Back to Me Page 22

  “He’s fine,” I say. “He hasn’t acted funny. I’ve put pressure on his body and he didn’t whine. We can go tomorrow, but I’m sure he’s okay. He just needs a bath and some more time to calm down.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing. He’s fine.”

  “How about I call your vet and see if they’ll even see him this late,” Marc offers. “If they will, I’ll take him and bring him back home to you.” Meredith looks unsure about allowing him to do this for her. Either that, or she’s worried about putting her dog in Marc’s hands. She has nothing to worry about, though. That I know for certain. “I don’t mind, Meredith. Not at all. And if it helps calm your mind, I’m more than willing to do it for you,” he adds.

  “Thank you, Marc.”

  “No problem.”

  She tells him the vet’s number and he takes Leo from me before leaving with the promise to check in later.

  “I need to call your parents.”

  “No,” Meredith shakes her head. “If you call them this late, they’ll panic. I’m okay. We can call them in the morning.”

  I can’t argue with her because the doctor comes in. The cuts on her face look bad. There’s a long one along her hairline, down her cheek by her ear and then a gash on her forehead. I hold her hand while she gets the stitches with an order to see her regular doctor in ten days to have them removed. Shortly after that, they discharge her.

  “Have you heard from Marc?” she asks as I drive us home.

  “Not yet.”

  Whatever energy boost she had in the hospital is quickly disappearing. She slumps in her seat and closes her eyes. I’m pulling into the parking garage when my phone vibrates with a call from Marc.

  “Hey,” I answer.

  “Hey. Leo sustained no injuries. I told the lady to send you the bill. I’m on my way back now.”

  “Good. We just got here.”

  “Okay. See you in a few then.”

  “Was that Marc?” Meredith asks as she rouses awake.

  “Yeah. Leo is fine and he’s on his way.”

  She sighs with relief. “Good.” She glances at the empty parking space. “I’m sorry about your car.”

  “It’s okay. If you want, you can just fly up to your parents when you visit for Thanksgiving and drive your car back here.”

  “What about in the meantime?”

  “Marc can be my chauffeur, and you can drive this one.”

  She nods. We get out of the SUV. I take her hand as we walk to the elevator. “Are you sure everything is okay?” she asks the question I should be asking her.

  “I’m exhausted, but mostly relieved you’re okay. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet.”

  She drapes an arm around my waist, reaches up to grab the back of my neck, and pulls me down to kiss me. “I’m okay, Noah,” she repeats, her lips moving against mine. “You can even hold me extra tight and talk to me all night if it’ll help. I just want a shower first.” She gives me a firm kiss as the doors slide open to our floor.

  Meredith takes a quick shower while I start clearing the kitchen counter. There’s blood in her hair and I told her we’d wash it out in the sink after she was done with her shower. Marc still isn’t here when she gets out. She’s dressed in one of my T-shirts, and it’s not until she climbs onto the counter and lies on her back with her legs bent at the knees that I see a pair of pajama shorts.

  “Hey, I’m here,” Marc calls as he walks in.

  “We’re right here.” I push Meredith’s shoulder down so she’ll lie back down.

  “What are you doing?” he asks.

  “Washing her hair without getting her stitches wet.” I turn the water on and adjust the handles, so I can make sure it’s a good temperature.

  “Oh. Well, I took him for a walk, so you don’t have to take him. The vet and I gave him a bath, so he’s all clean too.” He comes to stand next to me.

  “Thank you, Marc,” Meredith says.

  “Of course. Need anything else?”

  “I don’t think so,” I answer, grabbing the nozzle and spraying her hair.

  “He was asking me. Marc, make him hurry up; my neck already hurts.”

  “I can’t hold your neck and wash your hair,” I tell her.

  “Here.” Marc slips his hand under her neck to better support it. Mere seems to relax into his hand, and I have no doubt he’s holding her head up now.

  “Thanks.” She smiles at him.

