“Let’s not jump ahead that far,” Aria rushes to reply before I do.
“Why else would you kiss her?”
“Uh, because it’s what two adults do when they like each other.”
He frowns, obviously a little confused and uncertain what’s going on. Of course he’s off-balance. He hasn’t seen us together like this, and it might come as a bit of a shock.
Aria’s quick glance in my direction says more than words. Now is the time. I’m nervous, but I’m excited. “Noah, sit down. There’s something Drakos and I need to tell you.”
He climbs onto a tall barstool at the counter. Aria seats herself next to him, while I stand on the opposite side of the counter. He’s troubled yet hopeful, while I’m literally sick to my stomach with unreasonable fear he might reject me. My instincts say he won’t, but I can’t help but fret. I force a confident smile on my face and wait for Aria’s cue as to which one of us should do the talking. She nods in my direction. She’s letting me tell him, which is appropriate, I guess.
Noah stares at me with the innocence of a child behind the eyes of a kid who’s seen too much too early. I close my eyes briefly, gather my thoughts, and face my son.
“Noah, I knew your mother.”
“You did?” I can tell by his astonishment that this is the last thing he’s expecting to hear.
“Yeah, not really well, but we spent some time together.”
He nods with the utmost seriousness, as if he understands the gravity of what I’m about to tell him.
“There’s no easy way to say this, but I’m your dad.”
Noah shakes his head. “You can’t be. My dad is dead.”
Aria and I stare at each other. Neither of us expects this penalty hit.
“He’s not dead. I’m your dad, only I didn’t know it.”
“You’re wrong. My mom wouldn’t lie to me.” Okay, this is awkward. Panicking, I look to Aria for help. She’s at a loss as much as I am.
“Noah, honey, Drakos is your dad.”
“No! My mom would never lie.” Noah jumps off the stool and runs to his bedroom, slamming the door.
“That went well.” I try to lighten the mood with a joke that falls flat.
Aria isn’t amused. “Give him a while to think this through.”
“I have to go to practice. I’ll come back in a few hours.”
“That’s a good idea.”
I leave with a much heavier heart than I had when I entered this apartment hours ago. It’s as if my newly found family is slipping from my grasp. I’m holding on with all I have, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough.
Chapter 29
Never Let Go
~~Aria~~
Drakos has been gone over two hours. I attempt to talk to Noah, but he tells me to go away. I decide to give him more time. I’m at a loss as to what my next steps should be. I decide to call Gardenia, who has more experience with kids than I do.
“Hey, did you tell Noah?” Talk about reading my mind.
“Yes, and he didn’t take it well.” I reiterated what happened and how upset Noah is. “What should I do? He won’t talk to me.”
“He needs time to adjust to the idea. He adores Drakos. Once the shock wears off, he’ll get used to the idea and even like it.”
