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I leave you to the new chapter and I really hope you'll enjoy it as well!
After an hour, Puck and Rachel arrived in the lovely hotel where they would be staying for the night. It was a five stars hotel and Rachel was looking around like a child in a candy store while Puck was looking at her amused: he wanted to treat her like a queen and, since he had money because of his work, he would do just that.
As soon as they were alone in their room, Rachel turned to him and said "Noah, this looks really expensive! You didn't have to do that!", watching him as he jumped in the bed and got comfortable against the fluffy pillows. He grinned and replied "Babe, you had to go through two days with my ma and sister. This is my way to apology for them". She sat down next to him, grabbed his face and stated "They were anything but lovely so you have anything to apologize for" before kissing him sweetly, licking his bottom lip and moaning when their tongues touched in his mouth.
He dragged her on his lap and his hands went immediately under her light sweater, taking it off, and caressed her smooth back until his hands arrived at her strapless bra, opening it and feeling it fall down between them. Rachel took it off the way when she unhook the last button of his shirt, before taking it off of him and scratching lightly at his ripped arms.
They smiled against each other's lips and he growled "Fuck, B. Missed you like that. Two days. I was about to go insane" so that Rachel kissed him with more passion and lowered herself more, pressing her jeans-covered centre against his hard member. "I know, I know, I know" she said frantically while trying to unbuckle the belt.
He got up still holding her in his arms, putting her down just to get rid of both his and her jeans. Then, he lifted her up and, with her heels on his ass, he trapped her between himself and the wall. Puck slid down his hand until he cupped her centre, growling louder when he felt just how wet she was for him, and moved one of his finger along her folds. She whimpered and dig her nails on his back, panting on his ear and closing her eyes tightly.
"Noah" she begged hotly "Please, please, honey. I need you", drawing a growl out of him. Then, he stilled and cursed under his breath "Fuck! Condoms are in my bag" but she shook her head quickly and bit his neck, whispering against his neck "I'm on the pill".
That was all Puck needed to know. He slid in her and started to move his hips, hissing in pleasure for the delicious friction.
The way she came when he started to work around her clit with his finger was strong and loud; she only hoped that no one was at earshot or she would die of embarrassment. He followed her right back, trying to block his knees or the both of them would just fall on the carpeted floor.
When they calmed down, they kissed lazily, with no rush. The two disentangled from each other and immediately missed the other body linked to the another. Rachel rose on her tip toes, hugged him around his neck and said against his lips "I can't believe we're in a room with a very comfortable and fluffy bed and we just made love against the wall".
He laughed dryly before kissing her and told her "That was fucking hot. And we have all the time for the bed as well". The petite woman left out a really sexy giggle that made him hard again but, right after, she pouted "As much as I love how your mind works right now, I don't think we have time. Don't we have to meet Beth and her parents downtown at 5?" and waited for him to nod before continuing "So, we don't have time. We have to get ready and I don't want to make a bad impression on them since you're so close with them. And being on time is the least we can do since they're so nice to let us spend time with them". She pecked one last time Noah's soft lips and walked towards her trolley, looking for the most suitable outfit for the rest of the day.
He watched her from his spot with a smile on his face. His girl was pure gold and, definitely, a keeper. She's putting so much effort to be liked by people she didn't even know only because she cared about him deeply. He had never been loved by a woman with such intensity and, if a year ago that would had scared him shitless and made him run down the hill, now it made jut his heart swell and beat faster with just one glance from her.
He hugged her from behind and kissed her behind her ear, saying "Love you, babe. You're fucking amazing", which made her smile fondly and said back "I love you too, Noah. And you're not pretty bad yourself".
He laughed before picking up his duffel bag and emptying his content on the bed to look for something as well. He laughed out loud when Rachel screeched when she noticed the mess he made.
With five minutes spare, the couple were strolling down Boylston Avenue. They had to meet Beth and her parents in front of the Skywalk Observatory, since Puck told them Rachel had never been in Boston before and they wanted to show her around.
Rachel was bouncing with excitement: it was sunset and, from the observatory, she could take some amazing pictures. She was just telling him that, making him roll his eyes and laugh at her, when a high-pitched voice yelled "Uncle Puck!". He turned toward the voice and smiled broadly when a beautiful girl started to run to him, jumping in his open arms as soon as she could.
