"Thanks," he said. "I could use the occasional teammate." Because it was game on as the biggest of life changers ran toward him with open arms.
CHAPTER TWO
Teagan's fingers curled around the purse strap as if it was a lifeline. She'd known every person who had cared for the little girl while Lainey had been sick, and after she passed. Teagan and Noah had just had their tense moment. The day was chock-full of emotion and the unknown, and she couldn't be a tenth as uncertain as Noah was right now. Still, she worried whether Noah was the right man for the job.
"Uncle Noah!" Bella's bright eyes and exuberant smile showed no hesitation, despite the reason he was here, as she bound from the school bus and skipped, with Will warily remaining close. Like mother, like son. He too didn't want Bella's life to have any more hiccups.
Though it wasn't as if Virginia and Michael could continue to care for Bella. The Strams were older, and with Michael's hearing fading and their mobility slowing down, everyone had decided while Lainey was still healthy and active that Bella's grandparents shouldn't be the primary caretakers for the long term. They would keep Bella only while Lainey went to hospice and then until Noah could come home.
Will hung back and let his best friend go as Bella jumped into Noah's arms. The uncle-niece reunion was sweet, though Will didn't seem interested, and Teagan motioned for him to come closer as she walked toward her son, stopping just off the driveway, in the thick green grass where Bella and Noah had crouched. Teagan kissed the top of Will's head. "Hey, baby. How was your day?"
"Fine."
"What'd you do?" She wrapped her arm around his shoulder, embracing him, but he was as rigid as a white pine.
"Nothing."
The reply was typical for any kid, but today his voice floated away on the northwest breeze, more distracted than normal. When Will didn't return the hug, Teagan squeezed his side. It was time to put her profession to work at home. "Which color marker did you use the most today?"
"Blue," he mumbled. "I drew the sky. And then the rain. You couldn't see the rain until I pressed really hard to make the drops, and then Bella said the sky looked like it was crying."
"Was it crying?"
"Nope." He shook his head. "And she's a crying expert."
All of Teagan's heartstrings pulled simultaneously. "I know, baby. She's had a hard couple months. But that's why you're such a good friend."
The long middle-of-the-night calls with Lainey rushed back, from years ago when Lainey's husband Davis had died. Lainey had worried how it might screw up Bella when no one from his side of the family came to the funeral. She didn't want old Eagle's Ridge drama to taint Bella because her father had married into the uppity side of the river, abandoning his roots.
In Teagan's opinion, they had abandoned him and their blood, but at least they showed their true colors.
She shuddered. Would she rather have the unknown wild card of a Navy SEAL raising Bella or family members who wouldn't attend a funeral? Obviously, Noah, and it wasn't her call, anyway. Lainey had decided on him long ago, and Teagan agreed with her. But that didn't mean the decision was one hundred percent apprehension free.
"But." Will fidgeted. "Bella stopped crying when her mom stopped hurting."
She swallowed an emotional lump in her throat. "I know that too, baby."
At least, it had seemed that Bella was more at peace. Teagan and Will stared at the man on his knees in front of his niece. Noah wasn't what Teagan had pictured, and she'd never imagined he would be that handsome. Given Bella's family similarities, Teagan assumed he would have brown hair and eyes. What she didn't expect was how expressive he was without saying a word or how caring his questions were and how softly his voice carried when she knew he was a professional military man with determination and drive.
There was an all-knowing edge to his face, where sun lines creased the corners of his eyes and laugh lines surrounded his mouth. Noah had to be tired-and overwhelmed, not that that would be an excuse for Teagan to cut him too much slack-but he held himself tall, even when on his knees with Bella.
"Is he going to be a good friend?" Will asked.
"Grown-ups aren't always supposed to be a friend." She pulled Will around to face her so they weren't staring. Well, not staring as blatantly. Teagan still kept a close eye over Will's shoulder. "What did you eat first from your lunch box?"
"Yogurt raisins." He peeked around her shoulder. "Bella didn't eat much."
"I can appreciate that. Maybe she was nervous?"
"Think so. Her tummy feels funny too."
"That happens sometimes."
"Why are they so happy, then?" A thousand questions crossed his precious forehead as he tried to understand the intricacies of extended family.
Sometimes Teagan didn't even understand that concept. "Do you love Grandma Sue?"
A silly smile replaced the tight one. "Well, yeah."
"But do you know her very well?" Teagan tapped him on the nose. "You might be anxious to see her. When you do, you're very happy."
The dots connected in his mind, and his scowl softened as a little O formed on his lips. "Can I go over and say hi now?"
Teagan glanced over. Bella, all sunshine and smiles, was tugging Noah toward them until Will took off. It was quite the sight, the wisp of the girl and the thick, muscled man. Then Bella let go, and Noah remained in place and let his gaze follow the kids. His face was a mystery of triumph and terror.
Teagan bit her lip, watching the tough guy sweat the small stuff. He was in the deep end-so far that he couldn't find a proverbial purse strap to cling to if he'd wanted one.
Bella trotted over to Teagan's side, pushing onto her toes. "Can we go inside?"
She had just established the pecking order of who was in charge. Bella had asked Teagan-not Noah-if they could go inside the house Noah would now live in. Teagan lifted her eyebrows toward Noah. "I don't know. Can they?"
He sucked his cheeks in, as though he didn't know if they could go in and play or not. Maybe Noah had planned on making decisions only for Bella, and now he had to make or punt a choice for Will as well.
Teagan half twisted his way, deferring. "Because it's good with me if Will plays for a bit longer."
Picking up on her cue, Noah nodded, his square jaw loosening. "Sure. Have at it."
The kids took off through the front door like steamrollers, and she closed the small gap between the sturdy yet wildly unsteady man with less speed but even greater intention. "That wasn't a test of your command."
"I'm sorry?" The corner of his eyes crinkled as though he didn't like that she might've read his thoughts.
Smiling quietly, she shrugged. "Kids default to routine. I grant permission more often than you. It was more normal for Bella to ask my permission even though this is your house."
The tendons strained as he cracked his neck and popped his shoulders. "It's Lainey's."
"Well … " She ignored how he stretched his body and focused on how adults dealt with the stress of losing a loved one. Other than continuing education hours and occasional practicums, she'd never had to work with adults. Kids were different in how they alleviated stress.
Noah crossed his bicep over his chest and kneaded his muscle, then he repeated the same on the other side before shaking out his arms. Teagan decided the only thing she could focus on was the two-level stone-and-cedar home. That was safe and appropriate to gawk at. Lainey had always called it a cottage because of the fairy gardens she and Bella had planted in the backyard. "That was true. But it's your house now."
Noah quit his fidgeting and stared at the dark gray-blue paint and the round accent rocks as if he couldn't comprehend that he would lay his head to rest inside the charming little house filled with bedtime stories and fairy tales. "I don't know … "
"It is yours, Noah," Teagan urged.
"You don't know that."
True, she hadn't seen a will or any estate documents. She'd never asked or even thought to. But she did know that Lainey had arranged for Bella to be completely provided for, and part of that meant that the little girl had a trust to be administered by her guardian, funded by what came from life insurance. Even if the Forces weren't well off, the Strams were, and neither Lainey's parents nor the Colemans, Noah's side of the family, would let Bella struggle financially.
"I know enough," she countered. Lainey's house would likely be paid for from the trust, and that could give Noah wiggle room to get Nuts and Bolts running. Teagan had wondered why he didn't just find a job, but she knew now why he'd jumped headfirst into business ownership. Noah Coleman was such a Navy SEAL. Go after big things. Do them well.