Page 36 of Wildflower Hearts
“I could say the same thing to you,” he chuckled. He sobered up as he studied her. “It didn’t matter that you were seeing him. I wanted you.”
Nervously, she lowered her fork and fidgeted with the handle.
“I still do.”
“Noah…”
“Come by the house. Don’t give me some excuse about why you can’t. Melissa told me you have the next two days off.”
“Traitor,” she mumbled.
“She wants what’s best for you.”
“And what is that, Noah?”
“I guess you’ll have to stick around and find out.”
Lyla crossed her arms, leaning back against her chair. “You’re really persistent, you know that?”
“Only when it comes to you.”
Chapter Thirteen
She stood outside their front door, her heart racing with a mix of excitement and nerves. She had half-expected it to be awkward, but the invitation had felt genuine, and she was eager to see him again. She took a deep breath and knocked.
The door swung open, revealing Noah. “You made it!” He stepped aside, gesturing for her to come in. The familiar scent of warm cookies wafted through the air, and she felt instantly at ease.
“Thanks for having me.”
As she entered, she was greeted by the lively sounds of laughter echoing from the living room. He led her down a hallway lined with family photos, all capturing moments of their childhood. She could see the three of them—Noah, Elias, and Mark—grinning from ear to ear in each picture, their bond evident even in stillness. In the living room, Elias and Mark sat on the couch, playfully wrestling over the last piece of pizza.
“Whoa, look who it is!” Mark exclaimed, standing up and offering a wide grin. “The lovely Lyla! Come join us.”
“I didn’t know I was crashing a pizza party.”
“Not crashing at all,” Elias said, his voice teasing. “We were just debating the best toppings. Noah says pineapple is a crime against pizza.”
“Is it?” Lyla laughed, glancing at Noah, who was rolling his eyes dramatically.
“It’s a serious culinary offense,” he insisted, crossing his arms in mock seriousness.
She couldn’t help but smile at the easy camaraderie between the brothers, glad to see it had returned. “I have to admit, I’m a fan of pineapple on pizza,” she said playfully, raising her hands in mock surrender. “Sorry!”
“No! You too?” he gasped, his expression comically exaggerated. The brothers burst into laughter, and she felt her tension melt away.
As they settled into the living room, she settled on the couch, shifting nervously as he lowered himself down beside her. This side of him was different, a new version of the grumpy, hurt man from a year before.
Elias leaned back from his seat on the recliner, a smirk on his face. “Hey, little brother, remember that time you tried to build a tree house, and it ended up collapsing?”
“Don’t you dare.”
Mark jumped in, unable to contain his laughter. “He thought he was the next great carpenter! We found him stuck in the branches like a raccoon.”
“I was not stuck!”
She smiled, instantly intrigued. “How did that happen?”
He sighed, a smile breaking through despite his embarrassment. “I may have miscalculated the weight distribution…”
