Page 49 of Won’t Let You Get Away

“And now it’s all hitting you,” I murmur against the top of her head and she nods.

“I don’t know if I can do this. I haven’t even started buying anything for the baby or reading any of the parenting books that everyone keeps recommending. Someone said that I should already be looking at schools and I have no idea where to start with that.” Bri takes a labored breath and waves a hand towards me. “We haven’t even talked about how we’re going to manage raising a baby together.” Her voice hiccups at the end of her sentence, and I suppress a chuckle at the adorable sound.

I reach forward, slide a hand under her knees, and pull her onto my lap, cradling her against my chest.

“I don’t have all the answers, but I can promise you this—you’re not alone. I will be by your side, figuring it out with you. I’m here for you, Bri, not just for the baby,” I reassure her before kissing her forehead and resting my own against hers. “Leave the book reading and school research to me. I’ll print out the important information and summarize it for you. I’ll even let you drive my truck to the city for shopping at the big mall and high-end stores with you and to do all the heavy lifting and bag carrying.”

She leans her head back, forcing me to lift mine to look down at her. Slowly, she reaches up and runs her hand along my beard.

“You’d let me drive your truck?” she asks, a playful grin spreading across her face.

“Sugar, I’d hand you the keys to my entire life without batting an eye.”

SABRINA

“Ican show you how to get down here from the farm if you’d like,” Noah offers a few hours later as we finally make our way back to my car.

If I were alone, I would have lingered longer, something Noah clearly noticed. However, the sound of my stomach grumbling has shifted his focus to finding food for me. “You don’t have to do that. This was your mom’s place after all,” I protest.

Noah reaches out, intertwining our fingers together.

“She would despise the idea of no one enjoying the tranquility here. Connor and I only visit once a year to tidy up the place,” he pauses and grins sheepishly at me. “Not that we were allowed here often as children. Apparently, we were too noisy and disruptive.”

“Two teenage boys unable to sit still and relax? Who would’ve guessed?” I tease in response.

He walks me to the driver’s side of my car but blocks the door, turning me to face him.

“I’m serious about showing you how to get down here from the farm and from the main road again in case you want to drive here on your own,” he says softly. As he speaks, he tucksa loose strand of hair behind my ear. “My mom used this place as her sanctuary and everyone knew to only disturb her in emergencies. If you’d like, it can be your haven too.”

I bite my lip pensively and glance over my shoulder towards the pond once more. “Connor won’t mind?”

Noah wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into him. My hands rest on his arms as I tilt my head back to meet his gaze.

Laugh lines crinkle at the corners of his shining diamond eyes. His beard is fuller than it was three months ago, giving him a more rugged farmer look compared to the sun-kissed muscle man that I first met. The feel of his firm biceps under my palms is a gentle reminder of what his flannel conceals.

“I can double check with Connor if you’d like, but knowing him, he won’t object in the slightest.”

“Then I’d appreciate that very much,” I murmur, trying to ignore the proximity of his lips. It would be effortless to push up on my tiptoes and kiss him.

Am I allowed to kiss him? He did say we could go at my pace, and we have been spending a significant amount of time together these past few weeks. He’s also kissed me on the cheek or forehead, but we haven’t actually shared a proper kiss since that night in his truck.

As I start to pull away, Noah leans in. I hold my breath, keeping my eyes locked on his for as long as I can.

A wave of disappointment washes over me when he turns his face, resting his cheek against mine instead of kissing me.

“You make it extremely difficult to behave and let things move at your pace when you look at me like that,” he whispers into my ear, causing an involuntary shiver. “The next time you look at me like that, I won’t be able to resist you.”

Noah nips at my earlobe, drawing a gasp before he pulls away.

“I was thinking about ordering pizza for dinner. Would you like to join me?”

Despite his mischievous grin and previous statement, his proposal seems so innocent, that it causes me to burst out laughing.

“That depends…Will there be wings?”

“If I wakeup in the middle of the night craving this pizza, I’ll blame you,” I say as I finish off my last slice.

Noah smirks and shrugs, standing up to collect our empty plates and carry them to the sink.

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