Loving Noel (Wildcat Graduates Book 1) Read online

  “I’d better go. I’m supposed to meet the guys at the gym in thirty minutes and I still need to go home and change. Besides, I’ll see you at six thirty for our date. Even if the weather gets bad, we’re still having a date.”

  “Confident, are we? Well, I guess I had better not keep you from getting to the gym. I’d hate for you to be late on my account,” I tease as he gets out of the car and walks over to help me out. Once out on the sidewalk, Noel gives me another thorough kiss before I walk to the house. He waits for me to get inside before he gets back in his car and heads off to the gym. It’s a good thing he didn’t walk me to the door this time. I really wanted him to stay, and that scares me. At times, I think we went from friends to more too fast, but then at others, everything feels so normal I don’t even realize it’s only been a few weeks. I hope I’m not reading too much into things.

  The rest of the weekend flew by and with only three days left of school this week, Christmas Break will be upon us before we know it. Noel and I hung out with Cade and Stacy over at her grandparents’ house on Saturday. It was too icy to do much of anything else. Her grandma made an amazing eggplant parmesan and tons of Christmas cookies. I think I gained five pounds from those alone. We watched a few movies and just sat around talking. Her granddad was in true form and made us laugh all afternoon with his stories. I can easily see where Stacy gets it from.

  The weather had cleared up by Monday, but the temperature hadn’t really warmed up, so we ate in the band hall again for lunch. Most of us were exempt from our exams on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we didn’t have to go to school at all on those days. Since tomorrow is Thursday and Noel and Cade will be leaving to go to Colorado, the four of us were going to the movies tonight to celebrate exams being over and school being out. I was looking forward to not having to worry about school for one night. The guys were picking us up at Stacy’s house since I had been there all day. Her grandma took us with her to do some last minute shopping. It was a lot of fun, and since Mike had a friend from college over at our house, I certainly didn’t want to be stuck with them all day.

  After the movie was over we decided to head on over to Chili’s for something to eat. We went to the earlier movie and we were all starving. We were there about two hours before we decided to leave. Noel dropped Stacy and Cade off at her house so Cade could pick up his car, and Noel and I decided to drive around for a little bit before he took me home. It was still a little early so we decided to drive around town for a bit and look at Christmas lights. He isn’t leaving until tomorrow, and I’m already starting to miss him. It’s going to be over a week before we see each other again.

  We drive around the drag for a few minutes before Noel heads toward the ball park. Whether we’re in a group or not, we always end up here eventually. It’s too cold to sit outside, so Noel parks the car over by the home side dugouts and leaves the car running. He moves his seat back all the way and pulls me into his lap. I sit there, cuddled to his chest, with my legs going over the console and resting in my seat. We sit like that for a few minutes listening to the radio, turned down low. Noel has my head tucked under his chin and his arms wrapped around me. I can hear his heart beating against my cheek as I lies on his chest. His hand rubs slowly up and down my back.

  “When will you be coming back from your grandparents’,” I ask as I play with his shirt sleeve. Noel moves one hand up to pull the hair from my face before resting it on the back of my head.

  “My grandparents are having a sixtieth wedding anniversary party on the twenty sixth while everyone is still there, so we’ll be driving back on the twenty seventh. We’re stopping in Oklahoma City for the night and finishing the drive home the next day.”

  “That’s like, next Friday, right?” Noel kisses the top of my head as I continue to play with his sleeve.

  “Yeah, Friday. It’ll be here before you know it. What are you and your family doing for Christmas? Are you going to your grandparents’ house or are they coming here?” Noel asks as he begins to run his fingers through my hair.

  “We’ll go to my dad’s parents’ house Christmas Eve and have dinner with them and open presents. We’ll go to my mom’s parents’ house for Christmas Day and have lunch. We usually open up presents right after and then everyone passes out because they ate too much!” I laugh at the memory of everyone falling asleep after lunch. “That afternoon we’ll go back over to my other grandparents’ house to visit for a little while before we come home. After that we really don’t do anything else. Sometimes I go over to Stacy’s or she comes to my house to hang out. We’re kinda boring.” I laugh a little at that. “I bet your family has tons planned, don’t they?”

