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She turns her head to look up at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. My hackles rise. Discomfort turns my stomach.
“You’re crying.” I try to stumble backward, away from her, but she reaches for me, settling a hand on my chest.
“I’m not upset with you, Noah. I’m emotional because I just can’t believe it’s over. He’s really gone.”
Relaxing slightly, I wrap an arm around her waist, tugging her into my body. I can feel the faint tremors running through her.
“Yeah, baby. He’s gone.”
Never to be seen again.
52
TINSLEY
Noah holdsthe front door open for me but doesn’t let me slip by without swiftly swatting my ass. Grinning, I look up at him. He’s the picture of nonchalance, but the subtle twinkle in his eyes tells me that he’s more than aware of his actions.
“Watch it, Mr. Dark and Twisty,” I warn with a brush of my fingers along his chest.
The corner of his mouth twitches, and then I push into the house, feeling the weight of his eyes on my back. My spirits soar when I take in the bunches of people around me and voices filling the Hutton house to the brink. I take in a deep breath and exhale slowly, embracing the madness.
“If it isn’t Tinsley ‘Fast Track’ Lowry! Back at last!” my cousin Jamieson hollers. He’s my dad’s half-brother, Tyler’s, youngest son, which is an incredible mouthful, but the truth nonetheless.
He’s the joker of the family, the opposite of his grumpy older brother, Oliver, and uncle Ty too. More like his mom, Aunt Gracie, he makes it a habit to pick up the slack from the other two guys with his sunshine personality.
“It’s just Tinsley to you, Jamie,” I reply.
He smiles, his eyes drifting behind me. “You even brought a celebrity with you. Is it someone’s birthday?”
Now at my side, Noah palms my back. He dips his chin in a stunted greeting. “Jamieson.”
“Noah.” Jamie scowls playfully.
“You’re going to get punched,” Uncle Ty tells his son, speaking up from his spot beside him on the couch. His wife is perched on the armrest, somehow refusing to show any signs of aging with her smooth skin, silky blonde hair, and youthful smile.
Oliver is there as well, but he’s glaring at something on his phone. The white Vancouver Fire Department logo on his T-shirt stands out on the navy fabric, drawing my eyes instantly.
I tilt my head. “What’s your problem, OlliePop?”
“If you were a single mom with no support, can you tell me why you wouldn’t want to accept help from someone who has offeredmultipletimes? Are all women so damn stubborn?” he grunts.
Noah’s fingers dip beneath the waistband of my shorts, tugging at it. “She’ll never be a single mother. What the fuck kind of question is that?”
I bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Even two weeks after the night in the barn, he hasn’t become any less protective. It’s really no surprise, considering he’s always been protective, but witnessing it right now, in his parents’ living room, aimed at family, is enough to have my shoulders shaking with the force of my stifled laughs.
Oliver simply rolls his eyes, shrugging it off. “I’m not talking about Tinsley, you brute.”
“Are we not going to talk about how Noah clearly made his move on her, though?” Jamie questions.
Oliver blinks, focusing on the possessive hand now cupping my waist. “Am I supposed to be shocked or something?”
“You’re so boring,” his brother mutters.
“And the two of you together are headache inducing,” Tyler sighs. Offering me a tight, apologetic expression, he adds, “Good for you two. You look good together. But you always have.”
“He’s right. I love the two of you together so much,” Aunt Gracie agrees.
“I should have taken Maddox up on that bet when we were teens,” Jamie says.
