Noaz (Van Doren #2)

25. Briar

25

brIAR

“What do you think about Emerson?” Noaz asks. “It can be shortened to Em or Emmy. Emma, maybe.”

“It’s cute. I don’t hate that one at all.”

Noaz smiles. We’re just pulling out of the Flagstaff airport and heading home. We’ve spent the last few days in Colorado with Miranda and Heath. We even met one of Miranda’s kids.

Miranda had a contraction last week. Just one. But the hospital said it was probably just the baby moving and her body responding since no others followed it. They gave her a thorough exam and everything is still looking perfect, but the hospital instructed her to see her normal OB/GYN.

That’s why we flew in. Miranda asked if we wanted to be there, and we definitely did. The doctor assured us everything looked good and Miranda should just take it easy since she’s now seven months pregnant and she’s at an ‘ advanced age ’ as far as pregnancy goes.

While we were there, we put a plan in place for when our baby arrives. We will fly out at thirty-nine weeks and stay for a week following the baby’s birth, whenever that might be.

This might come as a shock, but the Van Dorens own a house in Castle Rock, Colorado, which is just eleven minutes from where Miranda lives in Castle Pines Village. The hospital is between where the Van Doren house is and where Miranda lives.

As if Noaz can hear my thoughts, they say, “I really like Miranda and her family. Knowing where she came from, I’m so happy she has such a happy home now.”

“I like them, too.”

“Maybe we should do something nice for her after all this. Like, send her on a cruise. Her and Heath, I mean. Once she’s recovered from giving birth, of course.”

“That’s sweet. I think she’d like that.”

“She did mention when we were there that she didn’t travel a lot. She loved listening to our travel stories.”

“I think it was super sweet that she bought us a baby gift,” I say. The little stuffed bear is in our suitcase in the back.

Not just any bear, she took one of the pieces of baby clothes she kept from each of her kids, from each of Heath’s kids, and scraps from one of her favorite shirts and Heath’s favorite shirts and had a teddy bear—a memory bear—made from them. She wanted us and baby to have something from them. Something to remember them by.

As if we were going to forget the family who helped us begin ours.

I think we both got teary over it. It was a super thoughtful gift.

“I was a little nervous to bring it up, but I wonder if she’d want to have updates. Maybe keep in touch as a cousin or something,” Noaz suggests.

“I thought that too. Next time we talk to her, we can discuss it.”

“Maybe next time in person. I’d like to gauge her reaction, so I know she’s not telling us what she thinks we want to hear.”

I nod.

“Oh, how about Hayden?” Noaz says. “I think that’s pretty.”

“Peyton is another gender-neutral one that sounds similar,” I say.

They hum. “Does that mean you like it or not?”

“I don’t hate either.”

Noaz grins.

We do this often. Throw out names in the middle of our conversation as we think of them or come across them online. We’ve narrowed it down to liking gender-neutral names. Ones that make you have to ask a pronoun question because the name is used frequently for all genders.

The other option is finding a name that no one hears and doesn’t immediately give the impression of one gender or another. We’ve come across a couple of those we’re hanging on to as well.

“I saw Lennox and Logan the other day. I really like the shortened Len. It’s cute. And Logan feels really comfortable.”

Noaz nods. “Yep, don’t hate either of those.”

They look down when their phone pings. In the corner of my eye, I see Noaz grin widely when they read the text and then turn the screen off. “Riley?” Noaz suggests. “No, I don’t think I like Riley.”

“No? ”

“I don’t hate it, but I think I have an ex named Riley.”

“You think?”

Noaz gives me an amused smile. “Yeah. I feel like I used to call him Riley, but there were times he’d give me a very weird look when I did. Like that wasn’t his name, but he didn’t want to correct me. After the fact, I used to wonder where that name came from if he didn’t tell me it. Did I just hear something that sounded like Riley and he never corrected me?”

“Ouch.”

They laugh. “I know! I’m slightly horrified in hindsight, but like, he never said anything if I had it wrong.”

“Maybe it was his last name.”

