Page 66 of All of Him
“Come to Ireland with me in January. Please,” he said more slowly.
I let a smile curve on my face, then tilted my head.
“I don’t know how it’s going to go, but I want you there if something happens. Manda, please.”
“I…” I started, still grinning, though not sure what to say. Especially since I’d literally just realized the extent of my feelings for him.
“Amanda?” he asked one more time.
“Okay,” I answered, unsure if it was a responsible decision. “I’ll come with you to Ireland.”
“How long will we be there?” I asked Noah later that night by his fireplace.
“Five days okay?”
I sat on the opposite end of the couch but still faced him, swirling my wine. I nodded and took a sip, not letting my eyes wander from his face. He’d showered since playing the piano for me, and I could smell every bit of body wash he’d used. It was difficult, but I still managed to hold myself back from moving closer to him.
“This is wild,” I said. “I’m really excited, but I’m also terrified to meet your ex.”
“You’re prettier,” he deadpanned.
I raised my eyebrows and downed the rest of my wine.
“I’ve seen a picture, and I have to disagree.”
Noah shrugged and finished his own glass. My dad had gifted Noah the wine a few weeks prior for finishing the first floor, but we hadn’t gotten to it. I was feeling it warm my core and lower my inhibitions drastically. Noah seemed to be affected in the same way.
“You are a ten. She was a nine. That’s my honest opinion,” he said, chuckling.
I wasn’t sure if he wasreallybeing honest, but my heart fluttered nonetheless.
“I’ve really warmed up to you, Manda.”
I laughed with him and grabbed the wine to pour some more into my glass. Noah held his out as well, and I poured the remainder of the bottle into it.
“Your compliments are nice,” I admitted. “But last night was weird, right?”
Noah took a sip of his wine and bit his lip, which was stained dark red. I wanted to lean over across the couch, crawl onto his lap, and kiss the wine stains away.
Not good, not good.
“Very weird,” he finally agreed, a laugh obviously bubbling up. “Just like you.”
36
Noah
AMANDA SHOT ME THEmiddle finger jokingly from across the couch. I had to admit, the wine was doing things to me that I hadn’t expected. Between the first fire in my fireplace and the way her hair fell into her face, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to hold back from pulling her into a bear hug.
“Are you looking forward to meeting Jackson?”
“No,” I admitted, my negative attitude coming out to her for the first time in weeks. “Why would I be excited to meet the product of my cheating ex and dead brother’s affair?”
Amanda raised her hands in defense, and I softened my expression.
“Look,” she started, “if I’m going to be your support system, I need to know what to expect. Is Morgan a bitch? Is she nice? What will she think of me?”
“What do you mean, what will she think of you?” I shot back, putting my glass on the coffee table. “You’re the best thing to happen to me since I moved back. I don’t fucking care what my cheating ex-girlfriend thinks of you!”
