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We got back to the house, and Olivia and I spent the whole day playing together. We did dress up and a tea party. We drew and painted and made things with Play-Doh. It was a happy day.
Noah didn’t come home the whole time. I got Olivia bathed and fed and out her to bed. I was sure he was fine, but I was feeling a little anxious. He hadn’t contacted me, and phone signals were spotty in the woods, but still. I just needed to wait for Noah to come back.
About half an hour after Olivia went to bed, Noah walked through the door. I was so happy to see him that I jumped up and ran straight into him, giving Noah the biggest hug I could.
“You’re back!”
“Of course, I’m back.” Noah seemed a little confused. He gave my back a few pats. He was probably a little freaked out, but I didn’t care. I was just happy he was safe.
“Yeah, I’m sorry. I guess I was just a little worried.” I wiped some tears that came out unexpectedly as I stepped back.
“Right. I should have texted you. I’m sorry.”
An uncomfortable silence fell on the two of us. We were both experiencing memories of what happened two years ago. I hadn’t wanted to admit to myself that that was why I was scared, but it was.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. What were you doing?”
“Why don’t we —” Noah motioned towards the living room. I followed him, and we both ended up on the couch. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course.”
“Why did you come back?”
“Oh, well, I really missed Olivia. It was hard being away from her for so long.” I twisted my mouth to the side. This was a conversation I had wanted to have, but my earlier emotional outburst had made me nervous.
“Is that the only reason you came?”
“I mean, things haven’t been great at home. My dad has gone off the rails. He’s been drinking too much. I tried to help him, but I can’t because he’s not willing to help himself.” I looked down at my lap, fidgeting with my hands.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
I looked back up at Noah and shook my head. “It’s okay. I came here because whenever I’m here with you and Olivia, I feel like I’m at home. I don’t want to let that feeling go.”
Noah nodded. I was hoping he would offer a branch, a way for us to connect, but he stayed where he was.
“What we were talking about this morning… I want to take you up on your offer.”
My offer?
“You mean the sibling for Olivia?”
He nodded sternly. “Yes, the reason why I was so late is that I went over to my lawyer to ask some questions. I’ll have some papers drawn up that you can sign. We’ll set all the rules up early, so there isn’t any confusion.”
Rules? Lawyer? This was all starting to sound very business-like. I didn’t like it, but if it kept me here, then I would do it.
“Okay, yeah, that could work. Would I need to go to a doctor?”
“I’m not going to jerk off in a cup,” Noah blurted out. “We’ll go the natural conception route if we move forward.”
He didn’t look at me as he made that statement. I wouldn’t have minded using a doctor, but natural conception sounded even better — like music to my ears. It might be the way to his heart. Noah couldn’t avoid me if he wanted to get me pregnant.
Things could really work out for us this time.Chapter Eight - NoahI was able to get the papers from my lawyer a few days later. I slipped them under Scarlett's door, and she had them back to me later that day. I filed them away, and that was that.
It had been a few days, and we’d kept our distance. Or, rather, I’d maintained some distance between us. The next step was to get Scarlett pregnant, but it felt too soon to start on that. We didn’t have to try right away.
Plus, I wanted to focus on Olivia. Some of the things Scarlett said to me about Olivia made me think. Deep down, I knew my daughter was probably lonely, but I was always telling myself it was better than letting her get close to people just for them to be taken away. I didn’t want my daughter to grow up feeling lonely. She deserved all the happiness in the world, and I had an obligation to give that to her.
I began the process of looking at schools in the area. I was going to make sure to pick the right one. There was a chance we’d have to move closer to town. Commuting all the way from the mansion would be costly in regards to time. We could always come back on the weekends.
