"Hungry?" She pulled her hand away quickly and shoved both fists into her jeans pockets, pivoting toward the steaming pizza.
He didn't like how quickly she split. "Hey."
"Hmm?" Teagan rocked on her heels, barely glancing his way.
"Thanks. You could give me so much hell right now, and it's cool you're not."
Slowly, she stopped the heel rock. "I-"
A thunder of footsteps blew into the room, followed by a chorus of "We're hungry!"
Teagan ushered them toward the sink. "Hands! Wash those hands."
Whatever she had been about to say was gone.
Will and Bella shared a stool in front of the water faucet, making a mess more than killing germs, while Teagan filled glasses with milk-including some for him, which he got a kick out of-then they sat around the table as though they each had assigned seats.
The kids took the middle of the rectangular dining table, and Teagan headed toward the far end, leaving a vacant end chair for him.
At that moment, he realized he was the stranger in the room. He didn't know his seat, and he was aware both kids had better table manners than half the men he knew.
Guilt needled him in the ribs. Noah barely knew Bella beyond FaceTime, mailed cards, and the rare holiday visit. He loved her with every beat of his heart, but knowing who the kid was, that was different, and sitting at this table … No, they didn't make him feel like a stranger. More like a friend. Both old and new.
They waited for him to sit. Noah rubbed his chest, rolled his shoulders back, and pulled out the chair at the head of table. The second his butt touched down, Bella and Will chattered with food requests, their unsteady hands reaching for pizza.
He smiled, not expecting this, though he had zero expectations. Literally, none.
He hadn't put one iota of thought into whether Bella might have table manners or whether Lainey had served meals with … What was a good word? Purpose.
"Salad?" Teagan asked.
"Thanks." Noah took the large bowl Will shoved his way, passing it toward his niece.
Both kids acted as if they were famished, but they didn't shovel the dinner down their throats. Again, Noah knew adults who made more of a mess, and it reminded him of something he had learned on surviving hell week, that meals were solely for consuming calories. Protein and nutrition were secondary while on the job.
He ate his salad in quiet, listening to Bella and Will recount the harrowing drama of the fire drill, and when he had a break, he motioned to the table. "This is really nice, Teagan."
"Nothing, really. We're glad you're both here."
"I'm always here," Bella added.
"Doesn't change that I like having you at my table, sweet pea."
Noah swallowed another mouthful of lettuce and tomato and suddenly missed Lainey. This was her chair, her daughter, the conversation she was supposed to hear. She was his confidant, and he was her hero. Wasn't that how they'd always been? Not twins but always wanting to be. Closer than just the sister that she wasn't, even. Cousins could be that close, and that stabbing in his chest wouldn't go away.
"What'd you do today?" Bella asked him.
He took a quick breath. "Stopped by Nuts and Bolts."
"Is it open yet?" Teagan asked.
"Soon."
"I want to drive a tractor." Will dropped his fork. "Can you show me?"
Noah lifted a shoulder. "I don't have a tractor. But if I did, I could show you."
"Told ya," Bella said.
"It's an automotive shop," Teagan explained to Will. "The one you liked to visit."
Will perked up. "With all the cool stuff?"
Noah smiled. "You got it. I've kept all that too."
"Awesome."
Bella and Will kicked their legs under the table, giggling, and stopped upon one swift look from Teagan. Noah really needed to master that drop-chin-and-pinch-eye thing she did. He was ninety-nine percent sure that if he tried it, a kid would cry.
"Which type of pizza looks good?" Teagan asked, this time in a normal volume.
Noah eyed the choices and realized eating with kids was a lot like eating with the guys. If he didn't hop to, he'd go hungry. "That one."
"Good choice."
As Teagan moved to dole the slice, Will's hand shot forward. "I want to help."
"Sure thing, buddy." Noah lifted his plate and caught the flying slice of pizza at the last second.
Bella ate her pizza backward, and Will ate his topping-side down. They both had pizza sauce on their faces and ranch dressing on their chins. Noah laughed, settling back in his chair and taking a sip of milk.
