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In Wes’s mind, the only thing to figure out was how to get Noelle to not sprint in the other direction. But he understood her need for time to sort out feelings.
He ducked down until she looked at him. “Hey. I know this is a lot to take in. And believe me when I say this wasn’t planned. Me being here, us dancing. But I can’t stand not being with you, Noelle. I had to be near you, even if just for this evening. I can’t imagine my world without you.”
Tears fell again, tearing at his heart.
“Noelle, I’m sorry I hurt you. So sorry. And I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if you’ll let me. But you’ve got to trust me. I never intentionally hid anything from you.”
She nodded in response. Not a show of complete forgiveness, but she still hadn’t sprinted for the door, so Wes took it as a good sign.
“Hey. You must be exhausted still from the past few days. Let me get you home, get you situated where your leg is okay. We can talk more tomorrow when we bake together. Deal?”
She nodded again.
Another small victory. He’d take as many as he could get at that point. One step at a time he would work his way back into her heart. And he’d start with what he’d wanted to do the other night—get her home and settled with a bubble bath and tuck her in. Safe and sound, knowing she was loved.
Chapter Twenty
Noelle rode inthe back of the Range Rover, Wilson at the wheel. Wes had texted saying he’d gotten stuck at the grocery store getting ingredients for their cake recipe but didn’t want her waiting around so he’d sent Wilson for her.
She stifled a giggle at the thought of Wes roaming the grocery store alone. Living in New York he had to have darkened the doorway of a grocery store at some point, hadn’t he? Although he did admit to having a personal cook there as well who brought him meals and stocked his fridge, so maybe not. The idea was mind-boggling to Noelle. What she wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall watching him as he shopped. There had to be some women in Marietta’s grocery store who would be more than willing to step up and help him. A thought that didn’t make Noelle jealous.
He lovedher.
Unsure of what to do with him admitting as much the night before, it gave her peace of mind that Wes might accept help from a female if he got lost in the baking aisle, but he wouldn’t dare look anywhere but at Noelle.
Based on how he’d pampered her after he got her home last night, she shouldn’t doubt for one moment the man loved her. Holly had been home when Wes carried Noelle through the front door, even though she’d protested that she could walk just fine on her own. She hadn’t protested too hard though, since being in his arms was the one place she longed to stay forever.
After helping Holly heat up some dinner for her, he’d run a bubble bath and then waited and chatted with Holly while Noelle had soaked. He then made sure she had plenty of water, took her pain meds and literally tucked her into bed before heading home.
The man was a gentleman beyond all gentlemen.
And yet she still couldn’t bring herself to tell him she loved him too. Holly said she was nuts when Noelle admitted as much to her that morning over breakfast, but so much had happened within the past few days—within the past few weeks! She wanted to make sense of some of it before riding off into the sunset with Wes.
As they pulled into the drive of the St. Claire mansion, what she and Holly had deemed and now called the family home because it was accurate, Noelle took a deep breath. So much of her wanted to run into Wes’s arms and live happily ever after, but something held her back. Doubts over his involvement in the Spellman deal? Maybe. But other than not telling her right away, he really hadn’t been dishonest, and all other evidence of his character pointed to him being a truly great guy.
Wilson opened the car door for her and she made her way up the front walk. Glenna must have been watching for her since the front door opened and the woman enveloped her in a huge hug.
“Hello, Noelle. So glad to see you here again.”
Based on her tone, the woman must have doubted Noelle would be back. Not an inaccurate assumption, but the warmth of the home and the people inside made Noelle glad she’d decided to help Wes one last time.
“Thank you, Glenna. It’s nice to be here.”
The two women made their way into the kitchen, Glenna taking Noelle’s coat and hanging it in the hall closet as they went.
“Wesley should be back soon. He texted me asking if it mattered if he used whole cloves or ground cloves in the recipe. I had to laugh at that one. But God bless you, child. You’ve gotten that man to actually go into a grocery store and buy things for himself. I entertained the thought of following him and spying, just to see the whole thing for myself. Talk about a creature being out of its natural habitat.” Her ample bosom shook as she laughed.
Noelle admitted she’d had the same thought on the drive over.
“Don’t get me wrong though.” Glenna pointed a finger at her. “This family may have more money than God and people who handle things for them, like me, but they’re the hardest-working bunch I’ve ever known. And the kindest. And I’ve known some in my time, believe me.” She shook her head and disappeared into the pantry. A fresh bag of coffee grounds in her hand when she returned, she opened it and started a fresh pot. The aroma filled the room. Noelle soaked it in, enjoying the moment.
It had to have been hard when Wes’s mother died. Noelle could see the rock that Glenna was to the family. Definitely with a family with so many men. Wes said he had a sister, but so far, the St. Claires were a testosterone-filled lot. No wonder Annalise enjoyed her dance classes so much. Girly time around the mansion had to be rare.
“Are you sharing things with Noelle I should be concerned about, Glenna?” Wes teased as he entered the kitchen, both hands gripping the handles of grocery bags, carrying them as if they weighed nothing.
From her perch on the kitchen barstool, Noelle’s pulse skipped a beat and her body warmed, and not from the coffee Glenna had given her that she sipped. In a tan buttoned-down shirt with a navy blue sweater overtop and jeans, the picture of Wes “dressed down” bringing groceries in the house made visions of cozy nights at home, cooking a meal together, then watching old movies dance in her head. Visions that just yesterday she would have convinced herself to tamp down. Now, hope stirred within. Could they have a future together? He’d said he loved her and that she was here in Marietta. Did that mean he was ready to stay?
He set the bags down on the counter and gave her a tender kiss on the cheek. “You look beautiful.”
