Page 70 of Connected By Souls

Looking up at him, I realize I’d been staring at his butt. Feeling my face turn red, I laugh it off, “I guess you caught me.”

“Babe, you can look, touch and taste anytime you want. I’m all yours,” he says with a gleam in his eyes. Grabbing my hand, we wind our way through the bar and see Bella at a table in the back.

“Oh, thank God!” Bella says, getting up and giving me a big hug. “I knew you two would work it out. So is everything out in the open, then?” She asks, looking between the two of us.

“Yes, we’ve spent the last twenty-four hours clearing the air. There are no more secrets between us anymore. I told her everything.” Noah laughs as Bella grabs him in a hug.

“I’m so happy for you guys. This is like the best love story ever!” She says excitedly.

“It’s definitely one for the books.” I look at Noah before we all bust out laughing at my corniness.

“What did I miss?” Sophia asks, coming over with a bucket of Coronas.

“Oh, we’re just celebrating the happy couple,” laughs Bella.

“Well, it’s about time.” Sophia pulls me in for a hug before doing the same with Noah. “You guys are so stinking cute together it almost makes me nauseous,” she teases, putting a hand on her stomach.

We sit down and grab our beers. Taking a sip, Noah looks at Bella. “Everything okay with your apartment?”

“Yep, and the good thing about an apartment complex is we don’t have to pick up the mess outside,” she says, clinking her bottle with Sophia.

“Mom’s studio is good too, and Mav said the smoothie shop is as well. We survived another hurricane, girls.” He raises his bottle to a cheer. “Let’s hope that’s the only one for this season,” he chuckles.

“This is a pretty cool place.” I look around. “I love the hole-in-the-wall feel with the old wood and rustic beer signs on the wall." I notice several people playing pool in the back room and darts set up in the corner.

“This place has been here forever. The signs were probably new when they opened,” Noah laughs. “It’s fun to come here, though, and get a few pool games in, especially when you get newbies to place bets. Mav and I used to come here when we were low on money,” he grins.

Speaking of Maverick, I see him walk in and look around before he spots us in the corner. “Sorry, I took so long. I stopped by my store to check on it and wanted to change out of my boardies. He sits down and grabs a beer. I notice his dark blond hair is loose today in waves, and he’s wearing khaki jeans with a green tee that makes his eyes stand out even more.

Looking over at Bella, I see her eyes skim Maverick. She catches me watching her and quickly looks away, but not before I see the longing in them. I look around, but I’m the only one that catches it. I wonder if the feeling is mutual. I look at Mav, trying to see if I can spot anything, but he’s busy right now talking to Noah.

Taking a sip of my beer, I feel Noah’s arm lay on the back of my chair as he leans back, talking to Mav. I love the way it feels to be his.

I turn to Sophia. “How’s the school year going so far? I haven’t talked to you about it since we went to Rusty’s.”

“It’s going good. I’ve got a great bunch of second graders, but I always say that about every class,” she laughs.

“I can’t wait for you guys to meet Skye and Cole. You and Skye will have a lot in common, with both of you being teachers.”

“I’m excited to meet them too. We should all do something fun together.” Sophia says excitedly.

“We could camp at the lighthouse. We haven’t done that in a long time,” Bella suggests.

“Oh, they would love that!” I turn to Noah. “Do you think we could make that happen?”

“Of course, sounds like fun. I still have all my old camping gear, and I’m sure Mav does too.”

“I do. Sophia and I can bring our parents’ jet skis too. The water will be a little cooler, but it’s still warm here that time of year.”

“That sounds like a blast. Thanksgiving can’t come soon enough. I miss them so much,” I sigh.

“Maybe next time we could go to Tennessee and see them? I would love to see where you grew up.” Noah says with a smile.

“You would go to Tennessee with me?” I ask, surprised.

“Of course, I would. I’d go anywhere with you.” We look at each other and smile.

“Oh God, are we going to have to endure this lovey-dovey shit now?” Mav teases trying not to smile.

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