Page 67 of The Love Bus

ONE MORE SUNRISE

A door slammed somewhere down the hall, jolting me from sleep.

I blinked but didn’t move, letting my eyes adjust to the dim room. The air was cool, the world still mostly dark, the faint hum of the air conditioner filling the silence.

I stayed like that for a moment, sinking deeper into the fluffy white pillow, my body still heavy with sleep. On instinct, I reached across the bed, my hand searching for warmth. But instead of finding Noah, my fingers met only cool sheets.

I frowned, my brain slow to catch up.

And then I heard the soft click of our door unlocking, followed by the quiet shuffle of footsteps.

A moment later, the unmistakable scent of coffee—rich, warm, and vaguely heroic—beckoned me to rejoin the living.

“Hey,” Noah whispered. “Brought you something.”

I shifted, groggy and sore in ways that reminded me exactly how little sleep I’d gotten. Propping myself up on one elbow, I found him standing beside the bed, freshly showered, hair damp at the edges, holding out a takeout cup with that smile—half-devil, half-boyish charm.

When he bent down to kiss me, I immediately covered my mouth with my hand.

“Morning breath!” I squeaked.

But he didn’t stop. He simply brushed my hand aside, cupped the back of my head, and kissed me anyway.

I was only wearing his T-shirt. The one he’d peeled off the night before, right before showing me just how well this man knew the ins and outs of anatomy.

“Morning, Faraday,” he murmured against my mouth.

“Morning, Dr. Noah,” I murmured back.

But he had a scalding hot coffee in one hand—not that I needed it to wake up. Not today, apparently.

He’d already brought all my nerve endings to life.

“Careful.” He placed the cup in my hand even as his gaze skimmed over me. “You okay?”

“More than okay,” I said, looking up at him from under my lashes, the cup hovering at my mouth.

And it was the truth.

I’d been in a long-term relationship. I’d thought I’d experienced the best sex had to offer.

I’d apparently had a lot to learn.

But I hadn’t known that my body could ache in a way that felt holy. That I could laugh between kisses. That I could fall asleep while not only touching the person beside me, but with our limbs entangled.

And now, with my skin still humming with satisfaction and something dangerously close to hope—I was realizing just how much I’d missed out on without even knowing it.

“Come on,” Noah said gently. “Sunrise hike. Just a short one.”

Ha , I’d forgotten that he was crazy. It was really early. Barely light early. But…

I’d hike to the bottom of the canyon and back out if that was what he wanted to do.

I sat up, legs dangling over the edge of the bed, and took a long sip of coffee. “You’re lucky I’m so fond of you.”

“I’m incredibly lucky,” he said with a grin, tossing me my favorite skirt from across the room. I pulled on a cotton top, brushed my teeth, tied my hair back in a loose braid, and after slipping on my sandals, considered myself ready to go.

By the time we stepped outside, the sky had turned from purple to grayish blue.

“It’s so peaceful,” I said, keeping my voice quiet. The air was still cool against my arms and bare legs, but Noah’s hand in mine was all the warmth I needed.

His warmth almost felt like a promise.

The trail was short. Quiet. And the overlook at the end was just a rocky ledge facing east. The West Rim yawned wide before us, the canyon still cloaked in shadow as the horizon began to catch fire.

We sat down, shoulder to shoulder, legs swinging over the edge.

“Hard to believe Vegas is next,” I said quietly.

Way too many questions hovered between us. And Vegas suddenly felt way more dangerous than any canyon. It meant noise. People. And it meant I’d just be a plane ride away from real life.

He bumped his knee into mine, breaking the silence. “You any good at poker?”

I smiled faintly. “Not really.” I glanced over at him. “I think I’m more of a spin-the-wheel-and-hope kind of girl,” I said, but then frowned. “Or I used to be. Seems a little reckless now.”

“You know, sometimes it’s not about beating the odds. Sometimes it’s just being willing to put something on the table.”

I exhaled slowly. “Yeah. But once that wheel spins, there’s no controlling where it lands.”

“Just hope,” he agreed quietly. His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to my eyes. His voice was low, thoughtful. “Every bet’s a risk. You just have to decide which ones are worth it.”

“How do you know which ones are worth it?”

He nodded slowly, like he understood exactly what I wasn’t saying. “You just know.”

I swallowed. “And if you’re wrong?”

“Then you deal with it.” His voice was low now, almost a murmur. “But not taking the chance...sometimes that costs even more.”