  So, Marc helps me wash her hair. When I get close to her face and stitches, he uses his other hand to cover them up and act as a barrier. After we’ve finished, he helps make sure I don’t place the towel over the ones on her forehead. If it was anyone else, I’d be pissed that he’s helping me take care of my woman. I’d be annoyed by his simple presence when I’m more than ready to have her to myself. But Meredith loves him and I know he’s only trying to help both of us.

  “Thanks for all your help, Marc,” Meredith says as she sits up and swings her legs to dangle off the counter.

  “Any time. I’m going to head home if you guys don’t need anything else.”

  “We’re good,” I answer. “We’re about to head to bed.”

  “Okay.”

  Meredith holds her arms out, so he gives her a hug before slapping me on the shoulder. I walk him to the door, thank him myself, and lock it after him. When I turn around, Meredith is holding Leo in one arm while holding the other out to me. I take her hand and follow her to our bedroom. She sets Leo on the comforter while we go about getting ready for bed.

  My mattress and sheets have never felt as good as they do when I lie down tonight. Meredith has abandoned the towel, leaving her hair wet. It chills my skin when she rests her head on my bare chest. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. That’s all I want. To hold her in my arms until morning, to know that she’s safe with me, and she’s okay.

  Tonight could’ve been a lot worse, but it wasn’t. I’m just glad I found her and that she’s now home.

  “I love you, Mere.”

  She stretches over my chest and kisses my tattoo. “I love you more, Noah. Sorry for scaring you.”

  “You’re all right. That’s all that matters. Just try not to do it again, yeah?”

  “Yeah,” she replies.

  I tug her a little tighter. Once her breathing slows into that peaceful sleeping pattern, my muscles begin to relax and my eyelids drift closed as exhaustion takes over.

  “NOAH,” I START, but he interrupts me.

  “Be quiet.” He squeezes his arms tighter around me.

  It’s been almost two weeks since the car accident and we’re at the airport for me to fly home. I’m nervous as hell about telling my parents, but I’m so ready to see them. I know they’re ready to see me, too, especially since my dad wants to check me over himself after the accident. We even videochatted so he could see me, but he’s still anxious to see me in person. If Noah ever lets me go, I can go home and ease Dad’s unnecessary worry. First, I have to do the same thing for Noah. He hasn’t hovered over me too much, but he’s been anxious about this trip of mine.

  “I’m coming back Saturday, and you’ll see me next Tuesday,” I remind him. He has a game in New York Friday and then another one Monday, so I won’t see him until the following day.

  “Oh, I know. I’m just going to miss you like hell, Mere. It’ll be almost a week before I’ll see you again.”

  Damn. I hadn’t thought about it that way. I was trying to avoid it. “I know,” I say softly, squeezing him back.

  “Keep me updated on how it goes with your parents and my sister. Let me know if I need to talk to any of them.” Noah’s worried about his sister. Our families started having Thanksgiving together when we were in high school; that’s how close they were. They still do it. It’s not like I can avoid Ashley even if I change my mind about seeing her beforehand, which I’m already tempted to do.

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll try and if it doesn’t work, oh well. As long as you’re happ
y and I’m happy, we’ll be fine. That’s the perk to us living in another state.”

  Noah grins and quickly kisses me. “That’s why I love you.”

  “That’s the only reason?”

  He laughs. “No, there are lots of them, but that’s definitely one of them.”

  “Don’t forget to take Leo to Sylvia before you leave for your road trip.” She offered to let him stay over at her house until I come back.

  “I won’t.” He doesn’t let me go; he holds me closer.

  “I’m going to miss my flight,” I reluctantly say. I don’t know why it’s so hard to leave him now when it wasn’t when I came back for a weekend.

  He takes a deep breath, cups my cheeks, and kisses me slowly. This kind of kiss should be banned in public. I lean into him and let his tongue memorize mine. Somehow, I just know this is the kiss I’ll get on our wedding day. He pulls away and then kisses me quickly one more time.

  “I love you,” I tell him, a little breathy.

  “I love you more,” he whispers.

