Page 3 of Keeping Noelle

“I love it,” I tell him honestly. “It’s a little bare, but we still have to unpack.”

“That’s not a lot of stuff,” he points out, and I smile.

“So, we’ll have to go shopping.”

He laughs and sets my bag down on the stairs before he makes his way towards me. He wraps his arms around me again, and we stand there in silence, enjoying being back together again. I saw him once when he first got to town, and we met up for a burger, but it didn’t last long. My mom called me, and I had to cut our reunion short and head back home.

“You should turn your phone off,” he tells me, and I glance up at him.

“Huh?”

“So, your family can’t call and drag you back home,” he says, and I give him a sad smile.

“Good idea.”

I power down my phone and tuck it into my purse.

“How are things at home?” He asks me carefully.

“The same as always,” I say softly, and he hugs me, kissing the top of my head.

“I’m sorry, Noelle. You deserve better.”

I smile, closing my eyes as I rest against him and listen to his steady heartbeat. I don’t know if this is what I deserve, but Ansel is what I want.

Now, I just need to convince him that we’re meant to be.

THREE

Ansel

“Letme give you the whole tour,” I say as I take her hand and head around the couch and over to the stairs.

I try to ignore how perfect her hand feels in mine, but I can’t. She’s always felt so right next to me. I used to think that all I needed in life was to be close to Noelle. After being away for years, I’m sure of it. She was all that I could think about, all that I could dream about. Now that I’m back home, I need to figure out a way to keep her close to me. Starting with convincing her to move in here with me.

“So, down here on the first floor, we have the kitchen and living room. There’s a half bath there and a storage closet.”

She nods as she looks over her shoulder towards the bathroom and closet. I grab her duffle bag as we head upstairs, and I nudge the first door open.

“This is the first guest room.”

“First? Oh, so fancy,” she says with a mischievous smile.

“Very fancy. I have three,” I tell her, and her smile widens.

“Do I get to pick which one I stay in?”

“Sure.”

I just hope that she picks the one closest to mine.

“Here’s the guest bathroom,” I say, and she pokes her head in and looks at the bare room.

“Could use a shower curtain,’ she points out, and I grin.

“See? This is why I need your help with this place. You should just stay here with me. You can move in and stay here instead of with your family.”

She looks so sad whenever I mention her family, and I hate it. I mean, I’m not surprised. Her family is the worst. They’re shit people who don’t deserve to be graced with my girl’s presence.

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