Page 80 of Connected By Souls

“Yes, I’m so excited I can’t stand it.” I give him a huge grin.

“I can’t wait to meet them. Let’s see if Cole’s golf game is as good as he says it is,” he says, rubbing his hands together. Noah and Cole have been talking on the phone lately and found they share an interest in golf. They’re playing tomorrow while Skye and I have a relaxing beach day. The weather has been warmer than expected, so we should be able to get some tanning in.

“It’s so cute how competitive you guys are.” I walk with Noah to his truck.

“Puppies are cute. I think the word you’re looking for is manly, sexy...attractive...any of those will work.” He pulls out of the parking lot.

“You’re all of those, but I still think you’re cute too.” I grab his hand and lace my fingers through his.

“Cole won’t think it’s very cute after I bury him with my game tomorrow.”

“Skye and I are going to hear this for the next twenty-four hours, aren’t we?” I shake my head and laugh.

“Most likely, maybe longer, because I don’t think he likes to lose.” Noah grins.

Pulling up to the airport a little while later, I’m practically jumping in my seat, waiting for them to come outside. “There they are!” I hop out of the truck and run to them. Skye laughs and drops her bags as I jump in her arms for a hug. “Oh my God, I’ve missed you sooooo much.” I squeeze her tight.

“Me too! I was annoying Cole the whole way because I couldn’t sit still from the excitement,” she squeals.

“Where’s my hug?” I hear Cole say as I leap into his arms. “It’s so good to see you again, Emma. It looks like Florida is treating you well. You look so tan and happy.” He sets me down and holds out his hand behind me. “Good to finally meet you in person, Noah.” He grins and shakes his hand.

“Good to finally meet you, Cole.” Noah returns the grin while they shake.

“Hi, Noah,” Skye says, coming over and hugging him. “Finally, we meet in person,” she smiles up at him.

“FaceTime is never good enough,” he smiles. “Here, let me help you with your bags.” He grabs Skye’s suitcase handle. “We should get these loaded up before they start honking at me for sitting there too long,” he chuckles.

Getting everything into the back of the truck, we pile in and head to Rusty’s.

“How was your flight?” I ask, turning around in the front seat to look at them.

“Good. We had a direct flight, so it was easy,” Cole says. “I’m just glad to be here and relax for the next few days. I’ve been covering for someone this month at the station, and it’s been brutal.”

“I bet,” Noah says, looking in the rearview mirror at him. “I have a friend from high school who is a firefighter, and it’s not an easy job.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do, but I’m overdue for some downtime. Plus, if I ever did give up my uniform, Skye would probably break up with me. She loves me in the uniform too much.” Cole winks at Skye and grabs her hand.

“You got that right, baby. It’s so hot,” Skye says, fanning herself.

“There’s just something about uniforms.” Noah turns and winks at me. I blush, remembering the librarian outfit I wore.

“There’s a story in there somewhere,” Skye laughs.

I turn and look at her. “I’ll let Noah leave it at that,” I laugh, not giving away my secrets until we have girl time. “I’m just so glad you guys are here. I can’t wait to show you around. We are taking you to Rusty’s tonight, and you’re going to love it.”

“Em has been nonstop talking about this week for the past month,” Noah says, laughing. “Really, though, thanks for coming down. It means a lot to both of us.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it.” Skye reaches out and squeezes my hand that I held out to her.

We pull into Rusty’s just as the sun is setting. “Wow, this place is incredible,” Cole says, looking at the view of the water. The sun is setting in front of Rusty’s, giving it an orange hue touching parts of the water with its light. Locals are eating on the back deck, enjoying the last rays of the sun as music softly plays through the speakers.

Noah takes my hand and leads us to a table overlooking the water. As the guys go to the bar to order drinks, Skye grabs my arm and leans in to whisper, “I thought he was hot over FaceTime, but God, Emma, he’s even better in person. How do you even get out of bed every day with him in it?”

“It’s very hard, trust me,” I laugh. “I’ve never been so connected to another person in my life. I literally just want to stare at him all day.”

“You guys look so good together. I’m so happy for you, Em.”

“I know I’ve said this a million times, but I wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for you. After last year I never thought I would ever be happy again, let alone be in an amazing relationship. I love him, Skye. I love him so much it scares the hell out of me,” I confess.

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