Page 101 of Falling Back to You

I burst into the diner ready to rain down fire, scanning the crowd. My pulse thundered in my ears. Where is she?

The curly blonde head at the counter in the back corner snagged my attention. My feet flew across the room till I was at her side. “Elle.”

She turned. “What . . . oh!”

I wrapped her in a hug, holding her close, breathing in the smell of her tropical shampoo. She’s okay. I repeated the words over and over in my head, burying my face in her hair. Feeling her sag against me.

“Why are you here?” she whispered.

“Marcel texted me.” Something I didn’t know was humanly possible. The man abhorred most technology. There was a reason he didn’t handle the TV remote at the diner after they upgraded to flat screens—that TV had been stuck on the weather channel for eight days straight. And I had no idea how he got my number. Somehow that fit his persona.

“He’s such a softy,” Noelle said with a chuckle. “Like Joe from The Princess Diaries.”

Agreed. Though not many would believe that about the grizzly, tattooed bartender who was allergic to a razor and stood as tall as my shoulder.

I pulled back just enough to see her eyes. I scanned her face, memorizing her. Checking for any hint of a lie that she wasn’t okay. She didn’t appear worse for wear, but her eyes were tired.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Denver happened. But Marcel went all ninja and then fired him. It was glorious. I wish I’d caught it on tape. The shakedown, not the conversation with Denver. He . . . made me feel cheap,” she whispered, resting her forehead against my shoulder.

“C’mon, I’ll drive you home.”

I tucked her against my side and led her through the crowd. Let them talk, let them video. I was taking care of my girl. The second the text came in I’d scooped a sleeping Khia into the car and driven down here as fast as I dared. Khia was still zonked out in her car seat when I opened the passenger door for Noelle.

“Wanna tell me about it?” I asked after hopping in.

She shook her head. “It isn’t worth repeating.”

“That bad?”

She made a face. “It’s Denver. What do you think?”

“He should have been fired a long time ago. He’s got a reputation.”

The dark landscape lit by intermittent streetlights whizzed past the windows. “Thank you for coming,” she said softly. “I’ve handled my share of guys like that, but . . . it still always makes me feel gross.”

“No one should have to go through that.”

We were quiet the rest of the drive, and once I pulled into my driveway, she tried to open her door, but I laid a hand on her knee. “Wait a sec.”

I jogged around to open her door.

“Thanks,” she whispered, sliding out.

I cupped her shoulder and hooked a finger under her chin, tilting it up so our eyes met. “You sure you’re okay, Elle?”

Without hesitating, Noelle slid her arms around my waist and leaned against me. I hugged her back tightly, her nose brushing my neck. She sighed heavily like the stress was leaving her body and relaxed against my chest.

“Your touch makes me forget his,” she murmured into my shoulder.

The words set fire to my blood, and my grip on her tightened. I would do anything for this woman.

We stood there for a long time. Her arms around my waist, my arm around her back, my other hand cupping the back of her head. Just holding onto each other. It was the best hug I’d had in a long time.

“I’ll take a few more boxing lessons, if the offer still stands.”

“Consider it done.”