"What's funny?" Bella asked.
"Just taking it all in, ladybug."
Bella and Will were having a heated debate on whether honeysuckles had honey in them, and Noah caught Teagan studying him.
"Are you okay?" she mouthed.
Good question. He ran a quick hand into his growing hair and nodded. But the truth was that this dinner table was nothing that any parenting blog or new-to-guardianship checklist had prepared him for. He was content to see and hear the clatter and chatter as napkins dropped and milk sloshed.
Noah was a planner. He understood the planks of success and why he was driven to always triumph. He liked to win. It took resources. Prep. Training.
That was how he approached moving back to Eagle's Ridge and taking over Bella's care. Every resource he'd consulted had mentioned the immense risks that he'd come across, but none explained the reward other than the joys of parenting. What the hell was that?
This was that. His chest tightened. Was he okay? "I'm doing all right."
"Good. Bella, seconds?" Teagan offered Bella more salad, only to receive a polite ranch-dressing-covered headshake, then she caught his eye again. "Don't forget to eat. You're just starting this marathon."
He appreciated the good-natured mothering as he promised to do as told. This was the life. Good food. Great company. Maybe he was doing better than all right tonight.
CHAPTER SEVEN
The pizzas had been demolished. Even the salad had been eaten to the bottom of the bowl, and since both of Teagan's helper bees were on cleanup duty, the kids had piled utensils and cleaned off the table as best they could. Warm water ran over Teagan's hands as she washed off the dishes that Noah had scraped, and the two adults worked side by side in silence and listened to Will and Bella question each other over who had counted closer to infinity.
Will stopped volleying incoherent numbers and, at the foot of the table, called, "Can we go watch a movie?"
The table was cleared, and Bella waited patiently next to Will. Teagan was fine with it, but she decided to ask Noah too and lifted her eyebrows his way. He snickered as though he thought she was nuts for asking, then Teagan gave the kids a thumbs-up. "Finish what you were watching the other day."
As soon as they were out of the room, she wondered if he needed a reminder that he was in charge. Will led the way to the living room-and stopped, turning back. "Noah? Where are your kids?"
"Me?" Noah wiped his hands on a kitchen towel.
"He has me now," Bella added.
"Good point, ladybug."
Ladybug. Cute. "Will, leave Mr. Coleman alone."
"Ya know." He turned to her, pressing his lips together. "The mister part is weird for me. Maybe it's an adjustment thing … "
She shrugged. "Your call."
"Just Noah."
"Noah," Will tried out. "Why don't you have kids?"
Teagan tittered. "And that part doesn't make you uncomfortable?"
He cracked a grin. "Nope." Then he walked back to the dining table and spun a chair around to straddle it. "Because my old job kept me away from home a lot, and then I never found anyone I wanted to have kids with."
"How do you have your kids?" Will followed up.
Noah's mouth opened and closed, and he sent a silent SOS to Teagan.
As much as she'd enjoy seeing Noah struggle with that one, she wanted to handle the birds and the bees on her own. Preferably with the right info, and who knew what he'd have to offer to the kindergarten crowd. "Time for the movie. Now or never, please."
Neither Will nor Bella seemed to notice Noah squirming as they left for the living room.
Noah clucked his tongue. "I may never be able to thank you enough for saving me from myself at that moment."
She shooed that away. "Like I'd let you get within ten miles of that conversation."
"Hey." He stood up from the chair, spinning it back to the table. "If I had to, I'd nail it."
His footsteps were slow. Mesmerizing. They seemed far louder than they actually were in the quiet kitchen, where there was no sound to compete other than the thump of her heartbeat. Noah had a way about him when he walked. It wasn't a swagger. More of a stroll that oozed confidence and breathed dominance. Her gaze flitted away instead of focusing on his broad chest and thick arms. It wouldn't be right to stare at the hardened edge of his jawline, not when his full lips made her wonder what his kiss might feel like. Teagan needlessly rearranged the salt and pepper shakers on her counter. Fidgeting was far better than imagining his take on the birds and bees.