Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Lu

In my mind, I had a highlight reel of memories from the Fall Festival from the time I was tiny—four or five years old—until my mom passed away when I was fifteen. I'd attended in recent years too, usually with Cody. And a couple of years ago Emma visited and went with us.

But the year I turned ten really stuck out in my mind.

I hadn't been invited to a sleepover birthday party for one of the girls in my class. I remembered feeling completely devastated that I'd been left out. But my mom had done her best to cheer me up. She'd even done a fancy fishtail braid on my long hair. When she and Dad took me to the Fall Festival on the same weekend, they'd ridden rides with me and played carnival games. They definitely spent more money than they should have to keep me entertained and pull me out of my rejection funk.

At some point during our visit to the farm, we'd run into all the girls from my class who'd been invited to the sleepover that night. They wore matching tee shirts and gathered around the entrance to the corn maze. Most of the girls said hi and a few of them even asked me to join them and go through the maze together.

A part of me had wanted to abandon my parents and have fun with my friends. Probably the part that was desperate to be included. But I knew not everyone—the birthday girl specifically—wanted me there. And when I'd turned back to see my mom with a worried frown on her face, I knew that I'd rather be with her and my dad anyway. They'd loved me enough to try to cheer me up and make something special out of the day.

I'd spent the remainder of the Fall Festival making s'mores at the bonfire with my parents, grateful I had two people who loved me so much.

Not to say I didn't have typical kid moments of being an unappreciative little shit. But on that day, I was happy. We were happy.

And I was so ridiculously excited to take Noah around at the Fall Festival and introduce him to one of my favorite Cozy Creek celebrations.

It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon in October. The air was crisp and cool—perfect for the black-and-white houndstooth scarf I had wrapped around my neck.

I stood on the sidewalk next to my building, waiting. I could have stayed inside the apartment, but this was more fun. Reminiscent of our first encounter, I sipped an iced coffee. Except this time, I had a second drink in my hand as the baby-blue Bronco turned into the parking lot.

Noah stopped beside me, the window already rolled down. "What's up, Louisiana Hot Sauce?"

I grinned. "Ohhhh. I like that one. Wait, is that because I rocked your world last night?"

His lips twitched. "Yes. And because you spice up my life. Come on, we have a hot date. I have a tractor to drive."

My grin went nowhere as Noah hopped out, accepted his drink, and opened the passenger door for me.

I shoved my purse down by my feet before I gave him a sympathetic look and replied, "You know they don't actually let you drive the tractor. You ride in a long trailer connected to the back. They just scatter some hay on the seats and call it a hayride."

He'd been driving slowly through the half-empty parking lot when he stopped the vehicle abruptly at my words. "What? I was promised a tractor. That's it. We're not going."

I laughed as he put the SUV in reverse and looked over his shoulder to back up.

We made it a few feet before he stopped and put the Bronco in drive again, shooting me a smile. I thought back to that first Huber ride. When he was so cautious and careful with me, distrustful and fighting his amusement. Now, sprawled in the driver's seat with his gray flannel and dark jeans, Noah looked relaxed and . . . happy.

I'd been so determined to see him settled in Cozy Creek. I'd encouraged him to branch out into the community, introducing him to people and taking him to different restaurants. All along, I'd wanted to be the friend he needed—a person here who he could count on.

His hair was longer and his smiles genuine, the tense line of his shoulders giving way to relief. He looked more at ease than I'd ever seen him. More Noah—the real Noah. And the very scary truth was that I was happy too. So happy spending our time together. Living this life with him. It was new, sure, but this thing between us felt right. Like Noah Cooper was meant to be a part of my life. A huge part.

I knew he'd think that was silly. That I was being fanciful or that fate didn't work like that, especially with how he'd ended up in Cozy Creek in the first place. But, deep down, I knew that Noah was mine, and I was his. And this was all just the beginning.

"Why are you staring at me like that? Did you poison my coffee?"

Resisting the urge to laugh, I deadpanned, "Just calculating how much I can get for your organs."

His laughter shot out of him, easy and free. Amusement lingered in his hazel eyes for a long time.

I loved when I caught him off guard like that. Those moments of freedom were growing more and more frequent. I sincerely hoped he always felt safe with me, like he was able to lower that drawbridge so I could get across the moat protecting his heart.

"Here," he said, passing me his phone. "Pick some music."

Grinning, I took the phone from him. My thumb must have bumped the notes app while we made the transfer because a little yellow digital sticky note popped up on the screen.

I shouldn't have looked. It was an invasion of privacy. But my brain was slowly registering what made up the list, and I couldn't have looked away if the phone caught fire.

Lucille Ball

Luella De Vil

Louie Anderson

Lou Bega

Louie Armstrong

Lu-ke Skywalker

. . .

My eyes went wide, and I glanced at Noah. His gaze was focused on the road, so I quickly turned my attention back to his phone. I closed the notes app and opened his music to find a playlist he'd made.

"Why are you smiling like that? Did you pick a boy band to torture me with?"

