noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

"I do suppose it's literally a growth spurt for you between appointments. At least it's gradually for me when all of a sudden they've outgrown the outfit they just had on." A sad thing to realise, but it was nevertheless a beautiful thing to witness his daughter slowly growing into the woman she would one day be. Only then would be allow himself to shed a tear over it. "Ah, Eunoia." Noah nodded, pulling the word from the deep archive that was his mind. The peaceful mental space created by a sound. It was the first thing that came to mind, anyway. "It's definitely a view.. Should've gotten myself a house on the waterfront- my sister is a lucky girl." Though he didn't want to guess the costs of having to clean up the salty brine from their decks and windows. But that was something he'd keep to himself. "Definitely closer. So all in all, I can't complain." The man admitted, impressed that the man remembered. "At least there have been no such emergencies, so I hope you definitely didn't ring a bell." A chuckle fell from his lips. Even so, Eloise had a whole village around her who would rally to take care of her in such a situation. He'd worry, of course. But he knew she'd be in good hands. "Don't get me wrong. I am still tempted to quit and find something I can do right here, but it's a fulfilling job, helps keep my family safe too." Not the thought that got him to apply for the army, but definitely one he developed overtime. @mitchelljackson

There was a slim part of Mitchell that felt like he was missing out on the emotions that came along with raising children. Of course it wasn't enough to have him change his mind, but, he empathized a little bit more than some people in his position regardless of not having the personal experience. "I can imagine. Sometimes I feel like they grow too fast and all I'm doing is watching from the sidelines. I can't imagine how you guys feel." He let the conversation change naturally, a small nod of his head when the other questioned if the docks did it for him. "They do. At least sometimes." he stated. "Sometimes I just need a minute to listen to the waves, watch the boats as they come in or leave to feel like my mind is fully clear." he stated. "But the view." he'd refrain from admitting he had a photograph of this very view in the master bathroom of his home. It wasn't important information to be sharing. "Washington's still closer than where you were being sent before from what I recall." he stated. "At least in the state of an emergency you're closer." Though that didn't change how hard he was sure it was to leave still. "An adaptive job is the best kind of job. They're lucky to have you; no reason they should ever wish to jeopardize that." @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

"I get it. Especially when it wasn't in the cards." Noah spoke, finding it a quite reasonable reaction. He was still balancing the wire between being excited and nervous. He already had Eloise pretty late, being in his forties. Add another kid when he would be nearing the halfway mark to fifty, it was quite something. There was no judgement at her revealing it was terrifying, instead only offering her a smile when she continued, lifting his hand to lightly caress her cheek with the back of his hand, fingers softly brushing her skin. "Here we are." His voice was soft, before he nodded, leaning in to press a gentle kiss against where his fingers had just brushed. "Less speculating, more knowing. Sounds like a plan." They could always discuss where to go from here when they knew what the reality was. He slowly hoisted himself up, holding out his hand to help her do the same. "Up you get, gorgeous." @giovannaxwallace

Giovanna let out a breath, one that was more of a sigh but there was a hint of laughter in it as well. Lifting her hand, she pressed the heel of it to her temple, "I don't know," his words settled something in her. "I think, in part," Giovanna spoke slowly, "it freaked me out because it could be real." It was something she had always been unsure of in her life because of her history. "And it's terrifying," the words were a whisper. "But, not bad." She added, lessening the whisper. "Not with you." And that was the truth. She turned to look at him more, eyes searching his face. "I never thought I'd be in a place where this would be a real question." Giovanna paused, "I should take a test. To be sure." @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

"Ohh, mystery?" That was the kind of genre Noah enjoyed reading for fun. mystery and thriller. Anything to keep you on the edge of your seat, blown away by the unexpected. "I do suppose having to force yourself to finish it will take away the fun from it." He nodded, understanding the reasoning behind it. "If you ever do want an unbiased opinion on a chapter... I'm just saying, I wouldn't mind." He spoke, though also mostly out of curiosity. "Can't wait to see what you do with it." @lennyxclairmont