“Yeah, I thought of that, too. Imagine being in a relationship and referring to your partner as their last name.” They shake their head. “I mean, if it was some bromance thing turned romantic, and that’s how they’d always referred to each other, I guess that’s different, right?”

“The people I imagine calling each other by their last names are athletes. By force of habit. You hear coaches referring to them by last names all the time. Then if you have three Michaels on the team, last names are useful. So I guess in a situation like that, it makes sense.”

“Conformity without meaning to.”

“Like my friends calling you Uncle Noaz. They’re surrounded by people who call you Uncle Noaz, and that’s how they were introduced to you.”

“Yes!” Noaz exclaims. “Maybe I did that.”

I chuckle. “No Riley, though. Got it. ”

We pull into the Van Doren Estate, and it’s like driving into a different world. The landscape changes abruptly to something lush and meticulously maintained. Noaz told me once that they like to employ as many people as they can, so even when it’s a frivolous spend like the level of landscaping, they have almost a dozen landscapers who work full-time, making a very good wage with amazing benefits. That makes them happy.

One of the things I like the best is how the two roads that bend off the driveway deeper into the Estate are camouflaged by foliage. At certain angles, you’ll see the roads, but otherwise, unless you know they’re there, they’re hidden.

But only until you get by the wall of greenery. Then your view opens up to a stunning oasis. That’s exactly where we live—an oasis.

The most direct route is to drive toward the lake and move around the northeast side until the road splits. Taking a right brings us to Noaz’s house. Our house.

It’s a beautiful house, not that I’m surprised by that at all. Noaz has great taste. Stylish, functional, and not worried about what’s trending or popular right now. It’s about what they wanted in a house.

There are two sheds out back. One is tucked into the trees and the other is at the side of the house. Both are used for storage.

I pull up and park the car. Grabbing the suitcase from the back, I meet Noaz around the front and take their hand. The house is quiet when we walk in, not that I expected anything different. It’s also just as we left it—new baby furniture everywhere you look.

It gives me a warm feeling and I squeeze Noaz’s hand.

Noaz takes the suitcase from my hand and sets it down. “I have something for you,” they say .

“Oh, yeah?” Considering I’ve been with them without interruption for the past several days, I’m curious about what they found and when.

They nod. Stepping in front of me, Noaz wraps their arms around the back of my neck, bringing their body close to mine. I immediately bring my hands to their hips.

“You’re constantly doing the sweetest things to let me know you care. Remembering when something is important. Heart-shaped breakfasts, covering me with a blanket, gifting me a flower. Things that come naturally for you, but they mean everything to me. I’ve never felt so special to someone. I really wanted to do something in return, but nothing felt big enough.”

“I don’t need anything—big or otherwise,” I say.

“I know you don’t, and it’s not about the size.” Noaz gives me an amused look. “But I thought for a very long time trying to find something I thought might convey just how much you mean to me. How much I appreciate you, love you, and all the things you do for me—big and little and reflexive—they mean everything to me.”

I brush their hair back and press my lips to theirs. “All I want is to spoil you for the entirety of our lives.”

“See!” Noaz says with an exaggerated sigh. “Right there. You’re so damn sweet that my knees feel wobbly and it’s made all the sweeter because I know you will.”

Chuckling, I kiss their nose. “Sorry?”

Noaz shakes their head. “Come on. I have something for you.” They take my hand and lead me further into the house until we get to the first guest room. The door is shut, which isn’t usual. Most doors in the house stay ajar .

“I admit I had a little help with executing my plan because I wasn’t sure how to get it done without you seeing it since it wasn’t something that would take hours, but days.”

“Ah. This trip was a cover-up!”

Noaz smirks. “No. Just convenient timing and it meant I could stop stressing about how to surprise you.” With their hand on the door, they push it open a little. I can’t see inside, but I see the way Noaz beams. They turn to look at me. “Ready?”

“I’m ready.”

Noaz pushes open the door and pulls me inside.

