Chapter 0137
“Just... Why?” | managed, swallowing hard around the lump in my throat. “Why would you go be with her when
your wife was injured at home?”
He paused, a muscle ticking in his jaw before he answered. “It was for Adam."
“Adam?”
1 didn’t want him to watch his mom go through that all on his own,” he said. “And | didn’t trust Drake to show
up. So | stayed with him here last night until his grandparents were able to cand take him back with them.”
All at once, it felt as though my insides fell out. The dented pillows, the comb, the hair....
Noah had slept here last night, but not for the reasons | had thought. He wasn’t sleeping with Zoe. He was taking
care of a scared little boy.
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“Oh,” was all | could manage.
There was a long silence after that, both of us unsure of what to say. Finally, reaching out, | touched his arm.
“You'd make a good dad,” | said softly “Really.”
Noah's jaw clenched, his arm recoiling instinctively. Even | winced, | had hurt him. The last twe talked about
parenthood, | had reflexively told him that | would never have children with him. But now, here | was, pregnant
with a child he didn’t even know about.
“Noah, I.”
| parted my lips, the words lingering right there on the tip of my tongue. I'm pregnant, | wanted to tell him. I'm
pregnant with your baby.
Goddess, | wanted to tell him more than anything. That strange, lovesick part ofwanted him to know that |
was going to have his baby, that he would scoopup into my arms and twirlaround and kissdeeply
and tellthat everything would be okay.
But | couldn't tell him. Once again, | found myself unable to do it. Because, ultimately, that wouldn't ever be his
child-not in the ways that mattered. Everything | had imagined was just a fantasy, nothing more. “Anyway,” he
said before | could finish, pulling away, “I'm glad you ate. It's good to see you enjoy food-1 know you've always
enjoyed it, even when you don’t want to allow yourself to.”
| couldn’t help but blush at his words as | turned to head to bed. | supposed thad always loved food, ever since |
could remember. In fact....
“Hey,” | said suddenly, turning one last tto face him, “do you remember when we were teenagers, and we
stole those roasted quail eggs from my parents’ kitchen?” My face took on a fond, distant look as | spoke,
recalling that old memory. “My parents were furlous, because the eggs were meant for guests. But the way the
juice ran down our chins, the flavor... It was worth it.”
| could still remember it clear as day now: the two of us sneaking through the kitchens, stuffing roasted quail
eggs into our pockets before the summer picnic. We ran from the angry chef until he eventually gave up, and we
found a spot beneath a tree to feast on our spoils.
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The summer breeze had caused the leaves to sway over our heads, the warm, sticky, gooey insides of the
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eggs running down our chins and staining our shirts. We had laughed so much, and ate until our bellies. were
full. And we had laughed even when we had been scolded by my parents.
When my eyes refocused on the present, however, | was met with nothing more than a confused look in Noah's
eyes. He shook his head, furrowing his brow.
“I don’t know what you're talking about, Hannah.”
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Chapter 0138