Noble Love (The Nobles of Sweet Rapids #1) (15 page)

I
saiah's eyes slowly slid open and his gaze went to his window where he noticed the sun was beginning to rise. And that's when he realized he'd actually slept through the night for the first time, probably since his father had died.

Sleep had become elusive since then. He hadn't even been able to find it after incredibly amazing sex with Tessa. He would toss and turn, maybe drift off for an hour or two; but real rest missed him nearly every night.

Until last night.

After leaving Noble Naturals, Isaiah was still in awe over the box of mementos his father had kept of Isaiah and his brother and sisters. Oddly enough, that discovery had given him a bit of peace.

When they returned home, the previous evening, Tessa had led him straight to the bedroom, where she stripped him out of his clothes, and made him lie on the bed while she tenderly massaged his entire body. That was when, he now realized, the tension from his body first began to ebb away.

Eventually, he got her out of her clothes and on to her back, where he took his time making love to her for the rest of the night. He remembered the way he worshiped her body, and told her over and over that he loved her; and she reverently reciprocated.

After that, he'd pulled her into his arms where he fell asleep. He assumed because of his pattern, as of late, that he would awake soon after Tessa fell into a deep sleep. But, much to his surprise, he was just now waking up, hours later.

Isaiah sat up in the bed and looked around the room, realizing Tessa was no longer in the bed.

She's probably
jogging around the lake
, he thought to himself.

Every morning, she got up and went for her morning jog. He doubted this morning was any different.

He looked up when the bedroom door crept open. Tessa quietly backed into the room and when she turned to face him, her face lit up in that bright smile that made his heart beat for her and her alone.

"You're awake!" she exclaimed, walking over to him with a large tray filled with food on it. "I was so glad you actually slept last night."

"You knew I hadn't been sleeping?"

"Honey, I've been sleeping here more than I've been sleeping at my own place over the last few months. With the exception of those three weeks, I know you haven't been sleeping well since..."

"Yeah."

"But you did last night."

"I did."

"How are you feeling this morning?"

He sat back against the headboard and thought about her question. "You know, I feel pretty damn good today."

Her smile grew wider. "Wonderful, I hope you're hungry as well," she said, sliding the tray on his lap.

"Wow, you've been busy this morning," Isaiah said, looking at the large spread.

"Yeah," Tessa said, with a shrug. "I went out, did my morning run, came home and showered and you were still asleep. Figured I'd make you some breakfast."

She'd made all of his favorites: a steak, scrambled cheese eggs, pancakes, turkey bacon, fruit salad and hot cup of coffee. There was also a cup of fresh squeezed orange juice.

"Everything looks delicious," he said, rubbing his hands together. Tessa climbed in the bed next to Isaiah and reached for her own plate that was sitting on the tray. Hers only had pancakes, bacon and fruit. Once they'd been eating for a while, Isaiah asked, "Are you getting ready for work soon?"

She said she'd showered after she returned from her run, but he noticed instead of her putting her work clothes on, she was simply wearing one of his shirts. That was his favorite thing to see her wearing, besides nothing at all.

Tessa shook her head as she bit into her bacon. "I'm taking the day off."

"Really?" he asked surprised. "Why?"

"Because I want to stay home with you."

Something about her saying she wanted to stay home with him, that she considered his place just as much of a home as hers...warmed him inside.

"What about your sister and the bakery?" he asked.

"Dana can handle the place just fine without me. She does it all the time. And with the new employees, things will be a breeze," she said, waving her hand. "I'd much rather stay right here with you all day."

Isaiah slowly finished chewing the food in his mouth and swallowed. He'd been so busy the last few months, a day of doing absolutely nothing actually sounded like a good idea.

"Okay," he said. "We'll spend the day right here."



Isaiah stood with his siblings at the airport. They were all getting ready to leave Sweet Rapids; off to their separate destination. Isabella was catching a flight back to Paris, and Ivy was heading off to Brazil where she'd meet with her camera crew to start her vlog back. Ian was heading back to Vegas. Isaiah was going to miss them, but he knew their time apart wouldn't be as long this time around.

