Page 37 of Resisting You
Unfortunately, she wasn’t wrong. Up next on Kristen’s sadistic schedule was a ride on the carousel at the Maple Grove town fair.
“Shouldn’t this be, I don’t know, a whole family affair?” I asked, waving my hand at the picnic in front of us. Sitting around on the blanket was me, Noah, Marty, Callie, and Lydia. We were missing quite a few people.
“Cam is with Maddie at a soccer practice thing,” Lydia said. “Cam and I drew straws this morning for who got to do what. Trust me. I got the better end of that deal. Watching soccer practice issoboring.” She gave a good-natured chuckle and lifted her champagne flute.
“And obviously,” Marty said, “Ronnie and Lex are on a mini-honeymoon.”
“What about Steve?” Noah asked, a little bite in his voice.
“Steve had to work,” Callie said. “Since he closed the practice yesterday for the wedding, he changed his hours so he’d be open today instead.”
Noah’s expression softened slightly and he nodded. “Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
I knew a little bit about the tumultuous relationship Noah had with his brothers, but not a ton. I didn’t know the details. Just that they’d never really gotten along and he was closer with his sisters.
Without even thinking, I placed my hand on his knee, giving him a gentle, reassuring squeeze the same way that Noah hadcomforted me moments before. Looking down, he smiled at me and I lowered my head to rest on his chest.
The moment our bodies came in contact with each other, I felt his chest hitch, sucking in a quick breath. His heart thumped, pounding so hard, I could hear every thrumming pulse.
I wasn’t sure what came over me. In all our years of friendship, I’d managed to keep my distance from Noah. And now, in 48-hours, I’d thrown it all out the window.
Beside me from inside my purse, my phone buzzed for what felt like the thousandth time since we’d left for this photoshoot. It still boggled my mind the fact that Kristen had set this whole thing up so fast. In a matter of hours, she had this whole scene decorated and set with all the photographers ready and waiting. Literally in the time it took for me to shower and get ready.
She was a force to be reckoned with.
Noah’s brows rose as he looked down at me. “Your parents again?”
I sighed. “Probably.” I had called them as soon as our meeting with Kristen had ended. But it was only about five in the morning in California and they didn’t answer.
Now, they were clearly awake and wanting to talk.
"Maybe you should answer it," he said.
Nodding, I pulled out my phone from my purse and inhaled sharply when I saw the dozens of missed calls from them and a slew of text messages. All of them angry.
Or at least, disappointed.
And I had no one to blame for it but myself. Stupidly, I'd kept putting this conversation off.
"Is everything okay?" Noah's mom asked, concern tilting her blue eyes, so similar to Noah's.
"Um, yeah. I just... I hadn't told my parents about our elopement yet."
Marty's eyes somehow softened even more and she nodded in understanding. "You thought you had more time before they published your name?"
I jerked my gaze to hers. "Yes." How did she know that?
Callie snorted. "I think we've all made that mistake at least once... underestimating Noah's fame." Then, Callie raised her champagne glass in a mock toast to me. "You're officially a Tripp now."
"Callie," Noah barked, his voice quiet, but gruff.
Only Lydia stayed silent, eyes cast down, not daring to look at either of us.
Marty waved Kristen over. "Kristen," she said, a small hint of a southern accent to her voice despite the fact that I was pretty sure Noah had lived in New England his whole life. "Do you think we could wrap up this little photo shoot?"
Kristen looked down at her iPad. "Oh. We were scheduled for the picnic shoot for another fifteen minutes. But I suppose we could shift to Noah and Rosa's solo shots at the cafe?—"
"Oh, you misunderstand me," Marty said. "I meant, can we wrap this for the whole day?"
