Page 121 of The Keeper

Before I could issue a more convincing denial or a reason why I needed to leave right now, Adil bounded over, his face bright with excitement. We were standing just outside the game room, and he was the first to notice our presence.

“Guys, look! The girls are here!” he cried, sweeping us up in three identical bear hugs. “It’s good to see you. It’s been so long!”

“Hi, Adil.” I smiled despite my growing dread at having to see Noah. Adil was pure and joyful enough to brighten anyone’s mood. “Great job in the World Cup. You were amazing.”

Morocco made it all the way to the semi-finals thanks to him. I was happy about England’s win, but I was really proud of him too.

“Thank you, thank you.” He gave a little bow while the other players wandered over to say hi. I made polite small talk while Scarlett and Brooklyn, being the traitors that they were, left me to fend for myself.

“There he is,” Brooklyn whispered on her way past with Vincent. “Talk to him.”

I kept my attention firmly on Samson, who was regaling me with his plans for his upcoming Spain trip, and refused to look in the direction she was gesturing at. However, once she was gone and Samson left to get another drink, I felt him.

The back of my neck tingled with awareness, and every nerve in my body awakened. His presence was like a magnet, silent but impossible to ignore. It drew me in before I even saw him.

I took a moment to steel myself before I turned. My heart was racing, and despite my mental preparation, I still faltered at the sight of him.

Noah stood less than three feet away, his eyes fixed on mine. He wore a soft gray sweatshirt with jeans, and it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. Golden stubble shadowed his cheeks and the sharp line of his jaw. He hadn’t slept well since we returned from South Africa, but the shadows beneath his eyes appeared darker, the lines around his mouth deeper. He looked worn and exhausted, even more so than before I’d moved out.

But he was still so beautiful, so devastatingly familiar, that I wanted to fall into his arms and breathe in that clean laundry scent I’d missed so much.

I dug my nails lightly into my right palm to keep from reaching for him. “Hi,” I said, proud of myself for keeping my voice even. “How are you?”

“I’m okay.” Noah shoved his hands in his pockets. “How are you?”

“I’m okay.”

We lapsed into silence. Our friends’ chatter swirled around us, but the space between us bristled with uncertainty. My heart ached. I hated that it’d come to this. We’d shared so much in this house, yet we were acting like strangers in the same space where we’d kissed and laughed and lain tangled in each other’s arms.

“Scarlett and Brooklyn insisted I come here,” I said, nervously adjusting my dress strap out of habit. I didn’t know what else to say. Noah’s eyes slid to where my hand rested briefly on my shoulder, and I realized belatedly that I’d worn his favorite sundress without thinking about it. I dropped my hand, suddenly a little out of breath. “I didn’t…I mean, this wasn’t my idea.”

His brows tightened. “I see.”

Another beat passed, and I couldn’t take it anymore—the silence, the tension, the nerves humming beneath my skin. His house was outfitted with air-conditioning, but it somehow felt hotter than the steaming sidewalks outside.

“I’m going to say hi to Truffle,” I said. “I haven’t seen him in a while. I’ll, um, talk to you later.”

I turned to leave, but Noah’s hand closed around my wrist before I could take another step. His palm burned into my skin, and my traitorous heart skipped a beat.

“Carina. Wait.” There was a trace of anguish in his voice. When I looked back at him, his throat worked with a visible swallow. “Can we talk? Not here. Upstairs.” He motioned subtly to our friends, who were sneaking surreptitious peeks at us when they thought we weren’t looking. They quickly averted their eyes when they realized they’d been caught.

I hesitated, then nodded.

We exited the game room and walked silently upstairs, ignoring our friends’ whispers. I expected Noah to take me to the library, but I stumbled in surprise when he led me to his bedroom. Despite having lived here for months, I’d never seen his room. He was so adamant about keeping other people out of it. When I’d been Evie’s nanny, it was literally written in my contract that I couldn’t go in there without his express permission.

Even after we started dating, we’d slept in separate rooms before he left for the World Cup since Evie had still been here, and things had been so weird after our return that we hadn’t slept together at all. This was my first time entering his inner sanctum, and I expected…I wasn’t sure what. Something wild or revealing that would explain why Noah was so secretive about it.

But it was an ordinary bedroom. A king-sized bed with an oak frame, a plush carpet covering the floor. Worn books and framed pictures decorated the shelves lining the walls. However, the fact he’d brought me here suggested a tiny shift in our dynamic. An intimacy I hadn’t felt with him in weeks.

“I didn’t bring you here for…that. This is just the most private room in the house,” Noah said, his cheeks tinged with pink. “The guys have been all over the place. You never know where one will pop up.”

He gestured for me to sit, but I shook my head. I didn’t want to make myself too comfortable. Not until I knew what this was about.

I hovered by the door and fiddled with my ring. My mum hated my fidgeting, but it was a bad habit I’d never been able to kick. “What did you want to talk about?”

I braced myself for the worst. He either wanted to break up, or something horrible had happened with the custody negotiations. However, I wasn’t prepared for the next words out of his mouth.

“You were right.”