Page 52 of Love is a Harmony
Noah:Kidding. Mostly. I think you’re trying to tell me you love me. Love you too, Joey. Always and forever. We’re a pair.
He slid his phone back into his pocket as his thoughts drifted to his family in London. He’d talked with his nan many times since telling her of Carson’s death. She was worried about him and tried to convince him to come home, to bring Stella to the family.
But his parents hadn’t called. They hadn’t asked about the grandchild Carson chose over them. Instead, he’d received an email with the exact date and time of the funeral.
As far as Noah was concerned, Carson already had a funeral. He hadn’t been there, but the Martins had, and that was who Carson would have wanted to be with.
What was his mom going to say when she found out Noah failed to have Carson’s urn dug up? That he hadn’t even tried?
He rubbed a hand over his face. People like Jo were his true family. He needed to stop worrying about his parents. They hadn’t even come to France, but he’d been there. Stella had been there.
Melanie…
How was it his publicist cared more about him, about Stella, than his own parents?
Because she isn’t just your publicist.
She was Melanie. Different from anyone else. And having her there kept him together, it gave him the strength he needed for Stella.
The sound of the glass doors sliding open made him turn. Stella stood on the threshold in her nightgown, her dark hair falling over her shoulders.
“Hey.” He rushed toward her. “Are you okay?”
“Where are we?”
She looked so frightened he could have kicked himself for leaving her alone in the guest room. She’d continued sleeping as he carried her in and put her to bed. “This is your new home.”
She took a tentative step forward. “We live at… the ocean.”
“You love the ocean, don’t you?” He so desperately wanted her to be happy there, to be able to one day get over the grief of losing her father.
She nodded and sucked a lip into her mouth. “This house… it’s big. I woke up and didn’t know where you were.” Tears welled in her eyes as she scanned the deck. “Where’s Melanie?”
“Stella, we talked about this. Melanie has her own home. She won’t be with us all the time now.”
A fat tear fell down her cheek as she shook her head. “I want her.”
Noah kneeled in front of her and pulled her into his arms. “I’m here, Stell Bell.”
“I want Melanie,” she sniffled.
Her tears cracked something inside him. “She’s at her own home.”
“I don’t care. I want her. She promised she’d be with me.”
“Love, it’s late. We should try to get you back to bed.” What he wouldn’t admit was how much he wanted Melanie with them too.
She yanked herself away from him. “She promised!”
Noah ran a hand through his hair and studied Stella for a long moment. It would be a while before she slept well at night, before she stopped fearing people leaving her. He couldn’t bring Carson back to his daughter, but there was someone he could give her.
“Go find your shoes.”
She ran back inside, her nightgown billowing around her legs.
Noah glanced out at the ocean once more, wondering what the heck he was doing. Even if he could deny that little girl anything, a part of him wanted to go too.
* * *