"God, Bee! You're growing up so fast!" he said, after kissing her on the temple while she kept hugging him tightly "You sure you're only nine and not twelve?". The little girl nodded seriously at him and replied "Of course, silly! I'm super sure! I will be nine for other five months", making him chuckle and mutter "Oh, well… If you say so…".
He started to tickle her in her sides making her squeal and laugh. Rachel couldn't take her eyes off them. There was something magical between the two: they were one of the most adorable things Rachel had ever seen in her whole life.
Puck raised his gaze and smiled at the couple that was now approaching: Frank and Denise were walking hand in hand and smiling at their daughter and her biological father. They couldn't be more different from Beth: where her hair were like honey, her complexion like porcelain and her eyes hazel, their Italian heritage made them both olive-skinned, brunettes and with dark, warm brown eyes.
Denise immediately left her husband's hand and hugged the young man, who held just as tightly and, as soon as the two broke the embrace, the two men smiled at each other and shook their hands, hugging lightly and patting on each other's shoulder.
Puck saw how Denise and Beth were looking at Rachel with a big smile, waiting to be introduced to her. So, he went to her side, hugged her around the shoulders and said "Guys, this is Rachel, my girlfriend. Rach, those are Frank, Denise and Beth". She exchanged hugs with the two grown-ups while Beth was still beaming at her. Rachel looked down at her and said "I was really looking forward to meet you, Beth. Noah told me some marvellous things about you", making Beth's smile grow wider (if it was possible). The little girl took Rachel's hands in hers and jumped a little, saying "I'm really happy to meet you. Last time Uncle Puck came here, he told us that he really, really, really like you so I was really happy when mum told me that he would have brought you with him this time. You're gonna love here. We planned a lot of fun things to do together".
The group got in the building and in the elevator still chatting comfortably. Frank and Denise were very friendly people and Noah was happy to see that Beth took that from them. Every now and then, when they talked, he would found other strong resemblances with the two foster parents and, if on one hand it stung like a bitch knowing that she would be every day a little more like the father he couldn't be for her, on the other it was reassuring that he and Beth's biological mother had taken the right decision back then.
As Rachel predicted, she took some amazing pictures from the observatory, both of the skyline and the landscape and of the people she was there with. The light was perfect (the sky changed from a light tone of blue to a fierce red where the sun was setting, mixed in the middle and becoming orange, pink and yellow) and Frank and Beth had the time of their life pointing her out all the most important things: the Freedom Trail, the public garden, where they would go the following afternoon, and Fenway Park, since both Beth and her father were huge Red Sox fans and went there every single time the Sox would play there.
The two girls hit it off immediately and they already really getting along very well: Beth took Rachel's hand and never let it go, except when the oldest of the two had to take pictures with both hands or when she gave the camera to the little one, telling her to have fun taking all the photos she deemed necessary, making Frank laugh and tell her that she would never see it ever again.
Not so far, Denise and Puck were sitting on a bench and watching at the other three, smiling fondly at them while talking about Beth's school and her achievements.
The little girl trotted to them and sat in Noah's lap and took a picture of the two of them before saying excitedly "I really like her, uncle Puck! She talks a little bit strange, with big words, but she's really funny and nice". Puck smiled at her and slid his arm around her so she was safe in his embrace.
"I really like her too, Bee" he replied honestly, not noticing the glance that Denise shoot at him: Rachel was the first girlfriend he introduced them and the woman knew about his womanizer behaviour since he never lied to her and her husband; that's why they trusted him so much with their little Beth. However, she noticed his eyes every time he was looking at his girlfriend and they were full of love. She was ecstatic that the insecure and hurt boy she met almost 10 years prior turned into a honest and caring man.
The group left the observatory to spend some time in the shops in the PrudentialTower, looking for the perfect souvenirs for her dads and Finn. Beth even insisted to buy twin Red Sox T-Shirts for her and Rachel and the little girl promised the petite woman that they would take her to see one of their game.
They ate dinner at their home: it was a lovely and cosy apartment in one of the safest Boston's neighbourhoods, with a large shared garden when Beth could play with her friends safely. As soon as they entered in the house, Beth dragged Rachel to her bedroom. Her room was very colourful and with Red Sox's and Patriots' banners everywhere. The only things that showed that that was the bedroom of a girl were the stuffed animal seated around a small table and the Barbies on the shelves. The two girls laid on the tiny bed while Rachel depicted her childhood's bedroom back in Ohio. Beth fell absolutely in love with the idea of glowing starts on the ceiling and ran out of the room, yelling at her parents that she wanted glowing stars in her bedroom too.
