Page 99 of Stolen Kisses
Chapter 22
Noah had set out early this morning. It was Sunday, not a company work day, so it was just him. Joey was probably tinkering on his cab. Noah hadn’t had any intention of fishing, but the water was so smooth and clear, and little fish kept jumping at the surface as if trying to get away from something bigger below.What’s down there?
He lowered the bill of his hat to keep his cheeks from burning. Even though the air was chilly these days, the sun was still hot if you weren’t in motion. He set his fishing rig and dropped a line into the water. Beauty propped her feet up on the bench of the boat and looked out. She barked as another little fish cleared the water.
“Shh, girl. Gotta be quiet, remember?”
They waited. Noah wasn’t really expecting to catch anything today. Hauling in a big fish would be near impossible without another person anyway. He’d done it before, but it’d taken twice as long. Not that he had anything else to do. He was supposed to meet Gina at the real-estate office to sign the papers for his new home, but she’d had a family emergency. So they’d arranged to get together later in the week. Then he would officially be a home owner.
Noah’s heart kicked excitedly. Then the fishing line jerked. His heart kicked again for a different reason. Straightening, he grabbed the gear and started winding. Handling a rig was kind of like a dance. He let the fish below lead and when it tired, he wound the gear again, stopped and let the fish push and pull, push and pull. They continued that way for nearly an hour. This fish was a fighter, but he was going to win. Heneededto win today.
Finally, the rig pulled the fish out of the water. His heart jumped in his throat like one of those small fish in the water. There, shimmering in the sun’s light was a heart-shaped scar on the tuna’s dorsal fin.
Mitsy.
He had Mitsy on the line, and she hadn’t broken free. He’d caught her! She was his!
Noah suddenly felt like dancing around the front of the boat, like a little child excited beyond belief. That moment passed quickly, though, and he looked at the fish with new eyes. Mitsy had fought him tirelessly. She’d fought for her freedom, and she deserved to be set free. She’d earned a free pass in his book.
Beauty barked at his side as if in agreement.
Krista had always been a catch-and-release kind of girl on the boat, and apparently in their relationship, too. She’d caught him, hook, line, and sinker, and then she’d tossed him back, finding him unworthy. It was his own fault. The guy he’d been up until now wasn’t a keeper. Apparently, he still wasn’t.
Noah steered the rig close to the boat to work on freeing Mitsy. “Enjoy your freedom, girl.” He pulled his cellphone out to snap a picture just to prove to his brothers and Joey that he wasn’t crazy. There really was a fucking heart-shaped scar on her fin. A perfect heart. He snapped the picture, slid the phone back in his pocket, then released Mitsy back into the Atlantic.
Returning to Blushing Bay later that afternoon, he docked and took Beauty home. He unleashed her as he stepped inside his houseboat, then something shiny on the rug caught his eye. He bent and looked at the golden fishhook that he’d given Krista when they were kids. It was twisted into a shape almost identical to the one on Mitsy’s fin, and if Noah was the kind to believe in magic, he’d think that Mitsy had somehow made this charm appear when he and Krista had already searched this place from top to bottom along with every other place they’d been together.
He picked the charm up. Krista had worn this thing tirelessly. She’d paid all the money in her piggy bank to have this ugly thing coated in gold.Why would she do that?
He knew the answer. It was the same reason he’d given her his lucky hook. The same reason he’d been terrified when he’d thought his college girlfriend was pregnant. And why he’d left college and come running home. He wasn’t running home to Blushing Bay or to his family’s fishing business. He was coming home to Krista. Because he loved her. Loved her so much that he didn’t want to be anywhere except with her. She was what anchored him to this world. She was his lucky hook and,dammit,he didn’t want to let her go. Not without a fight. He could be the man she needed him to be. He could be everything she wanted and more. If she’d let him.
He placed the charm in his pocket and grabbed his jacket to go find Krista and put this thing back around her neck where it belonged. Then he planned on kissing her until her knees melted and telling her that he loved her. He planned on making her believe it because there was nothing truer in his life.
Noah opened his front door and nearly walked straight into Joey. “Hey, man. Bad timing. I have to go.”
“Did you knock up my sister?” Joey asked, a hard edge to his voice.
Beauty barked behind them.
“What?” Noah narrowed his eyes. He was already breathless from the day. It took a moment to process what Joey was asking.
“Is that why you two broke up? Why she’s been so upset lately? You knocked her up and then left her?” Joey stepped closer to Noah, and if Noah didn’t know better, he’d think he was about to get punched square in the face.
“What are you talking about? Is Krista…?” Noah’s heart flew to the heavens at the thought. “Is she pregnant?”
Joey’s brows dropped over his dark eyes. “You didn’t know?”
Noah shook his head. “Know what? Is she pregnant?” he asked again.
Joey took a step backward. “I’m not sure. I just found the box in the trashcan. I didn’t see any stick. But she’s been acting crazy and crying at night. I thought it was because she missed you, but maybe it’s because…”
“She’s pregnant.” A smile so big and wide enveloped Noah’s heart. Excitement bloomed bigger and brighter than it ever had catching any fish. There wasn’t a shade of doubt or fear, only joy at the prospect. “I have to find her.”
Joey stepped out of his way. “Want me to drive you? My cab is fixed.”
Noah tossed a hurried glance over his shoulder. “No. I got this.” Then he hopped in his Jeep and drove to Krista’s with a hurricane of emotion tearing through him. Every emotion: love, joy, worry, fear. Not the kind of fear that made him want to bolt. This was the kind that made him want to be stronger, tougher. The kind that he wanted to stare straight in the face, like a challenge.
Was he going to be a father?