  He drops his arms. As if I’m the one who wouldn’t let go, he nudges me toward security. I walk away to get in line. I shuffle through it slowly and glance back to where we were standing. Noah is still there with his hands in his pockets. He smiles. I wave, tears coming to my eyes. I quickly grab my phone and text him. A moment later, he’s checking his.

  Me: I’ve changed my mind. I want you with me when I tell them.

  Me: Actually, I don’t want to go at all. I want to stay here with you. I can tell them another time.

  Noah: You’ll be okay, Mere. You can do it. I’m only a phone call away. And yes, you do want to go. You’ve been talking for a week about seeing your parents. Don’t get nervous now, or I’ll have to come get you.

  Me: What’s so bad about that?

  I glance up to see him laugh. Unfortunately, the line is moving and it’s almost my turn, so I put my phone away. I definitely don’t want to be the person who holds up the line or who doesn’t follow directions. My nerves start to ease away once I can’t see him anymore. Odd how that works. Sure, I’m still a little nervous about telling my parents, but the panic I felt earlier about the entire trip is gone.

  It rears up when I find myself once again sitting in an airport with only a carry-on, waiting for my flight. Things are so different now, though. I’m with Noah. I’ve found a new career path. My life feels settled and I’ve found a home in North Carolina of all places. I have a new plan and it feels right. That’s something I haven’t had in a long, long time. I’m happier than I ever thought possible, even when I was with Noah before.

  Everything seems to take forever. Waiting to board, waiting to take off, waiting to land, and waiting to make it back to the terminal. Once I’m finally off the damn plane, I text Noah that I’ve landed safe and sound, and soon, I spot my parents. Dad is once again holding a sign reading Ms. Quick. I laugh and get a double hug from them.

  “Oh, it’s so good to see you,” Mom says, squeezing me.

  “I’m happy to be here.”

  “You look happy, Meredith.”

  “You do look radiant,” Dad agrees, taking my carry-on.

  “Thanks.” I smile, knowing it’s all because of Noah.

  Mom pushes my hair behind my ear to get a good look at my scars from the car accident. They aren’t that bad, and I’m sure they’ll continue to heal and be barely noticeable. “I’m glad we can finally see you. I’m about to suggest you stop being in a car. This is your second car accident in a year.”

  “And neither were my fault. I wasn’t even driving last time,” I remind her.

  “I don’t care.”

  “Let’s head home. You can talk there as well as you can here,” Dad says. He looks at me as we begin walking to the parking garage. “Are you staying at your house or ours?”

  “Yours,” I answer. “I am going by the house at some point because I’ll be driving my car home. I’m actually thinking of selling the house. Maybe. I don’t know yet.”

  “Why?” Mom asks. “It’s a lovely home. If you keep it, you and Noah can have your own space when you come to visit. Have you talked to him about this? I’m pretty sure he’s been looking for a house to have up here, but he’s a picky man and Carol said he hasn’t purchased one yet, so he stays with them.”

  “I just happened to think about it while I was on the flight here. I’ll talk to him about it and see what he says.” We get into the car and Dad starts driving.

  “Not to mention, you have a gorgeous yard,” Mom adds.

  “Too damn big of a yard,” Dad grumbles. Probably because he mows it for me. I told him I’d hire someone, but he won’t let me and insists on doing it himself.

  “It would be perfect for hosting a wedding,” Mom continues. She twists in her seat. “Let me see the ring.”

  I hold my hand out to her. Dad glances at it since he stopped to let a car back out of a parking space. He smiles. There’s something a little off about his expression, though.

  “What’s the smile for?” I ask.

  “I’ve seen that ring before,” he answers as he faces forward again and resumes driving.

  I lean forward with confusion. “What do you mean?”

  His eyes flick up to the rearview mirror. “Noah asked for permission back then. It was not easy to tell that boy yes, and I’m still not sure how he managed it, but he convinced me to give him my blessing. Then, he asked me if I would go with him to help pick it out. I did.”

