Page 18 of Love is a Harmony
“Wait, you have a brother?”
He suddenly wished he’d told his American friends about his family. Everyone should know about Carson. “His name was Carson.”
“Oh gosh, you’re serious. Noah… I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry for your loss sounds trite, but you know me without my sarcasm. I turn into an idiot.”
“It’s all right. You don’t have to say anything.”
“Are you in London? I can book a flight right now. You know the guys will come too. I’ll bet Drew would even fly out, probably only for a night since he’s in the middle of a tour. But we’re here for you. I want you to know that.”
“No… I… Uh, I’m not sure if there will be a funeral. The rest of my family doesn’t even know yet.” Translation, he didn’t need a host of rock stars descending on him and bringing the circus. One rock star could hide. But five?
“We want to be there for you. Are you with family? You shouldn’t be alone.”
He glanced around at the empty house. There was no hiding it from Jo. She’d find out and have questions. “Melanie is coming.”
“Mel?” Her voice grew quiet, almost… hurt? “You called Mel and not me?”
For years, Jo was his person, almost like a sister. But when it came down to it, he’d needed something different.
“You know what, it doesn’t matter.” Jo was a master of masking her emotions. Something he wished he could have accomplished himself. “You’re hurting, and this isn’t about me. If you want Mel by your side, then you should have Mel. But please, don’t shut the rest of us out again. We’ve been so worried something happened to you.”
“I won’t.”
“Do you promise?”
"Yeah, Joey.” He looked up when someone tapped on the back door. “I promise. I’ve got to go.” He hung up before she could respond. Standing, he flattened his hair, wondering how red his eyes were. He wasn’t proud of how much he’d cried the night before, but that was done.
He allowed himself one night to wallow, and now he had to figure out how to meet the stipulation in his brother’s letter—something he was sure was also in the will.
And once he did that, he had to figure out how the heck to raise a little girl.
Pulling open the back door, he came face to face with the girl herself. Stella wore a long-sleeved yellow dress that peeked out from under her puffy coat. Her cheeks were red from the cold. She looked up at him with sad, innocent eyes, and he couldn’t look away.
When Mathieu started talking, Noah shifted his eyes to him. “You’re awake. Good. Good.” He held out a covered plate and a mug.
Noah took them and stepped back to let them in out of the cold.
“I sent my boy over this morning to bring you some breakfast, but he said you were still sleeping, so he let you be. I figured you’d be hungry by now.”
“Yes, thank you.” He sent a silent thank you to Jo for waking him so he didn’t appear like a bum. He didn’t know how Mathieu felt about Stella’s situation, if he wanted to keep her with his family or not.
It was best to tread carefully.
“Are you going to eat?” Stella cocked her head to the side and jutted out her chin. “I helped make the muffins.”
Noah uncovered the plate to reveal a ham and cheese melt along with a breakfast muffin. Weird combination, but who was he to judge? He set the plate down and dropped to his knees in front of Stella, taking her small hands in his. “Stella, we didn’t properly get to know each other last night. I’m your Uncle Noah.”
“I know that.”
“But do you know what it means?” When she didn’t respond, he continued, “Your daddy is…wasmy brother.” His eyes glassed over. “We were best friends, and I loved him. And you know what that means, right?”
A tear cascaded over her cheek as she shook her head.
He pulled her in to his chest, wrapping her in a hug. “It means I’m going to love you too.”
He thought of Carson’s words.Never let her feel alone. Take care of her.
No matter what he had to do, he’d find a way.
