Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 56799 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56799 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 227(@250wpm)___ 189(@300wpm)
“Morning,” he rumbled, once he had her positioned where he wanted her.
She couldn’t help but smile. “Morning.” She lay her head on his chest, soaking in his warmth.
“What’s on your agenda for today?” he asked, twirling her hair in his finger.
“Well, I have to be at work around noon, but we have help now, so I feel a little more flexible and less panicked. I would like to check on Clara. Other than that, not much. How about you?”
“I am going to take advantage of my free morning before I have to go get the twins and catch up on some paperwork.”
“And after?”
“I thought if the forecast is still on the warmer side, I’d ask the girls if they want to go to the zoo. Give Dakota some time to spout her little-known facts about certain species,” he said with a chuckle.
She smiled, then splayed her hand on his chest. “You’re such a good dad.”
“It wasn’t easy at first,” he murmured. “But you know what they say, parenting doesn’t come with a manual. You get thrown into the deep end and you have no choice but to swim because that baby relies on you for everything.”
“Or in your case, babies, plural.”
He let out a chuckle. “True. But then they become little people with personalities, and it’s easier to know what might make them happy.”
“Like the zoo.”
“Like the zoo,” he agreed. He grew quiet and she left him to his thoughts but the silence became prolonged.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked.
He lifted the other shoulder. “Just that these are the things their mother is missing out on. Taking them to the zoo. Going ice skating in Central Park closer to the holidays. And if she’s missing out, so are the girls.”
Fallon sighed. “I can’t say I know what it’s like to be a mom.” Though she hoped to one day. “But I imagine she’s torn between a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to follow her dreams, and the twins. I’ve never met her but Dakota and Dylan are very well-adjusted kids. That’s due to your joint parenting. Everyone will be fine,” she assured him.
“Anyone ever tell you you’re pretty wise for someone so young?”
“My brothers call me a wise-ass, does that count?”
He chuckled and they settled back into their own thoughts, leaving Fallon to realize he’d confided in her about his fears for the girls. Oh, he’d mentioned it before, but she’d heard the deeper worry behind the words and was grateful she could be here to soothe his concerns, something Ezra had never let her do.
He’d pat her on the head and minimize her own worries but he never confided in her about his deepest feelings. Noah’s ability to tap into his emotions and be vulnerable made him more of a stand-up guy than anyone she’d known in the past. Definitely more than her ex. Noah Powers was his own man and she appreciated everything about him.
They must have dozed back to sleep because she woke again, this time to the ringing of her cell phone in the other room.
“I’ll grab it.” Noah levered his big body up and strode out of room, unabashedly nude.
She took the time to admire the view.
“Like what you see?” he asked with a smirk on his handsome face. Even with bedhead and a scruff of beard on his face, he was the best-looking man she’d ever seen.
“I take the Fifth. Your ego is big enough.”
He tossed the phone onto the bed and she picked it up and glanced at the screen. She didn’t recognize the number but the message left made her freeze.
“What’s wrong?”
“It was the police. The gallery was vandalized,” she said, already scrambling out of bed, her mind on the valuable, irreplaceable artwork inside.
“Jump in the shower, I’ll be right there. Then I’ll take you over.”
Shivering and numb, she did as Noah suggested, taking a quick shower, then ceding the bathroom to him. All the while she was grateful that however bad this was, she wouldn’t have to face it alone.
* * *
Noah drove them to the gallery and parked in a spot across the street. Yellow police tape prevented them from entering. Fallon approached the officer on duty and explained she worked there.
He let them walk inside.
“Oh my God!” Fallon placed a hand over her open mouth, horror dripping from her words as she took in the scene.
Noah wrapped an arm around her waist and led her to one of the barstools set up in the corner. She sat down, her breathing heavy, as she obviously tried to come to terms with the destruction.
“Oliver!” she exclaimed, and jumped out of her seat.
Noah turned and caught sight of Clara’s son walking toward them.
“Fallon. How did you know to be here?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
“I’m on the emergency list. Where’s Clara?”
“Right here,” her boss said, as she slowly made her way from the back room.