Rachel chuckled and went to sit up but a fluffy, black-and-white, purring cat landed gracefully on her lap. The petite brunette cooed at the adorableness that was the little ball of fur. She took her gently in her arms and joined the others in the living room.
Puck's eyes immediately went on her and zeroed on the kitten in his girlfriend's arm. He turned to Frank and asked "What's that?!", making the older man laugh and answer "A kitten". Noah smiled and replied jokingly (turning to see if Beth was around) "No shit, man. Really? Totally thought he was an elephant. Thank you for the heads-up!".
Rachel intervened to chastise her boyfriend "Hey! She's a lady!" while scratching lightly the kitten's head and sitting next to Puck. She laughed when the ball of fur started to play with her braid, meowing playfully. Beth entered the room and sat between the young couple, saying "She's Waffle! We found her in the condo's hall a couple of months ago. Someone left in a box her and her five siblings and us and other families here decided to adopt them so they can play together".
Rachel beamed and stated "That was so sweet from you". She grabbed the kitten in her hands and rose her until she was in front of her nose before cooing "Poor Waffle… Luckily you found a nice family that takes good care of you". She pecked the pretty little furry face and passed her to Beth, getting up to see if Denise needed help with dinner.
After dinner, Noah and Beth had fun playing Mario Kart on the WII while Frank and Denise got to know Rachel better, family background, dreams and aspiration, deciding that she was a really good young woman and definitely a very good influence for Puck.
They left the house around 9.30 p.m. because they would need to rest for the intense day the family organized for the young couple the next day. Rachel and Noah hugged them goodnight and got in the cab that was waiting for them outside the condo.
They were lying on the fluffy hotel bed, content in each other's arms, and ready to fall into a well-deserved sleep when Rachel asked Noah "Does Beth's biological mother visit her too?".
She felt him stiffed next to him, so she started to caress his chest trying to soothe his nervousness and whispered "If you're not comfortable talking about it, it's okay. I didn't want to upset you". He kissed her head but, when he started to talk, Rachel could still sense the tension in his voice. "Don't worry, B. It's okay. Nope, Lynn doesn't visit Beth, like never. The last time she saw her was when Beth was two and Frank and Denise gave us the opportunity to be part of the baby's life. She didn't want to have anything to do with a mistake of her past and asked them to never contact her again. What a bitch" he said, clenching his jaw tight and trying not to get angry.
Rachel's embrace and kisses on his chest definitely helped to calm him down so he continued "I don't want her to feel like a mistake, Rach. You saw her, she's fucking perfect. And I don't want that one day, when she will want to know who her bio mother is, she will feel rejected and not wanted. It sucks".
He sighed deeply and held Rachel tighter against him. Silence filled the room until Rachel decided to speak "I know. But for what it's worth, you're doing great. You two adore each other, everyone can see that. So what if that sad girl decided not to see Beth again? It's her loss. Beth knows that you, Frank and Denise and their families love her immensely – and, from now on, me too – so, even if it will hurt a lot at the beginning, she will have her own safety love net. I can talk from experience so don't be sad about that. She will make it through… She's got Puckerman's genes and, for what I can say, the woman of your family are very strong".
He smiled for what she said and kissed her soundly on the lips before whispering "You sure?", making her chuckle and reply "100%". They kissed for awhile sweetly, trying to keep their smile at bay but failing. Five months passed from the New Year's Eve party and their first kiss but the sensation was still the same every time their lips touched.
The tiredness arrived quiet soon so they spoon perfectly with the other and fell into a calm sleep.
"Rachel, uncle Puck! Look at the seals! Look! They're dancing!" yelled excitedly Beth, basically jumping on her seat. Beth and her parents decided that they absolutely have to show them the New England Aquarium. Well… Puck already visited it several time since it was one of Beth's favourite things in Boston but Rachel was almost as ecstatic as the young girl. Even if she always preferred animals in their natural habitats, she really liked it there and the aquarium seemed like quite supportive of the wilderness of some species, offering trips to see whales and dolphins in their natural environment.
The little group had so much fun at the touch tanks where they were able to touch rays ("Yuck, Noah, they seem so slimy! No! Noah, don't you dare splash water at me! Noah!") and cradled sea stars in their hands.