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Noel chuckles. “Mom is a planner, but Grandma has her beat for sure. I think she has every day planned that we’re there. I’m just glad Cade and his parents will be there, so I can get away with them if I need to. His parents don’t plan everything like my family does.”

  “I can only imagine!” I laugh as I move my head to look up at him. “How will you survive all that snow and skiing,” I ask him in faux horror. We both laugh and he squeezes me against his chest once more.

  “You’d be surprised what Mom and Grandma can come up with when they team up. Dad and Grandpa usually just hide out and wait for the storm to settle.” Noel laughs as he moves me over to my seat. He kisses me briefly on the lips before pulling back. “Time to get you home, it’s getting late.” I get settled back in my seat and buckle up.

  I look back over at Noel adjusting his seat, and lean over the console. Before he can turn to look at me, I close the gap and kiss him loudly on the cheek. “Take me home, James,” I giggle as I sit back in my seat and face the windshield.

  “At your service, Miss.” Noel shakes his head and laughs silently as he pulls us out of the parking lot and onto the main road.

  Xana and I have only been dating a short time, but it seems like longer, in a good way. Dropping her off at her house was harder this time. I know I’ll only be gone a week and we’ve been apart before, but now that we’re dating, this time it’s different. At least Mom and Grandma will keep us busy enough for it to pass by quickly.

  I drop my keys on the entryway table as I make my way to the kitchen. Mom is loading the dishwasher and Dad is reading the paper. “Hey, Mom. Hey, Dad. What’s up?” I ask as I get a drink from the refrigerator and sit down across from Dad.

  Dad looks up from the article he’s reading and Mom smiles over her shoulder to greet me. “Hey, son,” Dad says as he begins to fold up the newspaper and lay it on the table.

  “It’s about time you’re home, Noel. You need to make sure you have everything ready to leave. We’re leaving at five in the morning, so you need to make sure you have everything ready to go. It’s a long drive to Oklahoma City. Cade’s parents want to get there early enough to rest and get Michelle loaded up before heading out the next morning.” She finishes loading the dishwasher with detergent and sets the controls to start before turning toward the table.

  “Yeah, I know. He’s already made sure to tell me and Cade that about four times already. I got all my stuff packed this afternoon. The only things I have left to pack are my toiletries and stuff. I just have to throw them in my bag in the morning and then I’ll be ready to go.” Mom moves over to Dad’s chair and places her hands on his shoulders.

  “That’s good, honey. Don’t forget to set your alarm. If we’re running late in the morning, Cade’s dad will never let us hear the end of it. He’s quite anxious to see Michelle, from what Sandra tells me.” Mom leans down to kiss Dad’s cheek before she tells us goodnight, and I give her a hug.

  “I’ll set it when I go upstairs. Goodnight, Mom.” I finish my drink and place it in the sink when Dad chimes in.

  “If you already have your big bags ready to go, go ahead and place them by the front door before you go to bed. I’ll get them loaded when I get up in the morning. We both know your mom will have me up before the crack of dawn,”
he chuckles as he moves to head upstairs, “Goodnight, son.”

  “I’ll have everything ready. Goodnight, Dad.” I turn off the kitchen lights and follow Dad upstairs. After getting everything ready for the morning and taking my stuff downstairs, I send Xana a text before going to bed.

  ME: Are you in bed yet?

  SWEETNESS: Just getting ready to. You?

  ME: Same.

  I don’t want to talk to her in a text anymore, so I call Xan instead. I need to hear her voice.

  “Hey,” Xana answers quietly. I can almost hear her smiling over the phone.

  “Hey Sweetness. I just wanted to talk before I left tomorrow.” I turn my lights off before walking over to my bed and sitting down.

  Xana giggles softly before answering, “I thought we were already talking. You texted me, remember?”

