Page 109 of The Trouble With Her (The Forbidden Love 4)

“Or make sure I’m not drunk in someone else’s bed?”

One of the workers beside me watches on with curiosity until I glance at her to give us a moment.

Pulling away from the lens, I move toward the table and chair sitting by the pool and take a seat. Noah follows, then requests for drinks to be served.

“I’m fine, okay? See, sober and alive.”

Noah stares at me furtively, and I hate how similar he looks to Jessa making his presence another reminder. Same eyes, same smile—all the things I want to avoid.

“Let me tell you a story…” he begins with, then continues, “… about when my marriage fell apart.”

“Okay,” I mumble.

“I was so angry, you know. At myself for failing as a husband, for failing my daughter, but most importantly, for never listening to my own voice.” The young woman places two drinks in front of us, which appear to be sangria. Small pieces of diced fruit float on top of the beverage, mixed with ice cubes. Noah takes a sip, thanking the woman, then continues, “I never once stopped thinking about Kate. We had this connection that never left me. When things started again between us, I knew it would be difficult. On one side, I had a woman I wanted to be with for the rest of my life, and on the other, I had an ex-wife who, at the time, used our daughter as a pawn in her fight against me.”

“I’m sorry,” is all I say but listen on.

“I don’t blame Morgan. We were both angry at the time and struggled with the idea of co-parenting, let alone bringing another person into our daughter’s life. I wasn’t a saint either. I mean, Nash was a result of me trying to bury my problems in another woman.”

To hear Noah admit the truth isn’t easy. He treated me just like Lex for pretty much all my life. I’ve always felt comfortable around him because he’s an uncle figure to me. He’s always trusted me, but years ago, when things began to shift between Jessa and me, I often worried about what he would say. He was always protective over his daughter, which I could never blame him.

“What I’m trying to say is no matter what happened, Kate always stood by me. At times, she knew she had to take a step back and let me and Morgan work through things for the sake of Jessa.”

I lower my head, tapping my fingers against the glass tabletop. “You don’t think that’s what I’m doing now? I don’t want to make it more stressful for Jessa, which is why I’m giving her space to think about what she really wants.”

“She wants you,” he tells me adamantly. “My daughter is stubborn, much like her dear old father. I respect your decision to allow her to work through things, but she needs you.”

“I’m not the one married, Noah. Nor am I the one with a child,” I remind him, my tone turning frustrated. “You don’t think this has been hard? Every day I’m fighting the same goddamn battle. Imagine having to lie at night, and the woman you love is lying in bed with her husband.”

The resentment grows deeper as I sit here, forced to admit my struggles, showing my weakness to another man. When I told Jessa in LA to keep things between us, it didn’t take long for everyone to figure it out for themselves. But it’s only now I’m admitting the truth.

Just as Noah begins to open his mouth, his phone rings.

“Hello?”

He turns silent, but his eyes fall to the ground as he nods quietly while listening to the other person.

“I’ll leave straight away.”

His finger taps on the screen to end the call for a sigh to escape him. The usually straight shoulders with perfect posture slumps as something is bothering him.

“Is everything okay?”

Noah takes a deep breath, then glances directly at me. “Benedict’s mother had a heart attack. They’re at the hospital now.”

“Is Jessa okay?”

Across the table, Noah purses his lips. “She, uh, is upset. She thinks it’s her fault.”

“I don’t understand?”

“Jessa had a fight with Rosemarie, and she collapsed.”

My hands move to my face as I rub it vigorously. I can only assume the fight would’ve been over Bentley without all the details, given it’s his birthday.

“I’m going to fly over.” Noah stands up, the same time I do. “Stay here, okay? I’ll check on her to make sure she’s okay.”

“I feel fucking helpless,” I tell him.

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