I startled in my seat, but my ridiculous grin stayed put. He was too sweet. Too precious for this world. He had a list of nicknames on his phone. Nicknames for me.

My heart might actually burst.

"No boy bands," I promised. "Just happy."

"Me too, Lewey Decimal System." His hazel eyes lingered on my face for a moment before sliding back to the highway. But he was still smiling too.

The remainder of the ride to the farm was comfortable as we sipped our drinks and listened to Noah's playlist.

We parked in a field with locals and tourists alike. A big archway at the entrance to the farm was flanked on either side by hay bales, corn stalks, sunflowers, and pumpkins in all shapes and sizes. Halloween was at the end of the month. Maybe Noah would want to pick some up from the pumpkin patch on our way out and carve them together. Main Street always hosted trick-or-treating, and I set up my DeLuLu Designs booth in the town square and handed out candy with the other local businesses and shop owners. And maybe we could do that together too.

Forcing myself to holster those rampant thoughts, I smiled as I took in the Fall Festival in all its glory. I loved it here, even with so many people milling about. It made me think of coming here as a kid, high on excitement and swinging on the arms of my parents. We'd ridden the rides and eaten junk food and had the best time. This autumn event was intrinsically tied to memories of my mom. There was no way I'd ever skip it. And I was pretty excited to share this part of Cozy Creek and myself with Noah.

He handed over our tickets to the teenager in the entrance booth and reached for my hand. "Okay, expert. Where to first? Teach me your ways."

I grinned and led him toward the row of carnival games.

An hour later, I wore a hat made of colorful balloons twisted together by the local balloon artist as I scanned the entrance to the farm. Noah had a stuffed sloth that I'd won in the ring toss game around his neck with the Velcro hands firmly latched in front of his throat. I'd named it Paloma and told him to treasure it always.

"Cody just texted," I told him. "Are you sure you don't mind if he hangs out for a bit? He has work this evening, so he can't stay long."

"Why would I mind?" Noah frowned. "He's your best friend, and so far, our only interaction was him bossing me around. It's like he's my best friend already too."

My laughter choked off as I spotted Cody coming our way. "Oh my God."

Noah stood next to me. "Is he wearing . . .?"

"Yeah," I managed while wheezing.

"Hey, y'all!" Cody cried out when he reached us. "Why are you breathing like that?" He turned to Noah as I bent over. "What did you do to her?"

"Nothing, man," Noah managed. "Good to see you."

I finally straightened and wiped my eyes. "Why are you dressed like that?"

My friend stood tall in black cowboy boots, tight dark-wash denim, a pale green shirt with pearl snap buttons, and perched on the top of his head, a straw cowboy hat.

Cody made a face. "I'm festive."

"Cowboys are not fall-specific," I argued. "They exist year-round."

"Maybe I wanted to nab myself a rancher from Montana!"

Noah cleared his throat. "Well, those would be the jeans to do it in."

"Thank. You," Cody replied pointedly as if that had been a compliment.

I reached forward and hugged my friend. "God, I love you. You're amazing."

Cody sniffed. "I know it." But his arms closed around me, and I breathed in his familiar cologne.

Pulling back, I asked him, "What do you want to do? I know you don't have long before you need to go to work."

I really wanted Noah and Cody to get along today. They both meant so much to me, and they'd gotten off to a weird start when Cody had forced us to talk and get our shit together. These two were the most important people in my life, so today's gathering was a big deal.

"Did you do the corn maze or the hayride yet?"

"Nope," Noah answered. "We rode some rides and played some games. Lu inhaled a funnel cake. That's about it."

I whacked Noah in the stomach. "I offered you some of that funnel cake."

Cody snorted. "Yeah, right. He would have lost a finger."

And then my boyfriend and my best friend cracked up and high-fived, and I wasn't even a little mad about it.

We spent the next thirty minutes bickering our way through the corn maze. I used my phone to find the map on the farm's website and left them to it for some bonding. Using the extra time once I'd reached the exit, I went over and grabbed some cotton candy from a nearby cart. I was waiting on a bench when they emerged—high-fiving again like ridiculous bros—and spotted me with my snack.

"Time for the hayride, LuLu," Cody called out as they approached.

Noah leaned over and snatched a bite of cotton candy out of my hand before kissing me on the lips. He tasted sugar-sweet and something about the public display of affection had me smiling like a goof. And when he grinned back just as widely, my stomach gave a helpful flip. I ignored the gagging face Cody was making in the background.

We walked toward the rear of the property, where a group gathered to wait for the next hayride behind a thin rope barrier. Noah spotted a few members of the fire brigade among the crowd and said hello. It felt really good to see him becoming part of the community.

"I still think I should be allowed to drive the tractor," Noah said while we watched the farm vehicle approach with a large trailer and all its passengers.

Cody replied seriously, "You know, I bet they'd let you drive the tractor if you looked the part. You can borrow my hat."

The tractor pulled to a stop, and the current festival-goers disembarked out the back of the trailer.

Noah hummed like he was considering Cody's offer. "Pretty sure cowboys drive horses, but nice try."

