Page 102 of Falling Back to You

It could have been minutes or an hour; either way, she stepped away too soon. “Thanks for coming, Cal.”

“I’ll always come for you, Elle,” I said roughly, swallowing hard. “I should have come for you back then. I’ll always regret that I didn’t.”

She smiled sadly. “A wise man told me to acknowledge our mistakes but not to give the devil the reins to let our regrets eat us alive.”

“Wise words.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sometimes it’s harder to give grace to ourselves than it is to others.”

“Isn’t that the truth?” she huffed lightly, then she reached up and brushed a loose hair off my forehead. “I’m glad you’re here now,” she said softly.

“Nowhere else I’d rather be.”

Noelle’s fingers lingered on my face. My cheek. Then she kissed my jaw. “Me, too.”

She slipped up the single porch stair, but I caught her hand, brushing a thumb over her knuckles. Her brown eyes, now level with mine, swirled with questions in the dim porch light.

“Do you believe in second chances?” The question had been burning my mind since I’d laid eyes on her at the photo shoot. It was an answer to prayer, and yet . . . I needed to know where she stood. Where we stood.

Noelle smiled sadly. “For other people, sure.”

“What about us? Do we deserve a second shot?”

“Cal, after I hurt you, how can you even want that? I don’t deserve it.”

“Maybe let me weigh in on that decision,” I said, leaning close enough to feel her warmth but not touching her. “If I asked you out on a date, would you say yes?” I asked hoarsely, my heart pulsing in my chest like a Kentucky Derby winner.

“Maybe.” Her smile was sweet. The smile of the girl I remembered—my best friend.

“Holiday.”

“Why don’t you ask and see?”

I leaned even closer, lowering my voice. “Will you, Noelle Shepherd, go out on a date with me tomorrow night?”

Her answer was immediate. “I will.” She bit her lip. “Where?”

“Ah, ah, ah,” I tutted. “If I tell you I’ve got it all planned and handled, will you trust me?”

She froze, and I read the war on her face. Going with the flow and not being in control weren’t Noelle’s favourite things. I knew this about younger Noelle, and it seemed to still be true. But after a moment, she softened.

“I will.”

“Thank you.” I kissed her forehead. “I’ll text you the details. Rest up and take it easy with Khia tomorrow, okay?”

Her eyes widened in the dark, whether from the kiss or my take-charge attitude, I wasn’t sure. Buckle up, sweetheart, there’s more where that came from.

I grinned at her. “Till tomorrow, Miss Shepherd.”

Chapter thirty-four

Noelle

CAL:

Good morning, beautiful.

Please note I am using punctuation and capitalization.

Jules tells me women appreciate this.