"I've been toying with a mystery book." They were her favorite to read after all. "The friend group that seemingly has it all together," she told Noah, "it's still early. I took the last year off from writing." From fostering to adopting to their daughters, Lenny hadn't been able to focus much on writing if she were being honest. "Maybe one day I will finish it but," Lenny lifted her shoulders into a shrug, "I don't want it to be a chore. I write because I love to write, not because I want to be a published author." @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

Noah had no understanding of how an addiction felt. The only things he could build on was what he had read about it, seen through old army friends who couldn't deal and turned to substances or the bottle. So he wasn't going to say anything that would indicate he knew what Jasper meant, it would be diminishing towards his experiences. So he just nodded in understanding, a smile tugging on his lips when he was told he was better than he'd ever been. "Well that's good." He said with a slight chuckle. Liking yourself was the biggest step. "And uh-" Noah started, feeling like the inevitable question had to be asked eventually. "Are you here just to visit, or are you staying here in Kismet?" He didn't want to pressure his brother to say, though he was desperately hoping it'd be the latter. @jasperxsinclair

Jasper let out a slow breath with Noah's words. A part of him felt relaxed at his brother's response. He didn't sense that Noah was judging or pulling away, but just being there. "Yeah," he said safter a second. "Not every day is easy." In fact, most of them were not." He shrugged a little, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. "Yeah," he gave a slight nod of his head, "I'm solid, more than I've ever been." He glanced over at his older brother, "I actually like the person I am now." @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

"As if something is wrong with that." Noah chuckled, knowing that he wanted the princess phase to last as long as it could. He once already had the scary thought of his daughter hitting her emo phase and he wasn't ready for that turnaround. After having thrown his ball and it being pretty decent, he decided to turn around with a flourish, giving the other half a bow. "Thank you. I'll take my medal at town hall, thank you." He uttered, then started to look for a similar ball he could use. "We should do something soon, by the way. Bring Len and Gio, maybe your girls could watch Eloise-- they're at the babysitting age, right?" Just because he started taking care of his siblings when he was young, he wasn't sure what other parents deemed to be the required age. "Or hire a nanny for all of them, problem solved." @rayxclairmont

He chuckled as well. “Don’t let Claire hear you or she’ll convince us a full princess costume is a must every day of the weekend.” He teased the other man. Ray wouldn’t mind, though, if that’s what his daughter wanted. He’d do anything for the girls and that included letting them wear whatever they wanted for the most part. “Go on then.” He smirked and watched Noah as he bowled and watched the ball. “Hey, that’s not too bad.” @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

At her apology, Noah's brows furrowed slightly. Only when she continued did he realise she meant blurting out that maybe they had been reckless and possibly expecting a little one at the end of the year. Truthfully, Noah wasn't worried. Pregnant or not, they would figure it out, he wasn't that easily rattled. "I can see why you did. Don't say you're sorry." He told her, slowly lowering himself down so he sat besides her next to the toilet. Nice and cozy, perhaps a little cramped but they made it work. "Is that something you would want?" Noah asked, reaching out to caress her arm with the crook of his finger. A slight touch to let her know that it was okay to confide in him. Now was as good a time to have this conversation. "I know that this-- us-- is fairly new.. again. You have a career.. Would that be something you'd like to add?" @giovannaxwallace

Noah's calm presence was one that she had grown to appreciate it. It was a lot like having a soft blanket wrapped around her shoulders. His words were steady and reassuring. "I think," she spoke quietly, "I think I'll be okay." Her voice was a little shaky but his presence was grounding for her. "I'm sorry," Giovanna looked up at him, leaning back so that she were resting on her heels, "I -" she shook her head, reaching for the toilet paper to wipe at her mouth. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that." She told Noah, crumpling the toilet paper in her hand, "It - it just dawned on me." And she had a lot on her mind as of lately. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

