by Paige Tyler
They drove for a while in silence, a part of Noah wanting to ask if Peyton would worry about him as much as his family did. But he kept the question to himself, not wanting to ruin the mood any more than it already was.
“Do you ever see your father?” she asked suddenly, apparently deciding to change the topic of conversation in lieu of continuing the silence.
Noah tightened his grip on the wheel again. The subject of his dad had always been a sore one, even after all this time. “Not since he walked out on us fourteen years ago. Last I heard, he was shacked up with some woman in Vegas, making a living as an Elvis impersonator.”
“Do you hate him for leaving?” Peyton asked quietly, an understanding expression on her face. “I don’t think anyone would blame you if you did. I know I probably would.”
Noah thought about that question for a moment before answering, realizing it was another subject he’d never talked about with anyone. Funny how he seemed to be able to do it with someone he’d just met.
“I did at first, mostly for what his leaving did to Mom and my sister,” he said, hesitating as he turned the vehicle into the subdivision his mom had lived in for as long as Noah could remember. “But not so much now. We’ve all moved on without him, and these days I can’t muster up much of any emotion when it comes to the man.”
Peyton nodded but didn’t say anything. Not that there was anything that needed to be said. He’d talked more about himself in the past few minutes than he had in the last ten years. He blamed it on Peyton and those books of hers he’d been reading. The hero in those stories always seemed to be sharing his feelings, which confirmed beyond all shadow of a doubt that they were works of fiction. He’d been in a platoon full of SEALs for years and even in all that time, he’d have a hard time filling a thimble with the collective outpouring of the guys’ emotions. Because they basically didn’t do it.
Peyton was obviously a bad influence on him. Or at least her books were.
Noah pulled into the driveway of the two-story house he still considered home. It looked no different than it had ten years ago when he joined the Navy, with the exception of the new roof and the fresh coat of paint he’d put on not that long ago. There were a bunch of newly planted flowers in the front beds as well, something his mom loved doing. As much as he’d loved moving out and being on his own, it was always nice to come back here.
“Well,” he said as he turned off the engine and opened his door, “you ready to save my mom from drowning?”
CHAPTER FIVE
PEYTON HALF EXPECTED to hear the sound of rushing water when she stepped through the front door of Eileen’s home, or worse, see signs of it running across the floor. But as she looked across the living room and into the kitchen beyond, there wasn’t a single sign of flooding.
But there also wasn’t any sign of Eileen. And that worried Peyton more than a little. If the expression on Noah’s face was any indication, so was he.
“Mom,” he called out, moving the small bag of tools he’d taken from behind the seat of his SUV to his other hand before turning toward the kitchen. “Are you in here?”
“In the laundry room!” Eileen’s familiar voice came from somewhere nearby.
Noah gestured for Peyton to go ahead of him, following close behind as they entered the country style kitchen that was so warm and inviting. Exactly like Noah’s mom. There was a crockpot simmering on the counter near the stove, the delicious aroma of whatever was in it filling the room. Peyton couldn’t help but imagine Noah and Laurissa running around in here when they were younger. She found herself smiling at the thought.
“I wanted to have more towels handy in case the pipe burst,” the petite woman with shoulder-length blond hair said as she walked into the kitchen with a big stack of bath towels in her arms. When she caught sight of Peyton, she stopped and stared, clearly surprised to see her. Eileen’s gaze drifted to Noah before going back to her. “Peyton! What are you doing here?”
Peyton smiled. “It’s a long, complicated story that we’ll tell you all about, but first, maybe we should let Noah deal with the leak.”
Eileen seemed like she would have preferred to hear that story, but finally hurried over to the kitchen table to put the stack of towels down. Then she reached out to give Peyton a big hug, her eyes darting back and forth between the two of them again, her expression a cross between curious and suspicious. “Okay. But if I find out you and Noah have been dating without telling me anything about it, I’m going to be mad!”