All three guest rooms are done in neutral colors and designs. There are homey touches that elevate the rooms to make them comfortable, but otherwise, they don’t have a lot of personality. Noaz said they were always intended to be children’s rooms. They had this house built with a family in mind. Not to entertain guests.

But this room is no longer a blank canvas. All the walls are lined with bookshelves, floor to ceiling. There’s a fireplace on the wall perpendicular to the door. The old window has been replaced with an arched window that’s now in a recessed nook because of the bookcases. The woodwork surrounding the cases is breathtaking, giving the impression that this is an old manor house and not a new family home.

The ceiling is high, as all the ceilings are. There’s now a large circular tray design with a wonderful chandelier that looks like it’s been here for a hundred years. Back when design was prominent in every little feature.

In the little window nook is a large floor globe. The kind that opens up to reveal liquor and glasses. There are tufted leather chairs at the edge of the fireplace with a tufted footstool and a small, elegant round table between them .

In the other end of the room is a large desk. The big, substantial kind that you know is not only made of real wood with hand-carved details, but also isn’t new. There’s a large tufted leather chair there as well.

On the wall behind the desk is the one rectangle of wall without bookshelves, though they’re bordering it on all sides. There’s a framed picture of the world there.

The shelves aren’t all filled with books, though there are quite a few. There are also little statues here and there. Trinkets and sculptures that bring interest to the space.

The room is also broken down into two sections with rugs. There’s an area rug under the desk and one under the sitting area in front of the fire.

Honestly, I’m speechless as I look around.

“You always work on the couch and your bedroom had a desk and chair back in Tucson, so I thought maybe you’d like an office,” Noaz says quietly. “Not that you can’t work on the couch. And also, I really want this house to feel like ours. Not just mine. I know you always tell me it doesn’t feel that way, but it’s important to me that you have some space that’s dedicated to you and you’re surprisingly stubborn when I ask for suggestions on how to make that happen.”

I turn to look at Noaz. There are still no words to sufficiently express the way I’m feeling right now.

They’re chewing their lip nervously. “So… the furniture is all from the big house. The pieces have been in our family for ages. I don’t know how many ages, but for a long time. The mantel is, too. I had the woodwork designed around the mantel. Oh, and the light is also from the big house. Rugs too. I hope that’s okay.”

Okay ?

Reaching for Noaz, I pull them against me. My mouth lands on theirs as soon as they’re close enough, and I kiss them breathless. I drop my hand to their ass and pull them tighter to me. Noaz grunts into my mouth as we sway and stumble backward until their ass hits the desk.

“This is a sturdy desk?” I ask, biting Noaz’s bottom lip.

They nod, cheeks flushed.

“Good to know.” With their thighs in my hands, I lift them and deposit their ass on the desk and continue to kiss them. “I’m going to make love to you over this desk, Noaz. Just needed to know we’re not going to destroy a family heirloom.”

Noaz shivers. “You like the room?”

I slow down, settling my hands to land on their hips and press my forehead to theirs. “This room is stunning. Far more than I need, Noaz. It is very thoughtful and I’m looking forward to using it.”

“Really? You’re not just saying that?”

I sigh and press soft kisses all along their jaw and neck. Noaz lets their head fall back and eventually allows me to lay them back on the desk. I push their shirt up so I can reach their flawless stomach. “Really,” I murmur as I work my way south. “I had no idea how much I could love a room until I stepped foot into this one.”

Noaz sighs. Then sucks in a sharp breath as I bury my face between their legs and nip at their balls through their leggings.

“I’m glad you like it,” Noaz says, their voice filled with lots of sexy tones all blended together as I playfully nip and suck at their cock through their pants. “I just wanted…” Their words trail off with a groan .

“I do feel at home here, Noaz. I don’t need special rooms or furniture to make me feel that way. My home is where you are. Wherever you breathe and your heart beats. Where you smile. Where you’re happy. That’s my home, love. Not walls and furniture. You.”

There are tears in their eyes. “Hurry up and take my clothes off. Papi needs to fill Daddy with his cock.”

I laugh but give my partner what they want.