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“What time did they say they were coming back?” Noelle asked.
“My father mentioned that they wouldn’t be home until after dark.” I took a sip of my cabernet. “Still not long enough for me.”
After we ate, I called up some Jimmy Buffett on my phone. That seemed to fit the current vibe. As “Margaritaville” rang out, Noelle made an announcement.
“I want to have sex with you.”
I nearly spit out my wine. Now anytime I heard “Margaritaville” for the rest of my life, I knew I’d think of what she’d just said.
“That was really random of me, but I feel ready, Archie.”
Her tone was confident. Noelle did seem ready. I just didn’t know if I was. In the physical sense, yes. But not in every other sense.
“There’s a problem, Noelle…”
“What is it?”
“It’s not just you. I want it, too. A little too much. That’s why I think maybe we shouldn’t. It would complicate things.”
Frustration crossed her face. “Why do you think I’m so fragile? I’ll be fine. And I want you to want it. That’s what I’ve wanted this entire time.”
I reached for her hand. “I’ve wanted you from the very beginning. This has never been about not wanting you. I want you so fucking much. I just…don’t want to end up hurting you. That’s been my hesitation all along.”
She nodded. “I understand if you’d prefer not to. I don’t want you to think sex is all I want from you. It’s not. I’ve enjoyed every moment we’ve spent together this summer and won’t forget any of it.”
“Me neither,” I said.
This day had been perfect. If there was ever a moment for us to go all the way, this was it. I felt myself weakening fast.
“Let’s go upstairs and see where things lead,” I finally said, knowing full well where that would be.
I turned off Jimmy Buffett, and we left our plates and headed inside. This was no time to be doing the damn dishes. Noelle took my hand and followed me up the stairs. We went into her bedroom, and I took my time taking off her clothes while she undressed me.
We lay down together, totally naked, and just kissed. Slowly. It was the most sensual kissing I’d ever experienced. I wanted to savor this, but with every second that passed, I became more certain we weren’t going to be able to stop this time.
We began to kiss more intensely as I slid my rigid cock against her abdomen. I loved the feel of her bare skin against mine.
“Jesus. I need to be inside you.” I looked down into her eyes. “You really want this?”
“I do,” she murmured.
Burying my face in her neck, I whispered against her skin, “Okay.”
Without breaking the kiss, I reached over to my pants where I’d conveniently placed a condom this morning—just in case. I was about to rip it open when my phone rang.
Ignoring it, I tore the condom wrapper and sheathed myself as Noelle watched my every move. We fell together onto the bed. I hovered over her as she looked up with wonder in her beautiful green eyes. This is really happening.
The phone finally stopped ringing, only to start again immediately.
“Who the fuck is that?” I muttered, finally looking over at the caller ID.
My mother.
I got an odd feeling—especially since she’d called two times in a row. So I answered. “Mom? What’s up?”
Her words were all jumbled together. I heard bits and pieces.
Hospital.
Your father.
Heart attack.
The room started to spin.
Couldn’t save him.
Died.
Died.
Died.
Dead.
I looked over at Noelle’s concerned face.
My father is dead.
By the time I hung up, I felt like I’d been transported someplace else. Every shred of the joy I’d been experiencing just seconds earlier was gone.
“My father had a heart attack.” Dazed and confused, I forced the words out. “He…died.”
Noelle shot up, covering her mouth with a shaking hand.
And just like that, summer ended.
My life as I knew it ended.
CHAPTER 16
NOELLE
PRESENT
MY HOTEL IN Sonoma, California, wasn’t the closest one to the wedding venue. But that was intentional. I was not interested in running into anyone from the event. The hotel I’d chosen was a few miles away, located next to a gorgeous winery. It was the perfect hiding place for me this October weekend.
This was the night before Archie’s wedding, and I’d decided to drown my sorrows alone in the hotel lounge with a word game on my phone and a couple of glasses of wine. Or at least that was my original plan. Then I made a friend.
Her name was Veronique. She was here at the hotel in Sonoma decompressing after a breast cancer diagnosis. Her husband had offered to take the kids so she could have a weekend away to clear her head and think about treatment options. Her situation certainly put my problems in perspective. Sure, I was here to watch the man I loved marry someone else, but that didn’t compare to cancer.
