"You must be the mysterious Noel St. Martin,” she said as we sat, and she handed us each a menu.
Noel quirked a brow at me. "Mysterious, eh?”
He was thinking that I gave her that impression. To be honest, Lane was the one that always described Noel as mysterious.
Usually, I was pissed off at him and it wasn’t because he was an enigma. But I didn’t correct him. At this point, it was better that he thought he was described as mysterious instead of obnoxious.
Then again, I didn’t think he'd be surprised if I described him as obnoxious. Our entire encounter today was indicative of our relationship, such as it was.
More often than not, we were butting heads, irritating, or insulting one another. Every now and then one of us would back off and try to be nice, but it didn’t last long. After shopping at the mall, I decided that I would apologize to him for my misunderstanding, but there was no need to talk about thisthingbetween us anymore.
Then, he stopped being such a jerk, making an effort to be nice and specifically saying he wanted to talk about this thing between us.
Just like that, my resistance waned, and I wanted to talk about it too, even as a part of me said it would be a waste of time. Noel and I had great sexual chemistry, but that was about it.
"Is there something I can get you to drink?" Kate asked.
I ordered a glass of white wine while Noel ordered a beer. Kate gave me one last knowing glance and then headed off to put in our drink order.
"You seem to be a regular here," Noel said.
"As I said, Kate and I are friends. If you believe in that six degrees of separation thing, her brother is Ethan Wheatley who works with Dane MacLeod, who is a former SEAL and good buddies with your partner Archer Graves."
Noel laughed. "It really is a small world, isn't it?"
Mo’s hands began to wave, and he whimpered.
Noel grabbed the diaper bag pulling out a bottle. "Normally I like to warm this up a little bit but he's going to have to have a milkshake today." He shook the bottle.
"He's drinking milk?"
"No, it's formula. But I took your advice and switched into a different kind. It seems to be helping."
Mo let out a wail, and I reached over to pick him up as Noel finished preparing the bottle. I cradled him and instinctively his head turned into me as if he were looking for a nipple. An odd rush of longing flooded my body.
Odd, but not unwelcome as I looked down at the beautiful baby in my arms. I wanted this. Not that I'd never wanted to have children, but it seemed like something far in the future. But in this moment, it was like my biological clock started chiming that the time was now.
"Okay, the bottle's ready." Noel opened his arms ready to take Mo.
I reached my hand toward the bottle. "Can I feed him?"
He placed the bottle in my hand. "If you want."
I pressed the nipple of the bottle to Mo’s lips, which parted and he sucked the nipple into his mouth. I ran my freehand over his soft head as all those motherly urges filled my chest. I wondered if this was how Noel felt when he first began to take care of Mo. It was like holding the baby brought out an instinct I didn't know I had.
As annoying as Noel could be, I could see him soften around Mo. I had to believe that Mo was a lucky baby to have a man like him for his father. There was no doubt in my mind that Noel would go to the ends of the earth for Mo. He'd give his life if necessary.
Another sort of emotion rolled through my chest as I looked up at Noel who was watching me as I fed his son. His gaze lifted to mine and held for a moment. That moment felt like eternity. It was filled with intense emotion. At least on my end as puzzle pieces began to click into place. As much as this man infuriated me, there was something about him and his son that drew me to them. Hell, in some ways, I felt bound to them. It was ridiculous and yet undeniable.
"I'm sorry about everything." I blurted out.
Noel's brows furrowed in confusion. "About what?"
"You already know that I believed my brother hired you to look out for me."
This time when his brow furrowed, it was an annoyance. He sat back, clasping his hands on the table. It felt like a wall was going up between us.
"It was too much of a coincidence that I would end up buying the house next to you."