Page 23 of Stay With Me (Griffin’s Den #2)

TWENTY-THREE

Luna

My phone dings with a message as I wash my hands after setting the last dish to the side since we had an early dinner. We were slower today, so Joe drove me to pick up Jess, and we came back to Noah’s house earlier than normal.

“How’s it going on your homework?” I ask Jess as she tries to trace her name in cursive.

“I feel like I can’t get it perfect, so I keep starting over,” she says, her voice laced with frustration.

“I think instead of starting over on the same one, just keep going down and practice your whole name on different lines. I’ll get you more paper if you need it.”

“You don’t think that’s a waste?”

I shake my head. “No, because practice is the only way you’ll get better, and if you keep stopping at a certain spot, you won’t move forward. Sometimes, you just have to keep moving forward.”

“Ms. Cassidy said something similar. I just feel bad wasting paper.”

“We’ll recycle the paper you don’t want to turn in so it can be made into something new, and then it won’t be a waste.”

“Okay. Do you know how they recycle things?”

“Nope, but we can look it up and see if we can find a video on it once you’re done. How does that sound?”

“Good.” She smiles at me and then goes back to her homework.

I grab my phone just in case it’s Noah with more information from his conversation with the guy from the FBI instead of making me wait till he gets home. If it’s bad news… would I be able to leave with Jess? Would that be the right choice now?

Looking down, I see it’s the girls’ chat, and even with all the thoughts running through my head, a smile takes over my face.

Am: What are we doing for girls’ night?

Pam: Let’s go out to The Bar since we stayed in last time.

Abby: I’m down for either depending on how we feel that day

Me: I’m good for either. Noah said he would bring Jess to guys’ night.

Pam: I hope she kicks Sam’s ass in Mario Kart again. He whined about how he thought Noah and Luke were teaching her to cheat this morning.

Me: She had the best time with Sam. She said next time?they were going to do manicures. Then I had to explain to her what that was.

Abby: I will forever be shocked at how good with her he is.

Am: He’s a large child. It makes sense. It’s sweet though. Out of all of us, growing up, he was the one who wanted kids the most.

Abby: Really? That shocks me even more.

Pam: I can confirm. It was weird.

Me: I think it’s sweet. I can’t be mad because I swear Jess is still smiling today talking about it.

“Is that Noah? Is he almost home?” Jess asks as she sets her pencil down.

“No, it’s the girls. I’m going to start a load of laundry. Did you put your dirty clothes in the hamper in the laundry room?”

She smiles at me. “Yes. Do you want to see how good I wrote my name?”

“Of course I do!” As I walk around the counter, I hear Noah walk in the door.

“Hey, ladies,” he says as he walks to the safe and puts his gun away.

“Hi, Noah. Did you have a good day today?” Jess asks.

“It wasn’t bad. How was your day? What were you going to show Luna?”

“I was practicing signing my name! Do you want to see?”

“You bet I do.”

As he walks toward us, I’m fully captivated by him. My gaze lingers on him as warmth floods my body with memories.

I hear him clear his throat, causing my eyes to snap up to him. He smirks at me as he comes to my side and rests his chin on my shoulder, resting his hand on my side.

“What do you think?” Jess asks, proudly holding the paper she was practicing on in front of her.

“That looks so much better than mine,” Noah tells her, brushing his fingers against the skin on my stomach under my shirt slowly enough not to bring attention to it.

Pleasure swirls in my chest.

“No way,” she says, laughing.

“Yes, way. Hand me your pencil. I’ll show you.” Reaching out with his free hand, he grabs her pencil, and on the closest envelope, he signs his name. “See.” He puts the pencil down and shows her.

“No way. You can’t even read it! How does anyone know it’s you?”

I can’t help but laugh.

He shrugs. “They just do. Either way, you’re doing much better than I am.”

Jess keeps making fun of him as his stomach growls.

“What’s for dinner? It smells delicious. Sorry I’m a little later than normal. I just have to change quickly.”

“It’s okay, we made you a plate in the fridge,” Jess says.

“It’s just rice, chicken, and broccoli. There’s more than what is on the plate if you want more,” I say.

“I’m sure it’s fine. I’ll be right back,” Noah says and kisses my cheek.

