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Noah’s voice cracks ever so slightly, and he sniffles.
“I love you so much, buddy. More than anything.”
“I love you so much, Dad.” Noah pulls Elijah in for a hug.
“I wish Mom didn’t say mean things about you. But I guess it’s like it was with Ben.”
Noah pulls back from his son slightly to look down at him. “Ben?”
“He was my friend at school. But he started being mean, so I stopped talking to him, and now he’s telling everyone I don’t shower, and I eat boogers.”
I try not to laugh from the kitchen, but Elijah hits the nail right on the head. That’s exactly what Natasha is doing.
Noah smiles and squeezes Elijah against his chest once more. “That’s rough, bud. But yeah, that’s what your mom’s doing. She’s just mad.”
“I know. I try not to listen. She’s always yelling with that guy you used to work with, so I usually just go to my room and play games.”
My chest pinches, and I take a chance by saying something.
“Elijah—” the two of them look at me “—if you’re ever worried while you’re there or feel like you really want to leave, you can call your dad. Or me. We’ll come get you in a heartbeat.”
The look Noah gives me pulls at my heartstrings even more, ensuring me it was the right thing to say.
“Anytime. Day or night. Just call.” Noah makes steady eye contact with Elijah. “And never feel like you can’t tell me something. I want you to share everything. So if you hear something bad or whatever, just let me know.”
“Okay, Dad. I will. Should I still go today?”
Elijah’s brows raise in question, and Noah nods.
“At least for now. It’s important we give her a chance.”
I am genuinely proud of Noah for saying that. I know how angry he is with her, and to still try to give Elijah his relationship with his mother is a big deal.
They hug again, and just as the tension is dying down, the doorbell rings. Natasha is here.
Noah answers the door, and I take Elijah upstairs to grab his stuff for the weekend. He’s still a little off, but I think talking with his dad helped quite a bit.
“So, which ones are you taking?” I gesture at the bags near his dresser.
“That one’s my clothes, and this one has my games in it.”
I look inside the blue backpack Elijah says is for his clothes and see two T-shirts and a pair of shorts.
“Elijah, you need more than just two shirts. What about underwear and socks?”
“Eww, don’t talk about underwear!”
I laugh, but Elijah takes the hint and goes to his closet for a handful of briefs and some socks, stuffing them in the bag hastily.
“Better. Do you want another pair of shorts just in case?”
His door creeks loudly, and Natasha steps into the room. I’ve never seen the woman before, and she’s almost exactly what I pictured from the conversations with Noah.
Her hair is dyed blond, with dark brown roots starting to show at the top of her head. She’s extremely tan and wearing a white business suit of sorts.
There’s no dress shirt underneath her jacket, and instead, I can see her cleavage pushed up by a white bra. Huge diamond earrings dangle from her ears, and the nude stilettos she wears are sharp enough to put someone’s eye out.
The last thing I notice before she speaks is how her French-manicured nails are super long, and I wonder how she can get anything done with them.