Noah watched as Jasper spoke, slowly nodding along as a cue that he heard what was being said. He sat still, Eloise settling against him with a certain stillness that indicated that she was getting sleepy. "Two years." he repeated, though there was no single sign of dismay or disapproval. "That's no small thing, Jasper." Sure, Noah hoped that he would've been sober, but the alternative was no sobriety at all. "Do you feel good about it now? Like, you're solid?" @jasperxsinclair

Jasper took the glass of water with a quiet nod. His fingers wrapped around the glass, as if it were grounding him in the moment. He waited only a moment before taking a sip, using the moment to try to settle the restlessness that was building up in his chest. His eyes moved to his brother as he spoke, "I'm glad I'm here, too," he finally said. "There's a lot, yeah," Jasper admitted, his gaze settling upon Eloise as she nestled into Noah's shoulder. "Not all of it good, but not all of it bad, either." Though in hindsight, the bad likely outweighed the good at this point. "I'm almost two years sober," the admittance was weight on his chest. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

At the mention of new clothes, Noah smiled. "Perfect timing then. She just had a bit of a growth spurt, so we're in need of a new wardrobe." He spoke while following Isla over to the children's section, watching the clothes neatly hanging up next to each other. It was always slightly overwhelming, it being the days where he had hoped Eloise had a mother, or at least someone who knew for certain his daughter wouldn't walk around like a fashion blunder. "She's big on dresses right now. And blue, right pumpkin?" He said, looking down at his daughter who mimicked the word, albeit with a slight defect. At least the enthusiasm was there. "Think you have something Eloise approved?" @islaricci

Isla was always paying attention to her looks, so whenever someone complimented her, she could not help but to take it to heart. “Noah, always a pleasure!” She smiled back, grinning actually, before spotting the little girl and giving her a wave. “Aww well you are in luck, we just got some new clothes in last week.” She explained while moving over towards the small section of the store where she kept the kids clothes. It wasn’t a lot as she was trying to feel out if it was a direction she wanted to go in. “Anything in particular you are looking for?” @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

"Just had a thought." Noah uttered, not sure if he wanted to explain the thoughts in his head that weighed the good and the bad. Not when he was still undecided about what he did or didn't want to do yet. He tore his eyes off of the building, looking at the blonde when he realised she mentioned her book. "I didn't know that. What's it about?" He asked, leaving the burning question about becoming self employed behind him. "Did you finish it?" @lennyxclairmont

Lenny's gaze followed Noah's, her curiosity piqued as he looked off into the distance. His question caught her off guard and she blinked, glancing back at him in mild surprise. "Me?" She repeated, shaking her head softly as she returned her focus to Noah. "No, I've never owned a business," she admitted with a light tone. "The closest I've come is starting to write my own book." A small, knowing smile tugged at her lips. "Why do you ask?" She questioned, tipping her head to the side slightly as her curiosity grew. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

Noah wasn't a queazy person, and found no better place to be but by her side, his hand running over her back and the other keeping the hair from her face. The words that she spoke however, weren't the kind that he had expected to fall from her lips. Periods and pregnancies hadn't exactly been where his mind went when she started throwing up, yet he remained calm, knowing that him freaking out wouldn't solve anything. "Okay.." He began, his hand momentarily halting on her back. "Okay." He said once more, as if the pause in between had been enough for him to wrap his head around the multiple possibilities and gotten a grip on the situation. "We'll figure it out, but one step at a time." He told her, brushing small strands of hair from her face, allowing his fingers to softly brush against her cheek in the process. "Do you feel better, or do you need to sit here a bit longer?" Noah asked, slightly moving so he could see her face better. @giovannaxwallace