I watch him walk down the hallway when I hear Jess say my name. Quickly blinking my eyes, I focus on Jess asking me if she can watch a nature documentary Cassidy recommended.

Jess finally fell asleep after telling me about the lions she learned about in the documentary tonight, and I go looking for Noah.

I glance around the kitchen and living room, and a shadow moving from the porch catches my eye. I freeze, thinking someone’s here, but when the light hits Noah’s hair, I let out the breath that was trapped in my lungs.

I walk out, and he’s sitting on his porch swing with a beer.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

Turning to look at me, he takes a drink and says, “It is now. Jess finally asleep?”

Closing the distance between us, I stand in front of him and lean back on the railing.

“Yeah, she told me all about lions and where they live and their hunting patterns. Then she asked if we could read a book Cassidy talked about called The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe . A note in her bag from Cassidy said she thought it might be a good integration to fantasy.”

He nods. “It is a good book. I think she’ll like it.”

“Want to tell me about the rest of your phone call with Special Agent Hunt?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.

Leaning forward, he puts his elbows on his knees and takes a breath. “Do you promise you won’t panic, and regardless of what I tell you, you’ll trust me?”

I start to bite my thumbnail. “You’re scaring me.”

“I don’t want you to be scared, but I won’t hide anything from you either.”

“Okay, just tell me.”

And tell me he does.

He tells me that, to Special Agent Hunt’s knowledge, Jess and I are the only ones who have ever gotten away and that he wants to come down here in the next week or two to interview Jess and me if we feel comfortable.

“I don’t think I want them meeting Jess until after we talk to them first,” I say.

“I told him the same but wanted you to know that he would like to talk to her. There’s one more thing,” he admits.

“What else could there be?”

“Elijah said The Family destroyed their camp in Utah and is in the wind. They have no evidence that they’ve ever left their camp before, and they don’t know where they are.”

I start to pace, my heart trying to beat out of my chest. “Oh god, Noah. He’s right! They’ve never left that place. At least not all of them at one time. Jess and I aren’t safe. What am I going to do?”

“Hey, Luna, Look at me.” He stops me and turns me to face him. “I need you to take a breath. I know you’re scared, but I promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to protect both you and Jess. Do you trust me?”

Panic swirls in my veins, and my gut is telling me to take Jess and run.

I don’t know if I’ll be able to stay on the run long term with a ten-year-old.

He places a finger under my chin. “Luna. Look. At. Me,” he says softly.

I bring my eyes to his face, his forehead creased with concern, and I realize how much I do trust him.

I nod as I lick my lips.

“I need your words, baby.”

“Yes. I trust you,” I whisper past the lump in my throat.

“Thank god” is all he says before he slams his lips down on mine.

I’m stunned for only a second before I kiss him back.

Spearing my fingers through his hair, I try to pull him closer. He growls, giving me the confidence that he likes what I’m doing. His tongue duels with mine. Going to adjust my head, I bump his nose.

“Noah…” His name falls off my lips in a moan.

He bends slightly, and I feel his hands on my butt. Next thing I know, he lifts me and props me against the post on the porch.

“You are so perfect, my Lunabella,” he tells me between kisses along my jaw toward my ear. “As much as I want you right now, it’s not the right time. I want you all to myself the first time I take you.”

I moan at the thought. “But she’s in bed.”

“And we’re outside on the porch, where if she came out for water, she’d see what we were doing,” he says as he squeezes my butt and gives me a hard kiss on the lips. “Soon. How about we ask Am or Sam if they can watch Jess for the day one weekend?”

“Okay,” I say, still slightly dazed.

“Unless you don’t want them to watch her?”

“I do!” I say quickly.

He chuckles as he goes to sit down on the porch swing. “Legs, baby.” He fully sits as I unhook my legs and set them on the side of his hips.

As my heart slows down, I put my head on his shoulder. “Thank you for telling me everything today,” I tell him softly.

“It might not always be what you want to hear, but I will always tell you the truth.” He kisses my temple and starts to rock us on the swing.

As I start to drift off, the last thing I hear him say before sleep drags me under is “Thank you for trusting me. I promise I won’t let anything happen to either of you.”