Rachel and Beth pushed their noses against the cylindrical giant ocean tank, staring in awe at the variety of animals in it, pointing every time they saw a colourful fish and backing off a little when the nurse shark passed by. Puck never left his girlfriend's side and laughed at her silliness: she was such a goof sometimes!
Noah laughed out loud after a completely absurd small dialogue between Rachel and Beth about which kind of fish was the best, making Rachel look at him with a bright smile and kiss his cheek before hugging him tightly and laughing too. She took Beth's hand and looped her arm with Denise's and the threesome walked towards the Pacific Reef Community tank (he heard them talk about Nemo or some shit like that). As he shook his head amused, Frank patted his shoulder and laughed at the girls' behaviour, gently pushing him to follow them.
Finally, around 1 p.m., they left the aquarium (Beth hugging a big stuffed penguin, that Rachel brought her in the aquarium's shop, in her arms, since she had great time feeding them with the help of the trainers) and walked on the Bostonian sidewalks, towards the Boston public garden.
The sunny day let them have a nice picnic and Denise brought a ridiculous amount of food; it would seriously feed an army. They ate the food happily and the girls teased the men that were basically eating for five.
Beth, right after lunch, got up and tugged her dad's and Puck's sleeves and said excitedly "Let's go play soccer! Come on! Get up you big hippos!" before running away quickly, chased by the two men who were said menacingly "How did you call us?!". Puck grabbed her quite easily and lifted her off the ground, tucking her on his side, her legs kicking the air. The girl tried to yell for help but Frank laughed and tickled her instead, making her wiggle even more. When they released her, Beth was crying for too much laughing and tried to stabilize her breath before yelling to Rachel, still seated comfortably on the blanket "Rachel, come to play too!" but the petite brunette shook her head with a smile on her face.
Puck smirked at her and, loud enough for Rachel to hear, said "Oh, bee. Let her be! She's just a fumbler at soccer anyway! You don't want to play in the same team as her; that's if you don't want to lose". This definitely did the trick: in fact, Rachel got up and stomped her way to them, making Puck and Frank laugh uncontrollably (she was just too easy to get!). She crossed her arms and glared at her boyfriend, stating "You're going to regret your words, Puckerman. Me and Beth are going to show you, cocky boys, just how good we are. Losers pay ice-cream to the winning team, which, of course, would be mine and Beth's. Have we a deal?". The little girl beamed at her and nodded vigorously before extending her hand with her pinkie raised to them and asking "Pinkie Promise?".
The girls were pretty good and the two girls were winning, even if the men tried to cheat several times, taking advantage of the girls light weights and heights. Denise was cheering for Rachel and Beth from her position on the blanket and was in charge to keep score.
Puck threw the ball quite far away from them because he wanted to score (failing miserably) but then he rose his hands and stated "I'm not going there!", followed by equal statement from Beth and Frank. Rachel huffed and turned on her heels, walking in direction of the missing ball and muttering under her breath "God, you're so lazy!".
They were laughing at something Beth's dad said when Beth asked "Who is the guy who is talking to Rachel?", making Noah frown and snap his head towards the direction where Rachel was supposed to be. Standing there, the petite woman was talking with a prick (he definitely seemed like one) who had the soccer ball in his hands while Rachel was shifting her gaze from him and the ball, smiling politely and nodding at what he was saying.
He sprinted towards her and heard him say "Well, if you want I can give you my number so…" but Noah intervened "No need, prick" and hauled Rachel on his shoulder. She left out a strangled cry and slapped his back before saying "Noah! Put me down!". However, Puck grabbed the ball from the brunette idiot who was watching him flabbergasted and growled "Next time, try not to pick up a woman with a quite possessive boyfriend. I'm telling this for you: next time it could be a bigger guy than me – even if it's quite impossible – and you can gain a nice black eye".
The mohawked man started to walk away, hearing Rachel say from her position on his shoulder "I'm so sorry Hunter! It was nice to meet you!". She, then, turned slightly to see the back of her boyfriend's head and told him "That was very rude of you, Noah. That poor guy didn't do anything wrong and you scared him to death!". He put her down and stared at her in disbelief, hissing "He didn't do anything wrong? Rach, he was fucking flirting with you! That's what the fucker did wrong!".
Rachel sighed deeply and closed tightly her eyes. She put a hand on his arm and tried to soothe his anger speaking gently "And I didn't flirt back, did I? Noah, how is it different from what happen when you're at work? Why can't you trust me as much as I trust you? I would never cheat on you. I love you, you know that, right?".
