Awake At Dawn (Wildflower Series Book 2)

“DOES THIS DRESS make me look pregnant?”

Noah looked over at me from his place on the couch, eyes wandering down my body and making me feel things I shouldn’t.

“I feel like this is a trick question,” Noah said dryly. I tried to ignore the goose bumps his gaze gave me, but as usual, I wasn’t very successful. I wondered if he knew how much heat he radiated. I was sure he didn’t mean anything by it; he was just effortlessly smolderingly attractive, and his attention simply had that effect.

“I don’t want Juniper to suspect anything today.”

Noah’s expression soured, and I knew it was because he disapproved of me hiding my pregnancy from Juniper. “She’s not going to suspect anything,” he said definitively.

I nodded before taking my turn in assessing him. He looked…tired. Worn-out. Which wasn’t all that surprising since he’d had training camp every day this past week, leaving the apartment before dawn and not returning until dinner time. I tried to take on some of the cooking responsibilities, but Noah always insisted on jumping in and helping me once he got home. He said it relaxed him, so I didn’t argue too much. But all our conversations this last week had been short and to the point.

“Where’s the bridal shop you’re going to?” Noah asked as I walked over to the front door. “I’ll make sure Julian stays clear.”

“It’s in Beacon Hill.” I checked the time on my phone. “The appointment isn’t until noon, but I’m walking, so I want to give myself plenty of time.”

Noah’s smile vanished. “Why are you walking?”

“Because parking is a hassle, and as we’ve previously discussed, exercise is good for pregnancy.”

Noah didn’t know I’d always pick walking over anything else. I should probably tell him and explain why if this was going to be a common conversation, but I didn’t have time to dive into the past at the moment.

“I’ll drop you off. I was planning to head out to meet Julian soon anyway,” he said, ignoring my second point. “I just need a few minutes to change out of my sweats.”

My eyes lowered as I unconsciously gave myself permission to check Noah out—specifically, how a pair of gray sweatpants was riding low on his hips. When I caught the faint outline of something I definitely shouldn’t be staring at, my eyes snapped up again.

“I really don’t mind walking,” I blurted out, hoping he wouldn’t notice where my attention had strayed.

“I mind.”

His words marked the end of the conversation as he strode toward his room. I considered walking out the door anyway, but a part of me had an inkling that would actually hurt Noah’s feelings. And that was the last thing I wanted to do.

So I waited, and within ten minutes, I was sitting snug in Noah’s Audi. I didn’t mind riding in cars nearly as much as I minded driving them. Especially when it was Noah behind the wheel, who buckled me into the car himself when I didn’t move fast enough. His fingers lingered on the seatbelt afterward, like he needed the reminder that it was there. My skin warmed from the proximity of his touch, making me ache for more of it.

I blamed the hormones.

And the way Noah backed out of his parking spot with one hand.

Okay, yeah, I definitely didn’t mind riding in a car with Noah.

He radiated confidence as he maneuvered the vehicle, and it was hard not to trust him. More and more, I was trusting Noah London. Not to mention, a cute puppy buckled in the back made the ride more fun than usual. Apparently, Winnie was going to brunch, too.

“Drop me off around the corner,” I instructed as we neared the bridal boutique. “So Juni doesn’t see.”

He nodded, pulling up to the curb so I could hop out after thanking him. I strode into the sparkling all-white shop and wasn’t surprised when I immediately ran into my best friend. She was always early for everything.

“Hi!” She greeted me with an enthusiastic hug, squealing in my ear. “I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.”

“I know,” I groaned, guilt immediately flooding me. “I’ve been so busy with my new job. I’m so sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” she said, waving away my comment. “How are the little ones? Is it a good change from college kids?”

I’d told Juni and my family that I wanted to change jobs because I needed something new. Plus, working at St. Mav’s involved too much travel. The second part wasn’t a lie; we traveled a lot for competitions, and it wore on me. Especially considering how much I didn’t enjoy the travel part of traveling.

“It’s been a lot of fun,” I said honestly. “And guess who’s in one of my classes?”

Juni cocked her head to the side. “Who?”

“Noah’s niece, Chloe.”

“Noah?” Juni repeated. “Noah London?”

I nodded. I’d already decided to tell Juniper about running into Noah at the rink. I figured it was harmless and could help explain if I ever slipped and mentioned him to her. Or vice versa with him and Julian.

“I don’t think I even knew he had a niece,” Juniper said with a frown. “Now I feel like a bad friend.”

