by Shandi Boyes
Saving Noah
Shandi Boyes
Edited by
Mountains Wanted Publishing
Illustrated by
SSB Designs
Contents
Saving Noah
Praise for Saving Noah
Play List
Dedication
Also by Shandi Boyes
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Epilogue
Also by Shandi Boyes
Acknowledgments
@ Shandi Boyes
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Editing: Mountains Wanted Publishing
Cover: SSB Designs
Photograph: Shutter Stock
On paper, Noah Taylor appears to have the perfect life: good looks, a gifted voice, and a multi-platinum record deal in the works.
In reality, expectations exceed actualities, and disappointments are constant.
Everyone he’s ever cared about has left him, so what happens when he attracts a girl who sees through the shield others can’t? He fights the pull; he tells himself no—but sometimes fate can’t wake you from one nightmare without first trapping you in another.
With love on his side, can Noah survive the next devastating event in his life? Or will he discover no amount of dreaming will help him escape his reality?
You will laugh and you will cry, but the story of Noah Taylor will stay with you forever.
Saving Noah is a heart-clutching, ugly-cry rockstar romance that will break your heart before slowly piecing it back together. It is a standalone with no cliffhangers and a guaranteed HEA! Tissues are recommended.
Saving Noah was originally published as two books, Perception of Life and Reality of Life. They have been extensively re-written, re-edited and re-covered.
Saving Noah had me feeling EVERY emotion. A roller coaster ride of epic proportions full of ups and downs. Beautifully brutal!
— Elizabeth W, Amazon Reviewer
I loved this story with all the laughter, ugly crying for a good half hour and the sweet resolution and coming together! The steamy scenes make you wish you were his Emily.
— Anne Young Cronister, Amazon reviewer
Saving Noah was a riveting read touching on all the realities of grief including the pain and depression hidden by so many people when experiencing tragedy. The amazing strength of Noah and Emily's romance as it evolves and what they endure brings out so many emotions it is worth having a box of tissues as you embark on this emotional journey with them.
— Mandy R, Amazon Reviewer.
Dancing On My Own — Calum Scott
Like I’m Gonna Lose You — Meghan Trainor & John Legend
Jar of Hearts — Christina Perri
Little Did You Know — Alex & Sierra
Lost Boy — Ruth B
Always — Bon Jovi
Under Your Scars — Godsmack
I Can’t Fall in Love Without You — Zara Larsson
Angel — Sarah McLachlan
Jealous — Labrinth
Lips Of An Angel — Hinder
You Are The Reason — Calum Scott
Someone You Loved — Lewis Capaldi
My one and only,
our four little gentlemen,
and one little lady.
Also by Shandi Boyes
Perception Series - New Adult Rock star Romance
Saving Noah
Fighting Jacob
Taming Nick
Redeeming Slater
Wrapped Up with Rise Up (Novella)
Enigma Series - Steamy Contemporary Romance
Enigma of Life - (Isaac)
Unraveling an Enigma - (Isaac)
Enigma: The Mystery Unmasked - (Isaac)
Enigma: The Final Chapter - (Isaac)
Beneath the Secrets - (Hugo - Part 1)
Beneath the Sheets - (Hugo Conclusion)
Spy Thy Neighbor (Hunter - standalone)
The Opposite Effect - (Brax & Clara)
I Married a Mob Boss - (Rico - Nikolai’s Brother)
Second Shot (Hawke’s Story)
The Way We Are (Ryan Pt 1)
The Way We Were (Ryan Pt 2)
Sugar and Spice (Cormack)
Bound Series - Steamy Romance & slight BDSM
Chains (Marcus and Cleo)
Links (Marcus and Cleo)
Bound (Marcus and Cleo)
Restrained (Marcus and Cleo)
Psycho (Dexter)
Russian Mob Chronicles
Nikolai: A Mafia Prince Romance
Nikolai: Taking Back What’s Mine
Nikolai: What’s Left of Me
Nikolai: Mine to Protect
Asher: My Russian Revenge
Infinite Time Trilogy
Lady In Waiting (Regan)
Man in Queue (Regan)
Couple on Hold (Regan)
Standalones
Just Playin’ (Presley and Willow)
COMING SOON:
Skitzo
Colby
Chapter 1
Noah
Do you believe in love at first sight? No, me either. If you knew my best friend Jacob, you’d understand why I’m skeptical. Sure, you could meet a girl you find cute, hot, or sexy as hell. You may even develop a severe case of lust, but love? Come on!