He nodded but his eyes were staring at the ground and his jaw was tightening furiously. She stepped a little closer and slid her hand in his, lifting his chin until they eyes were looking into the others. She shoot a small smile to him and said "Hey, stop all of that. You don't have anything to worry about okay? Come on, honey. It's our last day with the guys; I don't want it to be ruined because a guy decided that he wanted to talk to me. Would you let it go? For me?". Puck scoffed, not sure if he was completely over what happen and what she said right after, but nodded and let her kiss him sweetly on his lips.
With a big smile, she tugged him towards the little family that was waiting for them and told him excitedly "Let's finish the game. I think that Beth and I will really appreciate the ice creams you're going to buy us!".
They just checked-out the hotel and their bags were already in the tail of his truck. Beth and her parents were still with them since they wanted to greet the young couple before they had to take off for New York City.
Rachel was really happy to have met such wonderful people and the Bostonian threesome totally fell in love with the petite brunette and her personality: she was really funny and sweet but, most of all, they were really glad to see the she made Puck so happy. It was refreshing to see the young man act so lovingly with someone other than Beth.
Rachel hugged the grown-ups tight, exchanging contacts and promising to keep in touch with them, and then she crouched down and hugged Beth even more tightly, whispering to her, with a trembling voice, that she was really looking forward to see her again. The girl nodded, sniffling from her position in the crook of her neck before pecking Rachel's cheek and breaking the embrace, just to be engulfed by Puck's strong arms.
The man lifted her up and hugged her, feeling that she was squeezing him with all the strength she had. "Come back soon, uncle Puck. I'm always happy when you come here with us. Maybe, next time, you and Rachel could stay a little bit longer?" Beth's big hazel eyes were shiny and her usual bright smile was replaced by a little pout.
He smiled gently at her and passed a hand on her soft curls, saying "We will be back in no time, bee. You will be annoyed by how soon we will come back" but the girl shook her head quick and stated really seriously "I won't, I promised!", which made the grown-ups chuckle.
He gave her a last kiss on the forehead and waved at Frank and Denise, walking to the truck door and getting in. Rachel was already seated and was fastening the seat belt. The two waved one final time at the family, which was now huddled together and was waving back at them with a very sad-looking Beth perched on Denise's hip.
The sight of the child was enough to break Puck's heart – like every single time he had to go back home and leave her. His heart was heavy and thoughts with images of what life could had been if he had kept Beth back then arrived without any mercy for his already shattered soul. He and Lynn did the right thing – he knew that – but, sometimes, he really wished they had kept her.
He didn't know how much time he spend in that pensive state when he felt Rachel's hand intertwine with his and squeeze it lightly. He turned to her just to see her looking at him with a sad little smile, which he mirrored. "Noah, you did the best thing for her. Don't let negative thought change your opinion. I can only imagine what you're thinking; but, please, let me tell you that it really was for the best. A 16-year-old boy couldn't had provide her the life she deserves" she stated in the sweetest voice she could manage, making him sigh deeply and nod before answered "Yeah, I know. It's just fucking hard letting her go, you know?".
Rachel's hand freed itself from Noah's grip and went up to his face, caressing his cheek and scratching lightly the back of his neck. He immediately responded at her touch by relaxing visibly so she didn't stop her motion while thinking at the right ay to answer to him. She was always been the one that was left behind, not the one who had to walk away. First she was left behind from her mother, who never looked back, and the from her ex-fiancée, when he put her on the train and called off their wedding (in that occasion she was the one who walked away, physically speaking, but it felt the other way round since she wanted to marry him and he pushed her away). So, really, she didn't know how to help her man.
"I love you for the person you were and for the one you've become" was the only thing that her mind came up with and added, with a shaky voice "You were so selfless that you decided to let one of the most precious things life can give you go for her own good and you didn't forget about her. You didn't let her go, you provided a great life to her and this is the reason why I know that, when the time is right, you will be a great father. You are a strong amazing man and I will always be at your side.".
Noah's hand rose and grabbed her hand behind his neck. He moved it until it was in front of his lips and pecked the back of it a couple of times, whispering against it "I love you too, babe".
The rest of the ride was silent, so different from the outward route; low music from the radio was the only sound in the truck while their hands remained linked, showing that they were ready to face and defeat any kind of demons together.
So...Did you liked it? Please, tell me your opinion in a review! I'm so curious to see what you think of this story so far!
See you soon, dearies! XOXO