My heart begins to beat faster as I wait for Noah’s answer. He turns off the TV, and then his eyes lock on mine.
“Yes, dating,” he answers, making a burst of happiness rush through my heart. “But I still want to take it slow.”
I nod quickly. “I’m fine with taking things slow. No rush.”
Noah reaches for my hand and when his fingers brush against mine, tingles race over my skin. My breaths begin to speed up as I stare deep into his eyes. He brings his other hand to the back of my head, and then he pulls me closer as he leans in. My breath stalls in my throat as the distance shrinks between us, and all my senses heighten, not wanting to miss a thing.
Noah’s lips brush softly against mine, and then he pulls back an inch. I feel his breaths on my face, and it makes an intense sensation spread through my body. My abdomen tightens, and my heart begins to thunder in my chest. When his lips brush against mine again, it feels like my soul might burst from all the happiness I’m filled with.
He pulls back, and the corner of his mouth lifts as his eyes drift over my face.
NOAH
My phone begins to ring, disrupting the intimate moment between us. I dig the device out of my pocket and frown when I see Kao’s name flashing on the screen. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Hi, I don’t know if you heard yet, but there was an earthquake in San Francisco. Forest and Aria are missing,” Kao says.
My mind instantly begins to race, pulling up stats about earthquakes and survival rates.
“Shit,” is all I manage to say, though.
Carla’s phone starts to ring, and before I can grab hold of her hand to keep her from answering, she darts up and dashes to the kitchen, where she left the device.
Fuck, this is bad.
“Mr. Reyes is keeping us updated. They’ve taken a flight to San Francisco to arrange a search party with the Chargills’.”
“That’s good,” I answer, for lack of finding the right words. “Keep us updated, please.”
“Will do.” Kao pauses, then he says, “Take care of Carla. She’ll be worried and upset. Comfort her.”
“Yeah, sure,” I mutter.
The call ends, and I get up from the couch. Only then does the shock from the news hit, rippling through my body. My mind scrambles faster for every bit of information I have on earthquakes as I walk to where Carla stands.
Her face pales, and she freezes as if she’s caught in a trance. Then her hand begins to tremble, and her breathing speeds up.
An icy shiver rushes over my body, causing weird prickles to spread over my skin.
A couple of seconds later, she murmurs, “Ah… No. Noah’s here.” Her gaze darts to mine as she says, “Love you too, Daddy. Bye.”
Her hand drops limply to her side as I move in front of her. “Did your dad tell you about Forest and Aria?” I ask.
She nods slowly.
I tilt my head to catch her eyes, then I say, “The odds of dying in an earthquake are really low. Forest and Aria will be okay.” She lets out a burst of air, her eyes focusing on mine, and it has me assuring her, “People have survived being trapped for days. They’ll be okay.”
She lifts a trembling hand and grabs hold of my shirt. Her shoulders jerk, and then she gasps for a breath of air.
I pull her to my chest, and when I wrap my arms around her, she begins to shiver from the shock.
“Shh… they’re going to be okay,” I say, trying my best to comfort her.
Carla suddenly pulls back and lifting her phone, she brings up Forest’s number and presses dial. There’s an automated response, and when her eyes dart up to mine, filled with fear, I say, “The cellphone towers could be knocked out. Communications are always first to go, along with power. This doesn’t mean anything.”
She nods, and grasping onto my words, she says, “You’re right.” She takes a shaky breath. “You’re right.” A tear spirals down her cheek, and I reach up to brush it off her skin. Then her voice sounds hoarse as she whispers, “You’re right.”
I pull her back to my chest and hold her tightly. “They’ll be found soon.”
Carla’s shoulders shake, and she cries silently. I rub a hand over her back. I keep dropping kisses on her temple and hair.
Even though I know the stats, there’s still the fear that Forest or Aria could be the one in twenty thousand.
God, please let me be right. Bring them safely home.
I take Carla back to the couch and sitting down, I pull her onto my lap and cradle her body against mine. Except for a shudder rippling through her every couple of minutes, she remains still in my arms.
I lift my hand to her face, and placing a finger beneath her chin, I nudge her up so she’ll look at me. There are tear tracks on her cheeks, and the sight makes an aching feeling squeeze my heart. Using my thumb, I brush the wetness away. Our eyes lock, and feeling the need to reassure her, I say, “They’re okay. We’ll hear something soon.”
Taking a deep breath, Carla nods. She lifts her arms and wraps them around my neck, and then she hugs me tightly. I hold her against me and press a kiss to her neck, trying to offer her comfort the only way I know how.
Chapter 11
CARLA
Waiting for news is torture. I keep alternating between fearing the worst and hoping my phone will ring any second to tell me Forest and Aria are okay.
My cold is totally forgotten as I try to remember my last words to them, but I can’t. I can’t recall what they wore when they left.
My eyes burn from staring at nothing, and my lips are dry from crying.
Noah stirs, and I feel his breath skim over my hair, then he says, “Let me call Kao.”
I shift off his lap, and my muscles ache from sitting still so long. I check my phone for the hundredth time, and seeing no missed calls or texts, my heart sinks even deeper into a pit of despair.
I watch Noah dial Kao’s number, then he clears his throat and says, “Hey, any news?” There’s a moment’s silence, and his eyes dart to me. “Yeah, we’ll be there in a couple of minutes.”
When he ends the call, he says, “Kao says everyone is heading to their place so we can be together while we wait for news. They haven’t heard anything yet.”
I nod and go to my room to put on shoes and grab a sweater. When I walk back into the living room, Noah takes my hand. He links our fingers as we walk out of the suite.
I feel relieved that we’re going to Fallon’s. Getting out of the suite makes me breathe a little easier.
The moment I see Fallon, the tears come again. I rush to her, and we hug each other tightly for a long moment. Knowing I have to be strong for her, I pull back and ask, “How are you holding up?”
She shakes her head, and with a quivering chin, she says, “I’m not. I’m going to lose my mind.”
Jase comes in and walking right to us, he wraps his arms around both of us. “I just spoke with Uncle Mason. He says they’ve found a girl, but they need to dig through the rubble to get to her. Let’s hope it’s Aria.”
“What about Forest?” Fallon gasps, her face crumbling with tears. “Oh God. Where’s Forest?”