Noah’s eyes widened and he did a double take, clearly stunned at the direction his mom’s imagination had taken her. Which he shouldn’t be, since Eileen was always trying to play matchmaker.
“Whoa, Mom, slow down.” He held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “Peyton’s not my girlfriend. I’m her bodyguard.”
Peyton sighed. No way was Eileen going to let that go. So much for fixing the leak first.
Eileen’s gaze rested on Noah for a few moments before moving to Peyton and then back again, her face filled with disappointment, like she honestly had been hoping they were together. Which was silly. His mother had to realize she and Noah were way too different for that.
“Sorry for jumping to conclusions,” Eileen said, offering Peyton a small smile before her expression turned serious again. “But why do you need a bodyguard?”
Peyton started to answer but was interrupted as Noah stepped forward. “Mom, like Peyton said, we’ll tell you everything, but why don’t you show me the leak first? Before any of us drown, remember?”
The comment about drowning seemed to finally get through to his mother and Eileen snapped out of matchmaking mode only to go into a long explanation about how she’d come home from work to a dripping faucet and water pouring out of the cabinet under the sink.
Noah dropped his bag of tools on the tile floor and crouched down to open the cabinet and take a look under the sink. He’d barely gotten started when the front door banged open and Laurissa came storming into the kitchen followed by a tall woman in her mid-twenties with long, dark hair.
“I don’t have a clue what to do with a leaky sink, so I brought Tabitha with me for backup,” Laurissa said. “She’s totally into mechanical stuff.”
Laurissa chose that moment to notice there was someone else in the kitchen besides her mom, looking at Peyton in confusion for a second before glancing down at her brother leaning halfway into the cabinet under the sink. “Peyton? What are you guys doing here? Or more precisely, if Noah is here, why am I? He can obviously fix a leaky sink better than I can.”
“I called your brother first, but he claimed he was too busy working so I called you,” Eileen said. “Then a few minutes later, Noah called back, saying he’d changed his mind. I tried to reach you to say you didn’t have to come, but you never answered the phone. As far as Peyton, I’m as surprised to see her as you are. I wasn’t even aware they knew each other.”
Noah hadn’t bothered to crawl out of the cabinet, so Peyton figured it was left to her to explain what was going on. But then she caught sight of Tabitha staring at her with eyes as wide as saucers, face flushing like she was about to pass out.
“Oh. My. God,” the woman breathed. “You’re Peyton Matthews. The Peyton Matthews. You’re real.” She shot Laurissa an accusing look. “Some friend you are! Why didn’t you tell me you knew Peyton Matthews and that your brother is dating her?”
There was a loud thud from under the sink, immediately followed by a muttered curse. “Why does everyone think we’re dating?” he called out while continuing to work on the pipes under there. “Do I have a sign hanging around my neck or something?”
Peyton laughed, wondering for the second time why anyone would think that she and Noah would make a good couple. It was ludicrous.
“Yes, I know Peyton Matthews. We’ve been friends since college,” Laurissa said. “I never told you because it never came up in conversation. It’s not exactly something you slip into the middle of our morning rant
on The Bachelor. And no, my brother isn’t dating her. He’s her bodyguard.”
“You knew about this and didn’t tell me?” Eileen said, her expression changing from the surprise and confusion she’d displayed the first time around to something closer to downright irritation. “Why am I the last one to know?”
Ignoring both Laurissa and her mother, Peyton stepped forward to introduce herself to Tabitha, who was still staring at her with huge eyes, hoping that would forestall more conversation on why she needed a bodyguard. “Hi! You already know who I am, but to make it official, I’m Peyton. Nice to meet you.”
“This is my friend from work, Tabitha Turner,” Laurissa said when Tabitha only continued to stare.
“I absolutely love, love, love your books!” Tabitha finally managed, bouncing up and down excitedly.
