Two weeks had passed since Noah stopped taking Ativan, Valium, and Klonopin. Christmas had come and gone as I spent every moment either with Noah or on this porch. Hearing Grayson drive up, I opened my eyes and watched him pull in to the driveway.
“Hey,” I said with a whisper. Grayson had decided to stay another few weeks until Noah was feeling back to a hundred percent.
“Hey back at ya.” Grayson said with a smile. “Where’s Meg?”
Smiling softly, I said, “Why? Is the sergeant looking for his new soldier?”
Pushing my shoulder softly, Grayson sat next to me. “Very funny. That girl is hard to read. One minute I think she is into me and the next, she tells me what a whore I am.”
Laughing, I shook my head. “You are a stripper, Gray. You don’t seriously want a girlfriend, do you?”
Holding up his hands, Grayson gave me a fake laugh. “Whoa, turn it down, Johnson. No one mentioned the G word. I’m looking for a little P action and that’s it.”
Lifting my eyebrows, I did the one thing I knew I shouldn’t do. I asked what he meant. “What is P action?”
“Seriously, Grace? Sometimes I’m so disappointed in you. Pussy action.”
Rolling my eyes, I let out a disgusted sigh. “Ugh. Men are pigs. No, I take that back. You’re a pig.”
Standing up, Grayson rubbed his hand on the top of my head before heading into the house and calling over his shoulder, “I may be a pig, but I can dance better than you.”
“Bullshit!” I shouted. Taking the last drink of my coffee, I stood and looked down the street for Meagan. She’d gone for a run about an hour ago. She had left right after Grayson left. Something was off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. There was something different about Meagan this morning.
“Grace?”
Spinning around, I smiled when I saw Noah standing there. “Hey there. Did you get some good sleep?”
Giving me a smile so bright I had to catch my breath, Noah nodded. “Yeah. I did actually.”
“Good. Are you hungry?” I asked as I walked up to him.
“Um, not really. But I was wondering if we could take a walk? I wanted to talk to you.”
A feeling of uneasiness bubbled up as I attempted to smile. “Sure. Right now?”
“Yeah, if that’s okay?”
Swallowing hard, I nodded and said, “Let me put this coffee mug in the kitchen.”
Noah glanced away and stared down the street. “I’ll wait right here.”
My voice abandoned me as I made my way past him and into the kitchen.
Setting the mug into the sink, I leaned against the counter and dragged in a few deep breaths.
Whatever was about to happen, I knew it wasn’t going to be good. The look in Noah’s eyes scared me shitless.
Noah had grown distant the last two weeks. The better he seemed to get, the more withdrawn he became.
I was losing him and no matter how hard I tried to fight, I wasn’t winning this battle.
Noah
Grace and I walked along the street in silence as I fought for a way to tell her how I was feeling. These last two weeks had opened up my eyes to so many things. I wasn’t the man I wanted to be for Grace. I wanted to be so much more for her. I needed to be the strength . . . not her. If I kept going down this path, Grace wouldn’t be able to follow her dreams.
Finally breaking the silence, Grace spoke. “How are you feeling today?”
Nodding my head, I said, “Good. Today I think my mind has been the most clear.”