Page 72 of Connected By Souls

“Hopefully, she finally gets the point that I’m not interested,” Noah says.

“Maybe sleeping with her wasn’t the best idea to get that point across.” I raise my eyebrow at him.

Maverick busts out laughing as Noah rubs a hand over his face. “The girls told you? I was seventeen, and it was the biggest mistake of my life. Trust me, I regret it and have paid for it for years.”

“Yeah, I guess you’ve learned your lesson.” I can’t help but laugh that he’s been dodging her for eleven years. “Let’s hope she’s not a boiling bunny type of crazy because I don’t think she likes me at all right now.”

“Nah, she’s clingy and a bit delusional, but she’s harmless. Plus, I don’t think she knows anyone with a pet bunny,” Mav says, teasing me. God, I hope not.

We walk to the table to get Bella for the game. She’s talking to some cute guy. I can tell he’s very interested in her by the way he’s looking at her. Sophia must be in the bathroom.

“Hello, Alex,” Mav says. “How’s the world of numbers going?”

“Good, thanks. I was just telling Bella that we should hang out again,” he says, smiling at her.

“Is that right? I don’t think she’s interested.” Mav crosses his arms and gives Alex an intimidating stare.

“Excuse me?” Bella says. “How would you know what I think?” She turns toward Alex. “I wouldloveanother date." Putting her hand on his arm, I see Mav clench his beer bottle.

“Great!” Alex puts his hand on top of Bella’s. “I’ll text you later, and we can set it up. You guys have a great night,” he says, avoiding Mav’s glare before walking away.

“Why the hell did you agree to a second date? You guys have nothing in common, and he’s not your type,” Mav spits out.

“Who says he’s not my type? It’s none of your damn business who I date anyway. I don’t tell you who you can or can not sleep with,” she argues back at him.

“Are they always like this?” I ask Noah quietly.

“We were all really close growing up, but lately, they’ve been fighting like cats and dogs,” he whispers back to me.

“Whatever, let’s just play pool.” He storms off to the other side of the table like a kid who didn’t get his way. Yep, there’s definitely something there. I need to talk to Bella about this later.

After a few more drinks, Mav is back to his usually happy self, and we have a great time playing pool. The guys are definitely better at this game, but Bella and I held our own. Noah and I won the first game, and Maverick and Bella won the second. We’re all starving, so we decide to order some food and play the tiebreaker game another night.

They were right about the bar food being delicious. I munch on some fries and a burger as Sophia turns to me. “Will you be at yoga with us on Thursday?”

“Definitely, I need to work this burger off,” I laugh. “I’m going to try and go at least two nights a week since I’m all settled in now. I really do feel better when I do yoga. I’ve been doing my own on the back deck each day, but there’s nothing like a good class to get you working every muscle in your body.”

“Sage is a great teacher,” Sophia agrees. “It helps me stay sane after being surrounded by little humans all day long.”

“I bet. You need a ton of patience to work with little kids all day, and yoga is a great way to center yourself.”

“Exactly.” She takes a bite of a fry.

We say our goodbyes after dinner, and I promise the girls I’ll see them on Thursday night. Getting into the truck, I scoot to the middle so I can snuggle against Noah while he drives. “That was so much fun. That place is great.”

“I’m glad you liked it. There’s so much I want to see and do with you. You’ll love living here.”

“I already do.” Breathing him in, I close my eyes.

ChapterTwenty-Seven

Noah

“Emma, wake up, love.”I gently brush back Emma’s hair as her head rests on my shoulder. She fell asleep on the way home, exhausted from the past twenty-four hours. I brought her back to my place, hoping she’s okay with that. I know she has her own place, but I selfishly want her here with me.

Opening her eyes and blinking, she sits up and smiles. “I must have fallen asleep.”

“You did. I had to put up with your snoring the whole way home,” I tease.

---