Despite my belief that insta-love doesn’t exist, I’m being forced to endure Jacob's fifth love connection in the past six months.
No, you didn't hear me wrong.
In just the past six months, Jacob has thought he’s been in love five times. Don't get me wrong, Jacob is a great guy—he’s been my friend since the sixth grade and has been there for me in more ways than I deserve the pa
st four years—but the instant the varnish fades on his shiny new relationships, he hits the brake and starts fucking running.
Being the third wheel tonight hasn't been too bad. Jacob's current love interest, Lola, is a waitress at Mavericks Bar. Mavs is a standard dime-a-dozen establishment that's seen better days. Mercifully, its rundown condition hasn’t deterred the locals. It’s a favorite of theirs almost every night of the week. If the guarantee of the coldest beverages in town doesn’t entice them back, the live band its owner, Ollie, schedules each night will keep the cobwebs from spreading from its rusty wrought-iron ceiling to its cracked wooden barstools.
My group Rise Up recently scored the coveted Friday night spot after spending two years playing the dreaded Tuesday night schedule. Our gig doesn't pay well, but we're supplied with unlimited beer and are approved to perform two original songs a night.
My band has what it takes to make it big; we just need more exposure. If playing for peanuts at our local bar gives us that, then that’s what we’ll do. Once the right person hears our music, they’ll sign us to a big, lucrative contract. It's that easy.
Unfortunately, it’s taking a lot fucking longer than we initially thought.
My eyes lift from the hideous floral sofa I’m sitting on when Lola giggles. “Seriously, Jacob.” She slaps him on the chest, her hit playful.
Even though he looks out of place in this cozy living room, things appear to be going well for Jacob tonight. He’s the size of a bear—I don't mean the cuddly type. It’s lucky he isn’t hairy, or he would have been shot, gutted, and mounted in a hunter’s gaming room by now.
His six-foot-five height is made out of pure muscle—muscle that requires him to sweat it out a minimum of three hours a day in the gym. Anything that takes that much effort isn't something I'd commit to; that's asking too much. I've never committed to anything long-term, except my band, and that isn't set to change anytime soon.
I divert my attention back to Lola so I can scan her curvy frame. She holds all the attributes required to spark an interest from Jacob. He’s predictable when it comes to the girls he dates: Barbie dolls with large chests, pretty faces, and air for brains. Lola has honeycomb shoulder-length hair with a few curls in it. Her complexion is creamy and smooth, and she has a nice rack she clearly likes to display. Her Mavs shirt is so clingy, it looks as if she painted it on.
When my hooded gaze strays back to her face, I catch her murderous glare. She’s snarling at me, unappreciative that I was ogling her breasts. I give her a cheeky wink. I’ve been busted, so there’s no reason to deny it.
Lola shakes her head, praying it will hide the smile etching onto her mouth. It doesn’t. She’s as playful as the hand Jacob’s trying to sneak up her skirt. Even sitting, Jacob towers over Lola. That’s not hard. He has the height advantage in any relationship... unless he’s dating a female Bigfoot. They’re an attractive couple, but I’ve learned not to look too far ahead in any relationship Jacob gets caught up in because they never last long.
That’s when I step in. I console his broken heart with a handful of beers and a couple of rounds in the boxing ring, then once he has recovered, he embarks on his next romantic endeavor. And thus begins the vicious cycle of Jacob’s love life.
I stop inwardly chuckling when Jacob’s thick drawl snags my attention. "We better head out. You ready?"
"Sure am.”
I jump up, eager to stretch my weary legs. It’s been a long night, and the free beer I guzzled down is catching up with me. “Once you break the seal, you can't stop it,” was something my dad always said, but there’s no way I’ll make it the thirty miles home before the seal needs to be cracked, so I may as well crack it now.
“Is it okay if I hit the can before we leave?"
My question steals Lola’s attention away from Jacob, who’s no longer sneaking a hand up her skirt. He’s somehow managed to get Lola straddling his lap without the chair collapsing in a heap beneath them.
"Sure, it's down the hall on the left," Lola replies in between kissing Jacob.
