Page 73 of First Love, Second Draft

“I’m not about to drop dead.” But the whole puking-on-the-shoes scenario might have some validity. Matt gripped the doorknob, waiting for the ground to stop moving.

“Matt,” Rachel whispered. Her hands gently pushed him away from the door. “Go to bed.”

“I love you so much.”

“Would you knock it off? We’ll talk later.” She squeezed through the door, then met his gaze with another rosy blush, and murmured, “Please don’t die tonight,” before clicking the door shut behind her.

Matt made it to the stairs, then sank onto the bottom step and cradled his head in his hands. He took it all back. He was about to drop dead.

Footsteps approached, followed by Noah’s voice. “Well, don’t you look pathetic.”

“Just bury me right here on these stairs.”

“And now you sound pathetic.” Noah got under Matt’s good arm and hefted him onto his feet. “Come on, partner. I’d say you’ve got too much left to live for to get buried on these stairs tonight.”

“Isn’t Rachel so pretty?”

“She’s a doll,” Noah grunted, dragging Matt up the remainder of the stairs to the spare bedroom. “You ever heard of picking up your feet?”

“My head hurts.”

“What’s that have to do with your feet?”

Matt dove for the bed. Either that, or Noah shoved him. Hard to say. Matt grabbed his head and groaned. “Rachel kissed me.”

“I know. You told everyone about it ten minutes ago.” Noah cracked his back side to side.

“I didn’t kiss her back.”

Noah turned in the doorway. “Why not?”

“My head hurt.”

“Well, I wouldn’t worry. Judging by the way she was looking at you tonight, I think you’ll get another shot at it soon.”

“I just never imagined it could hurt this bad.”

“Concussions?”

“Love.” Matt rolled onto his side, still clutching his head. “How did you do it? How did you survive after losing Aunt Gracie? I know you guys went through some stuff, but I just don’t get it. How could you guys love each other and not stay together? I thought I understood when I was with Aimee. I thought I knew how it was supposed to be. But now... with Rachel.”

Matt rolled flat on his back. “With Rachel, I feel like I can’t breathe at the thought of her not being with me.” He dropped his hand and met Noah’s shadowed gaze in the doorway. “How have you been breathing all this time without Aunt Gracie?”

42

How have you been breathing all this time without Aunt Gracie?

Good question. Noah tossed a broken eggshell into the trash. He grabbed another shell, finding bits of yolk scattered across the counter next to giant clumps of chocolate batter. “What are you grinning about?” he said when he looked up and caught Gracie smiling as she returned to the kitchen from using the bathroom.

“Nothing. I guess making the brownies just reminded me of the time you thought you’d surprise me with one of those flaming lava cakes for Valentine’s Day.”

Now Noah was smiling. “Well, you can’t say I didn’t surprise you.”

“Coming home to find a fire truck parked in front of the house certainly carries the element of surprise.”

“The firefighters were so worried I’d end up in the doghouse for charring one of the kitchen walls, they offered us a ride in the fire truck back to the station so we could eat the chocolate cake someone had dropped off for them. Remember that?”

Gracie pressed her lips together, then twisted them to the side. “Actually, I was the one who begged for them to do that. I knew you’d worked so hard trying to make our last evening together special before you had to head off for spring training the next day.”

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