I wipe away a tear that betrayed me, “It's not overstepping my place?”
“No. It's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
More tears drop down and he wipes them away with his thumb, “Let's eat before it's cold.” Taking my hand, he leads us to the two empty chairs.
Once again, everyone is staring at us.
Jill, Stevie, and my mom have a hand over their hearts, looking like they are watching a romance movie.
Not wanting things to get awkward for Noah, I encourage everyone to dig in.
“Dang Lily, this is really good!” Seth declares, shoveling more into his mouth.
“Mmm,” Noah bobs his head in agreement, eating a huge forkful, “Lets have this at least once a month.”
I take a bite.
Wow, it is really good. “We might have to do it two or three times.”
My dad sets down his fork and wipes his mouth with a napkin, “So Noah, this thing between you and my daughter is pretty serious?”
Everyone stops mid-bite; my dad's not really the interrogator type. In the past, if I liked a guy it was good enough for him, trusting that I knew my boundaries, but you wouldn't know it with the way he's glaring at Noah.
My dad doesn't wait for a response, “She was serious about the last guy too.”
Noah stiffens next to me. I place a hand over his thigh and squeeze.
“Dad, this is different,” I begin to explain, but he talks over me.
“I suppose I don't need to explain about him?”
Noah's jaw locks, “She told me.” He's still the only one that knows the whole story. Everyone else still thinks Will only hit me that one time and I left him. I don't know why I can't find the words to share, but at least I can talk to Noah about it.
“I understand your concern,” Noah begins, taking in a deep breath. “I have a good idea of what I must look like to all of you, but you need to know that I love your daughter. I'm not asking for you to trust me, after what she went through. I can only hope that time will let me prove myself to you, and you will come to see how deeply I care about her; that her love means everything to me.”
I look to my mom, who seems just as close to crying as I am.
“Okay,” is my dad's response.
“Okay,” Noah repeats, and they both go back to eating. What does that mean? Is everything cool now?
“So what's up with the scars?” Seth asks, mouth full of food.
I kick him under the table but he ignores me, waiting for an answer. I guess it runs in the family.
Noah swallows his food, “Three headed dragon attacked me with his claws, almost killed me.”
Seth rolls his eyes, “Fine, if you don't want to tell me just say so.”
“It's true,” I pipe in. “I saw it with my own eyes.” I point to the three small scars on my neck that are still healing, “Tried to get me too.”
The whole table is looking at us like we're nuts.
“How did you escape then?” Cody challenges.
“There's this old dagger,” Noah divulges. “It's been passed down through generations and was the only thing that held the power to slay this particular dragon.”
Cody rolls his eyes, “Let me guess, you had to stab it straight through the heart?”
“Nope,” Noah takes a finger and slices it across his throat to show how it was done.
“Sweet!” Seth bobs his head forward with enthusiasm, “Cool story, probably more interesting than the truth.”
“It is the truth,” Noah deadpans.
This is exactly how folktales must come to be.
Cody doesn't seem as impressed, “Did your other scars come from this supposed dragon?”
Noah contemplates, “In a way, yes, they did. They came from my adventures of hunting for this dragon throughout his kingdom.”
Jill laughs,”I can tell you're going to fit right in, with an imagination like that.”
The conversations take off from there. It's mostly Noah asking questions, generally interested in learning about everyone. They ask us a lot of questions about the business we are buying and what exactly drifting is. My dad and Naomi still don't seem convinced that we are fully serious about this; I think they're both expecting it to fail. Maybe it will, but we are at a time in our life to take chances.
By the end of dinner Noah is visibly more relaxed, an arm slung over the back of my chair, playing with my hair. I've noticed he likes to touch me a lot. I'm hoping it's because I bring him comfort.
“Who's ready for dessert?” My mom asks, clearing the table after we've all stuffed ourselves. “Lily made her specialty.”
Seth can't fetch it from the kitchen fast enough.
Noah tilts he heads down to whisper in my ear, “Save a slice for later when you come over to my hotel room.”
I hide my flushed face by taking a sip of water, ready to leave right now.
Noah smugly smirks, knowing exactly what images he'd brought forth.
My dad, Jill, and the boys leave shortly after we finish dessert. My brothers are already talking about how they are going to start working out to get muscles like Noah, and are ecstatic when Noah offers to show them what to do.
When my dad hugs me goodbye, I quietly request, “Give him a chance. He may not look the part like Will did, but nobody is a better match for me than Noah.”
He kisses my forehead, “I know. It's just hard for a father to see his baby girl find the person he knows she'll spend forever with.”
Geesh. I wipe my eyes. How many times can I almost cry tonight?
Jill hugs me next, “I think he's sexy, way to go.” I laugh, thankful for her lighthearted response. “I also love the way he looks at you. There is no denying how much he loves you.”
Have I ever mentioned how much I love Jill?
“You like ribs?” Naomi asks as though this is a challenge, slapping Noah on the back as she and Stevie make their way outside.
“Yeah,” he answers matter-of-factly.
“Sunday, join Lily for my family's barbecue,” and with that she heads towards Stevie's Jeep.