Noah's hands brushing back her hair was a comfort that she didn't know she needed in the moment. Her breathing felt shallow and her hands would have been trembling were they not clutching the toilet bowl. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to block out the dizziness that had overcome her. When she felt the moment had passed, she leaned back, taking some toilet paper and dabbing at her mouth. Leaning against her heels, her face went white once more. "I - I think I missed my period." The words spoken were barely above a whisper, as if saying it aloud would make the reality of the situation more real than she was ready for. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

"That they do." Noah found himself laughing, knowing that despite the lack of free time, he had never been happier before he had Eloise. There was a very fast 'Mhmm' at the mention that Eloise was undoubtedly growing. "Too fast, if you ask me." He was already dreading the day he had to get her ready for her first day at school. There'd definitely be a few tears that day. But luckily he wasn't there yet. "Right you are. And the docks do it for you?" He asked, not as criticism, no he actually looked around to see it from the doctor's point of view. "It is a beautiful view, I can see why." He hummed, momentarily lured by the view before he was asked about his work. "Oh, yeah. Only side effect is that it takes me away from home from time to time. I no longer get drafted, so Washington is as far as I go." He told the other in broad lines. It came with the job, not being able to disclose exactly what he did or what was causing him stress. "They're rather adaptive of my current home situation, so that definitely helps." No chances for promotion, as any leadership position would require him to be on location more, but he didn't mind it one bit. @mitchelljackson

"I can imagine. Kids are great but they keep you busy." Mitchell nodded. While he didn't have any of his own, he definitely knew from experience and those around him that having babies was something that would change your life. It - along with his career and seeing the heartache it could cause every day - Mitchell had never had a desire to be a parent. "I bet she's growing. Isn't it crazy how fast they grow?" he questioned, eyes looking at the other, his smile apparent in them. "I'm good, try to spend as much time away from work as I can." he shrugged. "Everyone needs a break from time to time don't they." he smiled. "Work going okay I assume?" he questioned, thinking he remembered vaguely the other had a pretty intense job when his fiancee' had been pregnant. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

Noah smirked as he picked up his own ball, stretching out his shoulder before rolling it out. "I hear that." he chuckled. "Growing up, the twins went through a phase where they only wore capes or tiaras. For, like, a solid six months. Wouldn't take it off for anything but swimming." He shook his head, grinning fondly at the memory. "Alright then, Mr Mayor."he teased, stepping up to the lane. "Let's see which one of us needs more practice." With that, he let the ball fly down the lane. @rayxclairmont

"You got that right." He laughed himself. While being the mayor of town was a lot of paperwork and meetings and decisions, he did care about every person in Kismet Harbor and he did feel like they were all part of his family since they were his community. And in a weird way, it was a little similar to parenting. He nodded. "That they do. I swear the girls have grown so much already since they started living with us." It was amazing, but at the same time, he wished they would just stay young for a little longer. Something he was sure most parents wanted. Laughing again, he nodded. "I get that. Natalie has some interesting choices herself. I'd tell you it stops, but it definitely doesn't." He stood and grabbed his ball. "We'll just have to see about that." @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

Noah nodded, a small, understanding smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Water it is." He said simply before disappearing into the kitchen, chatter between father and daughter in the far distance of the kitchen. The sound of the fridge opening and the soft clink of glass filled the space for a moment, filling it with filtered water from a jug. When he returned, handing Jasper his water, he settled onto the chair across from him with Eloise still curled into his shoulder, always peacefully settling when she was being held. It was often putting her down when she didn't ask for it that was the issue. "I'm glad you're here." Noah said after a moment tucking his hands under his daughter so she could lazily lay against him. "How've you been? I bet there's a lot you have to tell about where you've been." He genuinely asked, not at all concerned about talking about the elephant in the room. He just wanted to learn about his brother's experiences. @jasperxsinclair

Jasper watched as his niece rested her head against his brother's shoulder. "Thanks," he moved to sit on the couch. Jasper's posture was stiff as he took in the quiet moment. "Yeah," he nodded his head, beginning to relax on the couch a bit as his brother offered a drink. "Drink would be nice, uh, just water, is fine." He told him, knowing that anything else would be a gateway towards a path that he was off of. There was a quietness about him as he waited for Noah to return, taking in the features of the home. This was a person that Jasper was going to have to get to know all over again. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

