Page 33 of Noah

Owen laughed. "Fuck off. I'm serious. I'm thinking about bowing out."

"Of dating?"

"Dating, hook ups … the whole thing."

"That's drastic. I thought you were looking for Mr. Right."

"He's being too evasive. This is where I need you. Talk me out of walking away."

I leaned back in my chair. "Imagine this. A beautiful man by your side who loves you beyond measure. You've had the most incredible wedding. All your friends and family."

"Might not invite the friends." He smirked at me.

"Asshole. Pay attention. Back to the dream. You have a cute house in the suburbs with a manicured yard and you and your husband have decorated the interior matching both of your tastes. And you have extra bedrooms. One is done up in yellows because you don't know the gender of the baby you're hoping to adopt. You already have one child occupying one of the other rooms. He keeps you running off your feet and you and your husband love him desperately. You're deliriously happy and you have everything you've ever wanted."

"Wow … that was vivid," Owen said. "Where did that imagery come from?"

I shook my head. "If you tell any of the other guys, I'll kill you."

Owen propped his elbows on the table and hovered above his linked hands. "Your dream?"

I nodded. "I don't know if it's my parents' fault, always drilling husband, home, and family into me, but over the past couple of years, I've wanted the life more and more."

"I never would have known given the way you carry on with random guys."

"I haven't wrapped my head around it yet. But I know I want it."

"And this guy, Brody, do you see him there with you?"

I laughed. "You're getting ahead of yourself. We haven't even had our first date yet."

"So … there is a date planned?"

"We're going hiking tomorrow."

"Liam says you and Brody have been thick as thieves at the pub. Sneaking touches."

"I wish Liam would stop talking about me behind my back."

"You know he loves you and only wants the best for you."

"I promise to report back to the group after the date."

Owen raised his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes. "I really like him, okay? He gives me butterflies."

Butterflies that wanted to alight in his arms. Be held in them, curled up in bed, Brody kissing the back of my neck and humming like I'd heard him do. I'd never wanted that level of intimacy from anyone ever before. My heart had started beating hard for him.

I was sunk.

I knew it … and I wanted it.

After lunch, I went back to work. As evening approached, Brody came in at his usual time. This time, he matched the movement of my fingers, stroking my fingernails. Humming. It was the lightest of touches, but they held so much meaning—to both of us. My heart ached when he left.

Yup—sunk.

When I arrived home, I climbed onto my bed and opened my laptop. In the search field, I typed autism spectrum. There was a lot of information. I pulled out a notebook.

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