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She shuddered, even the thought of that something she couldn’t really contemplate.
“Do you –,” she bit down on her lip midway through making the offer.
Edward arched a brow.
“Did you want to come in for a cup of tea?”
“Sure. I’ve got ten minutes.”
It was an innocent, spontaneous invitation, but as she crossed to her gate, past the guard who was part of a five man team that had been watching her house for the last week, and saw the uniform logo on his shirt – Storm Security – she couldn’t help wondering if news of her visitor would filter back to Noah. And how he’d feel about it. If he’d even care. And her heart was racing just as hard and fast as if she were still running, full pelt, towards an ever-changing finishing line.
“Catch!”
Noah lifted a hand as the ball sailed towards him, landing it between two palms.
“You got it!”
His business partner’s son, two years old and made of chubby arms and legs and a big broad grin, ran towards Noah, arms up, reaching for the ball. Noah mimed throwing it and then passed it to the little boy.
“There you go.”
“Again!”
“Sure,” Noah agreed, watching as the little dynamo spun and began to toddle back to where he’d been a moment ago. Turning to Ashton, he lifted his brows. “He’s got quite an arm.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Ashton mimed rubbing his cheek. “Think he’s headed to play pro football one day.”
The ball sailed through the air, and would have landed hard against Noah’s chest if it weren’t for his quick reactions. He caught it and quickly returned it, pitching it close to the toddler’s feet.
The little boy laughed, and then fell over in his attempts to capture it, laughing uproariously.
Noah turned with Ashton, and began to walk towards the house. “He’s so like you.”
“Yeah, poor kid,” Ashton grinned, with such obvious pride that Noah looked away, a heavy feeling landing hard in his gut.
“How’s Suzie?”
“About eleven months pregnant, if you ask her.”
“Over it?”
“Completely. Not long to go now.”
Noah nodded, happy for his friend, even when he couldn’t get his head around how Ashton had transformed himself into this dedicated family man. It was something he’d wondered over the years, in a casual, curious way, but suddenly, he had to know. It was no longer an abstract concept, but something very real he needed to understand, something he was trying hard to grapple with.
“You and Suzie are happy?”
“I think you pronounced exhausted wrong,” Ashton volleyed back as a ball hit him in the back of the head, but his smile showed the truth of his feelings. He whirled around, gripped Tommy’s little tummy and tossed him into the air, so laughter pealed through the garden.
“You break it, you bought it!” Suzie’s voice sing-songed out of the kitchen windows.
“This one’s too much trouble!” Ashton called back. “Laughs too much and throws balls at my head. Can I get another one?”
Suzie flashed a grin. “No refunds, sorry.”
“I guess I’ll have to keep you,” Ashton mock-sighed, tickling Tommy’s tummy so he backflipped in Ashton’s arms, almost knocking the man in the chin.
Ashton slid him down to the ground. “Okay, young man. Go wash up. Dinner’s almost ready.”
