I was jostled awake by the vibrations of the Toyota car we had rented as we hit a bump in the road. My eyes opened to Noah glancing at me worriedly from where he drove.
"Sorry baby", he mouthed at me as I came to.
My Noah. So thoughtful. So gorgeous. My heart contracted at the way the sun caught him at the right angle, glistening on his blonde mane which was in a low ponytail for the drive and making his hazel eyes look like liquid caramel as he looked at me. How lucky was I to be here with him right now? To be his. He meant absolutely everything to me and I was so grateful.
I sat up straight in my seat and stretched out my arms, unable to suppress my tired yawn. We had been driving for what felt like an eternity.
"How long was I out for?" I asked Noah, blinking a couple of times to clear my still hazy vision.
"An hour give or take", Noah shrugged and glanced at me "You know, you're pretty cute when you're asleep" he gave me the once over and I blushed furiously like he was looking at me for the very first time "But I kind of missed your company"
"Oh really? You probably hit that rough patch in the road on purpose", I waggled my eyebrows mischievously at him.
He gave me a slow sexy smirk in return which made my heart speed up. "Maybe... Maybe not"
I smiled widely. I had caught the worried look on his face when I woke up; it just made me so happy that he cared about me so much.
"You don't fool me, mister", I leaned into him against the pull of my seatbelt and kissed his cheek deliberately slowly.
Noah made a throat clearing noise and gripped the steering wheel just a bit tighter. "Well, miss if you keep that up, I will pull this car over, lock you up in here and the journey to Tribune, Kansas will be that much longer"
"Well that actually doesn't sound like a bad idea", I whispered against his ear, feeling him shiver slightly and loving the fact that I could affect him like this. At least I wasn't the only one.
I pulled away from him with a laugh. "You should actually pull over, no joke. I'll take over the driving"
He raised a brow at me. "No way. You need to rest up while you can; you have a big emotional family reunion to get to and all"
"Seriously Noah, you've been driving for..." I held up my wrist and glanced at my watch "... Almost six hours now. You need to rest too"
"I rested at the stop at the gas station", Noah whined
"That was three hours ago"
"Well forgive me for wanting my newly acquired girlfriend to be stress-free", Noah shot me a delicious look as he said the word 'girlfriend'.
"Your newly acquired girlfriend would be happier if her newly acquired boyfriend would let her drive", when he turned to me I stuck my lip out and gave him my best pouty look. "Come on, please..."
Noah groaned and shook his head, turning the steering wheel to pull up at the side of the road. "Can anyone say no to that face?"
He brought the car to a stop and I hugged him, wrapping my arms about his neck. "You're awesome, you know that?" I dropped what was meant to be a short kiss on his lips but soon turned steamy as Noah's hand cupped my face holding me in place.
Before things got out of hand, Noah pulled away and smirked at me. "I know", he said and then opened the door to walk around to the other side of the car while I unbuckled my seatbelt and simply scooted over to the driver's side.
Noah got in just as I buckled myself in. I revved up the car engine, tossing Noah a wide smile as I did.
He just grunted, shutting the car door as I pulled back onto the road.
"See isn't it great me driving you around for a change?" I said to Noah
"It sure is. I get to appreciate the view a whole lot more", Noah murmured in a low tone, I caught him roaming his eyes all over me and delicious shivers travelled down my spine all the way to my toes.
We spent the next hour with me driving and forcing Noah to sing along with me whenever a song I liked came on the radio. He pretended he was doing it just for me, but I knew he secretly liked it. Noah spent the hour alternately dozing off and pigging out on the food we had bought at the convenience store at our last stop at the gas station, giving me directions from the map we had bought when necessary. When he eventually dozed off, I could tell how tired he had actually been and I was happy in my heart that I had insisted on taking over the driving and letting him rest.
As we got closer to Tribune, I felt the little panic I had been harbouring since Aspen grow and grow in me. This was all so surreal to me, I was doing probably the bravest thing I had ever done in my life and I knew I wouldn't be here without Noah's help. Noah had tried to get me to call before we left Aspen but I had chickened out. I didn't want to be rejected over the phone. I wanted... no I needed to see him myself and I knew I would only have the nerve once I was within the same zip code as he was.
