Pierced by Love (21 page)

He nodded. “Yeah, but I think I will wait a while before visiting him again, at least until the newness of his marriage has worn off. He and Tamara are a little sickening to watch.”

She chuckled. “Aren’t all newlyweds?”

“And engaged couples, for that matter.”

She felt her smile slip away. “You know, it’s ironic how similar our situations are. If I didn’t know better, I’d think that the Lord paired us together so that we could support each other through these family trials.”

He smiled and shrugged. “Maybe so.”

The following day was spent at the house. Pierce’s grandparents came to visit, exclaiming over Noelle’s beauty when she was introduced to them. Glancing at Pierce, whose hand rested lightly on her back, she was pleasantly surprised when he agreed with them.

The guys played water games in one end of the pool while Marissa and Noelle played with Sophie at the other end. Tamara and Jared chatted with Pierce’s grandparents while sitting underneath an oversized umbrella at a table. Tamara held Landon in her lap.

Later, they grilled some steaks and chicken and vegetables outside for dinner. Afterward, the party went inside to play a few board games, and then the younger set gravitated toward the video games upstairs. Before they knew it, the sun had gone down on a perfect day. Noelle hadn’t felt such bliss in a long time. She’d certainly gotten to know Pierce’s family very well in the three days that she’d been here.

After another family prayer, the guys had suggested making another trip to the Jacuzzi. Noelle had seconded the idea. The warm water mingling with the cool March air made Noelle slip further down into the water. It had a tranquilizing effect on her body. She placed her hand over her mouth to cover her yawn.

“Hey, you’re not falling asleep, are you?” Pierce’s deep voice broke into her reverie.

With her eyes closed, Noelle murmured, “Mm-hmm.”

“It looks like Cinderella needs to go to bed or she’ll miss her flight in the morning,” Marissa teased.

She groaned. “Don’t remind me. Do we really have to go back, Pierce?”

“Afraid so, Cinderella. Bright and early.”

Reluctantly, she drew herself up and grabbed her towel while the others did the same. They padded back into the house and up the stairs, calling good night to each other before slipping into their respective rooms. Noelle showered, dressed in her pajamas, and pulled a brush through her hair, thinking of the time she’d spent here. It all seemed like a dream. Deep in her heart, she admitted to herself that she’d come to love Pierce’s family and that she didn’t want this to be the end of her contact with them. She wished that she could come back another time.

You will
.

The words popped into her head immediately, startling her. Was that her own thought or did it come from the Spirit? She pondered it for several minutes before saying her personal prayer and turning out the lights.

Jared Logan gathered his family around him one last time before Pierce and Noelle needed to take off for the airport. He asked Craig to offer a prayer of gratitude for the time they had spent together and of supplication for their safe travel.

Gage would be driving Pierce and Noelle back to the airport. Tamara and Jared followed them out to the truck. Pierce could hear Noelle thanking them for their hospitality while Tamara replied, “You come back soon, you hear? Don’t be a stranger, honey. You’re a lovely young lady and we were pleased as punch to have you.”

When they had loaded their luggage in the truck, Pierce moved aside to let Noelle climb in. Tamara had a certain gleam in her eye.
Oh, no
, he thought.
Here it comes
. Knowing there was no way he could avoid her exuberant hug, he braced himself. His instinct was right on target. She squeezed him for all she was worth. Pierce wondered if his face was turning purple yet. Finally, she let go and patted his cheeks.

“Pierce, honey, you’re as handsome as your daddy. I’ll bet he looked a lot like you when he was younger. Be kind to the ladies, sugar, ’cause their hearts are sure to get crushed when you have to choose just one of them. For the record, we’re partial to this one right here. She’s a keeper.”

By now, he felt sure that his ears were bright red. He didn’t dare look back at Noelle, who was snickering. “I’ll keep that in mind. It was good to meet you, Tamara.”

She stepped back and his dad approached him hesitantly. Nervously, Pierce stepped toward him and shook his hand, relishing the strong grip and warm expression on his dad’s face. “I’m really glad you came, Pierce. I’ll admit that I was apprehensive about this visit, but I think it worked out okay.”

