AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh no. I’m so sorry. How did he know?”
“We have a spiritual connection like none other. He can sense when I’m feeling a way. Apparently, he sensed just how serious this was. Raqui had told me to wait until the concert was over to tell him. Grandpa is already gone. Noah’s dad messaged us, so Raqui took Brooklyn on the flight with her to keep her company.”
I hugged my sister as RJ tried to calm the crowd, along with Noah’s manager, Russell. When Noah appeared at the entrance to VIP, Taryn left my arms to run to his. Nate came to my side and asked, “What happened?”
“His grandfather passed,” I said softly.
When I saw Noah crumble, falling to his knees, it hit me right in the heart. His grandfather played a huge role in raising him. He was almost like his father instead of his grandfather when he was growing up. This had to be hard for him. Taryn went to the floor with him and consoled him the best way she knew how. She hummed as he clung to her. I couldn’t help but cling to Nate the longer I watched them.
I looked out at the crowd to see the confused faces and disgruntled fans who didn’t know that Noah’s world had just stopped. After a few moments and a few boos, Russell appeared back on stage to let the fans know that Noah had a family emergency. He also asked them to keep Noah and his family in their prayers.
RJ walked through the entrance, helping Noah and Taryn to their feet. “Come on, y’all. We gotta get to the airport.”
I stared at Nate as he grabbed my hand to escort his mother and me out of the area. The minute we got to the hallway, I turned to him and said, “I’m gonna stay for your game. I’ll fly out Sunday morning. That was when I was supposed to head back to Chicago. I’m gonna see if there’s a flight to Baltimore instead.”
“Are you sure? I’m sure they could all use you right now.”
“I’m sure. Noah’s family will all be there. I’m sure Taryn, his ex-wife Jah, and Sonya will all be there to cook and offer the family comfort since they were all here to see his breakdown. Right now, I need to be with you. I need to make sure you’re good with where we’re headed before I leave.”
He nodded and leaned over to kiss my lips then followed behind Noah and Taryn. We would probably ride in the same limo since we were all staying at the same hotel. Confirming my suspicions, RJ turned to us and said, “We can all ride together.”
When I saw how red his eyes were, I knew just how hard Mr. Brooks’s death was for the both of them. Noah’s grandfather was like a grandfather to RJ as well. Seeing their depressive state pulled at my heartstrings. The way Noah’s head hung and his locs framed his face would be a vision I wouldn’t forget anytime soon.
The camera’s flashing at this moment ignited my fury though. I wanted to really go off on these media personnel, knowing that these pictures would surface on the web for the world to see. Noah’s moments of grief and hurt would be scrutinized by people who didn’t have a clue what was going on. That was the part of the business that I absolutely hated.
Once we were in the car, we rode to the hotel in silence as I held Nate’s hand and Noah allowed Taryn to comfort him.
Noah and Tarynimmediately packed bags and left last night since Noah had flown privately. I stayed in my room and talked to Nate by phone until we were both ready to crash. Here it was, six a.m., and I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling. I wanted to stay with Nate so badly, but since he didn’t offer, I didn’t ask.
I didn’t want to seem like I was being pushy. He was trying to take things slow because he was afraid I would hurt him. I had the same fears about him, but I couldn’t let that rule me. He was so in love with Jessica Monroe, and he’d just recently stopped pining over her, according to Noah. We were in the same boat, both hurt by love but wanting to move on to find it again.
As I contemplated calling him, my phone rang. I grabbed it to see he was calling me. I smiled as I answered. “Good morning.”
“Good morning, beautiful. Umm… can I come to your room? I need to see you,” he said softly.
“Mmmm… really? Of course, you can. I’m in room seven fifteen.”
“Okay. I’m on my way.”
“Okay.”
I ended the call and quickly hopped up to brush my teeth. I wanted to take a shower, but I knew I wouldn’t have time before he arrived. Instead of abandoning it altogether, I started running it, then went to grab my robe off the bed. I quickly put it on and tied it then took off my bonnet. As I threw it to the nightstand, there was a knock on the door.Shit!
I pulled my locs from the twist tie they were in and fluffed them out as I made my way to the door. I put the tie around my wrist and peeked through the peephole to see Nate standing there. I quickly opened the door, stepping aside to let him inside. He smiled as he passed me. Once the door closed and I put the lever across it, I turned to find him standing there in his basketball shorts and T-shirt, staring at me.
He licked his lips and said, “Hey, beautiful.”
I knew I was blushing. My face was hot as hell. “Hey, handsome,” I said as I made my way to his embrace.
He lowered his stance and softly kissed my lips, then lifted me in his arms as I giggled. This way was probably more comfortable for him, being that he was so tall. This was the second time he’d lifted me like this, wrapping his arms around my thighs to where I couldn’t circle my legs around him. I felt like he was doing that on purpose. He was trying to keep the pace consistent. If I wrapped my legs around him and I felt his dick on my middle, it would be full speed ahead.
He was wasting his time though. I was going to take it there regardless. He was so damn sexy and passionate. I couldn’t help but kiss his lips. That was going to lead to the kiss deepening. We weren’t in public, so we were free to let this go wherever it wanted to go.
“I can’t wait to see you rooting for me.”
“I can’t wait to see you play live.”
I kissed his lips again, and he allowed me to slide down his body, freeing me from his grasp. “So why are you up so early?” he asked.
