Chapter 127 The Light at the End of the Tunnel

Eden’s POV:

Opening my eyes, I stretch my arms over my head. A quick glance at the alarm clock tells me it’s later than it should be. I should have gotten up hours ago.

I don’t have time to waste.

In a daze, I change my clothes and give myself a quick wash in the bathroom attached to my bedroom. I need to know what the hell is going on. Hurrying out of my bedroom, I’m surprised to find Noah in my little kitchen. He’s bare foot and making breakfast.

“Morning,” he says with a wide smile.

I really love the sight of him here like this. Its not the first time I’ve seen him in my home in the morning but it feels special somehow. Every morning with him feels special.

He tells me to sit down at the table and I only waver for a second as I wonder where my phone is. He must see my hesitation because he hands me my phone, unplugging it from the charger that is on the counter.

“Your battery was low,” he tells me gently, as he drops a kiss to my head and places a cup of tea on the table in front of me.

“No news?” I ask, an edge to my voice.

“Not yet.”

“D*mn it!” I grumble.

I know that I need to be patient. This might take some time. At least I know he won’t be leaving the country.

Noah places an omelette in front of me before sitting opposite me to eat his own. His hair is a little messy and he’s not quite his usual tidy self. I love it. I love that I get to see him like this. He’s usually so put together and so seeing him even slightly rumpled makes me feel privileged.

“This looks tasty,” I tell him.

“Well, it’s better than anything you’d cook us for breakfast,” he says with a wink.

He’s not wrong. I really can’t cook. His words bring a smile to my mouth as I taste the omelette. Unlike me, Noah is a brilliant cook. He could open a restaurant if he wanted to. He’s that good.

“What should we do today?” Noah asks with a conversational tone.

I want to tell him that I need to find out about the Luxen account but I know he’ll tell me to leave that to the police so I don’t bother. Instead, I tell him that I’d like to visit my grandma. It feels like it’s been ages since I was able to visit her without hiding my feelings. I’ve been so worried about not worrying her.

Not that she’s usually awake when I visit.

“That sounds like a lovely idea,” he tells me, “and then maybe later I can introduce you to my granny.”

The idea of meeting his granny makes me feel nervous. Even though I know she won’t remember it, I can’t help but want to make a good impression on her. She’s important to Noah.

“I’d love to,” I tell him, taking his hand across the table.

We sit quietly as we finish our breakfast, only talking once or twice. It’s comfortable. Easy. Grinning at him, I can’t help but silently thank my grandma for making me his assistant. As much as I might have disliked him when I first started at the company, I can’t imagine having to live through the last few months without him by my side.

He’s the only reason, I’m still standing. This whole thing would have broken me if I didn’t have his hand to hold.

When it’s time to leave, Noah drives us to the hospital, only stopping briefly at his apartment to shower and change. For once, when we enter her room, my grandma is actually awake. Her face brightens when she sees us walking in together.

Her eyes immediately drop to our entwined hands before she smirks at me, the words ‘I told you so’ no doubt on the tip of her tongue.

“Hello!” she says, sitting up in her bed. There’s more energy in her voice than I’ve heard in a long time.

“How are you feeling grandma?” I ask, rushing to her side.

“Never mind that. Tell me about you and Noah!”

She’s got a wide smile on her face and she’s eyeing us both with excitement. With a sigh, I step back so I can sit in one of the chairs next to her bed, Noah sitting in the chair next to mine.

“What would you like to know?” I ask hesitantly.

I just know this is going to get awkward. Grandma is going to ask all those old fashioned questions that people don’t ask anymore. Like ‘what are your intentions?’ and ‘when will you get married?’ Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she tries to get us to commit to a set number of children before we end our visit.

“What do you mean? I want to know everything!”

She’s practically bouncing in her bed, eager for information and her happiness is probably contagious because I can’t stop grinning. Glancing at Noah, I consider letting him answer her. I’m bound to tell her too much. My grandma knows how to pull information from me. She’s got it down to an artform.

“We’re dating,” I start, trying not to give her too many details.

“Dating?”

“It’s new…”

Shaking her head, she turns to Noah. “I’m not going to get anything useful out of her. When did you first realise you liked my Eden?”

I flush with embarrassment. Did she really just ask him that? Unlike me, Noah looks completely at ease. He leans forward in his chair as he considers his answer.

“Did Eden ever tell you about our first day working together?” he asks.

“Yes,” Grandma doesn’t hold back. “From what I understand you were a little unwelcoming.”

“That’s a very kind way of wording it,” Noah replies. “I expected that she’d be just as disappointing as the other assistants I’ve had.”

“Of course.” She says it like she honestly thinks his behaviour back then was reasonable. It wasn’t. I might not care about it anymore, but it definitely stung at the time. So much so that I even wrote my resignation letter after just one day as his assistant.

“I’m not completely sure when things changed between us,” he tells us softly. He’s no longer looking at grandma. His eyes are focused on me and I love the way he’s looking at me. Like I’m the most precious thing in his entire world. I could get used to being looked at that way. “Maybe when I stole her coffee?”

“Or when I threatened you with a pickax?” I giggle.

Grandma’s questions keep coming and as much as I don’t enjoy her prying, I can’t help but love the way Noah looks at me as he answers her questions. It brings a smile to my face to see how much he care about me, loves me even.

It’s only when my grandma calls my name that I realise that I’ve been zoning out as I stare at him. Well, that’s awkward.

“Yes, grandma?” I give myself a mental shake.

“Go get me some coffee, would you dear?”

I open my mouth to refuse, eyeing her suspiciously but she beats me to it.

“I want a moment alone with Noah,” she says and I wish that I could refuse her. She’s going to ask about his intentions or demand a date when he plans to marry me or something and I won’t be here to protect him.

Noah gives my hand a squeeze in encouragement and I climb to my feet, leaving them alone in the small hospital room.