“No shit,” Jake said angrily. “I can’t believe they walked in here and said that to you. What the hell is wrong with them?”
Ryan chimed in, “Fuck, Noah, you need a lawyer. You can’t let them win; they can’t take Connor. He’s a Carlisle. He’s yours.”
Noah began to pace back and forth, oblivious to anything around him except his mounting fear and rage. Only when Connor began to fuss did he stop, all emotion immediately leaving his mind except the pure love for his son. He walked over, picked him up, and tucked him in close against his body.
“He’s mine.”
“Damn right he is,” Ryan growled. “Whatever you need, brother, we’ve got you.”
Noah nodded, caught up in his own whirling thoughts. “A lawyer. Yeah. I guess I need a lawyer. Shit… I need to go, guys. I’m sorry, I just can’t deal with pub stuff right now.”
“Of course, man,” Jake replied gently. “I’m with Ryan, whatever you need to fight this, we’re here. You’re not alone no matter what those people say.”
Noah flashed a quick smile to his friends then hurried out the door, a crying baby clutched to his chest.
“It’s okay, buddy. Daddy isn’t going to let anyone take you away,” he murmured to his son. Somewhere in his mind he knew Connor was likely hungry, but right now his top priority was getting home. Then he could deal with Connor’s needs, and try to sort out what the fuck he was going to do now.
* * *
When Melanie walked in the door of her apartment that night, she could instantly tell something was wrong. She was absolutely exhausted from a long shift dealing with everything from a hot stroke patient, to a man who severed two fingers in a workplace accident, to a child with a very suspicious fever and bruising. But any lingering thoughts of her patients fled when she took in the scene that awaited her.
The apartment was a mess. Bottles and dishes were all over the kitchen, the stroller and diaper bag were left haphazardly in the entry way, and Noah seemed to be just sitting on the couch, in the dark.
“Noah?” she called out cautiously.
“Yeah. Hey.” His voice was heavy, as if it took a great effort to say anything at all. Now she was really worried. Mel walked over to the couch and sat down, noticing two empty beer bottles on the table and a third in Noah’s hands.
“Noah, what’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Nope.”
“Okay, you’re scaring me, Noah. Is Connor okay? Talk to me, please!” She could hear how frantic she sounded as she spoke, fear filling her head with all kinds of scenarios.
At last, Noah turned to her, and the empty look in his eyes was heartbreaking. “Yeah. He’s fine. Well, he will be once his grandparents have him. Apparently, a single guy who works at a bar isn’t good enough to raise a child. They’re suing me for custody.” He took a drink from his beer bottle before letting his head fall back against the couch in defeat.
Mel was shocked. “Custody? Can they do that?” she asked incredulously.
“Yup. Apparently, they can. And are, based on the conversation we had today,” he replied.
“Start at the beginning. What conversation? Who are these people!” Mel exclaimed.
Noah sighed deeply, then proceeded to tell her what had transpired at the pub earlier in the day. Mel felt her heart pound faster and faster at the thought of someone taking Connor away.
“Wait. So, because you work at a pub and don’t have a wife, they think they can do better than you? He’s your son! Yours! This is insane, Noah,” she said, as a crazy idea began to build in her head. “Okay, just hear me out. You have got to tell them about the house and about your money, so that they realize you’re not a lazy asshole. If I understand what you’re saying, it would be even better if you could say you were married. So, who better to marry than the woman you’re supposedly already engaged to?”
As soon as the words left her lips, Mel wanted to take them back. Still, she pushed on. “I love Connor, and I love you as a friend. We can make it work long enough to get the grandparents off your back. What’s one more divorce, anyways.” She tried to make her voice sound joking, but knew she’d failed when Noah looked at her. His eyes were filled with a combination of longing and hope. While Mel knew she would do anything for Connor and Noah, the idea of marrying him was terrifying. The fact that Noah wouldn’t respond to her suggestion was only adding to her discomfort. “Of course, if we do it, I’d prefer we kept it quiet, didn’t tell our friends what we did, but I’m serious, Noah. If that’s how we get Connor once and for all, then I’ll do it.”
Finally, Noah spoke. “Is Connor the only reason you want to marry me?” he asked, in a low, rough voice.
“What other reason could there be. I won’t fall in love with you, Noah,” she reminded him, feeling her own words like a knife to her heart. It was getting harder and harder to believe herself every day. And when she saw the closed look come over Noah’s face, she realized those words had hurt him as well.
Sure enough, he let out a pained laugh. “So you keep reminding me. I get it, Mel. You don’t do love. No need to tell me again.” Noah stood, picked up the empty beer bottles and went to the kitchen. Mel stayed where she was, shocked by his surly response. When the sounds of Noah cleaning up reached her, she stood and went to join him in the kitchen.
“What the hell, Noah? You don’t need to be an ass just because I’m trying to do the right thing,” she blurted out, angry that his response had hurt her so much.
“The right thing? Come on. The right thing would be admitting you have feelings for me. The right thing would be letting yourself fall in love. The right thing would be anything other than hiding behind those walls you’ve got built so high, no one can break through.” The passion in Noah’s voice died down near the end, until there was nothing left but heartbreak.
“I can’t, Noah. I just can’t,” she whispered softly, as she touched his arm. When he pulled away, Mel flinched. The rigid lines of his body told her that the conversation was over. She turned and began to walk toward her bedroom. In the hallway, she turned back, hoping to get through to him.
