Page 66 of Finding Noah
We settled quickly—each dog receiving a morsel of kibble for their goodstay. Whether that would last was entirely up in the air. The puppies had the attention spans of goldfish, and Stormy had spotted a squirrel and was on full alert. If the puppies spotted the rodent, chaos might ensue.
Noah squeezed my hand. “Was the treat the creamery? Because that was a good choice.”
“I know, right? That was awesome. We definitely need to come several times a month.” I wasn’t certain if Noah might make a joke, or even just a comment, about putting on weight. He didn’t—and I was glad. He was perfect just the way he was. “Uh, no. I went to see Miss Esmeralda today.”
“Again? So soon?”
“She asked me to drop by. I wanted to sort of get a sense of where she was on us adding to the menagerie. If she was adamantly opposed, I would’ve contacted you.”
He met my gaze. “But she was okay with it.”
“More than okay. Noah—” I took a deep breath, knowing the next few moments were going to be so critical to our relationship. “—she wants to leave us the house.”
His eyes widened.
“She had her lawyer with her. If you’re okay with this, he’ll prepare the paperwork in both our names. If you don’t want the hassle, he can just do me.”
“I’m sorry, I thought you said she wanted us to have the house…?”
“And all the property. I didn’t dare ask how much that totaled. I mean, it doesn’t really matter, because I don’t plan to sell the place. Which means…” I met and held his gaze.Please understand why I’m going to say what I’m going to say…“—well, if you’re thinking of selling in the next few years, I’d rather you not put yourself on the deed. I can pay you rent every month—”
“On a house you own?”
“Well, I don’t want you to feel like I’m not being fair to you.”
He pressed a hand to his forehead.
This isn’t good. Not going the way I’d hoped it might.
“Are you writing the obituary to our relationship two days after it started?”
“Uh…no…?”
“Then why wouldn’t I put myself on the deed? Let’s take money off the table for a moment.”
I wasn’t certain that was possible, but I was willing to try.
He met my gaze. “Are we a forever thing? Be honest.”
“For me, that’s an absolutelyyes. I’ve been in love with you since we were five. Physically attracted to you for over a dozen years now. So, this isn’t new for me. Imagining how our lives would play out—”
“Tell me.” Again, with those intense dark-brown eyes.
“You. Me. Dogs, cats, and maybe a bird or two. A menagerie. Living in a home and being happy. Maybe, I don’t know, we might consider kids. Or not. Our pets can be our kids. The most important part is that it’s you and me—together.” I let out a breath as I’d said the words in a rush. I inhaled and exhaled again. “Can I see us in Esmeralda’s house? Yep, I can. I found a picture, that I’ll show you later, of her and another woman. I’m pretty sure they were lovers—back when they couldn’t really be. But you and me? We can hold hands in a park. I can tell my boss I’m gay, and he’ll be pretty okay with it. Our vet is gay and so are some of your clients. Foggy Basin is everything you promised—and more.” I squeezed his hand. “But I don’t want to tie you down.”
“And if I want to be tied down?”
I held my breath.
“You came to this town knowing nothing about it. All you knew was that I wanted to be here. So you went along with this harebrained scheme—”
“No regrets, Noah.”
He gave me thatI’m speaking now and it’s damn importantlook.
I nodded.
“And now you’ve laid your heart on the line. You let me see how you’ve felt all along. This is easy for you—in some ways. You’ve always wanted this, and now it’s within your reach.”
