Page 173 of Chasing Infinity

A wry smirk forms on his face, and he leans closer. “Reluctantly, but we made it work.”

I fall back against the wood prongs of the chair, noting them digging into my back muscles. “This is all a lot to take in.”

“Certainly,” Catherine replies. “You two take some time to settle in. Did you bring luggage?” She looks over at Noah, and he nods his head. “Good, I’ll put you all in the guest house for the night. There’s a nice en suite and a hot tub on the back patio. Take a breather and relax.”

Catherine excuses herself from the table and grabs the uneaten cookies to put them back in the pantry. I’m still sitting there, feeling overwhelmed. Before she exits the kitchen, she places her hand on my shoulder and squeezes gently. “If you have any questions or need to talk some more, Addison, please don’t hesitate to find me.”

I nod, and she squeezes again before disappearing, leaving Noah and me sitting silently at the table. The epiphanies I’ve just been forced to endure hang over me like a haze I can’t break out of. The sounds of the TV echo in from the living room, and every few minutes, I’ll hear a tinkling of laughter coming from the women.

“Want to go outside and get our stuff?” Noah finally asks me, breaking me out of my stupor. I glance at him, my heart melting at his hopeful yet careful expression. “We can go settle in at the guest house, and then I think we should probably talk some more.”

I exhale and wrap my arms around my middle. “Yeah, I think talking might be good.”

Noah scoots back from the table, offering me his hand, which I take. He pulls me up, and we walk back through the house to the front door. Again, on our way out, I pause in the living room for a moment. This time the women don’t bother looking up at us. There’s something about the situation that’s unsettling me, but I can’t put my finger on it immediately.

“Who are all those women?” I ask quietly as soon as we make it outside to the car. Noah presses his lips together as he pops open the trunk, getting our bags and then setting them on the ground, not caring about the dirt. As soon as the doors are closed, he turns to me and takes my hands in his, squeezing them tightly.

“Addison,” Noah says, “these women are—” He pauses as if unsure how to continue. Then as if coming to a decision, he bobs his head once and squeezes my hands again. “My father is involved in high-level management of a trafficking ring in the North East. These women are survivors liberated from his system who have nowhere else to go.”

My mouth goes dry, and my eyes widen as I trace the features of his face. I’m not sure what to do with this information. “Oh,” I respond dumbly.

Noah looks at me with sympathy and squeezes my hands for the third time. “Let’s get our stuff into the guest house, and then I’ll tell you everything.”

Bending down and grabbing our bags, Noah leads me around the side of the main house and off a little paved path. It’s not a long walk, but enough to feel like wherever we’re going is more private. When we make it through the clearing of trees, I gasp. Right in front of us is a tiny cottage. The exterior panels are painted blue, and the door right in the middle is a bright red. Two small lights sit on either side of the door, glowing like a beacon. Surrounding the cottage is a light oak porch with a railing spanning the perimeter.

“Oh my gosh,” I whisper. “This is adorable.”

Noah grins at me, and we walk the rest of the way toward the cottage. Once we’re up on the porch, Noah drops the bag and punches in a four-digit code on the keypad. The door unlocks, and he swings it open.

Inside, we find an open loft-style layout. Straight ahead as we walk in is a small kitchen with a fridge, an oven, and a microwave. To the left of the front door is a king-size bed and the ensuite bathroom, and a tiny built-in seating area to the right.

Noah steps over to the bed and sets our bags on the made-up mattress. He looks around with an approving gaze. “Not bad, huh?”

I shake my head as I step further into the cottage. “No, it’s… it’s perfect.”

I have never seen such a quaint tiny home in my entire life. If I could pick this whole place up and bring it back to Willow Heights, I think I would. It’s not much, but it’s cozy and charming. Everything I could want in a house.

“There’s a hot tub on the back porch,” Noah says, and I recognize the lilt of excitement in his tone. “I packed your swimsuit.”

I can’t help but laugh at him and follow him out to the screened-in porch. Sure enough, there sits a four-seater hot tub. Outside the screen porch is another small patio with a built-in fire pit. Two recliner chairs surround it, and I notice fairy lights strung up right above the patio.

“How long are we staying?” I can’t help but ask as I walk over to peruse the patio.

“It’s up to you,” Noah says. “I don’t know how long you told Jack you’d be gone. ”

“I think I might love it here.”

His deep voice rumbles in a chuckle. “Good. My mother and aunt have put a lot of work into this property to make it feel welcoming.”

I turn to face him. “Your aunt?”

He nods. “Yes, my mother’s sister. She’s kind of in on the whole gig too. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to meet her while we’re here. She’s always in and out, though, sometimes hard to catch. Here, let’s sit so we can talk some more.”

Noah leads me back into the house and to the built-in seating area. I sit against the padded bench and look at him expectantly. He runs his hand along his jaw, looking pensive. “Do you have any questions about anything my mother told you?”

“I’m honestly not sure,” I respond. “It’s all a lot to take in, and I’m just feeling overwhelmed.”

He nods understandingly. “I get it. I’ve probably handled this all wrong, but at this point, we might as well just lay everything out.”

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