29. Noah

CHAPTER 29

NOAH

" T hat was one of the worst drives I've ever seen you make," Bradley said. "You better finish the rest of your beer for that one."

Noah raised his can in the air before downing the remaining contents. He threw the empty can into their cart.

"Seriously, are you all right?" Bradley asked.

"I will be when you stop running your mouth." Noah grinned.

They drove towards their balls. Noah's ball had ended up in the sand. A bad shot could put him in a foul mood on a good day, so he was beginning to regret the decision to play before the wedding.

"For someone who's getting married tomorrow, you're awfully grouchy."

Noah ignored him, smacking the ball towards the hole.

"Cheer up, would you?"

They headed towards Bradley's ball next, which he hit with perfect accuracy.

"I'll cheer up when you stop cheating."

Bradley laughed as they walked. "You're just mad about losing for the first time ever. Must be all those pre-wedding jitters."

"It's not like it's real, Bradley."

Bradley putted the ball perfectly before turning to him.

"When are you going to drop the act?"

"What act?

"I saw the way you looked at her the other day when I stopped by your work. You care about her."

Noah hit the ball twice more before it finally sank into the hole. "Maybe you should get your eyes checked."

Bradley handed him a fresh beer and he cracked it open. "And maybe you should just admit that you're in love with your fiancée, Noah. It's not the end of the world. Stop acting like you're incapable of showing any real emotion and just tell her."

Noah groaned. "Can we not talk about this?"

"Fine. But from what you told me it sounds like you're losing her, Noah. And if you really do care about her, you should get your head out of your ass and tell her. Stop blaming your father for ruining everything good in your life. Because from where I'm standing, you're ruining this one all on your own."

"You done?"

Bradley nodded. "I'm done."

"Good." Noah downed his drink and opened another before reaching their next hole. He was beginning to lose track of how many he'd had.

Bradley's honesty was normally refreshing but today it was precisely what Noah didn't want to hear. He wasn't angry with his friend — their relationship had always consisted of them telling the other when they were being stupid. He just didn't want to think about the fact that Bradley might be right.

Noah stumbled into the apartment.

Whose idea was it to get drunk the night before their wedding? Seemed like a terrible idea. Not only would he be getting married tomorrow, he'd be doing it hungover.

He poured himself a glass of water and headed towards the bedroom before realizing he had walked to Sophie's room. What was he doing here?

It was empty, of course, Sophie had gone to the hotel for the night and he wouldn't see her until tomorrow. Until she was walking down the aisle. Towards him.

Noah flicked on the light, observing her space. His eyes caught on the trash can, where a large blue binder had been thrown.

Drunken curiosity got the better of him and he pulled it out. He sat on the bed and opened up the first page.

Sophie's Dream Binder.

He turned to the second and third and then the fourth page before he realized what it was. It was the plan for her dream wedding. Plans that she had chosen and not utilized for hers and Noah's wedding. The budget he had given her was surely big enough to accommodate her every wish. So why hadn't she?

He flipped a couple more pages before realizing. It was because Noah wasn't her dream husband. She didn't want to waste her plans on him because they were for someone special. Someone who deserved them.

The more he flipped through, the more the pages confirmed his theory. There were drawings of families and pets. Names of future children. Not only had Sophie written all the ways in which she would be a good mother, she had written about the qualities she had wanted in husband and the father of her children.

None of which Noah lived up to.

He blew out a breath and placed the binder back in the garbage where he'd found it, making his way to his bedroom.

He laid awake, his head spinning from the alcohol. He kept thinking about the blinder. About Sophie and all the things that Bradley had said to him.

Bradley had accused Noah of being in love with Sophie.

It was ridiculous. Noah had never said ‘I love you' to any woman before, or to anyone for that matter. Surely it wasn't true; he had told her himself that he did not love her. But even when he said it, he knew it was a lie.

Dread began to consume him. Could he really subject Sophie to a loveless marriage? Deprive her of her dream wedding and life because he was ambitiously selfish?

It wasn't like he didn't care for her, that he didn't feel some connection between them, that he didn't think about her night and day; he just didn't know what to do about it.

Nothing. Noah would do nothing because he couldn't continue to hurt her. She seemed to be doing fine without him.

He just needed to stick to the plan. Once he got the CEO position, he would see that it was all worth it. He could throw himself back into work and everything would be fine.

Right?