Page 67 of When Love And Destiny Collide

"How is he?" Noah asks, motioning toward the bathroom door. "Does anything hurt?"

"No, he hasn’t complained of any pain," I reassure him. "The scrape on his knee is a little raw, but the antibiotic should help."

Noah exhales, his shoulders relaxing. "Good," he says softly.

"Noah, he knocked out a tooth," I say gently.

"Is the tooth fairy still on duty if the tooth was knocked out?" he asks, gazing at me with a playful smile.

"Absolutely!" I laugh, matching his grin.

But then his expression shifts, his voice growing serious. "Lily?" he pauses, his eyes searching mine. "Why on earth would you want to be with me? My life is not easy."

"Easy is overrated," I whisper, my heart swelling. "I love you, Noah."

He presses his lips to mine, smiling softly between each tender kiss.

"Are you coming with me to see Jon and the gang?" he murmurs against my lips.

I pull back slightly, meeting his gaze. "No," I say with a smile. "I'm meeting Dad for a late lunch."

"Can the three of us spend some time together tonight?" he asks, his eyes twinkling with love.

"Yes!" I exclaim, grinning. "Dinner and a movie?"

"Of course." He smiles, but it fades when he notices the shift in my expression.

"Noah," I begin, dreading what I must tell him.

His brow furrows, sensing my hesitation. "What's wrong?"

I take a deep breath. "Davey told me that Marian said she's taking him to London."

I watch as all the color drains from his face, his eyes widening with shock. He shakes his head, panic creeping into his voice. "No, no, no. Absolutely not!"

"Noah," I say, trying to stay as calm as possible, "maybe she meant sometime in the future, or she said it just to get under your skin."

"I have sole custody," he says, his voice rising. "She can’t just arbitrarily decide to take him out of the country without consulting me. She can’t even watch him for one day without him getting hurt. Over my dead body! She’s not taking my son anywhere!"

"Noah," I say soothingly, placing a hand on his arm, "please try to stay calm, Babe. We’ll figure this out."

He rakes his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath before pulling me back into his arms. I hug him tightly, breathing in the comforting scent of his cologne as we both try to steady ourselves before Davey returns to the room.

"What can I do to help?" I ask, gazing directly into his worried eyes.

"You already are," he replies, his voice softening with gratitude. "You're my rock, Sweetheart."

He kisses me with such tenderness, and for a few moments, everything else disappears. There's no worry, no troubles, no distance between us. At this moment, all I know is that this man is my life, and I would do anything to protect him and Davey.

Chapter 19

Noah

Sharon opens the door before I can ring the bell, cradling a baby in her arms. "Who's this little guy?" I ask as we step inside.

"This is baby Adam," she says, smiling. "Katherine’s youngest."

"Hey there, Adam," I greet him, shaking his tiny hand. "You look just like your grandma, Buddy."

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