Noah (7 Brides for 7 Soldiers Book 6)(23)

He stood before he could say or do anything that would cross a clearly  set line. Last night's line was a guess. The one in his mind was  specific, and she didn't want to cross it again.

They had kissed, and she'd said pull back.

Teagan was comfortable with their relationship as friends, and that was  where he would leave it. "I'll catch you later. Call me if you need  anything."

Then Noah forced himself from her office with the knowledge that one  day, they would be a couple. He just needed to back up and let what he  knew to be fact catch up with reality.





CHAPTER SEVENTEEN



The Lego tower now rivaled Will in height and spanned the length of his  arms as Teagan sat on the couch in an old pair of sweatpants and an  Eagle's Ridge track T-shirt. She watched one tower sway as her son  quickly leaped into action to fortify the base. Only when she was sure  that his hours of work wouldn't crash did she go back to her review of  IEPs.

Schoolteachers were finishing interims, and she was keeping an eye on  the progress of the new school year start of individual plans for  students who needed special help with programs. There was never enough  time and resources.

Knock, knock.

Will jumped. "Someone's at the door! Oh no!"

The tower of blocks, which he had just stabilized, toppled and crashed.  Legos shot in every direction, and his cheeks flushed to a frustrated  red. "They broke, Mama. I-"

"Don't say anything you might regret, otherwise all the Legos go up."

He swallowed what looked to be one hundred kindergarten versions of "shoot" and plopped to the ground to start rebuilding.

"Good decision." She set her work on the coffee table and headed toward  the door, hoping whoever it was had a fantastic reason that she could  give Will for the knocking. "Coming."

Padding down the hallway barefoot, she rolled her pants once to keep them on her hips then opened the door. The world froze.         

     



 

"Teagan, it's great to see you," her ex-husband said on the front porch  of the home they used to share before he so cavalierly walked out when  she had a newborn in her arms.

How they had managed to avoid each other for five years, she had no  idea. Even though Spencer traveled almost constantly, he still called  Eagle's Ridge home. But this was not his house. "What are you doing  here?"

"I was hoping to come in and chat."

She inched out of the door, squeezing it almost shut behind her. "Are you out of your mind? You can't come here."

"I didn't think we parted on those kinds of terms."

"Were you in my neighborhood recently?" she snapped.

Spencer shook his head. "I was in town a couple weeks ago but not over here. Why?"

"A friend thought he saw you."

Spencer took a step closer. "Did he? How would he know it was me?"

"Because of Edward Lee. Was that you?"

He pushed a hand against the door. "Let me in, Tea."

She balked, bumping into the door and clattering for the handle to pull  it back again. Will didn't need to see him. He'd never met his father,  and right now wasn't going to be the time that introduction took place,  if ever. "No," she hissed. "You walked away. Not even a fight for  custody."

The only thing he'd requested was that Teagan notify him before she sold  her house, which she'd owned before he moved in with her. If "moving in  with" was even a correct description of their living arrangements,  considering how often he'd been gone. The judge had given him the right  to one final walk-through if she ever sold, for nostalgic purposes.

Her attorney told her to keep quiet, that it was one of the best divorce  agreements he'd ever seen. That did nothing but piss her off, though.

Spencer stepped back. "You're making a scene."

"You need to leave."

Will called for her from the living room, and Teagan's blood formed icicles. "Go. Now."

"That's Will, huh? Sounds like a real big kid now."

"Spencer Shaw, get off my property, so help me God."

Spence's cocky smile hung on his tan face, and his sun-bleached hair  hung over his eyes in a way that said he'd spent too much time on the  beach lately. Yet still he managed to wear nice clothing and, from the  looks of the car parked in front of the house, had a nice ride. There  were so many questions surrounding him that she'd never wanted to think  about again.

"Hey, let me hit the bathroom real quick. Just tell him I'm a salesperson. Doesn't matter."