Both Stevie and I are stunned, our jaws about to hit the pavement.
“Nice, I love ribs,” Noah says so low and calm, having no clue this is a monumental moment. He notices my still-shocked expression, “What?”
A smile slowly creeps up my face, “You're in.”
Stevie's smiling too, and we exchange a knowing eye twinkle.
“Still not following.”
Stevie responds while still smiling at me, “Nobody but family comes to those barbecues.”
“But I'm not family,” Noah states, confused.
“Family doesn't have to be blood,” Stevie points out.
Noah finally gets it and a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth.
“She's tough to crack, well done. Pretty much hates everyone,” Stevie directs her thumb at me. “Lily being the exception; she's adored her from the start.”
“That's because Lily's special.”
Stevie throws her arms around an awkward looking Noah, “I think I'm really going to like you.”
“She's a hugger,” I inform him. “You better get used to it.”
Stevie pulls away from the hug I'm sure Noah wished was over ten seconds ago (it only lasted about five).
She hugs me and goes to her car, yelling over her shoulder, “See you Sunday!”
Noah takes my hand and we go back inside, “So, what are these barbecues like?”
“Kickass food, drunk bikers, at least one verbal smackdown by a woman to her man after he tries to get all macho-jerk on her, and a really awesome time.”
“And you do this every Sunday?”
“The first Sunday of every month since I was twelve.”
“I could live with that.”
We do the dishes together, laughing and talking about what ever comes to mind.
As I'm putting the leftovers in the fridge, Noah twirls a towel around in his hand, making it twis
t.
“You wouldn't dare,” I protest, backing away. He would, I can tell by the gleam in his eye and his evil side-smirk.
He snaps it out in front of him, purposely missing me.
I still yelp and he laughs, enjoying the suspense and torture he's causing.
I go for the towel, grabbing it in my hands to try and tug it away, somehow having forgotten that Noah's made of pure steel.
He laughs, tugging it towards him and bringing me with it, smacking me right into his chest. His arms cage me in. His lips move to my neck. I stop wiggling to get free, anticipating where his lips will travel. They brush along the side, sending a shiver down my spine. Then he surprises me with one loud raspberry.
I stop mid-giggle when I can feel his warm breath against my ear, “Remember the last time I did that?” Goosebumps trail down my body and all I can do is nod, my nails digging into his biceps, trying to control my raging desire to strip him naked on the floor of my family's kitchen. “You tasted so amazingly delicious.” His nose brushes along my jaw towards my chin. He has to help hold me up from going weak in the knees.
How does he still manage to do this to me? It's insane.
His lips graze my skin, light as a feather. I whimper and feel his smile on my skin, enjoying tormenting me. “I want to taste you like that again, Lily.”
Oh, god yes, please! Is what I shout in my head, but my outward response is barely a nod of agreement.
He grazes my lips and the other side of my jaw to my ear, “Will you let me taste you like that again?”
I lick my lips and let out a breathless, “Yes.”
“And then when I've licked you senseless...” I hold tighter to his biceps, thinking any minute now my legs will give out, “...I want you to watch my face as I come inside your pussy.”
My eyes widen, growing ten times their size.
Noah silently starts laughing, his shoulders moving up and down before he goes into full blown hysterics. He lets go of me to clutch his side from laughing so hard.
What the hell's so funny?
He's laughing so hard he has to bend over and rest a hand on his knee, the other still clutching his side.
“Wow, babe,” he manges to get out between laughs, “I wanted to see what would happen if I used that word. I didn't expect that look on your face.” He regains enough self-control to stand straight, a smile cracking his face, still twitching with laughter.
“I'm glad I amuse you,” I huff, not thinking it's all that funny.
He tugs my arm into him and brings his mouth to rest just above my ear, ruffling the strands of my hair as he speaks, “I can't wait to teach you the art of dirty talk. You're going to love it.”
My mom clears her throat and I'm nearly dropped to the ground as Noah quickly retreats back to dish cleaning, trying to play it off as though he wasn't trying to get in my pants. It makes me feel like we are in high school, trying to get away with things we aren't supposed to; but then again, this is all new territory for him.
“I found Lily's old tapes. You interested in watching them tonight?” My mom asks, trying to hide how excited she is.
I should have known my mom wouldn't have forgotten when Noah asked her about them at dinner.
Noah whips around, a huge smile on his face, “Fu–yes!”
I would protest if he didn't look so adorable, eager to watch. I can't tell if it's because he wants to make fun of me or if he truly wants to see them. In this instance, I fear it's both.
“Please keep in mind I was in high school and nobody tried out for these things, so you pretty much got what ever role you wanted.”
Noah pulls me to his side, leading us to the living room, “Are you trying to warn me that this is going to suck?”
“Yes.”
“Perfect, I can hardly wait!”
I groan.
We take a seat on the couch, me in the middle. When my mom presses play and I make my first appearance, Noah beams, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, “Aw, babe, look how young you look! You were so cute!” He kisses the top of my head, eyes glued to the screen.
