Page 26 of Her Noble Protector
“I’m serious about those baby names too. We gon’ have a starting lineup of babies made with love.”
“Sounds good.”
I didn’t want to ruin our last few moments together, so I kept a smile plastered on my face. My mind raced with worries, but I let go and prayed about it.
Despite all our sins, I begged God to keep Noble safe.
17 dayslater
“Where is he, Daddy?” I asked as I pushed through the door of his office. Respect and formalities were the least of my concerns. I needed answers, and I needed themnow.
“Good morning to you too, baby girl.”
My nerves were bad. I hadn’t had a good night’s sleep in almost three weeks. Three long weeks of worrying about where Noble was. Three long weeks of wondering how he was doing. Three long weeks of feeling my body go through changes I was too scared to confirm on my own.
“It’s not a good morning, though. It hasn’t been since Noble went out into the world and cut contact with me. He has to be reporting back to you. Where is he, and when is he cominghome?” I paced the office floor as I fiddled with my acrylic nails. The clicking sound offered faux comfort in the moment.
“You really love him, huh?”
“Yes. I’m going to marry him. We’ll probably even elope as soon as he returns to me. Now, can you tell me where he is?” I begged. My voice betrayed me as it cracked with hidden emotions.
Daddy stood from behind his desk and closed the distance between us. He pulled me into his strong arms and hugged me tightly. I unraveled in his embrace. The nerves got the best of me, and tears poured from my eyes like a broken faucet. I shook with pure fear.
The man I wanted to spend forever with could be dead somewhere. He could be fighting for his life with no one there to save him. I needed him home. I needed him in my arms.
“Shh.” Daddy rubbed my back.
We stayed like this until my sobs turned to soft whimpers. Daddy took a step back and looked into my teary eyes.
“Noble sends weekly updates. The last update came on Thursday of last week. They killed the man in prison. There is an entire army of soldiers looking for Noble. He’s lying low and waiting for the best time to strike the current leader of the mafia. When he does, the rest of the men and women will fall in line with Noble’s command. He assures me the only option is to disband all parts of the organization so no one feels the need to come after us again.”
“This is too much, Daddy. I didn’t know your job was this damn complicated.” I crossed my arms over my chest and pouted.
“I underestimated the power some of these men hold in the crime world. I promise you I will be more cautious in the future when handling dangerous criminals.”
“Do you know how long this is going to take?”
“It could take anywhere from another week or up to a month?—”
“A month!” I cut him off.
“Clearing up crime families isn’t a walk in the park. We can’t do a montage and miraculously get through the hard shit fast. This isn’t a movie or limited series. This is real life, and shit takes time.”
“Okay. Guess I’ll just continue to wait on bated breath for the love of my life to return. Hopefully my heart can take being away from my soulmate for this long with no contact.”
“You’re more than welcome to stay in the manor until he gets back.”
I scrunched up my nose. “Please. I do not want to be anywhere near this place after dark.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Sir, you’re not discreet in the women you parade around here.”
He frowned. “How do you know about my women?”
“I know everything.” I chuckled.
“I’ll ask the girls to keep me company at my place instead.”