"You text me or call me when you get there, so I'll know you made it safely," he ordered.

"We will," Ivy and Isabella said.

Smiling, he pulled both sisters into his arms.

"Love you," he said, before kissing them both on the cheek.

"Love you too," they said, as both women grew teary eyed.

"And you call
us
when you need us," Isabella ordered. "We'll be on the first plane home."

Ivy nodded her head, agreeing. She could always do the Noble Naturals videos from anywhere, but he knew she'd come home without hesitation.

Isaiah gave them one last tight hug, then stepped aside so Ian could hug them as well. Their flights were first, Ian would be heading out soon after.

Isaiah and Ian stood watching as their sisters disappeared through the security section of the airport.

"You good man?"

Isaiah turned to Ian, who was still looking straight ahead after his question.

"Yeah," Isaiah said. "I'm good."

Ian gave a short nod. "You've been trying to so hard to hold everyone else up all this time..."

"It's my job."

"Says who?" Ian asked turning toward Isaiah. "Your birth certificate, because you were the first one they pulled out of Mom's stomach?"

Isaiah smiled and shrugged at his brother's teasing. "You know this is just how I've always been."

"Which is why Pop wanted you to run the company."

"Hey," Isaiah said. "How do you feel about that? Do you think the girls are okay about it?"

"Everyone is fine," Ian assured Isaiah. "We all know what our rolls will be when the time comes with Noble Naturals. Yours is leader."

Isaiah nodded, feeling more at ease. He wasn't taking over quite yet, but he would be assisting his mother with running the business and continuing to help oversee the revamping of the company.

"My flight's gonna be boarding soon," Ian said, quietly. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Because if you need me, I can stay."

"No, man. I told you, I'm good."

When Ian raised an eyebrow, Isaiah blew out a breath and held up his hands. "I'm getting better. Tess has been a great."

Ian nodded, satisfied with Isaiah's amended answer. "Tessa is a good woman. Don't fuck that up."

Isaiah chuckled and pulled his brother into a strong hug.

"I love you man."

"Love you too," Ian said, before pulling away and picking up his carry on.

"Call me–"

"When I get back to Vegas. I will." Ian said, and then headed for the security gate.

Once Ian disappeared into the busy crowd of the airport, Isaiah shoved his hands in his pockets and turned to head for the parking lot.

Despite the circumstances, he enjoyed being around his siblings for the last few weeks.

He got to his car, started it and sat there for a moment, trying to figure out what he wanted to do next, where he wanted to go.

His mouth began to water, and suddenly he was craving the taste of his Tess.

"
S
ooo," Tessa said in a singsong voice, as she stirred some batter for a batch of honey cookies they were testing. Isaiah had come through with his connection to Abe Nilon's Honey. "You and Aiden are going on your first da–"

"It's
not
a date," Dana quickly corrected her sister. "It's an
outing
to a show of an artist, we both happen to enjoy. Since we live next to each other, it just saves money for us to ride together."

"So it has
nothing
to do with the fact that you two have
still
been screwing each others' brains out for the last month or so?"

It seemed during Isaac Noble's death and afterward, Dana and Aiden had somehow grown closer, though they still argued like crazy. According to Dana, angry sex was just as hot as make up sex. Tessa would have to take her sister's word for that.

"I know
you're
not talking. Miss Get-Busy-At-Work. Nasty heifer."

Tessa's eyes grew wide and she tried to shush Dana, who was laughing loudly.

"Okay," Tessa conceded. "You win that one. But come on Dana, what's really going on between you and Aiden?"

Dana paused from icing the batch of cupcakes she was working on and looked up at Tessa.

"Aiden is crude and a jerk and when I push him, he pushes back," she said. Then her face softened. "But he's also considerate and caring and he can be incredibly tender."

Her last words came out on a sigh and she shook her head and got back to work.

"So, is it safe to say he's no longer the worst neighbor in the history of neighbors?"

"Oh, he's still that. And an arrogant ass." Her head popped up and her lip tilted up as she added, "But he's
my
arrogant ass."

