Page 107 of Love is a Harmony
Drew sent Stella a funny look in protest, and she giggled.
“Noah?” Ava called from down the hall.
“In here!”
She stopped in the doorway, her jaw hanging open. “They’re… you’re… forgive me, boys, I think I need to go wake up because I must be dreaming.”
Drew stood, a grin on his face. “You’re Ava Sinclair.”
“Y-yes. Noah, what are Ben Evans and Drew Stone doing here, and how do they know me?”
Drew stepped closer. “Noah is our boy.” It was his only answer for the first question. “And you’ve been all over social media plastered against Noah. Many times. Our girlfriends have a bet going. Mine thinks you’re in love with Noah, but Ben’s says it’s all fake because Noah doesn’t do love.”
It hurt hearing that Piper had said that.
Ben met Noah’s gaze, an apology in his eyes. He knew the truth about Melanie. Well, part of the truth.
Ava looked from Ben to Drew to Noah. “You can tell your girlfriends they’ve both lost then.”
Noah exhaled, needing something, anything to take his mind off what he’d left behind in L.A. Having the guys here meant a lot to him, but he would never be able to disassociate them with Melanie.
“Ava.” He sent her a pleading look. “Would you show the guys the stables?” They hadn’t been here long, and already, he needed a break.
Ava, always able to read his mind, nodded. “Either of you boys ever played polo?”
Ben laughed. “Do I look like someone who’d play polo?”
Drew slapped him on the back. “Ben, you’re not wearing your stage makeup. Right now, you only look like the guy who’d hide out in some basement playing dungeons and dragons.”
Their laughter faded, leaving Noah with only Stella for company. She sat up and snuggled into his side. “Where did you go? I woke up, and you weren’t here.”
He sighed and wrapped an arm around her. “Your grandparents needed to talk to me.”
“Why don’t they like me, Noah?” She gazed up at him.
“Stell.” Emotion clogged his throat. He’d never considered himself an emotional guy, not until hearing his brother was dead. Since then, he couldn’t keep the tidal wave at bay.
He’d asked his nan that question so many times as a kid. Why didn’t his parents love him? Why didn’t they spend any time with him?
It took him a lot of years to realize the answer wasn’t about him, only them. But how could he explain that to a six year old? “Your grandparents… your dad never wanted them to be in your life.”
“Why not?”
“They’re not bad people, Stell Bell, but… they don’t know how to love anyone.” For so long, he’d thought he was the same way, that he’d inherited their cold disregard for others. He’d never treated people poorly, but he also hadn’t gotten close to them.
“That’s really sad.”
He squeezed her tighter. “Yes, it is.” What if he went back to that? If Melanie broke something inside him like she’d been broken.
Was she any different from them? Justin’s loss kept her from falling in love again, and that was sad too.
He didn’t want to be like that.
“Grandmother said I can’t cry tomorrow.”
Noah rested his chin on her head. Nothing he said would change his mother. “Stell, you follow your emotions. Do you hear me? If you need to cry, cry. I won’t have you bottling them up.”
Like he’d been doing since leaving L.A.