Doesn't matter. Her heart shattered. It didn't matter. To Spence, it  didn't. But to Will, it would. His heart would splinter, knowing that  his long-lost father wanted to use the bathroom more than he wanted to  meet his son.

Her eyelids burned with tears, and Teagan couldn't manage the words "Go  to hell." She simply stumbled back and slammed the door shut.





CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



Business was finally picking up at Nuts and Bolts, and Noah had a sense  of accomplishment. Not only was he using his hands as he had in  demolition, tinkering and troubleshooting to finally tune parts that  should flow together effortlessly, but he'd found satisfaction as a new  business owner. Entrepreneurship wasn't Noah's calling, though.  Providing for others was. It would've been a bold-faced lie to say he  had the slightest interest in accounting or marketing. Putting in hours  long after Bella was asleep to learn what came beyond the basics of  Business 101 made for tediously long nights, but he was in it for the  long haul.

He poured lotion on his hands and wiped the grease off on a cloth then  tossed it over his shoulder. He'd earned enough this week to not be in  the hole. There was a trust and savings to rely on, but his personal  goals made him work hard so he wouldn't rely on those as if he were  starting from scratch. Maybe it was too hard and idealistic for some,  but dammit, he was going to do it.

This was his life now. No more jumps out of a helicopter, no surfacing  in the water on a strike. He wouldn't search for enemies, couldn't  calculate for explosions and demolitions. It was a time of transition,  and Noah found himself making lists of normal, everyday activities.

He planned to meet Wyatt at Baldie's for beers later in the week. He  wanted to invite the guys over to the house after he made it more of his  own place. Noah had signed up to read a story to Bella's class and was  responsible for donating the classroom pumpkin. He downloaded the phone  app for the school's sports booster program even though Bella was too  young to participate in any of the Eagle's Ridge school athletic  activities. At least he could track the high school scores, which was a  topic of local conversation. All day long, Noah talked to customers and  business associates, but at the end of the day, before Bella walked off  the bus, an unfamiliar loneliness continued to surround him at his  house.         

     



 

He had connections, but they weren't personal. Other than Bella. And  Teagan-even Will. But he wanted more depth with Teagan. More warmth.  More of her. More everything.

Noah dropped to his desk chair and stared blankly at a pile of work.

He took his phone out of his desk drawer and didn't know who to reach  out to, particularly when he had nothing to say. That used to be Lainey,  who was there for the few and far between times when he needed somebody  to just get him. He scrolled the contact list and swiped Teagan's name.  She didn't fit the bill as a makeshift replacement for Lainey, but he  didn't want to replace his cousin and didn't feel as if Teagan needed to  adapt to fit a role, or that he needed a reason to talk to her.

Much like Lainey.

She answered on the second ring, but the tone of her hello changed his  self-focused reflection to an immediate concern that something was  wrong. "Teagan, what's the matter?"

She grumbled. "That easy to tell? Great. Just peachy."

"Rotten day at work?" How bad could it be in an elementary school? It  wasn't as if she could be called to the principal's office.

"It's just a weird two days. I haven't heard from my ex-husband in  years, and yesterday he shows up and wants to chat. Today the same  thing."

Noah's lips flattened, and he wasn't sure how best to answer as a platonic friend. "What's he want?"

"I can tell you what he doesn't want. To see Will. Which is fine by me, but it's also heartbreaking."

Noah shook his head. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Is it weird that I'm talking to you about him?"

"Why would that be weird?"

"People have preconceived notions about Spence, and frankly, I don't want to talk to them about him."

He ignored the solid river of irritation punching in his jugular. "I'll listen to anything."

"Thanks. I- Hang on a second." The phone muffled as he waited. "Someone  popped into my office, and I have to jump. But this afternoon I'm headed  over to the middle school for a counselors' meeting, then I'm done for  the day. Maybe I could swing by Nuts and Bolts? I'll bring coffee."