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“So, you’re the girl who managed to strap my boy down, huh?” Rooster says.
Noah elbows him in the ribs.
“What? I meant that as a good thing. It’s about time you settle down.” He grins at Noah, who rolls his eyes.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Rooster adds. “You’re looking after him, and that’s all that matters.”
I smile, and Natalie drags me away from the men so they can catch up while the three of us—Natalie, Michelle, and I start preparing for the barbeque. The guys head outside with beers to start the BBQ.
“So, what happens after you guys go back to Paris?” Michelle asks. “Have you talked about living arrangements?”
“We have,” I say, nodding. “He’s moving in with us, and then we’ll look at a bigger place later.”
“Oh, my God,” Natalie says. “And you’re getting married, right?”
I laugh and shake my head. “We haven’t talked about that yet. We’re just discussing living arrangements and what will be best for Ava right now. But she’s claimed him as hers, and there’s no arguing with her. She’s serious about having him around.”
“Well, I’ve never seen him as serious about anything as he is about the two of you,” Natalie says. “When Noah puts his mind to something, it takes a freight train to make him reconsider.” She thinks about it. “Actually, maybe not even that.”
That makes my stomach twist and my heart skip a beat. But I’m not worried about Noah leaving anymore. We’ve only been doing this for a couple of weeks now, but every step of the way, he’s shown me how serious he is about taking the next step to be with us permanently.
“I’m worried he might regret giving up his job here,” I confide, glancing through the kitchen window at the men, laughing and talking.
“He’s not going to,” Natalie says.
“How do you know? He was very happy with his job here, and to ask him to give that up…”
“That’s the thing.” Natalie takes burgers from the fridge to put on the grill, handing salad ingredients to Michelle to start chopping up. I take plates and cutlery out of the cabinets she points to while she talks. “Youdidn’task him to give up anything. He was the one who decided he wanted to. And Noah doesn’t do that on a whim. When he makes a decision like that, he’s serious about it. He’s not going to look back and wonder what if.”
“He’s lost so much,” I say.
“Yeah, he did,” Natalie agrees. “But this isn’t the same. This is him gaining, not losing. Trust me, he’s happy. I can see it. You belong together, and he knows it, too.”
I’m grateful to Natalie for putting things into so many words for me. This is a big move, and I know Noah really loves the both of us to do it. I’m glad that he’s serious about it.
His sister is right—I never asked him for any of it. He chose to be with us. Which means that he’s going to be happy because it’s not only what we want and need, but it’s what he wants, too.
“Ava eats ice cream, right?” Natalie asks, changing the topic.
“If she could choose, that would be the only thing she ever eats,” I say at the same time Michelle snorts and laughs, knowing what Ava is like about ice cream.
“Oh, good. I got us ice cream with chocolate sauce for dessert.”
“You’ll be her favorite aunt,” I say.
Natalie laughs. “I’m her only aunt!”
We laugh and continue preparing for the barbeque. I’m excited to get to know Natalie and Kylie better. They’re going to be a part of our lives, and of my company, for a long time to come.
So far, I love them to bits. They’re every bit as great as Noah as.
And he’s pretty damn amazing.
Chapter 33
Noah
It’s getting close to midnight. The girls are passed out on the couch in front of Fairy Marla—which they can both quote word for word—and it’s adorable to see them lying next to each other as if they’re sisters.