“Yeah, it was fun. Thanks for everything. And . . . I’m glad you married Tamara. She’s good for you.”

His dad smiled. “I hoped that you all would like her. She’s a gem.”

“You seem a lot happier now.”

He nodded. “I am. And I want you to find the same happiness.” He inclined his head toward Noelle, lowering his voice. “If you haven’t already, that is. Tamara is right. I’d keep her around if I were you.” He lifted his brows in silent inquiry.

Flustered by the memory of the near-kiss, Pierce stammered, “It would take a lot of convincing on my part to make her to feel that way toward me. She recently broke up with her boyfriend.”

“Ouch. Good luck with that. And good luck with getting accepted into the program of your choice. The last time I talked to your mother, she told me that you were wanting to go to ASU but that you’re looking into other possibilities.”

“Yeah. Hopefully I’ll hear from one of them soon.”

“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. You’ve accomplished a lot in the past four years. I’m proud of you, son.”

Astonished at the sincerity he heard in his dad’s voice, he replied, “Thanks, Dad. That means a lot to me.”

“I love you, Pierce. Don’t hesitate to call if you need anything.”

Pierce found it difficult to swallow past the lump in his throat. “Thanks, Dad. I love you too.” The words were hard to say, but it felt good to say them.

Their airplane touched down in Phoenix a few hours later. Noelle had seemed lost in thought the whole time. He was starting to worry about her. “Are you okay?” he asked her as they stood to grab their carry-ons. “My family didn’t scare you too much, did they?”

She grinned. “Not at all. I’ve just been thinking about all the fun we had. This was really awesome, Pierce. Your family is awesome. Thank you for introducing me to them.”

Pierce peered at her, feeling that connection with her again. She couldn’t have said anything better. Noelle wasn’t just gushing to flatter him. She really meant it. She wasn’t fishing for another date, either. And yes, in his mind, the day at SeaWorld had definitely been a date.

If Noelle could be accused of fishing for anything, it would have to be her insistence that he’d wanted to kiss her. Oh, yeah, had he ever! The whale had come along just in time. He was pretty sure that she’d been disappointed when it hadn’t happened. Even if he hadn’t seen it on her face, her line of questioning on the ride back to the house had given her away.

Pierce was feeling so many emotions on so many levels. Admiration for Noelle warred with uncertainty in his ability to make a relationship with her—or anyone else, for that matter—work. Noelle was unlike any other woman he’d dated, a rare combination of natural beauty, intelligence, spontaneity, caring, and spunkiness. The next logical step would be to see where this was going.

The question now was, would she be willing to find out as well?

SEVENTEEN

N
OELLE WAS BROUGHT from cloud nine back down to earth quickly, given the fact that she had to work for the next three days to make up for the time she’d been gone, including Sunday again. In consolation, her boss promised her that she would have the next three Sundays off. Noelle texted her parents to let them know that she was home safely. She wasn’t ready to call them yet because she didn’t have an answer for Melody concerning the bridesmaid issue.

Her roommates were gone and the apartment was unusually quiet. The stillness was disconcerting at first. Yet when Noelle returned from work each night, she poured herself a bowl of cereal and sat on the couch, letting the memories and feelings of the last three days swirl inside her head. What a trip it had been!

Every time she thought of the near-kiss with Pierce, her stomach did a giant flip-flop. Then her overactive brain wondered what it would have felt like to kiss him. If Noelle was honest with herself, a tiny part of her even wished that Pierce had followed through with it. Would she have kissed him back?

She cringed with embarrassment when she thought of the way she’d tried to force Pierce to admit that he’d wanted to kiss her. If her mother knew that she’d been so forward . . . !

However, being with a guy like Pierce was a whole new experience for Noelle. He seemed to appreciate her opinions. She was coming out of her shell and learning who she really was.

“Hi, girls. How was your week?” Melody’s inevitably cheerful voice filled the apartment on Sunday evening as Chase followed her in, carrying her luggage. She unceremoniously threw her purse down and ran toward Noelle, giving her an enthusiastic hug. “Hey! How was California?”