Page 34 of When Love And Destiny Collide

Noah

Our shopping trip is a complete success, and now Davey’s ready for his first day of school. We’ve stocked up on everything—a closet full of clothes, new shoes, and all the school supplies he could need. As we head home, a large pepperoni pizza riding shotgun, I catch him stifling yet another yawn.

"Feeling tired, Davey?" I ask, smiling at his sleepy eyes.

"Nope!" he insists, fighting off sleep with determination.

He gazes out the window, his face thoughtful, the world outside blurring by. After a few quiet moments, he turns to me, his voice soft but certain. "Daddy, Mommy is coming to see me."

"I know, Buddy. She told me." I can only hope she meant it when she promised him that.

When I spoke to Marian this morning, she mentioned it, but there was something in her tone—a warning aimed more at my growing bond with Lily than a genuine plan to visit her son.

"Davey told me you were out with the babysitter," she began.

"Not that my dating life is any of your business," I replied, keeping my voice steady, "but yes, Lily is Davey's nanny, and yes, I took her out last night."

"Really, Noah?! You can’t be serious."

"Your opinion doesn't matter to me, Marian."

She shot back with a sharp edge to her voice. "Oh, but it should! You're turning forty-one next month. There's an eighteen-year gap between you two!"

"I can do the math," I said, my patience wearing thin. "How do you know how old she is?"

"You mean how young she is." I could almost see the sly smile forming on her lips. "I did my research. Your nieces posted all about her birthday party a couple of months ago."

"You're stalking her social media?" I asked, incredulous.

"She's taking care of my child," she retorted, her tone growing colder.

"Which is a lot more than you're doing," I shot back, unable to hide my frustration.

"Enough with the insults," she snapped back. "The bottom line is I needed to know what kind of person she is."

"Did your snooping satisfy your curiosity?" I asked. "Because if you have any more questions, I can answer them directly."

"Noah, I miss you," she said, her voice laced with a sweetness that felt anything but genuine. "We were good together, right?"

"We were," I replied, my tone firm. "Until we weren’t."

"Do you ever think about us? she asked, her voice soft. "How it would be if we got back together?"

"I'm not going to entertain a fantasy that will never happen," I replied, the weight of reality pressing down on me.

"I still love you, Noah."

"I don’t doubt that you once did," I said quietly, "but somewhere along the way, what you felt for me stopped being enough."

"I made a mistake," she whispered, her words hanging in the air.

I hesitated, struggling to find the right words. "I don’t even know how to respond to that."

She paused, then changed the subject again with unsettling ease. "Do you think Jon could help me find a short-term rental? I’d like to come for an extended visit."

"If you’re coming to see your son, I’m sure Jon can help you. Davey would love to see you. He misses you. But let me be clear, Marian: if you’re coming to see me, don’t bother."

"We had a great life together, Love. I want that again. Don’t we deserve a second chance? We could be a family again. Davey deserves to grow up with both parents in his life."

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