I passed the sign board that said 'Welcome to Tribune, Kansas Population: 808' and I knew there was no turning back now. It was a really small town, made up mostly of green plains and cornfields. I couldn't shake the fact that I was now almost in breathing distance of my biological father, the man I had never known all my life but whose blood ran in my veins. I felt the trepidation and uncertainty grow in me as my fingers grew increasingly clammy against the steering wheel. Was it just me or was the air in here suddenly getting hotter? My eyes flickered to the air conditioning but the settings were the same as it had always been.
"You okay, Ellie?" Noah's concerned slightly sleepy voice asked me. I jumped a little in my seat, I hadn't realized he was awake and had been watching me silently on the verge of a panic attack.
"Yeah, I'm just a little nervous", I admitted bashfully
"You have nothing to be worried about", Noah assured me "This guy would be lucky to call you his daughter, trust me"
I nodded, trying to let his words sink in but it still didn't send the jittery feeling away.
Noah watched me out of the corner of his eye for a while then said, "You see that diner right ahead? I want you to pull over there, you need a break"
I nodded, not bothering to argue with him because he was right. I did need a break to sort through my thoughts.
I pulled into the parking lot of Boots diner, a homey looking diner with a red flashy sign that consisted of a pair of red boots surrounded by neon lights.
Noah walked in casually with his hands in his pockets and found us a booth in the corner. I followed right behind him chewing on my lip nervously as I did. I slid into the seat beside him, trying to suppress the trembling in my hands when a waitress appeared. She was pretty middle aged lady with kind eyes.
"Well what a beautiful couple you two make!" she enthused looking from Noah to me. I smiled at her; the beauty part was mostly Noah though. "Welcome to Boots diner. Can I take your order?"
Noah looked at me. "Do you want to eat something?"
I shook my head, I wasn't very hungry plus I seriously doubted I would be able to keep anything down with how queasy my belly was feeling all of a sudden.
"Just two milkshakes please", Noah said, looking up at our waitress with a kind smile.
"Coming right up", she wrote down our order and left us, stopping at another booth before heading to the counter.
Noah reached out and took hold of my still trembling hands in his. His hazel eyes bore into mine. "It's just nerves, Ellie. Don't let it get to you"
"Is it too late to turn back?" I asked him with a humourless laugh. I wasn't actually kidding.
He squeezed my fingers in his. "Yes, Ellie it's way past too late. Look, I know we planned on showing up at your father's doorstep guns blazing so his reaction wouldn't freak you out before you got there. But we're here and you're still scared, I think the best thing to do is call so he knows we're coming. Heck he might not even be home when we get there"
I closed my eyes for a minute and ran my hand through my hair, letting the thoughts run amok in my head. I was glad Noah was here with me to make these tough decisions, I wasn't sure I could have handled it on my own.
I opened my eyes and reached into my bag, pulling out the piece of paper I had scribbled down my father's number on and I handed it to Noah. I couldn't trust myself to dial, much less to speak.
Noah took the paper from my fingers and got out his I-phone, typing in the number quickly. He pressed the dial button and placed it on speaker, looking up at me to see how I was taking it.
And I was freaking out.
Ring ring. Ring ring.
Oh my gosh. I couldn't believe I was about to hear my father's voice for the first time. I swore I could hear my heart beat in my ears.
"...Hello?" and it was a woman's voice.
My voice was stuck in my throat so Noah spoke instead.
"Hello ma'am... my name is Noah and my girlfriend and I wanted to speak to a Darryl Wyatt. Is this the right number?" Noah asked, his brow furrowing into a little frown.
She paused then said, "Yes it is... I'm his wife. I'm afraid he just stepped out for some groceries, is it an emergency?"
This was suddenly becoming oh so real.
I finally found my voice. "Oh no, it's not an emergency or anything ma'am. Uhh... my name is Ellenore Wyatt, Darryl is my biological father"
The line went completely silent for a moment and then she spoke, her voice sounding a bit angry now. "Is this a joke or something? Darryl doesn't have any children"
Woah. So Dad hadn't procreated after me huh? Guess I was destined to be an only child.
