“It’s going to be okay,” Noah whispered in her ear while he squeezed her hand.
She turned to him. “How do you know that, Noah? It’s no big deal to you. You’ve dealt with this kind of thing for years. It’s all new to me. Add on top of that these people are important to you. What am I going to have in common with them? What am I going to say to them? What if I trip in front of the paparazzi? What if…”
“Shhh, it’s all going to be okay. I’ll be with you every step of the way. Yes, the band is important to me, but so are you. Remember, I’m the one who knows everyone and you’ll get along fine. You have more in common than you think. None of them grew up in Hollywood. And tripping in front of the paparazzi, well, love, we’ve all done it. Think of it as an initiation.”
Lexi glared at him and turned back to look out the window at the land far below. She felt a finger under her chin, fought the pressure for a moment before giving in and turning to look at Noah.
“Alexia, trust me. Why don’t you close your eyes for a bit, it’s a long flight.”
Lexi closed her eyes but she didn’t fall asleep. Once she saw Noah had, she opened her eyes and studied him. Even with the beard, he was still handsome, though missed his clean-shaven face so she could see his dimples when he smiled. She supposed he’d be shaving once they got to L.A. He hadn’t had enough time since to do so since they’d been running late this morning.
She still couldn’t believe that she was sitting here with him. If someone had told her how much her life would change when the summer began, she wouldn’t have believed them. Now she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. She didn’t know how she was going to get through these next few days, but somehow she would. For him.
*
Riding in the back of the SUV with Noah to his home in the Hollywood Hills, Lexi asked, “So, how long before those pictures are up on the internet?”
“They already are, love. See?” Noah held his phone up so that she could see them. “You look good.”
Lexi pushed the phone away. She didn’t want to see what she looked like. She knew that right now people were burning the internet up to find out who the ‘mystery woman’ was. It made her sick. She was sure that her past would be plastered all over the internet in no time. “Noah, are you sure about all of this? I mean, you know what’s in my past. It will be all over the place. Everyone will know.”
“If you’re strong enough to go through it, so am I. I’ll do anything and everything to protect you. What are besties for?” He winked at her.
She sighed and rested her head against his shoulder. “Besties? Somehow, I thought we were beyond that.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “Yes, we are, but at the heart of it, always besties, love. Always.”
Lexi sat up as they approached a mid-century ranch-style house. She was immediately at ease, happy it wasn’t some huge mansion. They entered into the living room which had minimal furniture and the whole back wall opened up to the hills with a spectacular view. Lexi crossed and opened the doors all the way to allow a breeze to come in. Walking out onto the patio, she looked around at the hills and the other houses. She turned to see Noah watching her.
“I know it’s not our secluded beach, but we can still make magic here.” He came out onto the patio and wrapped his arms around her and nestled her body back into his.
Lexi sighed. “Somehow, I think I could call anywhere home as long as you are there.”
Noah’s arms tightened around her waist. “I feel the same. I’m so glad you decided to come. I couldn’t bear the thought of not seeing you, not holding you, for days. Want to see the rest of the house?”
“That would be wonderful. I’m especially interested in your bedroom.” She winked at him.
“Oh, don’t worry about that, love. You’ll be spending a lot of time there.”
Lexi turned around and walked back into the house. Right behind the living room was the dining area and open kitchen. There was a fireplace, although it might not get much use this time of the year. Noah walked her back through the rest of the house showing her his office and guest bedrooms before opening the door to the master suite with a flourish. “Our very own love shack.”