Internal Fixation - Tawdra Kandle Page 0,68
that, I had to ask a few questions of my own. “Are you sure about this? I mean—Angela’s only been gone for a little over a year. And she was the love of your life.”
His mouth twisted. “Do you think I haven’t agonized over this? When I lost Ang, I never could have imagined wanting anyone else. I honestly believed I’d stay single for the rest of my days, even though she told me that I’d better not. She told me right after she was diagnosed that I had to promise to accept love when it came to me a second time, if she didn’t make it. She said that if she had loved me well, I’d want something else like that in my life.” He exhaled. “Angela was the one who taught me how to love. If I’d been given the choice, of course I would have wanted to keep growing in that love together. To learn what it means to be in love for thirty, forty, fifty years. But I didn’t get that option.”
“I understand that, and I know Angela would never want you to be alone forever. She’d want happiness and joy and a full life for you. But are you sure it’s me?”
“Oh, yeah.” Noah smiled at me, and for the first time since he’d begun talking, he looked peaceful and certain. “Emma, you are who I want. When I wake up in the morning, the first thing I think about is when I can see you again. When I can talk to you. I wonder what you’re doing, if you’re okay, if you need me. I want to be the person you depend on, the first one you call when you’re excited about good news or mad about something or hurt . . . I just want to be with you, Emma.” He rubbed his forehead. “I’ve been trying to show you for a long time now. But I guess I haven’t been quite as obvious as I thought I was.”
“I . . .thought maybe, a time or two, but I wasn’t sure.” I offered him a quick smile. “It just seemed impossible. Noah, you could have any woman in the world, just by winking at her. You have to know that’s truth. It felt incredible that you’d really want me.”
“But I do.” His thumb stroked over the back of my hand. “I want you, and only you. The question is . . . what do you want, Emma?”
He gazed at me with eyes that were filled with trust and what I had to believe was love, even if he hadn’t come right out to say the words yet—not in the way he meant them now. He was steady and strong, an unmovable force against anything that we might come against in this crazy world. Noah was the choice I should make, I realized. Together, he and I could create a life that worked for both of us. We had a solid base of friendship, an undeniable physical connection . . . and we understood each other. I’d be safe with Noah. He would never hurt me if he could avoid it, and he’d spend his every waking moment focused on making me happy.
Slowly, I rose to my knees and reached out my free hand to lay it alongside his face. Noah’s eyes drifted shut as he leaned into my touch. Using the hand that he still held as leverage, I leaned across the small space between us and pressed my lips to his.
It was as if he’d only been waiting for my kiss to come to life. With a groan, he released my hand and wrapped both of his powerful arms around me, pulling me so tightly against him that I could hardly breathe.
“Are you saying yes to us, Emma?” Noah whispered against my mouth. “Please tell me that’s what this means.”
I nodded and angled my head, needing his mouth again. “Yes,” I murmured. “I’m saying yes to us. Now would you please just kiss me, Noah? I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for you to do that.”
“Baby, I’ll kiss you as long as you like, as often as you like. And probably even more.” His lips parted, urging mine to do the same, and his tongue made daring forays against my own. “God, Emma, I’ve been wanting this—wanting you—for so long. I feel like I might be dreaming.”
I giggled against his mouth. “Would your dream really be out in a field, both