Page 119 of Falling Back to You

Gabe wiped a smear from Eden’s cheek before turning to me with a smile. “So Noelle’s back?”

I stared at him. The Hockey HotScoop was in full swing with gossip, but they hadn’t stumbled on a name yet. “How did you possibly know about that? We live, what, almost a thousand miles away? And if you say you read The Vine—”

Gabe held up a hand. “Steph told me.”

“Who heard it from Juliet no doubt,” I grumbled. “This grapevine thing is getting out of hand.”

“Is it going okay?” Ivy asked, her mom reflexes catching Eden’s cup before she upset it all over the table.

Jackson’s words came back to me. Lay it all out. A moment of honesty wouldn’t hurt. And it might be nice to get some outside perspective. “I don’t know. I’m all in. I wasn’t good at really listening back then, and I missed a lot of things. Things that drove her away. Things I never should have brushed off just because I was uncomfortable with talking about serious feelings. Now . . . I know she’s scared. And I should be, but I’m not. Maybe I’m too cocky for my own good.”

Definitely, Greyson agreed in my head.

Shut up. “But it feels right. Like a second chance.” I shrugged.

Gabe glanced at Ivy, expression soft and thoughtful. “I did the same thing once.”

I blinked at him. “Says the man sitting in front of me with a wife and four kids.”

Ivy chuckled, patting her husband’s arm. “He means he didn’t listen or open up. He left for boot camp without telling me first that he’d even enlisted.”

“Man.” I whistled and popped a fry in my mouth. “I was a dumb kid, but even I knew to run something like that past Elle first.”

Gabe huffed softly. “I had some growing up to do. Family tensions with my stepfather pushed me over the edge, so I ran and hurt the person I loved best.”

“And yet she took you back?” I mused, glancing between them.

Ivy scoffed. “Like I was letting him drown in his stupidity alone.” She leaned over and kissed her husband’s cheek. “I was hurt, Cal. But I also refused to let him walk away. The trust was broken, but we managed to rebuild it. One honest conversation at a time.”

I nodded. “How long did it take?”

Gabe chuckled sheepishly. “Ivy is an incredibly forgiving woman, and we got married six months later.”

“Right, high school sweethearts.”

Ivy smiled. “We’d been friends most of our lives. And yes, you and Noelle have been apart longer than you were together, but if you’re really serious about making this work, it means no more walls. Uncomfortable conversations require honesty and vulnerability. It is uncomfortable to bare your soul to another person, but if you truly love someone, you let yourself be seen and known, broken pieces and all.” Her gaze wandered from me to Gabe, a silent conversation and shared memories passing between them. “Because when we share our broken pieces, the Lord can use it to create something beautiful together that we could never make on our own.”

In the quietness of the hotel room, I collapsed on my bed. It’d been great to catch up with the Carsons. But now . . . there was something else I needed to do.

I hit Noelle’s number. The ache to talk to her—hear her voice—was overwhelming. The conversation with Gabe and Ivy probably had something to do with it.

Broken yet beautiful.

“Cal? Is everything okay?” Tiredness laced her words.

I cringed, forgetting she was an hour ahead. “Did I wake you?”

“No, I was just doomscrolling social media. You saved me from myself.”

I chuckled, running a hand over my jaw. “You, doomscroll?”

Noelle huffed softly, and I could easily picture her eye roll. “I’m a glutton for punishment,” she tried to joke. “This paparazzi stuff is insane.”

I bit back a groan. “I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am.”

“It’s okay,” she said gently. “I knew what I was signing up for.”

Still, it wasn’t something she should have to get used to. I’d fix it. Somehow. For now, there were other things to discuss.