Page 120 of Just My Type
TWO MONTHS LATER
“Honey, I’m home!”
I laugh from the couch as the door to our apartment flies open and Noah steps in, looking absolutely delicious in the joggers and hoodie he must have changed into at the hospital after his shift. “How’s the baby?”
He flashes me a grin as he flops into the couch next to me, turning my face to his and kissing me like it’s been weeks, rather than less than a day, since we’ve seen each other. He always greets me like this, and I hope it never, ever changes. “Perfect, of course. I’m the god of maxillofacial surgery.”
The grin on his face and the excitement in his tone warms me straight through. Noah started his permanent attending position at the hospital about six weeks ago, and it turns out his concerns about being too burned out to do his job well or not being good enough to be the one in charge were unfounded. I knew they would be, but he had to know it for himself. Thesecond he stepped back into the hospital, it was like his already bright light beamed even brighter. He loves what he does every single day, and it’s so special to witness. Today he did some super complicated surgery on a nine-month-old, and then had back-to-back patients after that, so I haven’t talked to him in hours.
“And humble too,” I say with a grin.
“Nah,” he says, leaning back against the couch and tugging me against him so I lean my head on his shoulder. “No need to be humble when you’re the best. How was your day?”
“The freaking best. I went into some kind of fugue state and wrote eight thousand words in, like, six hours. I think it’s nervous energy for tomorrow.”
My stomach flips just thinking about tomorrow. The day I re-release my first book with my new publisher and it lands in actual bookstores all over the country. I’m so excited I could scream and so nervous I kind of want to get into bed and sleep until tomorrow is over.
“That’s, like, an insane amount of words. You’re amazing. And tomorrow is going to be the best day ever. I promise.”
“I don’t know why I’m so nervous. It’s not like I’ve never released a book before. I’ve released lots of books. In fact, I’ve released this very book before. But for some reason this feels different.”
Noah sits up and turns me to face him, linking my left hand with his so the wedding rings we wear all the time now line up and clink together the way I know he likes. “Because it is different, Han. It’s the next step in your career. You’ve worked insanely hard to get here, but it’s a big change. It’s okay to be nervous. But it’s going to be the best day ever, I promise.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “You can’t promise that.”
He shrugs. “Okay maybe I can’t, but I love you and I believe in you, and I’m so fucking proud of you. Also, Cece told me that it was going to be the most successful day of your career so far, and she’s a little bit psychic.”
I huff out a laugh. “For some reason that makes me feel so much better.”
Noah leans in and kisses me, and the feel of his lips on mine chases the rest of my nerves away. “Good. I have something else that’s going to make you feel better.”
“Does it involve me and you, naked in the shower?”
Noah laughs and kisses me again, longer and slower, teasing my mouth open with his tongue and diving inside. “I like the way you think, Gorgeous. Let’s put a pin in that for later. This something is up on the roof.”
“Sounds good. Let me just finish my chapter.” I gesture to my Kindle on the couch cushion next to me. “You walked in at a critical moment.”
“Come on, Han—the book will still be there when you get back.”
I smile at Noah’s impatient tone. The man really can’t wait for anything. “Keep your pants on, dude. The roof isn’t going anywhere, and I really want to finish. He’s groveling, and you know I can’t stop reading in the middle of a good grovel.”
Noah slides even closer to me, getting right up in my space. “I don’t have anything to grovel for right now, but I bet I can beg better than the guy in that book grovels. If I do, will you come with me to the roof right now? Please, please, pretty, pretty please. I want to watch the stars with my wife. And I’ll bake you a lemon meringue pie later.”
I narrow my eyes at him. “All by yourself? And you won’t make me help?” Ever since that first time we baked together Noah has a weird thing about me helping him in the kitchen, and sometimes I like it, but mostly I just like to watch him do it. The man looks excellent in an apron.
Noah puts a hand on his heart and gives me the most serious of looks. “Cross my heart and hope I don’t die because I want to be alive to love you for a hundred more years.”
I laugh, my heart just overflowing with love for this cheerful, funny, absolutely perfect man. I click my Kindle off and toss itonto the couch next to me, turning to Noah and cupping his face, kissing him, smiling against his lips. “Only because you’re so pretty when you beg. And I really love pie.”
Noah grins and peppers kisses all over my face. “Gorgeous, I’m pretty all the damn time. Let’s go!”
Noah pulls me up and out of the apartment, straight up the stairs to the roof. When he pushes the door open into the cool, crisp October night, a chorus of voices yells “Surprise!” and I freeze, rooted to the spot as I take in the space.
What used to be an empty slab of concrete is a bright, happy space full of comfortable looking furniture in a riot of colors, a fire pit surrounded by a circle of Adirondack chairs, and twinkle lights strung up overhead, casting the whole space in an ethereal glow. And right in the middle of the roof, in the space where Noah and I sit in the dark and share secrets and dreams at midnight, is a colorful rug, topped by two cozy-looking chairs sitting side by side and a table the perfect size to hold snacks.
Gathered by the edge of the roof, in front of what looks like a long table, is our family. Jordan and Jo, Elliot and Amelia, Pam and Rob, Cece, and even Hallie and Ben, all grinning madly at me.
“What is happening right now?” I ask, turning to Noah who has the same, wild grin on his face.
