Page 46 of Return To You

He’s mine, and so is she, just like I’m hers. A year from now, my ring will be on her finger, and she and our son will be living in our home.

It’s a promise I refuse to break….

fifteen

Rose – Four Days Later

I smileas Diego grabs hold of my necklace, grinning. I bounce him on my knee, keeping my whole focus on him, determined to ignore the person sitting next to me.

I can’t believe my baby is going to be one in three days; it just seems so surreal….

I feel like time is speeding up, and I hate it.

“Hey buddy, no breaking Momma’s necklace, Daddy bought that for her,” Noah says from beside me, making me tense before he leans over and lifts our son from underneath his armpits.

I watch as he places Diego in his lap, grinning from ear to ear, and I'm not too happy at how my stomach flips at the sight of them together.

Diego squeals with delight, cheering, “Da-da-da-da,” and grabs hold of Noah’s chain instead, the one I bought, making my stomach flip yet again because he still wears it.

Noah chuckles and looks my way, and we make eye contact, but I quickly look away, making him sigh before he gives his whole attention to our son.

“Dadadada,” Diego giggles again, and I roll my eyes at the little traitor. I got home from work yesterday, and Noah had taught him to say “dada,” and now that's all he likes to say.

I like it, even if I pretend not to. This is something I wanted for so long. I just didn’t expect my love for Noah to be there still, and stronger, if anything.

I need to control my emotions and my feelings. If he could walk away after four years, then he could do it again.

He could hurt me over and over, and I won’t take that, I deserve better.

Noah laughs, and I look over to see Diego trying to grab Noah’s tongue bar each time he sticks his tongue out. I can’t help but smile a little before looking away again.

I kept to my word; I’ve allowed Noah to have access to Diego because he’s his dad. For the past four days, he’s been at my apartment with our son, building a bond, while I worked. I did make it clear that Van, Al, Gina, and Piper are not to be anywhere near him, and Noah agreed. I also told him that if he leaves for a tour, and forgets about being a father, then I’ll request full custody.

Noah didn’t like it, but he understood.

Don’t go making yourself well known in my child’s life just to leave and become a once-a-month dad. I won’t have it. I told him just as much, and he did a good job of keeping quiet until I said that whatever girl he was seeing was not to go near our son until it was serious.

His face went so red, I thought steam would start coming from his ears.

“You still mad at me?” I ask, looking out the far window of the plane.

We’re on our way to Kingstonville, and I must admit that flying in Noah’s private jet is a lot easier than driving, or catching the bus or train.

It’s not something I wanted to do; I was dead set on not going back to my father’s home, but when I got home from the diner last night, Noah was waiting for me with Diego already in bed, hands in his pockets, rocking on his feet.

He said he was taking me and Diego somewhere, and to pack a bag, when I refused, he just shrugged and said I either pack a bag myself or he’ll pack one, then throw me over his shoulder. Still, I dug my heels in until he said my father was hurting, that he wanted to throw his grandson his first birthday party so that he didn’t hate him when he was older, and found out he wanted him aborted.

Even after everything my dad did, I couldn’t say no.

“Depends, Petal,” I tense at his nickname, but he ignores it and asks, “Are you still saying I can't allow a woman I’m seeing near my son?”

I scoff. Of course, that’s how he took it.

I look his way to see his eyes already on me, his pierced brow raised, and I snap, “I never said your girlfriend couldn’t go near our son, Noah, I said you need to be sure it’s serious before introducing them, because I won’t have him confused!”

He smirks. “Yeah, last I checked, your cook has most likely met him, so how is that different?”

I furrow my brows, trying to think of when Frank had any contact with Diego; I mean, I’ve never taken him to the diner, and only Natalie has met him, so I don’t….

---