“He seems kind of private with his family life.”

Juniper nodded but still looked bothered, so I was happy when the bridal consultant interrupted us. She led us to the fitting rooms before bringing out Juniper’s dress, and I settled into a plush cream-colored armchair while Juni changed.

My jaw dropped when she emerged from the fitting room. Her dress fit her perfectly, hugging her curves—the ones I had always been jealous of—in a sexy but classy way. The glam and glitz was the perfect combination for Juniper, and Julian would probably pass out when he saw her in it. That was likely why he’d wanted to come today: to spare him the embarrassment of fainting on his wedding day.

Juniper covered her hands over her mouth, muffling her tiny scream.

“I love it,” she breathed softly, her smile radiant. It lit up the entire store.

“It’s beautiful, Junes,” I agreed.

The consultant bent down to inspect the hemline, adjusting her dress so that it barely hit the floor. When she ran to get a few pins, I took some pictures, and Juniper checked her phone to find a slew of texts from an impatient Julian.

“Speaking of Noah, he’s with Julian at a brunch place on Tremont,” she said, still looking at her phone. “Julian says we should meet them there when we’re done.”

“Oh, sure.” I forced a smile, realizing that I should have expected this might happen. But I couldn’t say no when Juniper looked so excited about the idea. In fact, she seemed really excited about the idea. “I don’t have anything else going on today, so that sounds good.”

I spent the rest of the fitting and the entire walk across Boston Common coaching myself on how to act neutral around Noah and not like we’d been living together for weeks. I felt confident that I would be able to do it. But the one thing I didn’t account for?

Winnie.

As soon as I spotted Noah and Julian’s table on the patio of Trémugs, Winnie spotted me. And she went wild.

Juniper stood ahead of me, and she gasped like everyone did when seeing an adorable puppy. But when she bent down to greet Winnie, and Noah gave a little slack on the leash so Winnie could say hello, the puppy darted right past Juniper and straight to me.

Winnie leaped into my arms when I bent down, squealing and wiggling with the excitement you’d expect from a dog being reunited with its long-lost owner.

“Well, she’s excited to see you,” Juni laughed, watching as I tried to corral Winnie and get her under control. Noah tugged her back, but when that wasn’t enough, he swooped in and picked her up.

I smiled, hoping Juni couldn’t hear the way my voice wavered slightly as my brain searched for an excuse. “Noah sometimes brings her with him when he picks Chloe up from skating. I guess she must remember me.”

“That’s so cute.” Juniper didn’t look suspicious as she slid into the chair next to Julian.

But my brother’s hawkish gaze alternated between me and Noah. “What’s this, now?”

I sat in the last empty chair as Noah cleared his throat and answered.

“Gemma is my niece’s skating coach.”

Julian’s eyes narrowed. “So you’re a big fan of going to skating practices now, huh?”

I ducked my head, pretending to be preoccupied with the menu when really, I didn’t want my expression to betray anything.

“My sister isn’t always able to pick Chloe up, so sometimes I do it,” Noah explained dryly, unfazed by Julian’s pointed questioning.

Julian grunted in response before turning his attention to his fiancée. “How was the fitting, Juni baby? Did you take pictures for me?” He picked up Juni’s hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles like the lovesick sap he was.

“Gemma took pictures.” Juni’s eyes twinkled, full of mischief. “But they’re not for you.”

Julian frowned. “Who are they for, then?”

I pulled my phone out. “I was thinking that Noah might like to see them.”

“Oh, hell no.” Julian swiped at the phone but missed, and I tucked it back into my pocket with a laugh.

“No pictures for either of you,” I said diplomatically.

“Fine by me,” Noah said, chuckling as he lifted one hand in defense while the other stayed on Winnie’s back. She’d settled back into her usual curled-up position on his lap.

Julian’s expression told me it was not fine by him that he was still in the dark about the dress, but he would have to deal with it. He’d thank us when he finally saw Juniper in it on their wedding day.

My brother sighed, giving up on seeing any pictures, and directed his attention to Noah.

“Have you found a puppy sitter yet? You’ve got your first preseason game coming up, right?”

I tensed, wondering how Noah was going to respond to that and considering if I should just jump in and tell a partial truth—that I was puppy sitting for a little extra cash. But Noah answered before I could make up my mind.

“Yeah, first game is this week, but Nat’s going to help me out,” he said, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. The lie came out easily enough, but I could tell he wasn’t happy about saying it.

