Chapter 31: Breakfast invitation

Slowly waking up from a deep sleep feeling worlds better than she did yesterday, relaxed and calm like never before, save for the uncomfortable position of her neck. Only when Paige moved around in the hopes of easing the tension of sore limbs, it was to touch upon the hard surface that was beneath her. Growing immediately curious to what that surface could've been, knowing that she had been in her bed last night, she turned around to come face to face with Noah.

Taking stock of her current surroundings in the hopes of understanding what he was doing there, she realized that Noah was stretched out on the recliner, she nestled in the curve of his body. Paige was dumb stuck by the realization that rather than her bed she was presently curled up in the chair with Noah, wrapped in those strong arms of his.

Suddenly Paige remembered last nights events with such clarity it was more than a little bit alarming for her to comprehend the truth. She had woken up in the middle of the night shivering from the nightmare she had and scared, to find the man passed out in the chair in the corner. She hadn't wanted to wake him up as he seemed so peaceful in the chair, but neither did she want to sleep alone. Far too tired and scared to allow her normal common sense to get in the way of her nightly plans, she'd sucked her trepidition aside and climbed into the oversized chair. Then right there curled up in the center of his lap and feeling his arms wrapping themselves around her, taking strength from him, Paige had instantly fallen asleep.

Gently extracting herself from his arms before he awoke lest he think that she was taking liberties that weren't her own, she headed downstairs. Only upon her arrival downstairs to the kitchen she was surprised by the clean floor, realizing the mess from last night had been cleared away. Obviously Noah had come back downstairs last night to clean up the mess she had made, having taken the trash out too she realized.

Deeply touched that the man would feel the desire to assist her in maintaining the appearance of their home, she went to see what to make for breakfast. Paige really needed to take the time to go to the grocery store to do some shopping, instantly realizing there was no food aside from a carton of eggs.

Coming into the kitchen at the exact moment that the fridge door was allowed to swing closed, Noah frowned at the carton she held in her grasp. “You really need to eat something other than eggs.”

“It's all we really have,” Paige admitted a bit sheepishly, feeling a little guilty that she was failing so horribly as his wife in the first week of marriage. “Besides, I absolutely love eggs. I could eat them for breakfast, supper and dinner.”

“Maybe so,” Noah drawled thoughtfully as he watched her, having been able to tell this for himself, “but gassy foods aren't good for you.”

He was right of course. While eggs were delicious going down to a persons stomach, but if only done in small quantities. Not to the excess that she ate them.

Stalking across the floor of the kitchen Noah insistently took the carton away from her, shaking his head ruefully. “Why don't you go upstairs and get dressed? Then we'll go get some breakfast. It's supposed to rain this afternoon so afterwards I'll drop you off at work and will pick you up when you get off.”

“That won't be necessary,” she rejected the offer.

His eyes narrowed on the woman then. “You might want to deny the dangers of that death contraption of yours, but I won't. Driving on slick roads is bad enough in a car, but that death machine of yours offers no protection for you.”

Paige offered him a tentative smile at his outburst towards the vehicle, growing touched that he would feel the need to defend his actions. “It's not that I was rejecting the offer of you taking me to work.”

“Oh,” he replied.

“I'm not going into work today,” Paige finally admitted after a long moment of silence, wanting him to understand her reasons for turning him down this morning. “I asked Amber off for the day. Considering I hadn't taken any time off since the store opened she agreed I could have a personal day.”

“A personal day? Is everything okay?” Noah found himself asking the woman despite his usual cold indifference towards people, seeming to grow concerned at the thought. “You know you could talk to me. You're my wife, if I can help I will.”

Paige was deeply touched by the offer that he had made to her right then, liking this whole new side of her husband, that was softer, gentler. It showed her a hint of the man buried beneath the surface and what it would be like to have a man like him to love her. “There's no need for you to burden yourself with my troubles, I know that you only married me due to your grandmother's pestering.”

Grabbing a hold of her slender wrist as she attempted to pass by him he whipped her around to face him, lifting her chin to look at him. “I don't care what drove us into this marriage, the fact remains you are my wife, you are my family. Your problems are my problems.”

Paige felt warmed at his declaration to her, overwhelmed by sensations that she didn't understand. To think that this man was willing to be her rock during the hard times to be faced head and a compassionate shoulder to lean on, with barely knowing her. As his head was bent down low in order to look her in the eyes, she was able to balance hands on his shoulder and on tiptoes she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you, Noah. It means a lot to me and I'll definitely keep your offer in mind. And I'd love breakfast.”

Then before he had the chance to say anything about what she said, a little embarrassed, Paige raced upstairs to her bedroom and dressed into a change of clothes for the day. Then barely ten minutes later returning to the main floor of the house, together they left the terraced house and climbed into the national MPV.

“Speaking of family,” Noah sparked up the conversation between them as he pulled out of the driveway, another thought having suddenly occurred to him. “we've been married for a week now and I still haven't met your maiden family.”

“I haven't met yours,” she returned.

She made a valid point.