Page 68 of Beauty
“The game was fine.” Hannah takes a step toward him, waving a hand in front of his face. “Hello, earth to Noah.”
Ollie pokes him in the chest. “Did you just power down like Robot Sam?”
The man blinks rapidly, and when he breaks his stare, I suddenly remember that I need oxygen to live.
I suck in a breath and shake my head. This is impossible. No way is the man I’ve so desperately missed for years really standing here in front of me. I look at the butterfly on my wrist, brushing my thumb over it, then back up, certain he’ll be gone.
But he’s not. In fact, the man I’ve been searching for is now standing up and walking toward me.
What will he say? What will I say?
With every step he takes, my heart pounds louder.
And when he opens his mouth, he says the last thing I expect.
“Hi, I’m Noah.”
TWENTY-ONE
NOAH
“Hi, I’m Noah.”
Devastation sweeps across Sienna’s face.
Fuck.
I knew this moment would come eventually. Hell, I’ve seen the woman from afar more than once since she returned to Boston.
Still, I’m completely unprepared to be standing so close to her. With my son and my sister at my side.
It’s been six years, yet her eyes are more familiar to me than my own. They call to me, draw me in, as if looking into them is the most natural thing in the world.
She thinks I don’t remember her, like I could ever fucking forget. Like I didn’t spend almost five years searching for her, only to find out she’s the sister of one of my closest friends.
Forget her? It would be completely impossible.
“You have a child,” she mumbles as she glances down at Ollie.
“Wait,” Hannah says, her tone ticking higher, like she’s onto something. “You know each other?”
My chest tightens with unease.Now’s not the time to catch on, Han.
Sienna finally blinks and then shakes her head. “No, I just meant hockey player Noah. Noah…” She snaps her fingers like she’s trying to conjure my name.
“Harrison,” I supply.
This interaction and her absolute shock confirm that while I know exactly who she is, she had no idea until this moment who I was.
Sienna nods and forces a smile. “Right. I’ve been studying the players’ pictures so I could put names with faces. I just didn’t know the, uh, picture of the man Noah—this Noah—had a child.”
Hannah frowns. “Why would a picture tell you he has a child?”
I let out a gruff sigh. “It’s been a long day, Han. Cut her some slack.”
Sienna swallows heavily, avoiding eye contact.
“Dad.” Ollie tugs on my suit jacket. “Can we go home now? I’m tired.”