Gagging, I head for the hall, preparing my eyes for the burn of soap. A hearty scrub may be the only way I can remove the image of them dry humping from my memory bank.
Lola’s girly giggle jingles in my ears when I enter the hallway. It's the quintessential hallway every middle class family in America has. It’s done in a two-tone effect with fancy wood paneling at the bottom and floral wallpaper on the top.
I stop to gawk at some photos halfway down. The pictures reveal Lola has three siblings: two brothers and a sister. Next to the random family snaps is a large family portrait proudly displayed in a gold-leaf frame. This photo appears to have been professionally taken. Everyone is wearing matching outfits, with Lola sitting in the middle. If I had to guess her age, I’d say she’s just shy of her teen years.
Even with a mouthful of metal, her smile beams out of her. Tiny freckles adorn her pointed-up nose, and her sun-bleached hair is a shade lighter than its current color. Although she looks different now than she did in this photo, no matter how hard she tried—and I'm reasonably sure she'd try—she could never deny it’s her.
After suppressing my laughter with a quick swallow, I appraise the portrait with more diligence. Sitting next to Lola is a girl a few years younger. She has the same sun-lightened hair, but her skin isn’t creamy like Lola’s. She has an enticing olive complexion. Both girl’s locks are styled similarly: long, straight bobs with bangs teased up high.
I want to say that’s the worst of the travesty.
Unfortunately, it isn’t.
Lola’s brothers’ blond locks are spiked so high they look like they stuck their fingers in a light socket. The portrait screams 90s rock and roll with the four children wearing matching pinstriped overalls.
No longer capable of containing my laughter, my chuckle echoes down the hall. I feel its shudder down my arm when my hand delves into my pocket to yank out my phone. I want proof of my newly discovered treasure so I can tease Jacob about it later tonight. He thought he hit the jackpot with Lola. This photo may change his mind.
My hand freezes halfway out my pocket when a singsong voice questions, “Is there something funny about my family?"
Busted—again!
While turning to face the voice, I strive to wipe the amused expression off my face. My jaw drops when my gaze meets a pair of stunning brown eyes staring at me. The young beauty’s exotic eyes are complemented by the same upturned nose Lola has, but her lips are fuller and plumper. Unlike Lola's creamy complexion, this brunette has flawless olive skin. She’s petite, but the Red Devils football jersey she’s wearing as a dress reveals she has curves in all the right places.
When she notices me drinking in her long, tanned legs, she crosses them before giving me a curious smirk. I reward her unsure smile with a frisky wink. She doesn’t respond to my tease as Lola did. She’s not frightened, more curious than anything.
After closing the gap between us, I offer her my hand to shake. “Noah."
She snubs my gesture, but it does little to dampen the excitement zapping down my spine. Although she’s acting unaffected by my presence, her dazzling eyes give away her true feelings. She likes what she sees just as much as I do.
She seems a couple of years younger than Lola and much more timid, but she’s the first girl in a long time to spark an interest out of me, and no, I don’t just mean for a one-night stand.
Ignoring the awkwardness thickening the air, I attempt to ignite a conversation. “I was looking for the bathroom?"
When she glances past my shoulder, I drink in the rest of her features. Her long, shiny locks sit just above the small of her back, and her face is radiant and fresh even without an ounce of makeup. It’s unusual to meet a girl without a face full of makeup these days, but when you have natural beauty like this girl does, why cover it up with chemical-filled enhancements?
Her high cheekbones grow even more alluring when a hue of pink creeps across them. I’m abo
ut to ask what has caused her roused expression, but her question takes care of my inquisitiveness. “Are you Lola's current squeeze?"
"No," I emphasize with a chuckle.
Lola is beautiful, but she isn't my type. If I had a type, she'd have long brunette hair and pouty lips on a beautiful makeup-free face.
"I'm here with my friend Jacob; he’s dropping Lola home from work.”
After her eyes float up from the floor, I gaze into them. I don’t know what she sees reflecting back at her, but her lips part and her cheekbones rise before a breathtakingly beautiful smile morphs onto her face.
Holy shit-cakes!
I thought this girl was beautiful, but she just turned into an absolute stunner. I don't know whether she needed braces like Lola, but she has perfectly straight teeth, and when she smiles, her eyes shine like diamonds.
