Page 114 of Catching My Dreams

She nearly laughed. Her gran was such a troublemaker.

“Hey,” she said, her lips tipping up as Noah blinked away the sleep still clinging to him.

He sat up straighter, going from sleepy to alert in no more than two seconds.

“You’re awake,” he said, and then he was leaping out of his chair and rushing to Ella’s side like his ass was on fire. “You’re awake,” he repeated more softly once he was standing next to the bed, his eyes wide and locked onto hers.

“I am,” she replied with an amused smile.

He reached behind him and dragged his chair forward. He sat back down, but this time, he was right next to her. He gently grabbed her hand and lifted it to kiss her knuckles.

“How do you feel?” he asked, still keeping her hand clutched in his.

“Like I got stabbed in the stomach,” she replied, which wasn’t entirely true. Her abdomen was sore, but the painkillers the nurses must have put in her drip were working pretty well. “But otherwise, not too bad. And you?”

Noah huffed out a laugh, but his expression was strained. With his swollen nose and the bruised rings beneath his bloodshot eyes, she expected him to say something about what had clearly been a broken, or at least injured, nose. But that wasn’t how he responded to the question.

“Like the love of my life nearly died,” he replied, his voice cracking.

Ella blinked back the sting in her eyes. “The love of your life?” she asked.

“Yeah,” he replied, squeezing her hand tighter. “She’s the best, most beautiful person I know, and I nearly lost her.”

“But you didn’t,” she said, squeezing back.

He nodded, his blue eyes roaming over her face like he was committing every detail to memory before they found her gaze again.

“Brett told me, you know,” she said.

His eyebrows pinched together. “Told you what?”

“He said something about how he’d gotten you out the way,” she explained, hoping she was right, hoping that what Brett had implied was true. “Was he the reason you ended things?” she asked hesitantly.

If Brett had nothing to do with Noah’s sudden change of heart about her, she was sure it would break her all over again.

Noah closed his eyes and nodded. “I hate that you believed everything I said that day. Not that I blame you.”

“So what you said wasn’t true?” she asked, and something released in her chest.

He opened his eyes again, the blue orbs filled with pain. “None of it was true,” he assured her. “It was complete and utter bullshit. If Brett hadn’t made it clear he’d go after you if I didn’t end things for those exact reasons, I never would have said it.”

Ella let a heavy breath out and lowered her eyes to where their hands were connected. So that was how Brett had gotten Noah to break her heart. He’d used Ella against him.

“Please tell me you believe me.”

Noah’s voice was choked, and when she lifted her eyes back to his, it was to see moisture shining in his eyes.

“I’m so sorry. So fucking sorry. I know you don’t have any reason to believe me after everything I’ve done, but I swear I didn’t mean a single word I said that day. You’re the least selfish person I know. I love you, Ella. I—”

“I believe you,” she said, cutting him off. This time, she was the one lifting his hand and pressing a kiss to his skin. “Of course, I believe you, and I’m so sorry I didn’t realize something was wrong.”

She’d been so angry at Noah, so crushed by his words, but her emotions and her wounded pride had blinded her to the truth. She hadn’t understood how the Noah who’d drawn a sketch of Archie for her could be the same one who’d said all those things to her. If she hadn’t been so pulverized by his words, maybe she would have realized that Noah would never have said them of his own free will.

Noah shook his head ruefully. “You really need to stop apologizing when you have nothing to be sorry for.”

“And you need to stop apologizing for things you did because you had no other choice.”

He opened his mouth to argue but shut it when no words came out. “Brett may have forced my hand, but I was still the one who said those things,” he finally managed. “And I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you.”

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