My mom nudges me and I look over at her. She points to Noah then places a hand over her heart, loving his reaction to my play. He's leaning forward, resting his forearms on his thighs, taking it all in. I become immersed in watching Noah and how captivated he is, the faint smiles he gives every time I have a line, the twinkle that remains in his eyes. He looks proud and in love.
I know he feels he doesn't deserve me, but what woman wouldn't want to be loved like this?
I cuddle close to him, eventually falling asleep while Noah and my mom continue watching my old plays and talking about how cute I was.
Chapter 31
Sunday, April 6
4:19pm
Noah stops the car right outside Noami's parents house, killing the engine and wiping his palms on the top of his jeans.
“Why are you on edge?”
He looks straight ahead, “Bikers typically don't like me.”
“That's ridiculous.”
“It's the scars,” he scrubs them on his face, “and my size. They think I'm trouble. Put a few drinks in 'em and usually one of them will try to start a fight.”
Hmm, I see his point. Noami's family has an overabundance of testosterone.
He lets out a long exhale, “Trying to control myself is getting exhausting.”
“So don't. Be yourself. If they don't like you, we leave.”
“I'm not taking you from your family.”
“You're my family.”
“That's cheesy.”
“It's true.”
Noah tries to hide it, but a smile wants to form.
I take my finger to the edge of his mouth and pull it up to form a flimsy smile, “You can smile at my cheesiness, it's okay. Nobody's in the car but us.” I drop my finger. The side I held up stays in place and the other joins it.
The rocking of his car and a loud pounding on my window startles us both.
Seth and Cody's faces are smashed to the window.
“Quit being all lovey-dovey and join the party,” Seth says with his tongue and mouth plastered to the glass, causing the words to come out jumbled and hard to understand.
Cody nods his head in agreement.
They extract their faces, leaving behind smudged oil and saliva streaks.
Seth gives a tap to the glass, “You should really clean your car once in a while, Noah; you've got shit covering your window.”
Noah chuckles, “I'm a little worried for mankind when he becomes an adult.”
I think we all are.
I open my door and join Noah on the sidewalk, our hands automatically finding each other.
Noah holds up my plate of brownies, “You forgot the food.”
“No, I didn't. What's the point of having a big, strong man if he can't carry the heavy loads?”
Noah grumbles something about being whipped.
We walk through the open gate at the side of the house and step into the backyard that's already loud with music and people. We set the platter down with the other food before making our way to the rest of the bunch.
Noah takes it all in, features hardening the more he looks around. He slides an arm around my waist, tucking my side into him.
“You don't need to protect me here. I grew up around these guys,” I whisper under my breath.
“Get used to it. I'm never going to walk into a situation with this many beefed out, tattooed men in leather, and not feel the need to let them know you're mine and nobody better touch you.”
I can live with that.
I have never felt awkward at one of these parties until now. Conversations have stopped and eyeballs are following us as we walk further into the yard.
A few men stand, eyes narrowing on Noah.
Shit, he wasn't lying. Biker dudes really don't like him. I quickly scan for Naomi or her parents. I spot her beer-bellied dad coming through the slider with raw meat on a platter.
&nb
sp; “Jim Bob!” I call over to him, taking longer strides to reach him.
“Lilith!” He bellows, setting the platter next to the BBQ. He scoops me up into a big bear hug, jiggling me in his arms. He drops me down but keeps an arm around my shoulder, smiling down at me before lifting his eyes. They take in Noah and the smile vanishes from his face, “You the boy Naomi said was coming?”
Noah extends his hand, “Yeah, Noah Baxter.”
Jim Bob ignores his hand, “You dating our Lilith?”
Noah takes back his hand and swipes his head. I know I'm the only one who noticed the brief hurt that flashed across his pupils, “Yeah.”
Jim Bob looks him up and down. “Her first boyfriend turned out gay – not a fact that bothers me,” he adds, turning to wink at his daughter, who is cuddled close to Stevie. They both smile back at him. “She tell you about her last one?”
The muscles in Noah's jaw clench and his body tenses, hands fisting, “Yeah.” He hates being compared to Will, and for good reason. I half expect to see storm clouds brewing over our heads from the shift in his mood and demeanor, the protector in Noah coming out to defend me. Jim Bob is stirring up shit he shouldn't be.
“This girl's like a daughter to me,” Jim Bob warns, tone emanating hostility. “I love her, but she doesn't know how to pick a man.”
I push away, irritated that he's basing Noah on his looks and my previous boyfriends, “Jim Bob–”
Noah lifts a hand to silence me, “I get where he's coming from. I could bring up that if you love her so much, how did that shit happen in the first place...” he explains, looking Jim Bob straight in the eyes.
Jim Bob stiffens and steps forward.
Great, what the hell is Noah doing?
“Or I could judge you based on,” Noah uses his hand to make the motions of Jim Bob's peppered goatee and ponytail. Jim Bob takes another step forward, as do the other men at the party who have started to form a circle around us. “But that would be the same as you judging me for these,” he points to his facial scars. “Or these,” he lifts up his shirt and a few gasps can be heard as the people around us see all of his past wounds.
My brothers let out an “awesome!”
Marked. Part II: Becoming Noah Baxter Page 18
