Page 51 of The Workaholic Down the Hall

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I was on the couch, my feet in Oscar's lap, when Noah walked into the living room. Someone laughed on the movie we were watching and it made the whole real-life scene feel that much more surreal. I sat up, pulling my feet from Oscar's lap, and struggled to get to my feet.

Oscar gave me a small push and I managed to stand. “Noah?” I said over the movie.

Oscar grabbed the remote and muted it. “I should go.”

“You don't need to leave,” Noah said, his voice gruff, his jaw clenched. He spoke to Oscar, but he hadn't taken his eyes off me. “May said you weren't well. I knocked lightly in case you were sleeping. I got worried when you didn't come to the door.” He took a step back. “I'll go. I'll call you later.”

Oscar was already on his feet and halfway across the room. He slapped Noah on the back, murmured something to him, and left. “I'll check in tomorrow, Aubrey,” Oscar called back, before the front door snicked shut behind him.

I sat and gestured for Noah to do the same. “I'm fine,” I said as he sat in an armchair across from me. In the dim light from the paused movie, he looked exhausted, his face drawn. I got back up and flicked on a lamp, before settling. “I was just tired and came home to rest.”

“Good,” he said. “I'm glad you're able to rest when you need to.” He glanced toward the front door before returning his attention to me. “And that you have friends to keep you company.”

I suspected he was fishing, attempting to find out the nature of my relationship with Oscar. I didn't feel like discussing it with him. I was just as happy with him thinking I'd already moved on. “How did the family meeting go?” I was capable of fishing, too.

He frowned, but nodded. “It went better than I'd anticipated. So well, in fact, that I'm going to have to head back into the city tonight.”

“Tonight?” I struggled not to show my disappointment. “Fast visit. I'm sure Nora will be sorry to see you go so quickly.”

“And you?” he asked. “Will you be sorry that I'm not staying longer?”

I was so tired. I was tired of fighting him, but mostly I was tired of getting my hopes up and being disappointed. Which was all my own fault, I was fully aware of that. “Why are you here?”

His eyes widened just a bit and he had the good sense to look nervous. “What?”

“Why are you here? If you want to know about the baby, I can show you ultrasound pictures and tell you about the doctor's visits you've missed. If you want to know how I'm doing, I already told you I'm fine.”

He leaned forward placing his elbows on his knees. “I'm sorry I wasn't here for your doctor's appointments. I wish I didn't have to miss so much, but I'm trying to make some pretty major changes to the company and it's taking all my time.”

I could feel myself becoming a bit irrational, but I was angry and hurt, and there was no slowing down for reason to sneak in. “I've been busy, too, Noah. I've been busy building a human, and working and trying to figure out how I'm going to raise her as a single mom.”

“A single mom? No matter what happens with us, you won't be doing this alone.”

“I'll probably need more than a thoughtfully worded text message every three days after she's born.”

“I've been busy,” he said, sitting up straighter. I could see that he was getting frustrated, and I wished so hard that things were different. “And you asked me to stop texting you.”

Damn it. I really was being irrational. “You're right. You've done nothing wrong. Honestly, though, everything is fine here. There's nothing for you to worry about.”

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Come back with me to Atlanta tonight.”

It was my turn for my eyes to pop wide. “What?”

“Come back to Atlanta with me. I'm going to be slammed for the next couple of weeks and I hate being so far away from you, especially so close to your due date.”

“You want me to go with you to Atlanta so that you can be sure you won't miss the birth of your daughter?” Maybe it was baby brain, but I was having a hard time understanding what he wanted.

“Yes,” he said. “No. I mean, of course I don't want to miss the birth of our daughter, but I want you with me. I want to be able to see you every day. I've missed sleeping with you.”

Hope, that fickle bastard, reared his head for a brief moment, before sense smacked him down with the sledgehammer of reality. I pulled in a deep breath and tried to respond carefully and rationally. “My doctor is here, I have a job here and friends. Your family, our daughter's family, is here.”

He just stared at me for a long moment, like my words surprised him. “You had a doctor in Atlanta, just go back to her.”

“No.”

“No?”

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