Page 84 of Because You Loved Me

“I hope you don’t have a headache this morning.” Ryan knocked on her door with a cup of coffee in his hand. “Maybe we shouldn’t have opened that second bottle of wine?”

She sat up against the pile of pillows and reached for the offered cup. “I regret nothing.”

Ryan sat on the bed next to her, the mattress sinking under the weight of him. “Except maybe…” He used a finger to gesture between the two of them.

She threw a pillow at him. “Never. If it wasn’t for this whole mess, I would never have…” She reached for the gold rose around her neck.

“Are you going to call him?”

They’d spent far too long the night before discussing Asher. For the first time, Noa had been honest with Ryan and, most importantly, herself about how she felt about her time with Asher.

She knew now it was possible to have strong feelings for someone after only a few days. A connection like that couldn’t be predicted and it couldn’t be ignored. When you knew, you knew.

And Noa knew.

But just because she knew didn’t make things any different.

“I don’t think there’s any point,” she said after a sip of the hot coffee. “He made that pretty clear when I left the other day. I don’t think he feels the same way.”

“Or he does, but he was too scared to do anything about it.” Ryan shrugged. It had been a message he’d tried to relay more than once the night before.

It wasn’t that Noa didn’t appreciate the insight, but Ryan also didn’t know Asher the way she did. Or the way she thought she did.

“I’ll consider it,” she said after a moment. “But not today.” She put the coffee cup on the nightstand and clasped her hands in front of her. “Today is going to be a great day and it’s not about me.”

He looked as if he were going to protest again, but ultimately, Ryan grinned. “Today is going to be pretty fantastic,” he agreed. “I have to hand it to you. This was a great idea, Noa. And so much better than us getting married.”

“Agreed.”

They laughed together before Noa kicked him out of her room. It was going to be a great day, but a long one, and she needed to get moving.

* * *

An hour later, Noa walked into her parents’ hotel suite, and utter chaos.

“This is never going to work, Noa!” Her mother all but threw herself into her arms the moment she saw her. “Look at my hair. I can’t do a thing with it and Sarah is gone.”

Noa worked hard to bite her tongue and keep from laughing at her mother who, as long as she’d known her, had never once been worried about her hair.

“And what am I going to wear?”

“You’re going to wear the dress you bought for my wedding.” Noa took her mother’s hand and led her to the sofa. “As for your hair…” She ran her fingers through her mother’s shoulder-length bob. “I’m sure I can?—”

“You’re going to do my hair?” Janice looked at her in horror, and Noa didn’t bother biting back a laugh.

She wasn’t known for her beauty skills.

“I wasn’t going to suggest that,” she said quickly. “What I was about to say is that I’m sure I can find someone to do your hair for you.” Her mind immediately went to Asher’s little sister, Kat. “I met a local woman who is amazing with hair. I can give her a call, if you like?”

“Would you do that?”

“Only if you promise to calm down and enjoy today, Mom.” Noa gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. “Remember, today is about making new memories.” She squeezed Janice’s hands in her own and forced her mom to look at her. “It’s time for us to smile, remember?”

Her mother blinked back tears, but she managed a smile, too. “I remember.”

Once it was clear that Noa and Ryan wouldn’t be using any of the plans and preparations for their own wedding, Noa had the idea of turning the celebration into a vow renewal celebration for both sets of parents. They’d all been through so much, and come out the other side of it, she couldn’t think of four people who deserved to be celebrated more than her own parents and Ryan’s.

Her father had jumped at the idea, along with Brad and Jeannie, but Janice had been a little more reluctant. After all, it was New Year’s Eve and the anniversary of Tom and Olivia’s accident. Which, as far as Noa was concerned, was the best reason of all to go ahead with it.

---