The ringing of Dana's cellphone broke the silence Tessa and Dana had fallen in to while they worked on their desserts. She wiped her hands clean, pulled her phone out and smiled. "It's Daddy, he's video calling."

Tessa dropped her utensils and rushed over to stand next to Dana as she answered the call. Their parents had been gone for nearly two weeks on their cruise and they'd only gotten an occasional text to let the girls know they were doing okay.

"Are you there?" he asked.

They laughed when they saw how close his face was to the screen.

"Pull the phone back," Dana said.

"Oh," he said as he readjusted and soon his face filled the screen of the phone. "Hey girls!"

"Hey Daddy!" they both sang out.

"Where are you?" Tessa asked.

Emmett held up a finger. "Hold on." They watched as he pulled the phone even further away from his face, and adjusted his glasses, mumbling as he tried to figure out how to flip the screen around. "Ah!" he finally said, "Say hello to your mother."

Both Tessa and Dana gasped instantly recognizing the Fontana della Barcaccia in the foreground and the Spanish steps behind it. Their parents were in Rome, Italy. But what had them gasping the most was their mother standing in front of the fountain.

Gone was her signature tight bun, and her long flowing locks hung down past her shoulders. She was wearing a spaghetti strap sundress, denim jacket and a pair of low-heeled slingback wedges. But the most amazing thing she was wearing was the carefree smile on her face.

They watched as Janet threw her head back and laughed. "Emmett," she called out. "Are you taking
more
pictures?"

They heard their father's laughter before he responded, "I'm video chatting with the girls."

Janet's face lit up even more as she hurried over to meet Emmett. The camera flipped around again and their mother's face filled the screen.

"Hi girls!"

"Hey Mama," Tessa said. "How are you liking Rome?"

"You look
so
good!" Dana added.

"I feel amazing," Janet said. "And Rome is wonderful, so beautiful. You girls have to come see this place for yourselves."

"One day," Tessa said.

"How's the bakery?"

Tessa, Dana and Emmett all groaned.

"What?" Janet asked, laughing. "I can't even
ask
about the bakery now?"

Tessa smiled and answered her mother's question. "The bakery is great. Sales have gone through the roof with our new seasonal baked goods."

"That's great," Janet said. "I know I've been a pain in the rear, holding on so tight to the business for so long. But your father was right. You girls are doing Everetts’ Bakery proud. And I know your plans for the future of the bakery...or bakeries...will be amazing."

"We're not going to let you down, Mama," Tessa promised, ecstatic to have their mother's approval, which now seemed to include her being more open about the expansion of the company.

Janet quickly added, "But if you need anything or have any problems, just ca–"

"Okay, we've got to go and catch our ride back to the ship," Emmett said, taking the phone back from his wife. "We've got dinner reservations. We'll text or call you at our next port."

"Bye," the girls said before ending the call.

"It's nice to see Mama all happy, letting her hair down," Tessa said as Dana put her phone back in her apron.

"Literally!" Dana said. "I don't think I've seen her hair out of that bun in over a decade."

"It's a good look on her."

"So, did you catch what she said about 'bakeries', as in plural?" Dana was nearly bubbling over with excitement.

"I did."

"What do you think?"

"I think we've got a long road ahead of us. But it's paved with lots of potential."



"Do you miss your brother and sisters?"

It had been several weeks since Ian, Ivy and Isabella had left and almost two months since Isaac's death.

Isaiah looked at Tessa who was sitting across from him in his hot tub, which was housed below the second story deck of his house. After working together to cook up a fantastic meal, he suggested they relax in the hot tub and watch the sunset behind the mountains in the distance.

They'd brought the wine they'd been drinking during dinner with them. After taking a sip from his glass, he nodded. "I do," he said. "Being with them again, going through everything we've gone through in the last few months, has made me realize how much we've taken time for granted. Tomorrow's not promised to any of us."

"That's so true," she sighed.

"We all made a promise not to let life and our careers make us too busy to keep in touch more regularly. Though I have a feeling they'll be returning to Sweet Rapids sooner rather than later."

"What makes you think that?" Tessa asked.

