Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

I snort. “I’ll send you a picture, and you two can be the judge of it.”

“Has she seen it yet?” Gemma asks.

“Not yet. I’m showing her today after she gets off work.” I run my fingers through my hair, hoping she doesn’t kill me.

“I’m sure she’ll like it,” Tyler encourages. “Send over that pic.”

“I will. And if I disappear after today, you know Katie did it,” I joke. “Dad said things have been really quiet, so I’ll probably be home later tonight. I’m excited to work again and help y’all finish the gym.”

“Hell yeah,” Tyler says.

“Anyway, I’ll let y’all go. See you sooner than later,” I say, not wanting to linger on this call much longer.

After I hang up, I send them some pictures. Gemma replies instantly, telling me she loves it and wants one in their future house. I go to the bedroom and pack up my belongings. After I undo the stopper in the air mattress, I fold the blankets, then stack the pillows. Letting out a breath, I realize how much I’m actually gonna miss being here. It wasn’t ideal, but it gave me the opportunity to see and speak with Katie every day.

Things will probably change after I leave, but hopefully, we won’t take two steps back from how far we’ve come.

I keep myself busy until I decide to hop in the shower. Just as I’m putting on some clean clothes, Katie’s car pulls into the driveway, and my nerves get the best of me. Though I’m confident I made it as perfect as I could for what she wanted, I’m still worried she’ll be upset. Though the house has a chill, I feel as if I’m sweating.

Moments later, the front door swings open, and Katie enters with Owen trailing her. As soon as he sees me, his face lights up with excitement.

“Noah! You have to see my writing project!” He pulls something out of his backpack.

“Yeah, buddy. Let me see,” I say, grabbing the notebook he hands me. He’s bouncing on his feet as I flip through the hand-drawn comic book pages. “Whoa! You did all of this by yourself?”

He nods with a proud smile. “Yeah! I love superheroes but wanted to write one with a kid my age.”

“I’m impressed,” I say honestly. “The detail is really good. You’ve got some mad skills, Owen.”

Owen stares up at me. “You really think so?”

“Dude, I’d never lie about something like this. You’re talented,” I say, reading through the pages until I hit the end. “Wow. I guess it’s true that not all superheroes wear capes.”

“It’s based on a true story.” Owen puffs out his little chest.

Katie pats his back. “Enough tall tales.”

“Mom! What if I were a superhero and could save people from the bad guys? If my dad would’ve had someone to save him…”

The mood changes immediately, and it feels like all the air has been sucked from the room. Based on Katie’s reaction, I’m not alone. She clears her throat, keeping her smile locked in place. “You’re right. Now let’s eat dinner. Go set the table,” she urges.

As Owen’s busy, I stop Katie. “Real quick, I have something to tell you.”

“Is everything okay?”

“I think so. I mean, it might not be after you see what I did. Close your eyes.”

She furrows her brows, but she doesn’t argue. I carefully lead her into the kitchen while she covers her face.

“Ready?” I whisper close in her ear, and she shivers.

She nods, and I open the door. I tell her to look, and she blinks hard.

“Noah,” she whispers, opening the door wider and peeking inside. “It’s exactly how I imagined. How did—” Before she finishes her sentence, Katie wraps her arms around me and hugs me tight. Her breasts press against my chest, and her mouth is so close to mine as she thanks me, I’m tempted to kiss her again. Her eyes flutter closed, and I can almost taste her lips again.

“Mom?” Owen calls, and his feet shuffle across the wood floors. Katie immediately puts space between us, but her breasts continue to rise and fall as her pulse throbs in her neck.

“Yeah?” Katie walks toward him as he enters the kitchen.

“I think we left the food in the car,” he says, then grins at me.

“You’re right. I’ll go grab it,” she says. Owen walks out, and when Katie turns, her gaze nearly pierces through me.

She wraps her arms around me, and my hands slip around her waist. I pull her close and feel her hot breath on my neck. We’re so damn close.

“Thank you so much for building this. I love it. You really didn’t have to do any of this. It seems like so much, almost too much.”

Heat rushes through my body, and as if she noticed our closeness, she puts space between us. Immediately, I feel the loss of her warmth and body pressed against mine. I clear my throat.