“Better calm down, or you’re going to have an overly excited baby on your hands, and you won’t get any sleep tonight,” Sarah said.
“I think it’s too late for that,” Brooke said. Sarah’s eyes were growing heavier by the second, but the floor wasn’t comfortable in the least; otherwise she’d probably fall asleep with Brooke still talking. “Get some rest. At least one of us can,” Brooke added with a weak laugh.
“Thank you,” Sarah said. She barely had the energy to whisper those words.
Sarah hung up the phone to the sound of Brooke’s laughter; then she staggered to her feet, leaving her purse and bags right where they were, scattered contents and all. For a clean freak this showed how tired she truly was. She somehow managed to check her lock to make sure it was bolted; then she made her way the short distance to her bedroom.
Her clothes were stripped off in seconds, and then thankfully she fell into her super-comfortable bed. Sarah was out within seconds. Tomorrow was a brand-new day, and she’d definitely have a brand-new attitude to go along with it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Noah walked into Joseph Anderson’s ridiculously large-size den and smiled, feeling completely at ease now that he knew his uncle well enough to be comfortable around the man. If he were being technical, Joseph was actually a . . . cousin, he believed, but the man had insisted he was an uncle, and since he felt like the Anderson kids were his cousins, he’d fallen right into calling him that.
This was a family that didn’t take no for an answer to anything they needed, wanted, or demanded. That’s why the Anderson empire had grown so huge through the years with Joseph at its head. The man might technically be retired now, but everyone knew he was still at the helm. He just did things from behind the scenes, sitting in a comfortable lounge chair with a cigar and scotch instead of behind his massive desk on the top floor of the Anderson headquarters. But he wasn’t as sneaky as he might like to think he was.
It had only been about a year since Noah had learned he was one of “those” Andersons. And though he was still somewhat in awe to be a part of the Anderson empire, he was growing more comfortable with it by the day. For one thing, the family might be richer than Bill Gates, but they in no way looked down upon people. For another, family truly was something special in the huge mansion Joseph called home. In a world where the word family meant little to a lot of people, it gave Noah hope to see it so intact with his blood. He’d also discovered in life that family didn’t have to be blood related. He’d served with men he’d forever call his brothers. A strong bond could make family just as much as blood did.
“You’re late,” Joseph said as Noah moved forward.
“I’m ten minutes early,” Noah corrected.
“In my book anything less than thirty minutes early is late,” Joseph said before he took a sip of his fine scotch and then picked up a cigar, taking a whiff and sighing with pleasure.
“Didn’t you tell Katherine you weren’t gonna smoke as many of those?” Noah asked with a devilish gleam in his eyes.
“She’s out shopping right now, so there’s no harm in having a few puffs,” Joseph said before his eyes narrowed. “And no one needs to mention it.”
Noah chuckled. “It’s quite adorable how you think you won’t be busted.”
Joseph reached into a drawer in the table next to him and pulled out a tin of breath mints. “These are mighty strong. I eat about a dozen when I’m done, and then I have minty-fresh breath,” he said proudly.
Noah didn’t argue any further. If Joseph was getting away with smoking his cigars, it was because his wife was allowing it. The relationship between Joseph and Katherine was exceptional. They had a love most people aspired to have. It was something Noah had never seen before. They truly made each other better people, and the way they looked at one another sometimes made anyone watching feel as if they were intruding. The rest of the world faded away when they were together. A love that strong was a rare thing. Noah wasn’t sure it existed beyond the two of them.
Though the more he hung around his newfound cousins, the more hope he had in love and marriage, because each of his family members seemed to have found the perfect spouses. They were all so in love with each other it really did seem like Noah had stepped foot inside a perfect Hallmark Channel movie marathon. Maybe he had. Maybe he’d gone to sleep and woken up in a Truman Show type of universe. Should he be searching for a secret door to the outside world?
Nah. If he’d woken up in this new universe, he really didn’t want to find his way out, because he kind of liked it. Of course, that made him think about Sarah. She was exasperating and amazing all in one. She’d let him in a little bit, and then she was right back to pushing him away.
He’d never had to chase after a woman before, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to now. But no matter how much he told himself to pull away from the beautiful, intriguing, frustrating female, he couldn’t seem to talk himself into doing just that. He was drawn to her.
When she’d been in her accident a while ago, he’d been truly scared. Yes, he’d been with her, but the thought of her being hurt had terrified him. When she’d had complications that had nearly taken her life, he’d known he couldn’t walk away from her. Because the thought of her dying had taken his breath away.
“So, Joseph, tell me what was so important that I had to rush here ASAP?” Noah asked.
“I want to know how the plans are coming with the veterans center,” Joseph said. He clipped his cigar and lit up, his eyes sparkling as he took the first puff. “Perfection.” It was a rare moment his voice came out as a sigh versus the normal boom that tended to make people jump.
“We meet all the time about the center. What really has you beckoning me?” Noah said, not allowing Joseph to get away with his normal sneaky behavior.
“I’m hurt you think I have an ulterior motive to having one of my favorite nephews here,” Joseph said, not at all looking hurt or offended.
“You tell each and every one of us that we’re the favorite every time you see us. That’s a lot of favorites,” Noah said with a chuckle.
“You know it’s also okay to simply chat and have new favorites every other day,” Joseph said, losing his smile. “And can you tell me why you young people are always in such a hurry? Maybe I truly just value my time on this earth and want to spend it with the people I love most as often as humanly possible.”
Noah laughed as he grabbed a beer from the fridge and sat down across from Joseph, getting comfortable. This could take a while. He was learning more each day about this man, and he had a sneaking suspicion the meeting had more to do with his personal life than his professional.
“You know, Joseph, life is supposed to be an adventure. I do value my time and spend it with the people I love. I have great siblings and a whole new family. What more do I need?” he asked. He didn’t necessarily believe this, but it was fun to goad the man. Judging by the narrowing of Joseph’s eyes, he was succeeding.
“And how long do you expect to just float through life? Your poor mother would want to see you settling down, enjoying all the simple pleasures to be offered.”