I cackled while Cody rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

And then it was our turn. We climbed up and settled on the hay-strewn seats, taking in the bright afternoon sun and the beautiful landscape. I breathed in the fresh air as Noah threaded our fingers together, that ridiculous stuffed sloth still wrapped around his neck.

I was so happy to be sharing this with him—something that I loved in my town. A place that held such wonderful memories. It would never be the same as visiting the Fall Festival with my mom and dad. That was a bittersweet part of my past. And maybe things with Dad and Kimberly and Ginny were never going to be what I had hoped, but this right here, with Noah, felt special in an entirely different way.

I squeezed his hand and tugged it into my lap. I could make new memories in Cozy Creek. Trying to recreate something made it that much harder to snap into place. I couldn't force my dad and stepfamily to fit into the same space—the same expectations—I had for what a family should look like. I was just setting myself up to fall short.

But here and now with Noah, didn't feel like I was missing out on anything at all.

"Okay, so are you going to raise or call?"

Noah eyed the stack of Sour Patch Kids in front of him. "I don't know how I'm supposed to want to win when the pot is this awful candy."

"It's all I had in the house, and apparently, you need to learn how to play poker by Wednesday."

Noah's night off was tomorrow, and he'd mentioned watching some online videos to prepare for his hangout at the firehouse. I was trying to be chill about his date with the fire brigade, but I was, honestly, so excited that Noah was making friends. I wanted so much for Cozy Creek to feel like home to him. We'd had a great time at the Fall Festival this past weekend. He and Cody had gotten along and seemed to hit it off.

I knew that the more settled Noah felt here, the more likely he'd want to stay. He'd never come out and said he was planning on leaving Colorado. I didn't think anything really drew him back to South Carolina. Yet now knowing how Noah had ended up in Cozy Creek, I wouldn't blame him if he'd wanted to take off at the first opportunity. It was so hard to believe that anyone could be cruel enough to do what his ex had done. Playing games with Noah's life was just as bad as playing games with his heart.

Petty though it may be, I was curious about the mystery ex-girlfriend. Cozy Creek wasn't a big town by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, there were residents I didn't know. But it didn't stop me from wondering who had taken such joy in kicking Noah when he'd been down. I didn't want to come right out and ask. If Noah wanted me to know, he'd tell me, I supposed. And if we ever ran into the sorry excuse for a human being, I'd give her a piece of my mind.

A big part of me worried Noah wouldn't want to stay once he'd gotten his feet back under him. I didn't want him to leave. I was falling for him. It was as simple as that. And if he decided to go, I didn't know what I'd do. But manipulating him to stay wasn't an option.

I just had to hope that despite how things had started for Noah in Cozy Creek, the desire to stay would be stronger than any bitterness toward his ex. Maybe if he had a job he enjoyed, friends he could count on, and . . . me—maybe that would all be enough.

"Raise or call, beekeeper?" I repeated. Noah was the dealer this round and I'd already raised during the first round of betting.

He shot me a look from his slouched position across my kitchen counter. "Call," he replied, tossing the appropriate number of red and orange candies into the central pile.

He then burned a card off to the side before placing down the turn card.

I peeked at my hand and then looked back at Noah, who was concentrating hard, his hazel eyes narrowed at the cards he held.

Resisting the urge to smile, I placed my hand facedown on the granite countertop. "Maybe you just need some more motivation." Then I reached down for the hem of my sweater and dragged it over my head. "I raise you one shirt."

Noah sat up straighter, a smirk on his lips. "I'll call." In a move that all hot guys seemed to be masters of, he reached back over his shoulder with one hand and pulled his black tee shirt up and over, baring his lean torso.

Play continued until I was down to only socks and underwear, and it was time to show our hands.

Noah revealed a low-ranking pair and grinned. "I've got nothing." But he didn't seem mad about it. Not even when I revealed my full house.

I laughed. "Then why did you keep betting?"

"You kept pulling clothes off. I wasn't about to fold and make you stop."

Shaking my head in amusement, I stood and gathered up the cards. "You'll probably want to keep your pants on over at the firehouse."

"That won't be a problem," he replied, rising and moving around the counter toward me. "But I will have to try not to think about these lessons. Getting hard at a table full of firemen might be awkward."

My laughter drifted off on a sigh as Noah brushed my hair to the side and kissed my neck, his lips so soft and warm. Standing behind me, I could feel how hard he was. The thin fabric of his boxer briefs did little to hide the way he wanted me. I arched against him, desperate to get closer—to always be this close.

Noah's hands came around my body, and I leaned back into him, eager and ready. His fingers skimmed my skin in a way that had me shivering.

I abandoned the cards and turned in his arms, feeling that same sense of rightness—the magical way we seemed to click. Like two magnets snapping together, unable to resist how good and true it felt when we were in the same orbit.

He lifted me onto the counter and stepped between my spread thighs, and then I stopped worrying about poker lessons or staying in Cozy Creek because Noah was here—right here, lighting me up and holding me tight.

I didn't want him to ever let go.