‘It was always meant to be the three of us, Elle. You, me and Noah.’
At that, Ellie promptly burst into tears—not quite the reaction Beth had been expecting.
‘Hey.’ Beth shuffled closer. ‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing, I just … oh god.’ Ellie fanned her face and stared up the ceiling. ‘I just don’t think you know how much your friendship means to me.’
‘Oh, come here.’ Beth’s vision grew blurry as she hugged her best friend. ‘I love you, Ellie. More than you’ll ever know.’
‘Love you, too, Bethie.’ Wiping her tears away, Ellie sniffed and held up the photo. ‘So, does this mean what I think it means?’
‘Uh, I’m not sure. You’ll have to tell me what you think it means.’
‘“It was always meant to be the three of us”, that’s what you said. So if you came to apologise to me, does that mean you’re going to fix things with Noah?’
With a sigh, Beth collapsed against the couch. ‘I want to, desperately. But what on earth could I say that would ever make up for the way I hurt him? And what if he rejects me again? He sent me away the last time I spoke to him.’
‘Well, yeah, that might’ve had something to do with the fact you tried to throw cash at him. Just leave your money in your pocket where it belongs and be yourself. Honestly, Beth, he’s so in love with you, it doesn’t matter what you say as long as you make the effort.’
Be yourself.
When she’d first arrived in Karlup, Beth hadn’t known who she was, let alone how she should behave in order to be that person. But after everything she’d learned recently, she was slowly gaining a better understanding of who she was meant to be. Who shewantedto be. And with that in mind, she formulated a plan to bare her heart and soul to Noah.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-TWO
The closer Beth got to the Brennan farm and Noah, the more nervous she got. She wasn’t afraid to speak to him, because even though it would require complete honesty and vulnerability, she was confident in the point she wanted to make and the way she planned to get it across. She wasn’t even scared anymore to share her belief that she was autistic, because Noah had proven time and time again that he would put her feelings before his own. She truly believed that he would be kind and support her.
But would hewanther? Would he wantallof her? Would he love her for her quirks and stand by her when it was difficult? This, she didn’t know, and she couldn’t predict how he’d react to what she wanted to say. By the time she pulled up in the circular driveway, she was shaking like a leaf, but despite her fear, she made it to his front door, prepared to fight for him, for them, for herself. She lifted a quivering hand, knocked on the door and waited.
When he didn’t appear, she knocked again, but the silence that followed was deafening. Either he wasn’t at home or—
No. She refused to accept that he was ignoring her.
She went to the back of the house, but he wasn’t on the verandah. She peered through the back door but couldn’t see him inside. Maybe he was—
‘Beth?’
She spun around, mortified to be caught snooping.
Noah stood a short distance from the house, his boots and jeans dusty, his dark hair mussed and sticking to his temples, clearly just returned from whatever work he’d been doing around the farm. His facial hair had grown out, longer than the sexy stubble she loved so much, but the beard worked for her, too.
He stared up at her, surprised but clearly hesitant. Wary.
‘Hi.’ Even with that lone syllable, her voice shook. She wasn’t sure what to make of the crease that formed on his brow, but when his features softened, hope sparked in her belly.
‘Hi yourself.’ His voice cracked. A beat passed.
‘Can we talk?’
‘I’d like that.’ He sat on the top step, his feet wide, and propped his elbows on his knees.
Beth sat down beside him.
‘How’ve you been?’ Noah glanced at her almost reluctantly, as if he’d wanted her to be the one to speak first but couldn’t quite keep himself from checking in with her.
She wanted to inch closer, to snuggle up to him and rest her head on his shoulder. He always knew how to make her feel safe. Cared for. Cherished.
