Page 39 of Single Dad Christmas

His eyes met hers and clung there. “We take it one day at a time.”

She nodded slowly. “I still don’t want the press?—,”

“I agree. We’ll keep it low profile. But I want you to come to my house. Meet Taylor—even though I freely admit she’s not particularly pleasant to be around right now. She’s still my daughter, and I want her to know you. Because you matter to me, Louisa. You really, really matter to me.”

Her eyes swept shut and she tried not to think about how no one had ever quite made her feel that way before. How this was all so different and new. And perfect, despite its imperfections. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with all of the emotions she’d been feeling that day, kissing him for so long that she didn’t realise she was crying as well, until she tasted salt and pulled away from him.

His look was one of concern.

“Happy tears,” she promised. And she was happy. In that moment, in the perfect bubble they’d created, her happiness was pure and easy. She had no idea if that would last in the real world, but she was going to make the most of it for now.

CHAPTER TEN

AWEEK LATER, LOUISA waited out the front of Noah’s house with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other, looking somewhat longingly at the car that had dropped her off, arranged by Noah, which was currently speeding away. Leaving her stranded out the front of Noah’s, for a dinner date with him and Taylor, that was now feeling like a terrible idea.

She wasnervous.

The woman who, in another life, might have been Queen by now. Who had been on Ares’s arm when they’d entertained other Kings, Queens, Politicians, Hollywood stars. She’d never felt anything other than at home in those circumstances, but just the prospect of meeting a fifteen-year-old flooded her with uncertainty.

But that wasn’t really about Taylor.

It was what this moment meant. It was what Noah meant to her. Somehow, over two weeks, he’d become a part of her soul, and she couldn’t even remember what life had been like before him.

They lived and breathed one another. At work, they were the perfect complement. He listened to her ideas, encouragedher, pushed her, made her wonder if maybe advertising was her true calling after all. And every now and again, he’d suggest something she might have missed, or explained something about the heritage of Fox hotels, and it would spark a dozen more lightbulb moments. He both enabled and admired her curiosity. And at night, in the privacy of her home, they’d rebuilt the connection that had wavered slightly, reaffirming their places in each other’s lives. Then, as Friday had rolled around and the Fox offices closed for two weeks over Christmas, Noah had asked her over to celebrate.

“We’ll keep it brief,” he’d said, by way of inducement. “I have no idea what Taylor will be like, but if we can just get through a meal…”

The door opened and Noah stood on the other side, thunderclouds on his face.

Louisa’s heart dropped. “Hi.”

His smile was more of a grimace, but he leaned forward and pulled her into an embrace, before kissing her quickly on the mouth. As was now normal for Louisa, her pulse twisted and turned.

“Is everything okay?”

“Oh, you know,” he shrugged. “I’m glad to see you.”

She thrust the wine bottle towards him, and the flowers, which had been bought for Taylor and now seemed a little silly. They were very Christmassy though, with Holly, Ivy and baby’s breath making a delightful arrangement, regardless. They’d fit right into his Santa’s grotto lounge room.

In the kitchen, she saw dinner was in progress. With no sign of Taylor.

“You’re cooking?”

“Sure am.”

“I didn’t know you cooked.”

“My stepmother insisted on it.”

Louisa knew now that Noah’s mother had died shortly after his youngest brother was born. He had no real memories of her, but her stepmother had loved him like a son and had insisted that they celebrate the boys’ birth mother each year and keep her memories alive with stories about her. It was something Noah hadn’t appreciated as a boy, but as a grown man, Louisa knew that he saw what a kindness that was. The boys had never needed to choose between their loyalty to either mother.

“Can I help?”

He turned to face her. “Sure, I’ll get you an apron.”

When she stepped into the kitchen, he hooked it over her head and fastened it at her waist, his hands lingering there, before spinning her and holding her in the circle of his arms. Their eyes met, and held, and Louisa felt a spark in her veins. Fireworks.

They burst between them with the power of a thousand suns, as though they were now an intrinsic part of her connection with Noah.

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