  “Yeah, I remember,” I laugh at her response, “But I wanted to talk more than just through a text. It’s going to be a long drive tomorrow and Dad hates it when we talk on the phone while he’s driving. Says it’s time to talk to each other, not call people. You know, family time,” I laugh as I remember the last trip we took together as a family. There are only so many things we can talk about for an eighteen hour trip, even if it is divided into two days. That only makes Xana laugh harder.

  “I can’t imagine how awful that will be,” she teases me. I love hearing her laugh. I’m going to miss that when I’m in Colorado.

  “You laugh now, but you wait until you’re stuck with them for that long! You hate talking a lot as it is. Try it for eight or ten hours at a time. You’ll be ready to kiss the pavement when you stop, too!” I can hear her laughing harder now. “Did you just snort, Xan?” I ask, laughing the whole time. Then I hear it again. I love it when she does that. I laugh harder, “You did snort! That’s just too funny.” I can’t help but laugh. Xana tries to stop laughing before she snorts again.

  “Shut it, Daniels,” Xana tells me, trying to be serious, but she can’t hide her giggles. “At least you don’t have to suffer riding with my brother. I swear I was born just so he could torment me, and Dad and Mom just laugh about it.” I know she’s pouting, even though I can’t see her face. She’s so cute when she pouts. She’s almost like a little kid, with her bottom lip all stuck out. I love to bite that bottom lip when she does that.

  “It can’t be that bad. At least you can have your phone and stuff. You can keep yourself entertained.” Xana giggles again and I wish I was there to see it.

  “I suppose. What time are you leaving in the morning?” There is a strange tone in her voice now. I can’t quite put my finger on it.

  “Cade’s dad wants us to leave at five so we have time to stop in Oklahoma City and pick up Michelle. She’s finished with her exams and will be waiting for us. Then we’ll drive the rest of the way Friday. Cade will probably ride with us in our car on Friday. His parents will be more concerned with Michelle and what she needs to do when she graduates in May.” I lean back against the headboard and stretch my legs. I can still smell her perfume on my shirt.

  “That’s really early, and not very far from now. You should go to sleep now so you can wake up on time. It’s getting late,” she tells me. I can hear her turn her television off while she shuffles in her bed.

  “Yeah, I suppose I should, but I’d rather talk to you. I can sleep in the car.” I’d rather hear her voice for a while longer. Hell, I’d rather she’d be here with me right now. Then I could sleep.

  Xana becomes quiet and I can only hear her breathing. “I’d rather talk to you, too, but you really should go to sleep now. I don’t want to be the one responsible for you waking up late and facing the wrath your mom can inflict because you’re off schedule. I’ve heard enough about her and Cade’s dad. I’d never want to make them angry at me,” Xana half laughs at herself. “You go to sleep. We can talk anytime while you’re gone. Besides, you’ll be too occupied with your family and the week will be over before you know it.”

  “I’ll never be too busy to not call you.”

  “Noel,” she says before I cut her off.

  “You can call me whenever you want, and I’ll always want to talk to you. Goodnight, Sweetness.” I hang up the phone before she can respond. She tends to overthink things, and hanging up on her or walking away is the only way to keep her from doing that. Besides, I really like leaving her all speechless and dreamy-eyed. She’s so damn beautiful when she looks like that. It’s going to be hard trying to go to sleep when all I can do is think about her.

  We got to Durango late last night and I went straight to bed. Driving that far is exhausting even though I just sat around in the car all day. I texted Xana to let her know we were here, but didn’t get to talk to her more than that. I get out of bed and head for the shower before Mom tries to wake me up. Cade and I have to help Grandad pick up the Christmas tree Grandma already picked out. The long, hot shower helps wake me up and feel more motivated to get this over with. I know how much Grandma loves big trees, so this just may be more than three people can handle. At least they let me sleep in this morning. As I grab my wallet and phone, I notice that I have a voicemail message from Cade and a text from Xana. I love getting texts from her, she doesn’t send them very often. I open the text first.

  SWEETNESS: I’m on my way to help my grandma do some shopping and just wanted to tell you good morning, Handsome. :)

  ME: I’m glad you did. Made my morning. I’m headed out with Cade and Grandad to pick up the tree. It’s gonna be huge.