Noah was mid-step toward her when she suddenly bolted. "Giovanna--" His voice caught in his throat, concern instantly washing over his features after the initial confusion had passed. He hurried after her, stopping just outside of the bathroom. It took a few seconds to collect himself before he crouched down behind her, starting to brush her hair back. "It's okay." he said softly, voice low and steady, one hand brushing over her back. He didn’t want to crowd her, but he was already running through a dozen possibilities in his head-- illness, stress, maybe something she ate. Stress seemed the most likely, but he hadn't experienced her to ever react to that this way. @giovannaxwallace

Giovanna let out a slow breath with Noah's words. "I thought she'd see that by now, but it's taken me this long to just to start to get through to her." She didn't hate that Knox was in town but it had thrown a wrench in any progress that she had made with Calliope. While it wasn't much, it was something. Her stomach churned with the thoughts that were racing through her head about the whole situation. "Okay, I'll ask," Giovanna nodded her head. Now she just had to find the gumption to do so. "Noah," the woman cut herself off, her hand flying to her mouth at the sudden feeling of bile rising up her throat. Without another word, Giovanna dashed to the nearest bathroom, unable to get the door closed before she dropped to her knees in front of the toilet. @noahsinclaxr

[noahsinclaxr]

It seemed Ray was caught up elsewhere with his daughters, so when he had come by to offer a stroll about with Eloise, he had instead come to find his lovely wife at home, to whom he offered the same invitation. It was a nice change of pace, conversing with the woman and getting a different perspective from what was going on in their household. Mid conversation, Noah's eyes seemed to trail off towards the building he recognised as Hawthorne Brothers & Co. He had heard and read about them, about what they did. Which had been food for thought about perhaps starting a small business of his own with a start up sum from the two brothers. His woodcarving hobby was something he could extend to outside of family and close friends. "Hey, Len. Do you have experience with having your own business?" He asked, not certain if she was ever self employed or not. @lennyxclairmont

[noahsinclaxr]

"Isla, radiant as ever." Noah greeted the woman, Eloise strutting next to him, holding onto his index finger. Little miss independent. Eloise Upon entering Isla's store, he bent down to pick up his daughter and rest her against his side. "This little princess over here wanted to see the pretty clothes you had this time." He explained his arrival, squeezing Lo's side which caused her to erupt in a fit of laughter. @islaricci

[noahsinclaxr]

"It would probably strengthen her point." Noah sighed, not knowing all the details of his girlfriend's family situation but over the time they'd been dating in the past, and she'd shared to him as friends after and then now again, he knew enough to paint himself a picture. Honestly he was just surprised Knox showed up at all. "Then again, you've been in the same town as her for years now. If it was about the abandonment, shouldn't she be aware you're not going anywhere by now?" He stated, moving towards her and placing his hands on her arms, as if to steady her. At her suggestion to invite her sister over for dinner, he pondered, letting the gears turn in his head. It would verify that Giovanna was building a life here, even if their future was uncertain. Coming to a home, a family. And who could resist Eloise? Though she'd most likely be in bed by then. "I think that's a good idea. You should." @giovannaxwallace

"The plan," Giovanna let the words fall from her lips with a sigh. What was the plan? The brunette felt at a loss for words, shaking her head to indicate so. "If he leaves, it's just going to bring back all the abandonment issues. Not that they've gone away." Both Gio and Knox essentially left Cal to fend for herself. She looked at Noah, always softening when she did so. "We were, we have, I mean," Gio told Noah, "Not often with our busy schedules and I thought it was working but nothing can be solved in one or two sessions." Another sigh passed over her lips. "Maybe we can have her over for dinner?" @noahsinclaxr