Run, Girl (If You Can) - Chapter 495
It had been a couple of days since Violet agreed to date him and Noah still couldn't believe it. He was on Cloud 9. Aside from working and sleeping, he was constantly glued to her side. Kaleb joked that he appreciated his willingness to take over as Violet's slave when he came over, making her stick her tongue out at her twin.
Noah didn't see it that way at all. He was taking care of the woman he loved as her boyfriend. There was absolutely nothing else he would rather be doing, even though he was tired from work.
Violet didn't need all that much help anyway. She only asked for things once an hour or less. They spent most of his time visiting talking, watching movies, or playing cards like usual.
The only thing that had really changed was that he was now allowed to be more physically expressive with his affection. When they watched movies, Noah's arm was around her shoulders. He was able to get away with kissing her cheek and playing with her hair too.
Violet hadn't kissed him on the lips again yet but he could be patient. He had waited this long and didn't want to overload her with too much at once.
When Aaron and Keeley returned from their vacation, they greeted Noah as casually as always when passing by the entertainment room before doing a double take. They realized Violet was asleep with her head in his lap and that he was twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.
A knowing grin appeared on Keeley's face. "It's about time."
Noah flushed slightly. He knew his love for her was obvious but it was still a bit embarrassing being called out on it by a woman he considered one of his aunts.
"Yeah, I think so too," he said as he gazed softly at the sleeping woman in his lap.
He was surprised Aaron didn't have anything to say on the matter since he was so overprotective. The older man noticed and addressed it with a wry smile. "You think I'm going to try and scare you off? I know you as well as I know my own sons, Noah. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
He and his wife left the room without further comment and Noah couldn't help but laugh a little. Aaron had a point. There was no reason to give him the 'don't you dare hurt my daughter' speech. He had to know how much Noah cherished her from watching them interact over the past twenty-four years.
It drove home the point that Violet and Noah already knew everything about each other's lives, families, and personalities. There was no reason to drag out being boyfriend and girlfriend since dating was time meant to get to know the other person.
He had already decided; the moment she told him she was in love with him for real, he was going to propose to her. There wasn't a point in putting off spending the rest of their lives together if they both loved each other.
Noah didn't know how long that would take but he had somewhat impulsively gone out to buy a ring already for when the day came. He couldn't resist doing so the very day she said she would give him a chance.
Knowing he was her favorite person already, all he had to do now was keep loving and supporting her the way he always had and throw in some more romance. He knew her love for him as a person was unshakable and had only been waiting for her to see him in a romantic light. He was fairly confident it would happen eventually.
Noah was very good at waiting.
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Jeremy dreaded his boss coming back to work because he was sure Violet would have told him what happened. He was dead. Not only would he likely get fired, he would probably get murdered as well.
Aaron Hale loved his family more than anything and Jeremy had thoroughly screwed up with his only daughter. He may as well start writing his last will and testament right now. Or so he thought.
When Aaron arrived at the office for the first time following his vacation, he was in a surprisingly good mood. Hours passed in a state of anxiety where Jeremy was left wondering when the good mood would pass and he would snap.
"Jeremy! Quit spacing out. I know you got dumped but you can't let it impact your ability to complete simple tasks," Aaron barked.
Startled, he jumped in his seat and looked at his boss in bewilderment. "Sir?"
That usually piercing dark blue gaze softened imperceptibly. He got up from behind his desk and clapped a hand on his protégé's shoulder. Jeremy was completely frozen in shock at this point. Here it comes; the death blow!
But it didn't. Aaron's voice was slightly less gruff than usual when he spoke again. "I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're worried about. Just because you weren't the right person for my daughter doesn't mean you aren't the right person to take over my legacy."
He slumped back in his chair in relief. His boss didn't hate him. He wasn't about to get killed for hurting Aaron Hale's precious daughter.
Honestly, that helped him feel a lot better. Jeremy had fallen for Violet but he miscalculated a few things. The strength of her relationship with Noah Singleton. His ability to put another person before work. How much his boss actually valued him.
He and Aaron were alike in a lot of ways but the major difference between them was how they handled their relationsh.i.p.s with other people. Jeremy was married to his job; no feelings for a woman would ever be strong enough to change that. Aaron took pride in his work but he would throw it all away in a heartbeat if the people he loved needed him to.
All this time Jeremy thought things would work out because he and Violet had similar intelligence and education. He tried to make her fit into a perfect scenario he concocted for his life that still revolved around his job.
It never would have worked because she was far more sentimental a person than he could have imagined. His first failed relationship stung but it was more about how wrong he had been about everything than actually missing her. Work had been a fairly sufficient distraction from his thoughts of Violet the past few days.
He hadn't been spacing out because of heartbreak; he had been terrified of losing everything he had ever worked for. Now that he knew that wasn't going to be a problem he was able to relax enough to be even more productive than usual for the rest of the day.
"Thanks, Aaron," Jeremy said gratefully, regaining his composure. "I won't let you down."
A slight smile appeared on Aaron's face as he patted the younger man's shoulder a few more times. "I know you won't, kid."
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