 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
I tried to shake it off and found myself getting quiet in the process. I wanted to think it was just because she was new, and I was excited by the prospect of hanging around someone that Mr. Proctor spoke so highly of and was also attractive and young. But really, I knew somewhere deep down that it was more than that. She was in my head in the worst kind of way, and it alarmed the shit out of me.
Thoughts of settling down were foreign to me. Really foreign. It had never been a thing I thought I was even remotely close to being ready for, and I could not place what it was about her that made that change. What was about the girl with the gorgeous eyes and long, slender neck that made me think about being domestic like Noah and Kane? We hadn’t even done more than chat, for heaven’s sake.
Yet, there she was, in the forefront of my thoughts as I nursed a single beer. Dinner was cooked, this time a grilled steak and chicken deal that Derek and Noah combined on. Derek was always a part of any meal, but it was Noah’s house and therefore Noah’s grill to be used. Which meant Noah took the lead and did the actual cooking, no matter how many “tips” Derek offered through the day.
Derek, meanwhile, did all the prep work and cooked a few things for appetizers and dessert. I was excited when I heard him say something about blueberry pie. If there was one thing I thought I could never get enough of, it was the blueberry pie recipe that had been passed down from our grandmother. I could eat that pie no matter how full I was and had tested that theory on every Thanksgiving and multiple other dinners throughout my life.
Still, the thought of Camilla in that kind of situation shook me, and I withdrew from the group to go sit outside for a few minutes in the dimming light. The door opened behind me after a bit, and I looked back to see Noah coming out. I figured he was going to the grill to either make sure the charcoal was calming down or to clean up, but he made his way toward me at the railing of the porch. He leaned over it next to me and nodded to my drink.
“Cutting carbs?” he asked. “I have some low-carb beer in the fridge in the kitchen.”
“Nah,” I said.
“Oh, well, damn. I thought that would explain it,” he said, taking a swig.
“Explain what?” I asked, confused.
“Why you were being so standoffish and crabby,” he said. “If it’s not diet based, then what crawled up your ass and died? Even Cam seems fine, and he’s very vocally had a shitty week.”
I shook my head. “Nothing’s bugging me. I just didn’t feel like drinking much today, and I felt like getting some fresh air.”
He lowered his jaw so he looked at me through the top of his eyes.
“You? Nature?” he asked, huffing. “Now I’ve heard everything.”
“Seriously,” I said. “I’ve had a busy week. A lot of work and a lot of screens, and I just kind of felt like having some quiet time outside. That’s all.”
Noah shook his head.
“That’s not it,” he said. “You’ve got something on your mind. You forget, I’ve known you all your life. I know when something is bugging you.”
I stood silent for a moment.
“You are older than me,” I said. He turned his head slowly over to me, and I broke out into a wide grin.
“Hiding it with jokes, are we?” he said. “Alright, if you don’t want to talk about it now, then fine. But remember, I’m here if you need an ear, alright?”
“Got it,” I said, laughing. “Seriously, it’s nothing.”
“Well, if that’s what you’re going with, then I’m going to head in. But my offer stands.”
With that, he went back inside, and I went back to leaning on the railing. I had to laugh. Of all people, Noah offering to lend an ear was rich. He was by far the least communicative of all of us brothers. Rough and stoic, Noah tended to be the one of us who needed someone to prod him to get him to open up about whatever was bugging him. Especially after everything that happened with his first wife, Noah had been an extremely private, and quiet, person.
Yet, there he was trying to crack me open on his back porch. Either that meant he had changed a ton since Ally came into the picture, or my situation was way worse than even I realized.
While my situation being more intense than I thought was a valid possibility, the effect of Ally on Noah’s life couldn’t be overstated. She was an absolute godsend to him and had changed him in ways I never thought my brother would change. Not only was he more talkative now, but he was funnier. There was a light in his eyes that didn’t used to be there, and he was willing to hang out and chat with people other than his best friend Duncan.