Page 19 of Stay With Me
“Hard? Would you like me to leave? I don’t want to impose.” I bite my lip as I try to work out what he’s saying.
He uses his thumb to pull my lip free. “No, Luna, you are not imposing. I want you here with us.”
“Then why don’t you kiss me?” I blurt out and snap my mouth shut.
He looks down at my lips, and my heart pounds in my chest, but instead of kissing me, he drops his head to mine. “Because if I start kissing you now, I won’t want to stop, and Jess is here and we have to go to the school.”
I release a nervous breath as I close my eyes. “Oh.”
His hands drop to my waist, and he pulls me closer. “Yeah, oh. Now let’s finish getting ready so we can head out.”
A door closes in the background, and I know Jess is coming to the kitchen.
When I try to pull away so she doesn’t see us hugging, he holds me close. “We aren’t doing anything wrong, and I don’t want to hide simple affection from her. She needs to see that a hug with the right person and with consent is normal.”
I just nod as he turns his head when she comes into the kitchen. “You ready to head up to the school, squirt?”
“Yes, sir,” she responds.
He smiles at her. “Just Noah, remember.”
She looks down at her shoes and says, “Sorry.”
“No need to be sorry. Good manners are important, but with me, I’m just Noah. Let me grab the rest of my stuff, and we can head out.” He looks at both of us and then drops a kiss on my head.
When he steps away from me, I turn back to the counter and double-check her lunch box to make sure that everything is in there. Satisfied that it seems to be in order, I grab her water bottle from the fridge and hand both to her with a smile.
“How are you feeling about today?” I ask her.
“I’m nervous. What if I don’t know anything that they want me to know?” she says softly.
“That’s okay too. You’re smart and will learn quickly.” I reassure her. “Can I give you a hug?”
“Yes, please, I think I would like one.”
I pull her into my arms. “I know this is scary, but we’re together, and together we can do anything.”
She nods against my chest and tightens her arms around my waist.
I let her step back, and Noah calls out, “Alright, ladies, let’s head out before we’re late.”
Together, the three of us head to the car to take Jess to the school.
TEN
Noah
Pullingopenthedoorto the sheriff’s department, I’m hit with the smell of stale coffee. I don’t know anyone who drinks the coffee here, but there’s always some in the pot in the break room. Walking to my little office, I smile and nod at Eden. She’s a nice lady who moved to town several years ago. I think she’s the same age as Carter and me. She’s so much better than the previous desk worker we had, and I don’t think this place could run efficiently without her.
I step into my office and sit down, and Mike strolls in.
“Morning, Mike. How’s it going?”
“It’s going well. How did dropping off Jess for her half day of testing go?” he asks as he sits in the chair on the other side of my desk.
“It was okay. Jess was nervous, but Cassidy is amazing and got her excited quickly, and soon I was forgotten about.”
“She seems like a smart girl. She’ll be caught up in no time. Everything is still going well, though?”