And just like that, our mouths met.

It wasn’t rushed or desperate—it was deliberate. Like an answer. Like a promise neither of us was ready to make out loud. His hand slid to the back of my neck as his lips moved against mine, slow and deep and sure.

When he finally pulled back, his thumb brushed my cheek. His voice was barely more than a whisper. “You look golden in this light.”

“You make me feel golden,” I whispered back.

We heard the sound of feet shuffling along the path—other early risers—but where we might’ve pulled away before, neither of us moved. We just stayed like that, our lips mere inches apart, so close I could count every single one of his ridiculously long eyelashes.

“Thank you,” he murmured.

For a second, I wasn’t sure what he was thanking me for. And then I got it.

Somehow, we’d met at exactly the right time, both of us a little lost in ways we hadn’t fully admitted even to ourselves.

He’d stepped in when I needed someone confident, steady, and honest, not to fix me, but to remind me that I could stand on my own again. That I, the scorned half of a celebrity cooking show duo still had something to offer.

I shouldn’t have had to fake my life. At least now, I was actually being me. Messy. Real. Figuring it out one unscripted day at a time. Owning both the parts I was proud of and the parts I was still learning to carry.

And somehow, all of that had managed to help him too. Helped him see that life was never going to be perfect. That you didn’t have to carry everyone else’s weight to prove your worth.

That being enough didn’t mean being everything.

Honestly, for two people who hadn’t planned any of this, we were doing surprisingly okay.

And then he kissed me again.

How was it that every kiss Noah gave me seemed more romantic than the one before? Was it because we were on vacation? Or because it was Noah doing the kissing?

“You know,” Noah said after a while, when both of us were breathing evenly again, “I’ve been watching more of your old videos.”

I looked over, surprised. “You have?” He’d admitted to watching more than just the one I’d shown him of The Incident , but I hadn’t imagined… I mean, at this point, there were a lot of videos to go through.

“Yeah. Leo was there, and I’m sure he’s a good cook or whatever”—Ha!

I could just picture Leo’s face if he ever heard himself being referred to that way—“but…you— you were the one who carried it. You were—you are —funny. Smart. Lovable.” My heart stuttered at that word, but he kept right on going, “Have you thought about starting up a YouTube channel again? Just you, your grandma’s recipes, no filters or gimmicks. ”

“No director. No associate producers…” It didn’t sound half bad. “I have thought about it. Just not sure what that would look like. What would I even call it?”

“Hmm… Dishing It Out ?”

“ Live Love Eat ?” I stared out over the canyon again.

“ Feast with Faraday .”

“ Feast with Faraday …” I looked over at him again. “I like it.”

“I’ll be your first subscriber,” he said. “And your official taste-tester. I’m not letting you off the hook for that peach cobbler. I’ve been dreaming about that buttery crust for about eight hundred miles.”

I laughed. “You sure about that? It’ll ruin you for all other desserts.”

“Worth it.”

We watched the canyon’s shadows shift, the sun slowly spilling down its ancient walls. I was more than content. I felt empowered.

Limitless.

And maybe relieved.

Because he’d mentioned me cooking for him. Which meant we’d maybe see each other after this trip was over. And sure, he might’ve been joking, but most jokes carried a hint of truth in them, didn’t they?

“What about your meeting?” I asked. “Do you think you’ll stay at the hospital?”

He exhaled. “For now? Yeah. I think so. But something has to change. The way things are now… It’s not sustainable. Not for me anyway.”

“What if things don’t change?”

“I’ve looked into working at a few urgent care centers. Could maybe buy into a private practice. Or apply at smaller hospitals. Work somewhere with less…bureaucracy.”

“So, you have choices.”

He nodded, and I felt him relax beside me. “I do.”

“You could spend more time with Jumbo. So he doesn’t have to eat his feelings so much.”

Noah gave me a crooked smile. “Are you implying I’ve neglected my pets?”

“If the shoe fits.” I grinned. “Maybe your cat won’t go seeking attention from the neighbors.”

Noah chuckled and brushed his hand along my thigh. “What a concept. Spending time at home.”

I hesitated, for half a second. “You know I’m kidding, right? Being loved by you? It’s enough for them.”

He tilted his head, like he wanted to say something. But in the end, he just nodded.

I leaned my head against his shoulder, knowing it was okay.

Because right now. Honestly. This was enough.