Page 92 of Stolen Kisses
He got out and walked around the side of the house to check out the back deck that he hadn’t explored before. It was large and open, perfect for grilling out. He wanted to see if the inside was as perfect as the outside. He’d already scoped out where he’d park his boats in the yard. Now he wanted to take a look at where he’d place the bed that he and Krista would be sleeping in together. Maybe it had a little to do with the romance of his brother’s wedding tonight that had him all stirred up, but it was mostly due to Krista herself. She had him stirred up. She would love this place just as much as he did. He knew her well enough to know that. He wasn’t asking her to move in with him just yet, but he was open to the idea. Open to a lot more than that. He just wanted to set some roots more firmly into the ground, and create a place suitable for bringing someone home to. His home.
After walking around the lot, Noah got in his Jeep and stared at the house illuminated by the full moon in the cloudless sky for a moment longer. A place like this would’ve felt like a ball and chain on his ankle at one point. But not anymore. And that was all Krista’s doing.
—
Krista woke the next morning feeling like she was hungover—even though she hadn’t drunk a single drop of alcohol the night before. She’d been too busy catering to Grace and Jack’s needs, making sure their wedding went off without a hitch.
And it had. The only hitch last night was the news that Noah had thought he’d gotten an ex pregnant in college, and when he’d discovered she wasn’t, he’d come bolting home. His fear of roots and commitment was so strong he’d quit college over it.
Krista’s stomach tightened, then rolled. She still had that sick feeling from last night, but it was significantly better. She climbed out of bed and tiptoed down the hall to go make herself a piece of toast. She didn’t want to wake Joey. He’d let her off the hook last night, but he’d want to know what had happened and what the real reason was that she hadn’t asked Noah to take her home. She couldn’t have faced Noah last night, though. Not when she was sick, possibly pregnant, and knowing that pregnancy would send him running for the hills. Better to know this now before things got too serious.
She plopped down at the kitchen table and let her shoulders roll forward. “Who am I kidding? Things are already too serious,” she muttered.
“Talking to yourself?”
Krista bolted upright, nearly giving herself whiplash as she faced her brother sleeping on the couch. “Why are you on the couch?”
“Fell asleep watching some sci-fi movie,” he said. “Why are you talking to yourself and looking like your best friend just died?”
Because he had. Kind of. If they broke up, she and Noah could never return to the way they were before. She couldn’t be with him and notbewith him. Not now. “I’m still sick from last night, I guess.”
“You have an iron immune system, sis. You don’t get sick,” Joey said.
He was right. Working in hospitals for over a decade had boosted her immune system a thousandfold. It was rare that she ever came down with anything. Did that mean she was pregnant? The thought both excited and filled her with dread, and that wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. If she were pregnant, she should be racing to tell Noah the good news, knowing that he’d be as thrilled as she was. She didn’t know that, though. In fact, she knew the opposite now.
“Did Noah screw up last night? Do I need to kick his butt?”
Krista smiled and shook her head. She stood and went to make that piece of toast that might settle her stomach. “Noah was a perfect gentleman yesterday. I couldn’t have asked for a better date.” She placed two slices of bread in the toaster and turned to look at Joey as she waited for them to cook. “Hey. Did Noah ever tell you the reason he dropped out of college?” Krista asked.
“Something about a girl, I think. I think he got in over his head and realized he didn’t want the kind of life he was making there.”
Krista’s heart felt like someone was fisting it hard. How come Noah had never told her about this ex-girlfriend? He’d had girlfriends in the past. How come he’d never told her about the pregnancy scare and the breakup? She told Noah everything. There was only one secret she’d ever kept from him all these years—that she loved him. Loved him to the core of her being. She would always love him.
Her stomach rolled again.
“You okay?” Joey sat up and looked at her more closely.
She turned her back to him and started smearing a coating of strawberry jam on the toast. “Just hungry. And tired.” She sheathed the toast in a paper towel. “I’m going back to bed.”
—
Krista awoke to her brother knocking on her bedroom door at lunchtime. She took stock of herself before responding and was relieved to find that she felt slightly better.
“What do you want?” she groaned.
“Noah’s here,” he said through the door.
Krista’s heart skipped a beat before realizing this wasn’t a good thing. She didn’t want to see Noah. That would only confuse things right now. Except she wasn’t confused. She knew exactly what she needed to do. “I’ll be out in just a minute,” she called, sitting up in her bed and draping her legs over. She reached for a long-sleeved T-shirt and a pair of jeans by her bed. Shuffling to the bathroom, she cringed at the sight of herself in the mirror. She’d gone straight to bed after leaving the reception last night. She’d felt so bad that she hadn’t washed the heavy makeup off her face or even run a brush through her heavily hair-sprayed hair. There were still bobby pins holding curls to the top of her head, although the updo she’d thought so pretty yesterday morning had drooped and wilted. The once perfectly rounded curls were crushed by her heavy sleep.
Krista did her best to wash off the makeup, but decided trying to run a brush through her nest of hair would only make it worse. Well, maybe Noah would see her and bolt at the sight of her before she had to explain why it was best they didn’t date any longer.
Dragging her feet to her door, she opened it and headed down the hall.
“Hey,” Noah said, turning from the couch where he sat.
“Hey.” Krista looked around the room. “Where’s Joey?”
“Outside working on his cab.” Noah stood and met her in the small kitchen area. “I brought you chicken soup. It’s supposed to make you feel better.”
