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I groaned. It would be impossible to argue with him. “Fine. But I’m going to get an air bed for you. I think Grandma had one down the hall.”
I tried pushing past him, but he took my hand. Every time he touched me, electricity sparked between us.
When I paused, he pulled me back to him and kissed me lightly on the lips. “Maybe I don’t know you as well as I did eight years ago, but I can tell you’re spinning out about us. Just so you know, I’m not. So however long you need to take, take that long. Because I’m going to be around.”
I cocked my head. “What does that mean?”
“I guess you’ll see.”
“Why does that sound like a threat?” I couldn’t help but grin.
He shook his head and kissed my cheek. “It’s not a threat; it’s a promise.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Noah
We fell asleep talking about anything and everything. She asked me about my military service, so I droned on for probably an hour about my service and the company I had built with my partner Bill. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been talking when she stopped responding. It was a little after midnight when I realized she was asleep.
It took every ounce of my self-control to keep from crawling into bed beside her, but I meant what I’d said; I wanted to do things with her the right way. I stayed in my air bed, which was already going flat, and closed my eyes. With thoughts of our past and future together, I drifted off to sleep.
I woke the next morning to the sound of rustling. Ella was trying to move across me without bothering me. I grabbed her ankle and pulled her onto me.
She yipped and then giggled. “What are you doing? I wanted to let you sleep, but I have to get ready for work.”
I held her for just a second and then lightly kissed her lips. “I’m getting up too.” I gently pushed her up.
“No. Crawl in my bed and sleep some more.”
“I never sleep in.” I hummed and went to her kitchen to make some coffee.
She was in hyper speed mode, and before I knew it, she was rushing at me from down the hallway, her hair half damp from the world’s fastest shower. She wore scrubs and no makeup. Dang, she looked beautiful.
She grinned. “Is that coffee for me?”
“Just for you.” I poured the steaming coffee into her travel mug.
She kissed me. “Thanks. I guess I’ll see you after work?”
I wrapped my arm around her waist, relishing her words, her strawberry shampoo scent, and the fact that I was holding this woman who should’ve been mine all those years ago. “Sounds good.” I wouldn’t freak her out about how happy I was. With one more kiss, I let her go.
She rushed toward the door, grabbing her wallet and her keys.
“Ella?” I asked, and she turned back expectantly. “Pizza tonight? Our spot? I’ll pick you up from the hospital.”
“I’d like that,” she said. A large grin brightened her face.
Adrenaline shot through me. “Okay, see you then.”
I watched through the window as she climbed into her car and took off. Every part of me wished she could stay with me today. We could have another day like yesterday where we were together every second, where we knew each other’s thoughts.
I sucked in a long breath and felt suddenly overwhelmed by all these emotions. “Get it together, man,” I muttered.
I had to get to the gym.
I didn’t know what I was expecting, but the gym didn’t stop me from being overwhelmed by my thoughts and feelings. An hour into working out with my siblings and they hadn’t shut up about Ella. It was a stream of questions, one after another. I didn’t have the answers to many of them, and I was pestered into sharing the ones I did know.
Do you want to be with her? Yes.
