Chapter 429: Chapter 448

Chapter 0447 Hannah I could hardly catch my breath. The chef–the private chef–that Noah had apparently hired was bustling around the kitchen, bags of fresh produce and gourmet ingredients piled in his arms.

I glanced at Noah, still reeling from the shock of it all. We weren’t just staying in some lavish rental, we had our own chef to cook us a gourmet meal. The level of planning behind this trip was beyond anything I had expected for a simple weekend getaway.

“A private chef?” I whispered, leaning close to Noah.

Noah chuckled, slipping an arm casually around my waist. “That’s right,” he said smoothly. “Chef Marco will be teaching us how to cook some gourmet meals. I thought it could be a fun... couples thing.”

My cheeks flushed, but before I could say anything else, the chef turned to us with a jovial smile. “Good evening!” he greeted.

“I’m Chef Marco. If you two are ready, you can go ahead and put on your aprons.”

I blinked, still trying to process everything as I returned his smile with a small one of my own. “I hope we’re not in over our heads here,” I admitted. “I’m not exactly the best cook in the world.”

Noah snorted. “I beg to differ. I’m really the one who needs the assistance.”

For the next hour, under the chef’s careful guidance, Noah and I found ourselves chopping, stirring, and sauteing like seasoned chefs. Well, Noah looked the part, anyway. I was still fumbling through the motions, my brows knit together in concentration as I stirred the risotto.

“The key to a perfect risotto is in the stirring,” the chef explained. “It’s all about slowly releasing the starch from the rice, giving it that creamy texture we’re aiming for.”

I followed his instructions, stirring the rice steadily as it absorbed the savory broth, the heady aroma of sauteed mushrooms and white wine filling the air. It was almost hypnotic, the rhythmic motion of the spoon, the soft hiss of the ingredients melding together in the pan.

I glanced over at Noah, who was watching me with a strange glint in his eye.

“What?” I asked.

Noah shrugged and quickly looked away. “Nothing. Carry on as you were.”

Strange, I thought, but I rolled my eyes good–naturedly and returned to my work.

By the time we moved on to the main course–herb–crusted rack of lamb–I was actually starting to enjoy myself. The chef handed us each a mortar and pestle, explaining the importance of grinding fresh herbs to create the perfect crust for the lamb.

Noah and I worked side by side, the soft crunch of herbs filling the space between us. It was an oddly intimate experience, cooking with him like this. It felt so... domestic. Something that I still wasn’t used to after feeling like I had been married to a ghost for years.

I caught Noah sneaking glances at me as he ground the herbs, his focus not entirely on the task at hand.” What is it?” I asked again, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks under his gaze.

“Nothing,” he replied with a smile, his voice soft. “Just... thinking about how beautiful you look when 1/3 +25 BONUS Chapter 0447 you’re concentrating.”

“You’re impossible, you know that?”

“Only for you.”

As we moved on to dessert–chocolate souffle–I was starting to feel more at ease in the kitchen. That was, until I accidentally flicked a bit of chocolate batter onto my face. The splatter landed squarely on the tip of my nose, and Noah burst into laughter.

“Hold still,” he said, walking over to me.

Before I could react, Noah leaned in, his lips brushing the tip of my nose as he kissed away the chocolate. His tongue darted out briefly, making me gasp in surprise.

“Noah!” I yelped, half–laughing, half–scandalized. I glanced at Chef Marco, who had tactfully turned away, busying himself with checking the oven temperature.

“What?” Noah asked, feigning innocence. “Couldn’t let that chocolate go to waste.”

By the time we finished, the table was set with our meal: creamy mushroom risotto, herb–crusted lamb, and the decadent souffle. I stared at the spread, incredulous.

“I can’t believe we made this,” I marveled, taking a bite of the lamb. It was perfect–tender, juicy, and bursting with flavor. “It’s amazing.”

Noah raised his glass of wine with that same serene smile as before. “To us.”

My cheeks reddened, wondering what on Earth was going on inside his head, but I managed to clink my glass against his and echo, “To us.”

After dinner, with Melody sound asleep in her crib, Noah disappeared into the bedroom, only to return with a bottle of wine and a mischievous grin on his face, and...

Fully nude.

“Care to join me in the hot tub?” he asked, holding up the wine bottle as if it were an invitation to something far more tempting.

I felt a shiver of excitement ripple through me at the sight of him in all his glory. “I thought you’d never ask.”

The night air was crisp, the stars above twinkling like tiny diamonds scattered across the sky. Noah poured us each a glass of wine while I stripped off my clothes. Yelping at the cold evening air, I jumped into the hot tub before he had a chance to admire my nude body.

“For you,” Noah said, handing me my glass and climbing in beside me.

“This is heaven,” I sighed, taking a sip. “Thank you, Noah. But I still don’t get where all of this is coming from.”

Noah settled beside me, his arm brushing against mine under the water. “I just thought you deserved this,” he murmured. “A break from everything. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want some alone time with you.”

I leaned into him, feeling the tension melt away as his arm wrapped around my shoulders. “Well... Thank 2/3 +26 BORUS Chapter 0447 you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible above the sound of the bubbling water. “For all of this.”

With that, we drank for a little while in companionable silence. Before I knew it, the wine had begun working its magic, loosening both my body and my thoughts. My head felt pleasantly fuzzy, my tongue heavy in my mouth.

“You know,” I began, turning to him, “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were planning something this weekend.”

Noah’s brow lifted in mock surprise. “Planning? Me? Whatever gave you that idea?”

I gestured vaguely, my hand slipping a little in the water. “This. All of this–the surprise trip, the chef, the wine... It feels like there’s more to it.”

His gaze softened, although there was a flicker of something in his eyes that I couldn’t quite read. “Can’t a man spoil his girlfriend without her getting suspicious?”

I smiled, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks–not from the water, but from the way his words lingered in the air between us. “Of course you can,” I murmured. “But... I don’t know. It feels special.”

Noah was quiet for a moment, his eyes searching mine. Then, slowly, he leaned in close, his breath warm against my ear. “And what if this trip is special? What if there is more to it?”

My heart raced, a sudden burst of butterflies flitting around inside my belly. “Noah,” I whispered, my voice trembling, “are you...

are you planning to propose?”

There was a beat of silence, the world around us suddenly feeling still.

Then, a slow, knowing smile crept across his face, his eyes twinkling as he whispered against my skin, “If y said yes, would you accept it?”

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