  “Really?” My eyes water as I glance down at my ring in awe. It means so much more now than just a second ago. Not only does this ring hold our history, but my dad had a hand in the process of Noah acquiring it in the first place.

  “Yes.”

  “He wanted to get me a new one, but I told him I wanted this one when he proposed. I’m even more glad that I stood my ground now.” I grab my phone and text him, as I explain to my mother how I saw my ring before he proposed.

  Me: I love you the most.

  Noah: I love you, too, Mere. But...any particular reason why?

  Me: Dad told me that you asked him for his permission and that he went shopping with you.

  Noah: Ah. No wonder you love me the most. You really should. I am awesome.

  Me: Yep. Also, Mom thinks we should have the wedding in my backyard.

  Noah: We can check it out when I come up for Christmas, but if that’s what you want, then that’s what I want.

  Me: You’re being very sweet.

  Noah: When am I not? ;)

  “Have you thought about what kind of wedding dress you want?” Mom asks, distracting me from responding.

  “Not really.”

  “What about how many people you’re inviting?”

  “Nope.”

  “What kind of food will be served at the reception?”

  “No.”

  Mom huffs and twists in her seat again. “You’re supposed to be planning a wedding, Meredith. That means you need details. Where is my daughter who loves to plan? Let’s start with what you know so far.”

  “That I’m marrying Noah in our hometown. That’s it.”

  Dad laughs while Mom shakes her head at me.

  “We need to get started. Have you even picked a date yet?”

  “Yes, I have. August seventh.”

  Finally, Mom is happy about something wedding-related. I have a feeling my time here is going to be focused on the wedding. It doesn’t seem right to do it without Noah, so I tell Mom she can make me a list of what needs to be decided, email it to me, and then once I get home, Noah and I can discuss it. My first night there is spent catching up and just enjoying time with my parents. I decided to spend time with them instead of going to see Ashley.

  Thanksgiving Day comes and I help Mom out in the kitchen. My parents and Noah’s parents alternate hosting and this year, it’s my parents’ turn. It’s so busy that I barely have time to talk to Noah. Too soon, his parents along with his sister, her husband, and baby Nichol
as are here. I hold my breath, waiting to see how Ashley will treat me.

  They greet my mom and dad first. Carol hugs me out of politeness and then comes William. He grins, gives me a bear hug, gushes over seeing me. He makes a big deal about my scars and how he thanked the heavens that I was okay. God, I love Noah’s dad. Then, I’m face to face with Ashley. She smiles and hugs me.

  “You’re forgiven,” she whispers to me. “My brother is happy and I’m not going hold a grudge anymore.” She pulls back and adds, “Besides, Noah called me and made me promise to be nice.”

  I laugh. “Well, thank you.”

  “Did someone mention me?”

  My eyes snap over to that voice and I accidentally scream, scaring the baby, and run over to jump into his arms. “What are you doing here?” I whisper in awe.

  “I wanted to be here with you. I have to leave shortly after we finish eating, but something is better than nothing, yeah?”

  “I love you.”

  He gives me a quick kiss and sets me back on my feet. “Someone hand me that crying baby,” he says.

  Noah is able to calm Nicholas, and I apologize to Ashley for making him cry. She finishes introducing me to her husband, Oliver. I keep looking at Noah. I can’t believe he’s here. Now things feel perfect. True to her word, Ashley is nice to me. We even catch up on our lives and it feels like I got my best friend back. Hell, it feels like I got half of my family back. We were so close and it’s great to be back in touch with everyone. It’s the best Thanksgiving I’ve had since I was in high school.

  When it comes time for Noah to leave, we walk outside together to wait for his cab. The air is chilly and I hug my arms around his waist to use him for body heat. I’m so happy he’s here.

  “What did you do with Leo?” Sylvia wasn’t supposed to get him until tomorrow.

  “Marco offered to watch him tonight. Is that really what you’re going to ask me?”

  “Yes. What else am I supposed to ask you?” Did I miss something?

  “You’re supposed to ask me how amazing I am.” He grins and I laugh.

  “I already know how amazing you are. Thank you for coming.”