Page 82 of Aria

Rosa leaned over the kitchen island, taking my hands into her own. “My child. I see the way you look at each other. I see how happy you make him. You are an angel sent from Heaven.” She squeezed my palms, shaking them vigorously. “Noah is a different man since you came into his life. You’ve put light back in his eyes. You must see it.”

Air stalled in my throat as I stood there, frozen in place, processing Rosa’s words.

No…no.

Rosa had it all wrong. It wasn’t like that with Noah. “I appreciate your perspective… but Noah and I are just friends. Maybe you’ve misinterpreted something.”

“I see what I see,” she said with conviction. “And I will say this: I had a man like Noah once. His name was Paco. Back when I was a jovencita—a very young girl. But I did not follow my heart.” Rosa held a hand firmly over her chest, her eyes misting. “I thought a better life was waiting for me in the states. Mi madre took me from my home in Mexico to start fresh here in New York. I married a man all wrong for me. He did not speak to my heart the way mi amor did back in Mexico.”

Emotion sluiced me as I watched the tears well in Rosa’s eyes.

“I wonder every day if he’s waiting for me, but I cannot go back now. Too much time has passed. I failed my heart.” Rosa reached for my hands again, squeezing my fingers. “You are a smart muchacha. Do not make the same mistakes I did. Listen to the song in your heart. It only plays for one.”

Rosa let go of my hands as I blinked back my own tears. My feet were secured to the kitchen floor, my head spinning, mind racing. “I… I’m with Devon,” I said with a crack in my voice.

She smiled knowingly. “I see what I see.” Rosa turned back to the stove and began cutting into the strudel, serenading the kitchen with Spanish melodies.

I swallowed. Glancing down at my hands, I noticed they were holding onto the edge of the island so tight, my knuckles had gone white.

“Combs.”

Noah appeared behind me. I whipped around, startled, knocking a serving dish to the floor. It cracked in half. “Crap.”

“Here, let me help,” said an unfamiliar female voice.

I looked up at the pretty blonde bending over to help me pick up the dish. “Thanks,” I murmured.

When we stood back up, the woman extended her hand. “I’m Beth.”

“How do you know Sam?” I asked guardedly, clearing my throat and returning the handshake.

Noah interjected. “I, uh, actually met Beth a few minutes before Sam’s accident at the playground. I followed up with her when I was in the hospital to tell her about the fall, and we’ve been chatting ever since.”

My lips drew together in a tight line. Noah met a random stranger at the park and invited her to his son’s welcome home party a few days later?

Beth tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a golden hoop earring. “It’s weird, I get it. I have this habit of making new friends everywhere I go,” she laughed nervously. “Maybe we can grab coffee sometime?”

My eyebrows raised with skepticism.

I did not make new friends easily; I was a private person with years of pent-up trust issues. While I appreciated the sentiment, I didn’t exactly foresee going on picnics and coffee dates with this woman—Beth was a stranger. “Sure. Sounds great.”

I was also a people-pleaser, so I forced a compliant smile.

Beth smiled back, bobbing her head up and down. “I look forward to it.”

My eyes roamed over the length of the young blonde, studying her—reading her. She was standing so close to Noah, their shoulders were touching.

Beth was beautiful, no doubt. Her skin looked like it had never seen a day of sun, and her features were feminine and delicate. She had chocolate brown eyes and perfect white teeth. Her smile was her finest attribute, and she was currently flashing it in Noah’s direction.

Noah gazed back with a distinctive twinkle in his eye.

I ground my teeth together until my jaw ached, realizing that I was still holding onto the broken dish and the sharp edges were digging into my hand.

“Let me officially introduce you to Sam,” Noah said, placing his hand on the small of Beth’s back.

My gaze narrowed in on the gesture as I bit down on my bottom lip. I was surprised Noah felt inclined to introduce this woman to his son already. She could be a crazed, delusional fan.

Beth nodded. “I’d love that.” She offered me a smile that reached her eyes. “It was so nice to meet you, Chelsie. I know how hard it is to find trustworthy babysitters these days.”

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