Peyton laughed. It would be disconcerting if she wasn’t already used to fans doing it. She immediately went into author mode, asking Tabitha which books were her favorite and which characters she liked the most. Before long, Tabitha—and Laurissa—were rattling off titles and talking about the characters like they were real people. Which they were for most fans.
By the time Noah appeared from under the sink, apparently done with the leak, Peyton, Laurissa, and Tabitha were busy taking selfies with each other.
“I know you guys will tag me, but let me get some with my phone, too,” Peyton said, grabbing her purse. She rummaged through it for a moment, frowning when she couldn’t find it. “Well, crap. I hope I didn’t leave it somewhere. I’m always doing that.” She looked at Noah. “Can I use your phone to take the picture?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He pulled his cell out of his pocket and handed it to her, then started putting his tools away in his bag. From the corner of her eye, she could see him looking her way as she snapped a few photos of herself, Laurissa, and Tabitha. When she was finished, she quickly emailed herself the photos. Then, figuring he wouldn’t mind, she quickly downloaded the Find My Phone app. A moment later, a map came up on the screen.
“Just as I thought.” She handed the phone back to him with a smile. “I left my cell at home. Sometimes I think I’d leave my head behind if it wasn’t attached. Everything good with the leak?”
“The threat of everyone drowning has been neutralized,” he said with a laugh as he wiped his hands on one of the towels Eileen has left on the table. “Just had to tighten the nut on the shutoff valve. Give me a minute or two to get everything cleaned up and we can get out of here.”
Peyton had absolutely no idea what Noah was taking about when it came to the plumbing, but she recognized he wanted to bail before his mom could ask too many questions. Unfortunately, Eileen picked up on that plan as quickly as Peyton did.
“Noah, you and Peyton must stay for dinner,” his mother said. “I have a crockpot full of white chili and there’s more there than I could ever eat. Laurissa, you and Tabitha stay as well. It’s been a while since we’ve all been together for a meal.”
Peyton certainly wouldn’t mind some of Eileen’s famous chili, but a covert glance in Noah’s direction showed him shaking his head, obviously not wanting to hang around to be cross examined by his mother.
“Thanks, Mom, but—” he began, only to have Tabitha of all people cut him off.
“Noah, you and Peyton have to stay,” Laurissa’s friend said imploringly. “Please say you’ll stay for dinner. I have so much I want to talk to Peyton about.”
Noah glanced at Peyton, who eagerly nodded, before turning to his mother. “Okay, we’ll stay. If you’re sure it isn’t any trouble.”
His mother smiled broadly. “It’s no trouble at all. Go put those tools away and wash up. Laurissa, can you and Tabitha please set the table while Peyton helps me make some cornbread?”
Peyton had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing as Noah walked away to clean up, looking for all the world like he expected nothing but trouble out of this evening.
She’d seen Eileen cook dinner plenty of times but was still amazed at how fast the woman got a big sheet of cornbread drop biscuits into the oven. Peyton was supposed to be helping, but she didn’t do much more than measure a few ingredients and stir when Eileen instructed.
While Laurissa and Tabitha set the table, and the cornbread baked, Eileen busied herself with adding a few extra spices to the crockpot. The smell was incredible, and Peyton would have been jealous of Eileen’s skills in the kitchen if she didn’t get a chance to eat her food so often.
“So, how long has Noah been staying at your place?” Eileen asked softly as she stirred a little more cumin into the chili.
“Since last night. The publisher wants him to stay until the next book is turned in, so at least two weeks. Maybe more.”
Peyton wasn’t sure where Eileen was going with this and wondered if maybe she should wait until Noah was with her before saying anything more.
“Two weeks.” Eileen glanced at her. “That’s a long time to have somebody you don’t know hanging around your house. I guess that means you’re comfortable having him around?”
“Oh, yes!” That was louder than she intended, giving the way Laurissa and Tabitha suddenly looked over. “I mean, he’s easy to be around,” she added in a softer voice. “He makes me feel safe. I’ve definitely slept better than I have in a while, especially considering the stress I’m under with this deadline.”