Isaiah shrugged. "Something we used to call 'quad-tuition' as teenagers. I know, it sounds corny, but that's the best way we could describe it. We seem to be able to sense shifts in each other's spirits or something. It's weird and hard to explain."

"I think I get it," Tessa said. "At least a little bit, anyway."

They became quiet for a few minutes, enjoying the R&B music Isaiah had softly playing through a portable bluetooth speaker and watching the sun continued its descent behind the horizon.

"Your mother came into the bakery this morning," Tessa said. "She's looking better."

"She's doing better. She still struggles some days, but that's expected."

"Of course," Tessa said with a nod. "It's just nice seeing her face again. She's always been a regular, we missed her."

"It's good to know she's getting back in to a routine."

"What about your routine? How are things at Noble Naturals?"

"The entire company has taken time to grieve the loss of one of their leaders. But it's time to move forward. We're about to start putting together a few new products. I know Giselle Warren's been chomping at the bit to get started."

"She once made me a body scrub that was so amazing. You've got a diamond mine with Giselle and her ideas."

"My brother has some good ones too. I think putting those two together is going to create some real magic."

"I can't wait to see what comes of the two of them."

They stayed in the hot tub until the sun fully disappeared and then Isaiah helped Tessa out of the hot tub and they went into the house.

"I never get tired of the sunsets here," Tessa said after they showered and changed clothes. They were now relaxing on Isaiah's sofa.

"You don't have to," Isaiah said.

She must have sensed a change in his demeanor because Tessa slowly turned and looked at him with wide eyes.

He was extremely nervous about what he was about to do, but he felt the time was right.

"What are you saying, Isaiah?" she asked, visibly swallowing hard.

"I..." He stood and went to a table and opened the drawer, pulling out a small box. "I have something for you."

He sat down across from her and blew out a breath.

"Tess, I love you."

"I love you too, Isaiah. Wha–"

"Just let me finish, okay?"

Tessa closed her mouth and nodded.

"I know we've only been dating a few months, but you've been here for me through the absolute toughest ordeal in my life. There's truly no way I could properly thank you. But, I wanted to give you a
small
token to show how much I value you and your presence in my life."

He sat the box on the sofa cushion in between them and watched as Tessa stared at it for the longest time. Finally, she reached out, with trembling fingers and picked it up. Her breath shuddered, and she pulled off the top of the small box.

She gazed down at the contents of the box for some time before she reached in and picked it up.

"Is this what I think it is?" she asked.

Nodding, Isaiah said, "You're over here so often, I thought it was time you had a key of your own."

"But what about when you go back to L.A.?"

"About that..."

He already saw the wheels in that pretty head of hers turning. Probably trying to figure out why he would give her a key to his place, if he was about to break some kind of bad news to her about him getting ready to go home to L.A. He decided to go ahead and put her out of her misery.

"I've decided to rent out my place in L.A."

She blinked, clearly shocked.

"W-What?"

"I don't plan on leaving Sweet Rapids any time soon, if ever. I'll go back to L.A. to clear out my apartment, and I'm sure I'll make an occasional trip out there for some music or film gig. Even with helping run Noble Naturals, I have no intentions on ever fully giving that up."

"Because it's your true passion."

He nodded.

Tessa smiled and leaned over to press her lips to his.

"Thank you," she whispered.

"Are you cool with this?" he asked. "I didn't want to freak you out."

"I was more freaked out when I thought it was a ring," she blurted out, before slapping her hand over her mouth. Shaking her head, she reached over and took his hand, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean that the way it came out. I love you
so
much and I could see myself marrying you
some
day. But we've only been dating for a few mon–"

Isaiah leaned forward and kissed her.

"You've sufficiently pulled your foot out of your mouth, sweetheart," he chuckled.

"Good," Tessa said with a nervous smile.

"For now, let's just stick to loving each other day by day."

"I can do that."

He took the key from her hand and tossed it on the table and stood up.

"How about we go upstairs and show each other just how much we love each other."

Tessa reached up, placing her hand in his and when he helped her stand, she kissed him again before turning to lead the way upstairs.

"I can do that too."

The End

Keep reading for a sneak peak at book 2, Noble Surrender...