She sat beside him but fisted her hands in her lap, ready to shut down if need be, but when Noah reached for one, it opened instinctively at his touch. She stared down at their hands, marvelling at the way her palm moulded to his when he threaded his fingers through hers. As if the two of them holding hands was an everyday occurrence, the most natural thing in the world. Only it wasn’t either of those things. It was completely extraordinary and made her heart beat irregularly. Whatever he was about to say to her, she knew she could handle it, as long as he didn’t let go.
‘I don’t know how to say this.’ Noah eyed her warily. ‘So I’m just going to come out with it. My parents knew Bryce.’
Beth stared at him, then blinked and focused on the purple flowers covering the grass. She was unsure what to think, but given her recent track record for discovering things she’d never known about her family, she shouldn’t be surprised, really. Still, it was a lot to process, and she had questions.
‘How did you … I mean, you already seemed to know when you asked his name.’
‘I connected the dots. You said he grew up here, that you received an inheritance and now you’re renovating a house that once belonged to his aunt …’
Beth nodded. That made sense. Noah’s thumb began working its magic once more, this time on the back of her hand.
‘How did your parents know him?’
‘He and Dad were best mates growing up.’
Hope sparked in her belly. Noah’s dad must have a thousand stories he could tell her about her father. ‘Really?’
‘Yeah, but …’ Noah swallowed. ‘There’s more.’
A lump formed in her throat. She should’ve known.
‘Bryce and Dad were mates, right from when they were tiny, because …’ He closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. ‘Because they grew up on neighbouring properties.’ He stared at her as if he were waiting for her to fall to the ground in a heap. Or yell at him till she was hoarse.
She frowned. Had she missed something?
‘Do you remember what I told you about the second house I renovated?’
Beth thought back to the conversation they’d had around Ellie’s dinner table and what Noah had told her.Originally, the house belonged to the neighbouring farm, but when the owner died, we bought the property and the house came with it. I moved in …
‘Oh my god,’ she breathed. ‘You live in the house my father grew up in?’
When he didn’t deny it, she jumped to her feet and started pacing. This was unbelievable!
‘I’m sorry.’ Noah stood but seemed to sense that she needed space.
She turned and sliced a hand through the air. ‘All I can think about is how I have nothing of my dad. Not a photo, a keepsake or even a memory. But here you are, someone I barely know, living in his childhood home. How is that fair?’
Noah shoved his hands in his pockets, which only made her angrier.
She stabbed a finger towards him. ‘I bet you’ve heard a bunch of stories about him, too, haven’t you? Things your dad told you about when they were growing up?’
He watched her carefully. ‘Yes.’
Making a sound of frustration, she turned from him and buried her face in her hands, her emotions past boiling point for the second time that day.
It wasn’t Noah’s fault. Logically, she knew that, but her brain had bypassed that station and was more than content being completely irrational. All she could think about was that Noah knew more about her father than she did, and right now, she hated him for it.
But his arms came around her, and just like that, her misplaced anger dissipated.
She held on to him and let his gentle rocking movements soothe her as her tears fell silently. ‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered. ‘You didn’t deserve that.’
‘You’re entitled to your emotions, Beth. Everything you’re feeling is completely valid. But you were wrong about one thing.’ He lifted her chin until she was looking at him. ‘I’d like to think we know each other pretty well by now.’
His gaze dropped to her lips and her breath hitched, but he made no move to kiss her.
‘I can show you the house if you like. So you can see where he lived.’
She swallowed but shook her head. Time to process, that’s what she needed. ‘I don’t think I’m ready for that,’ she told him, ‘but I do have a favour to ask.’