“It probably helps that he’s not hard to look at,” Eileen murmured casually, throwing a pinch of salt in the crockpot and mixing it in.
Peyton felt her face heat. She opened her mouth to deny everything, but the words wouldn’t come. “I suppose I’d be lying if I said looking at him was a hardship. Your son is sinfully attractive.”
She blushed even more. Had those words really just come out of her mouth? This was Noah’s mom she was talking to!
“You’d be good for him.” Eileen gave the chili one more stir, then placed the lid back on the pot. “He needs someone like you in his life, even if he doesn’t know it yet. Being with a SEAL isn’t easy, but something tells me that you can handle it.”
Peyton froze. Crap, this conversation had suddenly gotten very serious, very quickly. She started to say things weren’t moving anywhere in that direction, but the expression on Eileen’s face stopped her.
“Are you in danger?” Eileen asked softly, throwing a quick look at Laurissa and Tabitha before lowering her voice even more. “Is that why Noah didn’t want to stay over for dinner?”
Peyton glanced at Tabitha. She liked to think Tabitha wouldn’t spread anything she heard here tonight, but none of this was stuff her publisher would want to get out to the general public. Before she could figure out how to answer the question, Noah was at her side, eyeing the two of them suspiciously, as if he’d somehow known they were talking about something serious.
“Your mom wants to know if I’m in danger,” Peyton said softly. “And I thought you’d rather tell her the story now, instead of while we’re eating dinner with Tabitha.”
“I’d rather not tell her at all,” Noah said shortly. “But since I know she won’t stop badgering us if I don’t, I guess I don’t have a whole lot of choice.”
Eileen laughed as she turned the light on in the oven and bent down to check on the cornbread through the window. “That’s true.”
Peyton mostly listened as Noah quickly explained the situation, only adding details when Eileen specifically asked for them. She didn’t want to worry Noah’s mother, but the longer they talked, the more concerned Eileen looked.
“Is it safe at your house?” Eileen asked softly, pulling the cornbread out and transferring the little biscuits to a serving basket. “Would it be better if the two of you stayed here with me?”
Noah frowned. “Thanks for the offer, Mom. Really. But if I thought I couldn’t keep Peyton safe at her place, I definitely wouldn’t bring her here and put you at risk, too. If we need to go somewhere else, it’ll be to a place no one can get near her, much less fin
d her.”
From the look on Eileen’s face, it was obvious she didn’t like that idea at all. But she bit her tongue and nodded, then headed toward the table with the cornbread, motioning at Noah to bring the chili.
He took the ceramic pot from its heating element, glancing at Peyton as he set it on a metal trey in the shape of a chicken. “Hope I didn’t scare you with all that talk of moving you to someplace you couldn’t be found. I would never do that unless I really had to, if it means keeping you safe.”
She reached out and put her hand on his arm, feeling the corded muscles beneath her fingers. It was difficult to describe the comfort she felt having him this close. “You didn’t scare me. The opposite in fact. It’s nice knowing I have somebody who’d do anything necessary to keep me safe.”
He gazed down at her warmly, and for a moment, Peyton thought he was going to kiss her. And despite the belief that they were two different to ever get together, she was more than ready to let him. Even if it was right in the middle of his mom’s kitchen.
But then Laurissa and Tabitha were calling out from the table, telling them to hurry up with the food, and the moment was gone.
“You ready to have dinner with Tabitha, the super fan?” Noah asked, a grin replacing the intense look that had been there mere seconds before as he picked up the tray. “Something tells me she’s going to talk your ear off tonight.”
Peyton laughed. “I’m not too worried about that. There’s a reason I have two of them.”
CHAPTER SIX
IT WAS WELL after ten by the time Noah pulled his SUV into the driveway of Peyton’s home and turned off the engine. It was only then that he realized how tired he was. And that his ears were actually ringing a little bit. Turns out Tabitha could be really loud when she was excited about something.
