Chapter 0245
I stare at my son. I’m so proud of him and of the bond he has with his mother. No one, not even her best friends and her parents, knew the name she had chosen, yet she had told Noah.
“That’s really good,” Mary says, smiling at Noah. “You’re already shaping up to be a great big brother.”
Noah just nods, then looks up at me.
“One day we were on her bed while eating ice cream because she wanted it so much. I asked her what name we were going to give to the baby. We spent hours going through baby names until we settled on those two. It was so much fun, and we laughed a lot.”
Tears start filling his eyes once again, and I pull him to my side. It physically hurt to see him hurting. To see him in pain. I wanted to ease his heartache, but I didn’t have the power.
“When will she get better? I miss her so much,” he continues to cry.
I kept quiet because I have no answer to that. Not even the doctors know when or if Ava will wake up.
Mary kneels down to his level. She gently tugs at him a little. Noah doesn’t let me go, but he twists his
head to face her.
“Tell you what? How about I let you visit your sister? You’ll be the first person to see her,” she tells him.
“Really?” he asks as he wipes away his tears.
“Really” she smiles. “Just give me a few minutes, and I’ll come to get you. Is that okay?”
Noah nods his head as a small smile takes over his lips. The sadness is still there, but it’s been pushed
back.
When Mary stands up, I give her an appreciated nod. It may seem like a small thing, but she has done something huge. She has given Noah hope. Something, or rather, someone to hold on to while he waits
for his mother to recover.
I
She nods to the rest and then turns to leave. Taking Noah’s hand, I lead him to the seats. I was damn
exhausted. Mentally, psychically, and emotionally. I could use some sleep, but I won’t get it until | see
both mother and child.
To my surprise, Calvin, Gunner and Kate walk in. Gunner’s hand is held firmly in Kate’s. They were chatting while Calvin walked behind them. I can’t really tell whether they’ve told Gunner the truth.
I watch as Gunner’s eyes land on Emma. They become huge. I don’t understand that part, because I’m
He let’s go of his grandmother’s hand and literally launches himself at Emma. Emma doesn’t have it though. She gently pushes him away from her with a look of disapproval. Gunner’s face falls, and tears
start filling his eyes.
He turns around and hugs his father. Calvin in turn glares at Emma, as do Kate, Travis, and everyone else
who had watched the interaction.
Emma shrinks into herself but doesn’t say a word.
I look away and stare at Noah. He had his head on my shoulder and was holding my hand. His eyes were
closed, but I knew very well that he wasn’t asleep.
“What is he doing here?” The bitter voice makes me look up, only to find Kate pointing a finger at Reaper
as hatred and bitterness filter through her eyes.
“He’s here for Ava,” I tell her tiredly
Her face twists into something ugly. “I didn’t know that Ava was buddies with criminals.”
“Of course you didn’t, since you know nothing about my daughter,” Nora scoffs at Kate.
The women have a stare down. Sure, Kate is a powerhouse, especially as the matriarch of the Sharp
family, but she has nothing on Nora Howell.
“If you don’t like the fact that he is here, then you’re free to leave. Personally, I don’t get why the hell
you’re here in the first place, given that you treated Ava like shit for years.”
That seems to shut Kate up, but it also drenches up something that I wasn’t ready to deal with.
Noah’s eyes snap open. He looks at the rest before looking at me.
“What is Grandpa Theo talking about?” He didn’t say the words loudly, but it was enough to catch
everyone’s attention.
A look passes over all their faces. It’s like they’d completely forgotten that Noah was here.
“Nothing, buddy. It’s just a spat between adults. Nothing for you to worry about,” I try to assure him, but he doesn’t buy it.
“No. I know what shit means, and grandpa is talking as if mom wasn’t treated well. Is that it?” His voice becomes hard as it nears the end of the sentence.
Fuck. I was afraid this day would come. I notice that everyone except for Calvin and Gunner stiffens. How do I tell him that Theo was right without making him hate us? Without making him hate me for the way we
“Noah, are you ready to see your baby sister?” Mary comes back out with a smile on her face.
I heave a sigh of relief and thank the heavens for the distraction. Noah seems to have forgotten everything as excitement takes over his features.
“Mr. Woods, you’ll have to accompany him,” she says, turning around as Noah takes her hand.
Synopsis
Ava: Nine years ago I did something terrible. it wasn’t one of my best moments but I saw an opportunity to have the guy I’ve loved since I was a young girl and I took it. Fast forward to years later and I’m tired of living in a loveless marriage. I want to free both of us from a marriage that should never have taken place. They say if you love something…. It was time to let him go. I know he’ll never love me and that I’ll never be his choice. His heart will always belong to Her and despite my sins, I deserve to be loved. Rowan: Nine years ago, I was so in love I could barely see right. I ruined it when I made the worst mistake of my life and in the process I lost the love of my life. I knew I had to step up in my responsibility and so I did, with an unwanted wife. With the wrong woman. Now she has once again flipped my life by divorcing me. To make matters even more complicated, the love of my life is back in town. Now the only question is, who is the right woman? Is it the girl I fell head over heels in love with years ago? or is it my ex wife, the woman I never wanted but had to marry?