"I assure you it's not a joke ma'am", I pleaded "Sorry to spring this up on you so suddenly but I just recently found out myself. You see, he didn't know my mom was pregnant with me when he left her and she never told him. My boyfriend and I drove all the way to Tribune because I felt he needed to know and I needed to see him".
She was quiet again, for an even longer time. I could imagine she was just starting to process this information.
"Yes, Darryl told me he had been married once before but I would never have imagined...." Her voice cracked as she got choked up "... You see Darryl had been battling cancer for a while when I met him and his chemo treatments rendered him unable to have children. This is the last thing I would have ever expected".
Woah. Cancer? I would never have imagined.
"I'm sorry ma'am. I didn't mean to upset you", I said turning to Noah with a what-do-I-do-now expression on my face.
Noah shrugged seeming as surprised by the turn of events as I was.
"It's okay dear. And please you can call me Sandra... Sandra Wyatt"
Sandra Wyatt... It was weird actually hearing that surname on someone who wasn't me or my mom.
"Ellenore, right? Well since you and your boyfriend already made the drive to Tribune, why don't you come on over? I would really love to meet you... and I'm sure Darryl would too. That is if he doesn't have a heart attack first" she laughed and I could tell it was sincere "I could text you our address", she suggested
"Oh don't worry Sandra", I said "I already have it. I guess we'll be there in about ten minutes"
"Well if you lose your way, just ask for the Wyatt residence. It's a really small town", she said
"Thank you, Sandra. I will", I said and then we both hung up.
I looked back up at Noah at the same time the waitress arrived back with our milkshakes. A kind of silent understanding passed between us as we finished our shakes and went back to the car, Noah driving this time.
It was getting more real by the second.
In what seemed like mere seconds, Noah pulled up in front of 22 Woodbrooks Street, the address that belonged to my father. I got out of the car, looking at the small but pretty house surrounded by a beautiful looking garden and lawn.
My dad lived here... breathed this air.
A petite woman with strawberry blonde hair pinned up in a bun and a beautiful tan complexion was standing on the porch watching us drive up. That must be Sandra, I thought to myself. I couldn't help the bitter thought at the back of my mind when I saw her, what was it about her that made my father stay with her and not my mother? I pushed those thoughts away from my mind, being in love with Noah had introduced me to the concept of soul mates. I guessed some people were just meant for each other, and others were not.
I forced myself to be brave as I walked up the creaky wooden steps to the porch; Noah's warm hand at the small of my back was my support.
She smiled at us, her eyes filled with question and warmth at the same time.
"You must be Ellenore, right?" she asked us in a bit of a southern accent that was easier to discern now that we were face to face.
"Yes, but you can call me, Ellie", I gestured at Noah "And this is my boyfriend, Noah"
She nodded politely at each of us; she was actually being awfully nice to a couple of strangers who had in changed her life in the space of a few short minutes.
"Well, come on in guys, I made tea. Darryl will be back from the grocery store anytime now", she informed us, opening the front door and waving her hands inside meaning for us to follow her "I didn't have the nerve to tell him yet"
I looked back at Noah with a questioning look on my face, I needed him to give me the assurance that I was doing the right thing and not run straight for the hills before my life as I knew it would cease to be the same.
He did just that, nodding and squeezing my shoulder. I don't know if he could sense that my brain had stopped communicating with my legs, but he stepped forward and began to pull me with him into the house.
I closed my eyes as I felt myself being led over the doormat. The house felt and smelled lovely, homey. It smelled like apple pies. I managed to flip my eyes open as we passed the entry way to the living room. Sandra gestured at a comfy looking green sofa for us to sit on and Noah still holding my hand sat down and guided me to sit down beside him.
"Your home is lovely, Sandra. And smells great too", Noah's rich voice brought me back to the present.
He had my hands clasped in his lap, using his thumb to rub soothing circles over the back of my hand and yet he was looking directly at Sandra being the perfect gentleman I knew him to be.
