The Sway and Slide of Love

Dylan stood there, stunned.

It took him a while to snap out of it. Then, with a smile, he patted Noelle on the shoulder and asked, "What's this? Did you miss me?"

His tone was teasing, but it couldn't hide the hoarseness in his voice.noveldrama

Noelle pursed her lips and slowly stepped back, her eyes fixed on him.

Dylan raised an eyebrow, meeting her gaze.

After taking a deep breath, Noelle asked, "Have you been feeling tired lately?"

"Not really. I was just busy."

"Did something happen?"

Even though Noelle phrased it as a question, there was a hint of certainty in her tone.

Dylan's expression froze for a split second, but he quickly regained his composure and smiled. "Don't worry. It's nothing serious. I've already handled it."

He ruffled Noelle's hair as he spoke. Then, he turned to Rosie and asked, "And what about you? How have you been lately?"

Rosie nodded. "Good."

"That's great. I brought you a gift. Want to see it?"

Rosie immediately nodded again.

When Dylan first started giving her gifts, she had been a little reserved. But he

had told her that buying her gifts made him even happier than it made her.

Rosie understood that she shouldn't spoil the mood, so she quickly responded to Dylan's offer this time.

Dylan smiled, clearly pleased.

Noelle hurriedly turned to open the door.

Dylan placed his suitcase by the entrance and opened a separate bag to show Rosie. Inside was a doll about a foot tall.

Noelle recognized it instantly as a limited-edition doll created in collaboration with

a popular movie. It wasn't even available for sale in Stormridge yet.

After a moment of hesitation, she told Dylan, "She doesn't understand the value of these things yet. Next time just get her something simple. You don't need to buy such O expensive items."

"It's not expensive at all," Dylan countered. "In fact, Rosie is already quite easy to

please compared to the kids who ask for diamond tiaras and bracelets."

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Noelle couldn't quite grasp what kind of "kids" he was referring to. At least in her experience, children like that were extremely rare. Still, she decided to let it go.

After prompting Rosie to thank him, she headed to the kitchen to pour Dylan a glass of water.

But in the next second, Dylan followed her in.

The kitchen wasn't small, but it wasn't that spacious, either. Noelle didn't usually notice it when she was alone, but with Dylan there, the air suddenly felt thinner.

"What's wrong?" she asked with a smile when Dylan stayed silent.

Dylan didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took the glass from her hand and took a sip.

Noelle found his behavior a little odd, but instead of pressing him, she simply waited quietly for him to speak.

"I've been thinking about something the past few days," Dylan finally said. "When can we get married?"

Noelle's brows jumped up in alarm.

Acting as if he hadn't noticed her reaction, Dylan continued, "And while I was standing at the door just now, I wondered when will I get a key to this place? After that, I canceled the hotel room I booked. So tell me, Noelle. Do I need to rebook the room?"