Julian nodded, accepting his answer. “Isn’t she going to your Minnesota game, though? I know the whole family usually goes to that one. If you need help while you’re both gone, let us know.”

“Thanks, man.” Noah smiled, relaxing a little. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out, but I’ll let you know if I can’t.”

Julian nodded again, and the conversation descended into more wedding talk, which was perfect, considering I only wanted to make it through the rest of this impromptu brunch without talking about myself or puppy sitting or anything related to our situation. As far as I cared, all the attention could stay on the happy couple.

It definitely made it more convenient when my stomach started to reject the strawberry-topped waffles I’d wolfed down, and I had to slip away from the table discreetly. I wasn’t really sure how discreet it was, but my primary focus was getting to the bathroom as fast as possible before emptying the waffles back onto my plate.

Although I’d gotten used to the waves of nausea, I still hated the upheaval, the feeling of my stomach emptying until nothing remained and all I could do was gag.

I didn’t have time to close and lock the stall door in the bathroom before dropping to my knees in front of the toilet, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when I felt a hand at the nape of my neck, pulling my hair back.

Great, I was going to have to think of something to tell Juni now that she’d seen⁠—

“I brought you water when you’re ready.”

The deep voice wasn’t what I’d expected to hear in the ladies’ bathroom.

“Noah,” I choked, wiping at my face. “You shouldn’t⁠—”

“Shh.” His hands were doing that soothing thing they did the last time we were in this position. God, why did we have to keep ending up like this? “Just have a little bit.”

He put a glass in front of me, lining the straw up with my mouth so I could easily take a sip. And because the feeling in my mouth was making me want to vomit again, I obliged, sucking up some water to rinse the horrid taste.

“I told them I was going to check on the bill,” he said as if he could read my mind. The next words out of my mouth were going to be worries about what Juni and Jules would say. “Just take a deep breath.”

I hadn’t realized that my chest was still heaving violently. The combination of nerves, nausea, and the exhaustion that plagued me lately made it hard to catch my breath. My knees shook, and I dropped my ass back onto my heels while kneeling on the cold bathroom floor. My eyes squeezed shut, and I felt Noah’s body drop to the ground behind me, cradling my own. He pressed his chest to my back and wrapped an arm around my waist, lightly settling his hand over my belly.

“You have to breathe with your stomach,” he murmured, his words fanning across the nape of my neck. He sucked in, his torso expanding against my back as he took a deep breath. “Feel it here,” he said after blowing the air out again. His hand was still on my belly, his thumb moving in those soothing circles.

I nodded and slipped my hand beneath his, feeling my stomach expand as I took breaths in time with Noah. I could feel his whole body moving with mine—a slow, deep rhythm that worked my nerves down into something I could manage.

“That’s it, Em,” he encouraged softly. “You’re okay.”

“I’m okay,” I repeated, the words barely a whisper.

“You’re okay.” He said the words stronger this time. Like he wanted me to believe them. “You are.”

“I am,” I agreed, and my eyes gradually fluttered open.

We stayed like that for another few moments, breathing in and out. Eventually, I nodded, trying to indicate that I felt better—maybe even okay. But Noah seemed reluctant to move away. He probably thought I’d start dry heaving again any second.

“I should probably go back outside before they start wondering if something’s wrong,” I said, clearing my throat.

“They’re too busy flirting with each other,” Noah countered, but I felt him back away regardless. “Plus, I left Winnie with them as a distraction. But I’ll head back now, and you can follow in a minute.”

“Okay.” After wiping at my face again to ensure no residual vomit lingered around the corners of my mouth, I turned toward Noah. His eyes swept over me in a quick assessment before he gave a nod of approval. I thought that would be it, that he’d leave, but I was starting to realize that I never knew what to expect when it came to Noah London.

Slowly, as though I were a skittish animal, he lifted his hand, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. His touch heightened the awareness that already fizzled inside me from our proximity. And it only increased as his fingers slid down the strand of hair, all the way to the tip, where he gave it a little tug.

Afraid my cheeks were blossoming with color, I cleared my throat and wiped at my face again. “I probably look like a mess.”

“Never.” Noah shook his head, his lips crooking sideways in an adorable smirk. “You’re not a mess, Gemma.” He paused, his green eyes glittering as they took me in. Then he swore under his breath. “But fuck, I sure am.”

Before I could ask what the hell that meant, he was gone.