I cleared my throat and spoke as well. "Yes, so beautiful", I didn't really know though, I tried not to look around in the case that I might see a family picture and start freaking out "Thank you for being so gracious and opening up your home to us"
Sandra gave us a small smile but I could tell that she was as flustered as I was by this news we had suddenly dropped on her. She shook her head, probably trying to clear the thoughts and questions weighing on her mind.
"I was baking when you called", she said "Would you like some apple pie, and a cup of tea perhaps?"
Noah, knowing me so well spoke for the both of us, "That's very kind of you but actually we just ate before coming here"
I nodded my head, agreeing with him. Besides, I wouldn't want to blow chunks all over her nice beige carpet.
"That's nonsense", she flicked her wrist at us "At least have some to go. You wouldn't want to miss out on my famous apple pie. It's a prize winner over here in Tribune"
"Well then we would love to have some of your prize winning pie, Sandra", I said plastering on the brightest smile I could muster.
Noah turned to me this time the one with the questioning look in those hazel eyes of his. I waited for Sandra to gracefully depart to the kitchen before I turned to Noah. It was time to leave. I wasn't strong enough to handle this. Sandra could relay the information to him, I was sure I didn't have to be there.
I opened my mouth to say all this to Noah when we heard the loud toot-toot of a horn followed by what sounded like a truck pulling into the driveway of the house.
Too late.
I turned to Noah with a renewed panic in my eyes, clutching his hand so tightly I was sure I was restricting the flow of blood to his fingers.
It's going to be okay, he mouthed at me. I sure hoped he was right because just then the front door burst open and a man with dark hair with a few streaks of grey, sporting a bit of a beard and just a bit thinner than I had envisioned walked in the door, arms laden with brown grocery bags.
"Sandra I couldn't find your organic juice at the store!" he hollered, kicking the door closed with his foot and stepping inside.
Noah and I both stood to our feet at the same time. Black spots danced at the back of my eyes and I could feel my pulse sky rocketing at the same time. Oh great, now was the time my body decided would be best to have a panic attack. What would my dad think if I passed out right now on his carpet?
I pulled myself together just at the same time Darryl noticed us, his eyes flickering over us in a guarded and slightly annoyed manner.
"And who the hell are you guys supposed to be?" his voice was deep and gravelly and laced with distrust. "And don't tell me you're Sandy's friends because I know all her friends and I have definitely not seen any of you before"
I blinked and opened my mouth to say something but after about three seconds, nothing came out so Noah took the initiative.
He squeezed my hand. "Actually Darryl, we're here to see you"
"What for?" he gave me a sceptical look, trying to figure us out "Look, your girl here looks like she's right about to pass out. Now I don't have a whole lot of money so if that's what you're here for I suggest you leave right now"
He walked forward and relieved some of the load of the grocery bags on the coffee table, muttering something about "Sandy always letting damned strangers in the house".
He turned around to walk back to the front door, probably to get some more bags from his car when I finally found my voice.
"My name is Ellenore Wyatt", I said in a voice that was surprisingly steady
Darryl stopped in his tracks, recognizing the name and was probably working out family trees wondering why I was here, who I belonged to and what it had to do with him.
"I'm Mary's daughter", I continued. I could feel the sudden change in the atmosphere at my words, the words Darryl was currently processing, his body stiff and his eyes hard as he turned on his heel, his eyes filled with mixed and unreadable expressions as he looked at me... really looked at me like he hadn't seen me the first time.
"What?" he said in a breathy voice.
I gulped, thankful for Noah's hand in mine providing all the support I needed. I don't know what it was about him but looking once into those hazel orbs and I was suddenly filled with courage to say what I needed to say.
I took a deep breath and spoke, my voice loud and oh so clear. "You're my father, Darryl"
A/N: Hi hi to all my awesome readers. So it's been quite a while since I last updated and I'd like to say it'll change and I'll try to get up more regular updates but that wouldn't be true. I've been really busy lately and since we're nearing the end I feel like I need to deliver good chapters and not just churn out a chapter just so I could update. I hope you bear with me, I have lots of reports and papers to write for school when I'm not working. I will update because I love this story and my characters and I want it to progress just not as often as I would like. Anyways forgive my rant, I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's a tad unexciting I know but it's a filler. Don't forget to vote, comment and share! Xoxoxo