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Right now, he wasn’t so sure.
“And if I chose the relationship over the job?” he asked, just because.
“It shouldn’t come to that. You could sue the pants off of them for wrongful termination! Although that probably wouldn’t go over too well and would complicate the crap out of an already complicated situation…” she sighed loudly. “For such a cautious and levelheaded man, you had to go and fall for your boss’s daughter?”
That made him chuckle. “Believe me, I’m as surprised as you are.” His hand raked through his hair again. “And the thing is…I’d do it again. She’s just…she’s amazing.” Then he laughed quietly again. “She’s larger than life with this amazing laugh, and she’s not afraid of anything. Her smile lights up every space she walks into and she’s incredibly talented.” Pausing, he wished he’d said all these things to Lily. “And I still can’t believe someone like her would even be interested in a guy like me. Me. Boring Noah Wylder. I’d bet you good money that Lily could have any guy she wanted.”
“Noah…”
“Hell, Jax came to visit and I was so damn jealous because they were more suited for each other! They had so much in common because of their careers…”
“Your brother can’t dance,” she countered. “He’s got zero rhythm. It’s almost embarrassing.”
“Mom…”
“Noah…” she mimicked. “I am tired of you putting yourself down and beating yourself up because you think you’re not good enough!”
“Come on, even you have to agree that I got shorted in the talent department. I’ve got a rock star and an NFL player for brothers. And what am I doing? I’m sitting here freaking out about losing a stupid job with one of the top five financial planning firms in the country.”
“Okay, it’s not stupid,” she reminded him. “But you have to know there are other jobs with other firms that don’t come with so much drama.”
“Yeah, but…I was finally hitting my goal.”
“Here’s the thing, Noah, you hit your goal. Mission accomplished. You have the title and the position and whatever. If you left this job either for Lily or because of Lily, no one can take your accomplishments away from you. If anything, they’re a great selling point for the next position you apply for. Don’t let this be where you plateau. You’ve got so much more to give. Take some time to celebrate all you’ve done and how freaking awesome you are and stop worrying about all the bullshit.”
That’s when it hit him.
He’d been doing his job and finally having a life this entire month with Lily. It didn’t have to be one or the other. He didn’t have to choose.
At least…he hoped Lily wasn’t through with him because when he thought about his life and moving forward, he thought of her there beside him.
He wanted to see her dance and hear her laugh and joke about how she could only bake and not cook. He wanted to pull her into his arms every night in bed and wake up with her there every morning.
For the last month, he’d had it all, and he was so damn busy worrying about stupid bullshit and misunderstandings that he didn’t appreciate it.
Well, that was going to end now.
Or…after he found out how William was and had the chance to make Lily listen to him.
“I love you, Mom,” he said after a moment. “You have no idea how much this helped.”
“I’m glad, Noah,” she said, and he could tell she was smiling. “Now, I need you to do me a favor.”
“Anything.”
“Stop being so hard on yourself. Give yourself permission to work a little less and get out and enjoy your life more. I know you had it the hardest out of your brothers—you saw more and you understood how much we were struggling and how much I had to work to support all of us—but that’s not your life anymore. You’ve done it. You made it out and are doing amazing things. Remember to take time to look around and be proud of yourself.” She laughed softly. “You’re a big deal, even if you’re not competing in the Super Bowl or performing at Madison Square Garden.”
With a smile, he nodded. “Thanks, Mom.”
“Are you going to see Simon on this tour?”
“I am. He’ll be here next month and I’m staying with him at the hotel. We’ll only have like a day and a half to hang out, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’m going to see him at the show after yours. I couldn’t do the five-hour drive. He’ll be in Virginia and it’s only two hours away, so I’ll get to fuss over him a bit too.”
That made him chuckle. “And I’m sure he’ll appreciate it. Like he doesn’t get pampered enough by his entourage.”
“Oh, stop. Simon’s the least demanding person on the planet. If I know my son, I’d say he’s taking care of those people and not the other way around.”
