Page 95 of Play On

I realise he’s thinking of how his brother never showed any positive emotion towards him. Only anger and resentment and jealousy.

“Have you heard of the expression ‘found family?’” I ask.

Noah shakes his head.

“It’s when people come into your life, and in essence, they are the family you’ve found, as opposed to the one you’re born into,” I say. “I think you’ve found that with Camden. Bella. Now you have me. I have no doubt you’ll have Nicholas and Amelia, too, once you get to know them. You are creating your own found family. And sometimes it’s far greater than the one you were born into.”

He doesn’t say anything, but leans forward and kisses me, a sweet, gentle kiss which tells me I told him exactly what he needed to hear in this moment.

Noah is finding a new family, and hopefully, with him accepting that the past wasn’t his fault, he’ll truly embrace letting new people into his life.

And into his heart.

Like me.

Chapter Twenty-Three

English Breakfast

I wake up the next morning, my hand instinctively reaching for Noah before I even open my eyes. I move to roll into his warm body, wanting to feel his skin against mine, but I only feel sheets instead. My eyes flicker open, adjusting to the light in the room, and with disappointment, I see Noah has gone.

My memory instantly flashes back to last night. We had incredible sex in this bed—the slow and sensual kind—until we both were worked up in a frenzy and couldn’t hold back a second longer.

It was the best sex I’ve ever had.

And it was the first time I had feelings involved when it came to sex.

But it wasn’t just the sex and feelings that were amazing. It was everything afterward, too.

Noah and I remained in bed, entangled in each other, talking for a long time. He would stroke my hair. Run his hand over my arm and tell me how much he loved my freckles there. Drop kisses on my lips, my nose, my forehead. We laughed. Teased each other. Linked our hands together as we talked.

I have never felt so happy and content with a man in my entire life.

Then he got up and brought back the sweets we got from the pick and mix at the cinema, and we laughed and talked for hours more. I was able to be silly—like I challenged him to let me throw jelly beans at him and see if he could catch them in his mouth, which he proved to be quite stellar at—and then we took selfies with each of us trying to wear milk teeth.

A happy, contented sigh escapes my lips. I’ve never had an evening like this in my entire life.

I’m so full of joy I could burst.

As I roll over to reach for my phone on my bedside table, I spot Noah in the doorway, holding a mug in his hand. My pulse leaps with excitement, but I keep that feeling to myself.

“You left me,” I say dramatically, teasing him.

Noah pauses and leans against the doorway, his eyes flicking over me whilst I lie in bed.

Okay, is there anything sexier than a shirtless man with tattoo sleeves, wearing grey joggers that dip down low across his hips, leaning against the doorway and staring at you as if he is ready to jump you any second?

No. No, there’s not.

“Did you miss me, Butterfly?” he asks, his voice low.

“I rolled over so I could snuggle into you, and all I got were cold sheets,” I say, cocking an eyebrow at him. “Incredibly disappointing.”

“But what if I left to make you a cup of tea?”

I blink. “What?”

Noah flashes me a brilliant smile, and happiness ripples through me.

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