Page 4 of Love is a Harmony
Noah couldn’t stomach the thought of a stuffy dinner. He met his Nan’s kinder gaze and cleared his throat. “Sorry to interrupt, my lords and ladies, but I am completely knackered. Maybe another time.” With that, he turned on his heel and marched back the way he’d come. He reached the stairs and took them two at a time.
By the time he entered the one space in this house that felt like his, he collapsed onto his bed with a groan.
Why did he come home again?
* * *
Noah woke to a soft tapping on his door. He’d know that sound anywhere. His father’s knocks were loud, booming, and his mother’s were more irritated.
But Nan… she pushed open the door without waiting to be invited.
Noah sat up and lifted one brow. “I could’ve been naked in here.”
Her weathered face brightened as she laughed. “Boyo, I have seen you naked more times than I can count.”
“Gross.” She’d practically raised both him and his brother while their parents traveled and busied themselves with society events. So, it was true. Nan had changed his diapers and let kid-Noah run around in the nude in a way his parents never would have allowed.
Nan balanced a tray of food with a surprising agility on one hand as she shut the door and approached the bed. “I thought you’d be hungry.”
Noah scrunched his face up, imagining what his parents had served their guests. Caviar and pâté. Maybe some black pudding. He shuddered.
A low chuckle escaped Nan. “Don’t worry, I had the kitchen staff whip you up a delicious bowl of fruit loops.” In reality, she meant she’d snuck the cereal out under the kitchen staff’s noses. Noah’s parents wouldn’t have approved of such food in their kitchen.
He reached for the tray. “Have I told you I love you?”
“I never tire of hearing it from my boy.” She sat on the corner of the bed as he ate. “Now, tell me why I just saw a picture of you and Ava doing the dirty.”
“Don’t say doing the dirty, Nan.”
“I’m not that old.”
“Yes, you are.” He shoved a spoonful in his mouth.
“Well, you and Ava must be up to something.”
She knew him too well—and Ava. It started four years ago, the scandals. Almost a year to the day neither of them had heard from Carson. Until then, Noah’s image wasn’t squeaky clean, but he’d walked the line of rebellion, knowing his strait-laced older brother would make a point to fly to L.A. and chastise him if he went too far. But really, Noah knew Carson always just wanted to make sure his little brother was okay.
So, after Carson disappeared, Noah wanted to get his attention, to make him prove he still cared.
Each time he was caught doing something scandalous, he waited for Carson to appear, waited for him to tell Noah he was so much better than his antics.
He was the only person who’d ever made Noah feel he was worth something—other than Nan.
And it hadn’t worked.
“Just the usual, Nan.”
Her smile fell because she knew what the usual meant when no one else did. Nan had always been Noah’s confidant, his secret keeper, the one person he knew would love him no matter what he did.
“Well, I, for one, am glad you’re no longer keeping up your Twitter feud with Drew Stone.”
Gag him. His nan was a huge Drew Stone fan, a fact he’d never tell Drew. “Couldn’t very well feud while we were on tour, could we? But that was fun. More fun than being here.” If Jo hadn’t been pregnant, they’d still be on tour with Drew and Piper and Lola, people he’d come to rely on over the months, people he hadn’t talked to since leaving them.
Nan patted his knee as he drained the remaining milk from the bowl. “You’re a good boy, Noah. I wish you’d let more people see that.” She stood. “And don’t let your parents get to you this time. They’re worried about this dinner coming up because the prime minister has agreed to attend, and you know how they despise that man.”
Nan had spent his life telling him to have patience with his parents, but there was only so much time that could last. “I know. That’s why I’m here.” His family controlled his trust fund. They had a power to decide when and what he did. They’d made an agreement that his touring obligations came first, but this time there had been no excuse.
Nan took the tray and stood. “Oh, there was a call from a Jerald Corban that came into the main line for you. It sounded important.”
