“Nice to see you, Tucker,” I say.He’s too chicken to correct me about his name out of fear, making me roll my own eyes as I dismiss him.He hurries to his office, closing and locking the door behind him.“Asshole.”I’m not quiet about the comment.“He should have been fired a long time ago.”
“His uncle is on the board, I think,” Noa murmurs, still keeping her distance.
“Please come for dinner.Bring the kids.”Christ, I can’t believe she has three kids.Her body doesn’t tell that tale, and I remember her skin and curves like I’ve explored them every night for years.
Sighing, Noa pinches the bridge of her nose.“Alright, we’ll come, but only because we obviously need to talk.”Her hands flow around her belly; one I very much want to touch and kiss.
“Any allergies I should apprise Becky of?She’s making pineapple chicken and likely some sort of rice with it.”It’s a dish I’ve always enjoyed.
“No, nobody has allergies,” she says, and awkwardness creeps in because all I want is to carry Noa out of here, take her home, and lavish her with pleasure and attention while spoiling her rotten.However, I doubt she’ll allow me to do so any time soon.“What time should we be there?”
Realizing she won’t allow me to bring them, I keep my cool and suggest, “How about you grab the kids and come right over?I’ll make sure there’s snacks and drinks for everyone, and I’m sure Odette won’t mind if I break out some of Finn’s things for them.”The boy has an entire playroom at my house, with toys and crafts for all ages.
“We’ll see you later, then.”
Being dismissed is an unfamiliar feeling, but I recognize the tone regardless.Wishing to respect Noa’s wants and needs, I walk away with regret settling in my gut.
Once in my vehicle, I sit for a few minutes, deciding on what to do, and finally deem that a trip to the bakery near home is in order.I don’t know what kind of diet Noa has them on, but the least I can do is get them a fresh fruit platter and some cheese croissants.They also happen to have a selection of flavored milks, so I grab three of each.
Walking into the house, Becky’s eyes widen when she sees what I’ve brought home.
“She has kids,” I say.“Three of them.How the fuck did I not know this?”There was never an inkling of the possibility.Not when we first met, and certainly not the last time Odette brought her home while studying for finals in school.
“And you think three is an army?”Her eyes roam over the assortment of food I had them whip up while I was there.
“I wasn’t sure if they ate pineapple chicken, and Noa was more than annoyed with me, so I didn’t want to push her.I figure if they have a choice, then maybe they’ll still eat.”I haven’t been this unsure of something since Juliette told me she was pregnant with CJ.
“They’re kids in a new environment, I bet they’ll pick at anything,” Becky encourages.“How old are they?”
“No clue.”I’m already fucking this up.
“That’s alright, you’ll find out soon enough.”Turning her back, Becky continues cooking, ignoring me as usual.
With children in the picture, I now realize that moving Noa into my home won’t be as simple as I first thought.She’ll put them first, as she should, so I might have to work harder getting into their good graces in order to win her over.
The first step will be deciding which rooms they get.As my own girls were growing up, I always imagined their rooms remaining their own, so they’d have a comforting place to stay when they came home.While there are many spare bedrooms in the house, the ones closest to my room are my daughters’.
Ejecting their childhood belongings into another room without their input seems wrong, but I’m already thinking of ways to appease everyone.Starting with renovating some of the spare rooms into full suites and having the girls included in the planning and decorating.Odette will tell me I’m being ridiculous, but she’ll do it to make me happy.CJ will likely scoff, give me a hard time, and be as outrageous as she can.
Aura is the wild card, though.My free-spirited child has only been home a couple of times since her globe-trotting ended a year ago.She loves to travel, learn about new cultures, and enjoys the diversity the world has to offer.But we clash.We’re both headstrong and independent, and we want things our way.
Walking into her room and seeing the posters of several maps from around the world still pinned to her wall, I know the first move must be mine.I’ll be the one to bend because I miss her.I want to see her more.
Taking out my phone, I search for her contact and realize we haven’t spoken on the phone in months, and our texts are short and to the point.Things need to change between us, and I hope she’ll accept my attempts to grow closer to her.
CHAPTER6
Noa
“So, he’s the dad?”Kylie asks from the backseat after I’ve explained who Carmine is and why we’re going to his home for dinner.Joey has been silent, and Emma doesn’t understand; she’s just excited to be going somewhere different.
“He is,” I reply, her silence afterwards worrying me.
“Will he want to be our dad too?”Shocked, my heart skips a few beats.“Ours isn’t very nice.”She whispers the last part, and my heart breaks this time.It kills me that they’re missing out on things other kids have.Of course, they’re not the only children in the world with bad family dynamics.
“No, Kylie.Nobody wants a bunch of orphans,” Joey snarks, crossing his arms and glaring out the window behind me.
“That’s not true,” I say, hoping he realizes how much I want them.
