Page 33 of The Workaholic Down the Hall

“No,” Mimi said. She pulled in several deep breaths. “I'm just messing with you two. It's kind of crazy, isn't it? I mean if all Nora wanted was to get you two together so you could tell Noah about the baby, she would have let you go. She's making you two stay there because she's hoping you fall in love.”

“She's wasting her time if that's what she's after,” Noah said. He spun back to his computer, his shoulders tense.

I dropped my gaze to my lap, not wanting Mimi to see the hurt in my eyes. I knew, on a rational, logical level, that Noah wasn't falling for me, but I'd hoped. It hurt to have that hope shattered.

Mimi didn't have to see my face. She placed one of her hands over mine. “You'd be lucky to fall in love with Aubrey, anyone would.”

Noah turned back to us. I looked up to see his eyes on me, his jaw clenched tight. “I'm not suggesting there's anything wrong with Aubrey. I'm just saying you can't force two people to fall in love by kidnapping them and holding them hostage. Aubrey deserves the best, not some guy she's forced into close quarters with.”

He spun back around and Mimi's glare softened a bit. “Well, right. Exactly my point.” She squeezed my hands. “If you want me to get you out of there, I'll take you right now. We can be in Atlanta before it gets dark.”

“I don't want to go back to Atlanta,” I said. “I've got a doctor here and I like being close to Nora. Not that I think you wouldn't—”

Mimi waved a hand. “Don't be ridiculous, Aubrey. I get it. I've got an insane schedule. As much as I'd like to say I'd be there the moment your water broke, I might be in court and unreachable. I will definitely be there as soon as I can after that baby's born, though. I promise.”

Noah spun again. Clearly our conversation was more distracting than he'd let on. “If you're offering rides back to Atlanta, I'd be interested.”

Mimi's eyes narrowed. “No, I don't think there's room in my car for men who knock up my niece and have no intention of making an honest woman of her.”

Noah rolled his eyes. “It's not that simple. I'll be here for her in every way I can, but I have a business to run. A business that will pay for diapers and braces and college. I can't just disappear for a week.”

Mimi's lips tightened into a frown. “I think your half hour is almost up,” she said. “We'll give you some space to get your work done.”

Mimi hopped off the bed and helped me climb off. Noah grabbed my wrist as I walked past him to follow Mimi out of the room.

“I'm not trying to escape you or my responsibility to our baby,” he said. “I just don't want to ignore my responsibilities at work. Jill is dealing with some major issues at the company all on her own.”

“Of course I understand,” I said, even though I didn't, even though his eagerness to escape me still felt like rejection.

***

Upstairs, Mimi dragged me to a couch and filled me in on what was going on in her life. She tried to get me to talk about Noah and our entrapped time together, but I wasn't about to get into it with members of Noah's family wandering in and out of the room. When more guests started to arrive, Mimi and I left the small den where we'd been camped out. Mimi grabbed Carrie as soon as she saw her, to ask about her experiences adopting three kids, and the two of them chatted like old friends while they snacked on chips and dip. May and Nora hugged me and welcomed me into a living room that was decorated like a pink monster had thrown up all over it. It was horrendous, but I couldn't feel anything but grateful to Noah's family for throwing the party for us.

Nora took me around and introduced me to some local folks, including George's dad Bart. Even Noah's sister, Jenna, had made the trip from Atlanta. She was as shocked about Nora's kidnapping plot as the rest of us, but she assured me she'd love to have me as a sister-in-law and was so excited to meet her new niece. I smiled and pretended it didn't hurt to hear one more person tell me how much they wished Noah loved me.

Noah showed up at some point and there were games and laughter and adorable baby clothes. There was so much love in that room full of good, kind people and it warmed me from the tips of my toes to the end of my nose to think that my daughter would grow up with these wonderful people in her life. And it wasn't just Noah's family and Mimi, it was the local people of Catalpa Creek, friends Nora had made who acted like they'd known her their whole lives. They welcomed me with warmth and smiles and I felt reassured about my decision to move to Catalpa Creek. My daughter wouldn't just have family here, she'd have a village.

After most of the guests had left, none of them willing to take Noah back to Atlanta, I helped Carrie clean up. She quickly got caught up in breaking up fights between her three kids, so I was alone when I stepped back into the living room to gather empty glasses and overheard Cody asking Noah a question. “How do you like your place?”

“You mean the place of imprisonment?”

“No, man, I mean your place. Mom bought that place for you and Aubrey.”

I leaned past the doorway a bit to catch Noah's expression at that news. I hadn't told him the house was a gift from Nora, and I hadn't been sure if she'd told him or not. Noah's eyes widened and his mouth pinched in dismay. Neither man had noticed me and I knew I should make my presence known, but I was curious. I needed some truth in my life. I needed to know for sure what was going on in Noah's head. It was wrong, so, so wrong, and I was a bad, bad person, but I couldn't walk away.

“Why the hell would she do that?” Noah asked.

Cody gave him a look of disbelief. “Seriously, numnuts? The first baby in the family and you don't think Mom's going to do everything she can to make sure she gets to see her every day?”

“Does Aubrey know about this?”

Cody shrugged. “I don't know, but Mom's doing everything she can to keep her here. If you want Aubrey to go back to Atlanta with you, you'd better make your move soon.”

“Why would I want her to go back to Atlanta with me?” he asked, his tone dismissive. “I wouldn't have time for her in Atlanta. Here, she's got the entire town ready to lend a hand.”

Cody stared at his brother, his mouth slightly open, before he shook his head. “You're a fucking idiot, man.”

“Thanks—”

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