Page 25 of Wildflower Hearts
“I said I’d help you, and that’s what I’m going to do.” She squeezed under his left arm, coming up to rest under it, and threw an arm around his waist. “Lean on me, and keep your weight on your left leg.” She tightly gripped his shirt with her fingers. “It’ll be a piece of cake, I promise.” She looked up with a smile and froze at the sight of him looking directly at her.
His head was tilted down, brown gaze locked on her face, but she knew without hesitation that he wasn’t looking into her eyes. At first, she wasn’t even sure it was her he was seeing, the expression in his eyes indescribable. She felt his warm breathflow over her cheek and blinked out of her stupor. “Noah, are you ready?”
He curled his arm around her shoulders and nodded.
They began to ascend the steps at a slow, careful pace.
“Lyla?”
“Yes, Noah?” She watched their feet.
“Would you lie to Elias and tell him I did this on my own?”
“What happens if I do, and he won’t help you up the next time?”
“I’m sure I can make up something to make him feel manly for helping me.” He sighed in relief when his feet landed flat on the top step. “It really is good to be home.”
She slipped out from under his arm. “I’m glad to see you back here, too.” She lingered in the doorway as he limped into his room, mindful of the cast on his leg. He lowered himself onto his bed. “Look, I don’t mean to hover. I just worry about you.”
“I get it was your job, but we’re not at the hospital anymore. You don’t need to feel obligated.” He slid against the wall, and she stepped into his room. He silently watched her sit down cross-legged beside the bed, lifting his left foot into her lap as she untied his shoelaces.
She was aware he continued to watch her. Removing his shoes, she placed them beside his bed. She lifted her gaze to his. “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“You can get out.”
Eyes widening, she jerked in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
Lyla shifted her weight on her knees, moving her hands to rest on her thighs. “Noah, I know that you’re hurting, but-”
“I said, get out.” He pointed at the door. “Get out of my room.”
Scrambling to her feet, she was halfway down the stairs when she heard him slam the door shut. She flew down the last step and threw her arm out to support herself against the wall.
Stepping into the bathroom, she didn’t come out until she heard the group return an hour later. She could hear loud music coming from Noah’s room, and she wiped her face with the towel before she stepped out to greet them.
Elias eyed her but thankfully said nothing. Frowning, Mark glanced at her and exchanged a look with Elias. Without a word, he started to help Debra get items out of the bags. A gasp escaped her when she spotted the massive ham amongst several grocery bags.
“What’d you guys do? Buy out the entire store?”
Elias slapped the ham proudly. “Best-looking ham in the whole damn place. I picked it myself.”
Debra snorted but didn’t turn away from the sink.
“I’m sure you did,” Lyla smiled. She glanced around. “What can I do to help?”
“You can sit back and relax.” He pulled her close and glanced over to check that Debra and Mark were busy. “Is everything okay?” he whispered. “You’ve been crying.”
“What? No, I haven’t.”
He took her hand and pulled her into the foyer. “Don’t lie to me, Sweetheart.” He cornered her, successfully trapping her against a wall with his arms. “I know you well enough by now to know when you’re not being honest with me. What happened? Did you fight with Noah? You know better than all of us how cranky he gets on that medication.”
“We didn’t fight. He’s tired, that’s all. Poor thing made it almost all the way up the stairs by himself. I wasn’t helping by hovering over him.”
“He should appreciate you helping him.” Sighing, Elias pushed away from the wall to rub at the bridge of his nose. “You’ve done a lot for the kid, and he hasn’t been nice to you. Maybe it would be best if you guys had some one-on-one time, so you two can get to know each other better.”
“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Elias. I mean-”
