Page 76 of Love is a Harmony
She might not let herself love him, but that wouldn’t stop the emotions inside him from growing and expanding.
He loved his wife.
His wife.
It still seemed so ridiculous.
But then, life was ridiculous. Noah Clarke grew up in a posh life, the son of an influential man. He’d never thought of leaving his home country until the moment he did. He was impetuous, never thinking about the consequences, and now felt more American than anything else. Yet, his fans loved him for his otherness.
And this woman… he looked down at her. Would she ever love him at all?
She’d come to his home tonight, and that was a giant leap forward for her, but it wasn’t enough. Not yet. Skimming his lips over her temple, he slid from the bed as his phone rang.
He checked the time. Eight AM. With a shake of his head, he realized who would call him this early. The only other person he knew who wasn’t sleeping well right now.
Padding from the room, he shut the door and brought the phone to his ear. “Joey.”
“Am I awful if I hate being pregnant?”
He laughed at that. It was too early for this. He made his way to the kitchen where the coffee maker had been set to a timer to start each morning at seven. “Is that rhetorical?” He poured coffee into a mug.
“Ugh, I’m so tired of being tired. And achy. And this baby is kicking me! Its own mother.”
“Sounds like a problem for the group. Want me to get them on the line?” He smiled as he sipped his drink.
“Don’t you dare.”
Jo hated being a topic of conversation in the support meetings, and Noah knew it. “Did you just call me to complain?”
“No. Yes. Noah, don’t be a tosspot. Isn’t that what you Brits say?”
“Well, I’m not drunk right now, so I think I can avoid being a tosspot.” He laughed. “Try git.”
“Fine. Don’t be a git. I’m pregnant and lonely and tired of being so cooped up.”
“You wouldn’t be cooped up if you just let the world know you were pregnant.”
“And have to explain who the father is? No thanks.”
Noah didn’t blame her. This baby was a result of one night with Noah and Jo’s rival, Blake Coleman, who also happened to be another client of Melanie’s. “Are you coming over for Christmas?” Christmas on the beach was a tradition for them.
“I don’t know…”
“Come on. I need my partner. I can come sneak you out of the building.”
She paused. “Is it just going to be you, me, and Stella?”
Noah looked back at the closed bedroom door, a smile flitting across his lips. He pushed open the glass slider and stepped out onto the deck as a salty breeze brushed by him. “I thought I’d invite Dax.”
Jo groaned. She and Dax were like oil and water. Jo with her pink tipped hair and the angry attitude she had with everyone except Noah. Dax with his nerdier looks and quiet watchfulness of them all.
“Joey, he might not have anywhere else to go.” None of them really knew anything about Dax’s personal life. He could have family he was very close to for all they knew.
“Fine. Just don’t let him give me that look.”
Noah knew the exact look she meant. Dax tended to stare at Jo like he couldn’t quite figure her out. “I can’t exactly control the man’s eyes.” He laughed as he looked down the beach to where a few surfers dotted the waves.
Arms wound around his waist from behind, and the corners of his mouth twitched as Melanie pressed her cheek against his back.
