Noah (7 Brides for 7 Soldiers Book 6)(25)

"Where is the people section?"

He'd never been one to miss the obvious, but staring back at him  appeared to be people- princesses, princes, knights, and police  officers. There was Army. Notably missing were the Navy SEALs. Two  different fireman costumes hung side by side, and there were several  costumes for service industry characters, including chefs, bakers, and  railroad engineers. All in all, Noah saw people. "I think we're here,  kid."

Her wand-holding hands went to her hips. She was still not pleased. "No, real people."

"Ladybug, these are all real people. And when you wear their costume,  you will make them come alive." Wasn't that the point of Halloween? Some  kids wanted to go "Boo." Others wanted to emulate their heroes. There  was a missing piece of the Halloween puzzle, though, and for the life of  him, Noah couldn't see what seemed so obvious to her. "Is there a  specific person you're looking for? From a movie? Or a job?"

"The girl in the picture with all the books who put the man on the moon."

"Buzz Aldrin? That was a man and-"

"No." Her little face scowled. "The girl who wrote the program that put  him there. She did it with a pencil. And there were lots of books.  That's who I want to be for Halloween."

There was Halloween shopping for kids, and then there was Halloween  shopping for Bella. Noah understood this to be true and now realized he  needed help. More importantly, he might also need a history lesson  because he had obviously missed a chapter while learning how the first  man had walked on the moon. "Give me a second."

Noah stuck both of his shiny wands in his back pocket, exchanged one of  them for his cell phone, and opened up the search browser. Keywords for  his image search were "girl books man on the moon."

The results were woefully disappointing with pictures of musical acts that this little ladybug better not know about.

Noah tried again with "code NASA female staff." That time the images  were far more appropriate, yet there was nothing that would seem to  satisfy Bella's upturned, imploring eyes.

"Did you find it?" She was surrounded by nothing that interested her,  but the hope in her voice was enough to slice through his gut.

"Getting closer. I'll figure it out." His gaze lifted behind her as the  simple encouragement caused her to beam far more than the shiny wands  had. "And if they don't have it here, I'll see where they do have it."

Her eyes cast down as her shoulders drooped. "What if they don't have it anywhere?"

Another gut shot, delivered in stealth mode by his little ladybug. "I  know you didn't ask if there was something I couldn't do." He clucked  lightly and dropped to his knees. Chuckling quietly, he said, "If I have  to hand stitch the thing, you will be it."         

     



 

Whoever "it" was. That was first and foremost in this operation-figure out his target.

Noah hated to think that Teagan might assume he was using her only for help, but this situation was about to be at Mayday level.

"Go play for a few minutes while I do a little more research." And by  research, he meant texting his resource on all things …  Well, all things  at this point in time.



NOAH: Mayday, Mayday. I need Halloween help.



His phone flashed with an immediate notification and text message back.  Noah wasn't sure whether he was more thrilled for the help or to see her  name flash onto his screen.



TEAGAN: I'm doing Halloween right now too. What's up?

NOAH: Costumes. Or a specific costume.

TEAGAN: LOL

NOAH: This is the description I'm working with. A girl who handwrote the book that put somebody on the moon.



He hit Send and reread his text. It was so generic but at the same time  so specific, what was he missing? And he didn't want Teagan to think he  was taking the lazy way out and simply texting her, or texting her just  because. Now he felt like a schoolkid with a crush.



NOAH: I promise. I Googled.

TEAGAN: Here you go.



The image accompanying her text message was exactly as Bella had  described. A young woman stood with a stack of books that was nearly as  tall as she was. The caption on the picture read "Margaret Hamilton  handwrote the code for NASA's Apollo mission."

He had a huge grin on his face. There were so many reasons. That was who  Bella wanted to be for Halloween? Hell yes. She made him so proud, and  Lainey would be proud too. Thank God for the ghoul's mask, because his  eyes stung for a moment as he thought about how excited she would've  been to create that costume for her daughter. But Noah also smiled  because Teagan knew. She knew Bella, she knew amazing things, and she  was able to share with him without making him feel like a jackass.

He closed the image and saw another text message from her.



TEAGAN: Doubtful you will find *this* costume but I can help pull one together if you like.



"Will!" Bella trotted down the aisle as Noah glanced up to see Teagan round the corner with an armful of supplies.

"How funny," Teagan said, laughing.

Will and Bella greeted each other with raucous surprise then put their heads together, breaking apart a second later.

"Excuse us," Bella said. "We have a potion to make."

"A potion, huh?" Noah swept his arm out, granting them permission to pass toward the witches section of the store.

Will scowled at Noah's antics. "It's very serious. You shouldn't laugh."

"Life-fault-ernating." Bella was as unimpressed with Noah as Will.

"Tough crowd," Noah mumbled to himself, then he beckoned Bella closer. "Alternating? Meaning, changing?"

"Yes," Will gravely answered for Bella then tilted his head toward Teagan. "Are you alternating your life?"

"I could alternate, little man." Her amusement was barely hidden by her serious tone.

"Phew." Will let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Phew!" Bella repeated as she jumped, then they raced to the head of the aisle as Teagan called for them to walk.

"They're almost as relieved as I was to learn you know who Margaret Hamilton was," he said.

Teagan stepped to his side, and they watched Bella and Will speed walk  to the closest witches' brooms and find their place among the cauldrons  in the store aisle, pretending to pour imaginary bottles as they stirred  their potions.

Will jumped back from what seemed to be an imaginary pot boiling over,  and together they lifted an apparently heavy container and dumped it  into the pot.

"Active imaginations." Noah glanced down at Teagan by his side then  flipped the phone in his hand. He pocketed it as Teagan covered her  laughter with her hand, but she wasn't watching the kids. "What?"

"You," she said. "In the mask."

"Me?" He flipped out his hands but egged on her laughter as he tilted  his covered face, as though he were unaware of what he looked like.  "What?"

"Even if I didn't expect to see you here, I could've guessed who was behind the ghoul's mask."

"Rwar," he joked.

"But I certainly didn't expect to see you with sequin-and-string fairy godmother wands trailing from your backside."

Ha! He'd forgotten! "These bad boys?"

Noah did a quick strut-and-spin, positive he made the sequin and strings shake as he turned around.

Her eyes danced. "It's a good look for you. Softens the fangs and hairiness."         

     



 

"You like the ghoul's mask."

"I like your face better," she said quietly.

Something about her tone quickly ran through him, how the humor was gone  and how she seemed to be standing closer. He slid the mask off, running  his hands into his hair that he was letting grow longer.

"Much more handsome."

Simple and innocent, but it hit him straight in the chest. She made his blood warm and his need for her jump.

They had agreed their kiss was born out of stress and worry, curiosity  and misplaced tension. Noah only wanted to do what was right for Bella.  Family came first. But taking care of Bella didn't mean that he could  ignore needs and desires. That Noah was alive and that every inch of him  was aware of Teagan. Not just how her cheeks were still pink after she  said he was handsome or the way her hair fell around her face but the  sound of her voice and the sweetness of her intentions. Hell, her looks  were simply a bonus, and they didn't explain why her text messages were  the best part of his day. Teagan's intelligence and humor, how she cared  for her son, for Bella, and her students …  for him. Those were the  things driving him to the edge.

But they'd already gone down that road, and it was now labeled  Restricted. He liked being her friend, and that was what he'd focus on.

"Let me give you a hand with that." Noah lifted the tablecloths and  packages of matching cups and plates from her arms. "Changing the motif  at home?"

She remained close as she let go of the burden in her arms. "As much  easier as plastic plates and cups might be, it's for a school party."