Page 80 of We Can Do
“I’m glad that’s over. You okay?” He tightens his grip and kisses my forehead.
“Yeah.” I answer shaking my head. “We’re going to need to get a restraining order too.”
“I agree. He probably won’t do jail time, but as long as you’re safe I don’t care. A restraining order should help.”
A sudden desperation overwhelms me and I throw my arms around Noah’s neck, pressing my lips to his in a heated kiss. Groans escape us both and he tightens his hold, pulling me flush against him. My heart starts racing and tears escape before I realize I’m crying.
Noah breaks our kiss when he feels wetness on his cheeks. “Hey, what’s this?”
I tuck my face into his neck, suddenly embarrassed. “Sorry, I guess everything’s hitting me now.” I huff out a strangled laugh. “We just reconcile and everything feels right again, then all of a sudden I could have lost you.”
“It’s okay. We’re okay and we’re going to stay that way.” He smiles down at me, wiping my tears. “I’m not going anywhere. I love you, Alexis.”
“I love you too, Noah. So much.” I grin and tug on his hand. “Come on. Feed me some of this cinnamon sugar loaf.”
Noah laughs and pulls me toward Rye Again’s back door.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Noah
I bustle around Alexis's kitchen, making sure that everything is in perfect order. The focaccia is fresh out of the oven, the Caesar salad waits on the table, the still-bubbling lasagna sits on the stove, and the gelato is in the freezer, ready for dessert. There’s only one piece missing, and she should be walking through the door at any moment.
The sound of the door knob turning makes me spin around, and there Alexis is, hanging up her purse and smiling in surprise.
“Wait.” She laughs. “Did you make dinner?”
“Of course. Why did you think I asked to have free rein of your house for half a day?”
She chuckles and makes her way over to me. “I don’t know. I figured you had some kind of surprise in mind.”
My heart drops a little. Is dinner not big enough? There are other things I want to do for her, of course. Specifically, take her on a trip, just the two of us. That will have to wait until I can hire more Rye Again staff, though. For now, the bakery still needs me there every day.
I’m about to apologize for not concocting a grander surprise, but then I catch sight of her face. She looks on the verge of tears.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “This means a lot to me.”
“It’s just dinner,” I mumble, even though it’s exactly the reaction I hoped for.
“It’s more than dinner. It’s your time.” She slips out of my hold. “Is it ready? I’m starving.”
“Yep. You’re here at the perfect time.”
I serve us each a plate, explaining that the meal is free of the trigger foods she has so far identified: anchovies, chili flakes, Worcestershire sauce, yogurt, paprika, and chocolate. The kitchen windows are open to the evening summer breeze, and the sounds of the neighborhood fill the room as we sit down to eat.
“How was the co-working space today?” I pour us each a glass of wine.
“Good. I couldn’t wait to get home, though.” She grins.
“I guess that’s a sign of a good work-home life balance.”
“I wanted to see you.” She reaches across the table for my hand. “I rewatched some of your videos today. I missed you so much.”
Warmth bursts from my chest. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes. I’d already seen them all, but?—”
“You’ve watched them all?” I laugh in disbelief. “I have almost a hundred.”