  I finish putting on my boots when my phone dings with an incoming text.

  SWEETNESS: I’m not jealous of that! Don’t have too much fun! I’ll talk to you later?

  ME: Always.

  On my way downstairs, I listen to Cade’s voicemail. He and his dad are on their way over to help. His dad remembered how big she always had her trees before and figured we could use some help with it. Since he called while I was in the shower, they’re already waiting on us in the kitchen. Of course there is way too much food waiting, so we all sit down and eat before leaving. Grandad grabs a shopping list from Grandma before we leave; looks like we’re shopping and loading a tree today.

  We are able to get all of Grandma’s errands finished and the tree set up after lunch. Fortunately, I’m not required to decorate the tree, so Cade and I decide to go up to the mountain and get some snowboarding in before it gets too late. Mr. Baker and Michelle decide to go with us. We end up staying on the mountain until it’s time to shut things down. Even though I work out for baseball, my muscles are still pretty sore when I’m done. Thank goodness we picked up that giant tree today and not tomorrow. I’m not sure I’d be able to wrestle with it.

  Christmas at my grandparents’ house is just like I remembered it, chaos and tons of food. The only thing different is the presence of snow. I think I could get used to snow at Christmas. Xana would love it here. All of the family was able to get in a lot of skiing before Christmas, when we weren’t given a list of things to do from Grandma. It’s the day before Christmas and there are special activities planned at Purgatory Resort. All the men and kids are going to spend the better part of the day taking advantage of it. It will be our last chance before we all have to leave after the anniversary party.

  Cade and I are skiing with Michelle while everyone else splits up into groups. We never allow anyone to ski alone. We’re meeting everyone down at The Bear Bar and Grille for lunch, and we have enough time for one more run before we need to head over there. Michelle has no trouble keeping up with Cade and me and we make a race out of it. She’s pretty fast on her skis and has no problem keeping up with us snowboarding. We’re on the last stretch of the trail when my snowboard catches an edge and I lose control of my turn. I can hear Cade and Michelle yelling for me as I fly head first over the side of the trail. It all seems to move in slow motion, but I know it happens faster than I can comprehend at this point. I’m rolling through the snow toward the tree line when I feel a sharp pain and everything goes b
lack.

  Cade, Michelle and several other people are crowding around me when I open my eyes. “How do you feel, man,” Cade asks as I try to sit up. My body hurts and I feel a little dizzy.

  “I feel like someone beat me up. How long was I out for?” I look around at all of the people surrounding me. It’s then that I hear a weird noise; snowmobiles. They must have gotten help somehow, but I don’t think I really need all of this just for falling down.

  “You were out for a little bit. Not too long, but long enough. Some lady behind us went down the trail and got help at the bottom. I think you’ll be fine, but you never know with these kinds of accidents,” Cade tells me as he helps me sit up.

  “What happened Noel? One minute you were ahead of us, and as soon as I blinked the snow out of my eyes, you were rolling over the trail edge,” Michelle tells me, quite shaken. I guess I took a pretty good tumble to scare her enough to cause her voice to shake like that.

  Before I can answer I hear a voice I recognize but should not be here. Looking around Cade and Michelle, I search for the person to go along with that voice. Just as the Ski Patrol arrived to check me over, I spot Mercedes standing just behind Michelle. “Yeah, you fell pretty hard, Noel. It all happened so fast. I was really scared.” What the hell is she doing here? Did I hit my head or something?

  “Mercedes? Where did you come from?” I ask, completely dumbfounded that she is here. Did I really hit my head and no one is telling me?

  “My dad wanted to come here after hearing your dad talk about the resort. He wanted to try it out.” I just nod at her in response, and turn my attention to the ski patrol, so I can get checked out.

  The paramedics check my vitals and ask me a lot of questions. Nothing appears to be broken, but I will be sore for a few days. I’m given strict instructions to let my body rest, and some signs to look for in case other things come up. Since I didn’t seem to hit anything, like a tree, they think I should be fine.