He deserves to know Rory and Corey are his sons. He deserves the chance to be their father, to love them openly instead of from a distance. I've been so focused on protecting everyone else that I never considered what I was stealing from Jack and the twins by keeping them apart.
Tomorrow, I decide as sleep finally pulls me under. Tomorrow I'll tell Jack the truth about his sons.
32
NOAH
I wake to the sound of small feet padding across my hardwood floors. The morning light filters through my bedroom curtains, and for a moment, I forget where I am. Then Sophie's face appears beside my bed, her curls wild from sleep, her thumb firmly planted in her mouth.
"Noah?" Her voice is muffled around her thumb. "I'm hungry."
I glance at my phone. Six-thirty. Two weeks. Vanessa's "few days" has stretched into two full weeks, and I'm starting to wonder if she's ever coming back for them.
"Okay, sweetheart. Let me get dressed and I'll make breakfast."
Sophie nods and pads back out. After I dress, I head into the kitchen where Maya is already awake, sitting at the table with a coloring book. She looks up when I enter, her brown eyes serious.
"Can I help make breakfast?" she asks. "Mom lets me crack the eggs."
"Sure. That would be great."
We work together in comfortable silence, Maya carefully cracking eggs into a bowl while I start the coffee maker. Ethan appears in the doorway, his stuffed rabbit clutched to his chest, and immediately attaches himself to my side.
"Morning, buddy." I ruffle his hair with my free hand.
He doesn't respond, just presses closer. He's been like this since Vanessa dropped them off. Quiet and clingy. Probably afraid I'll disappear too.
Sophie bounces into the kitchen and climbs onto a chair. "Can you read me my story after breakfast? Please?"
"Which story?" Though I already know the answer.
"The princess one!"
"Again?" I can't help but smile. "That'll be the third time this week."
"It's my favorite!" Sophie's enthusiasm is infectious.
Maya rolls her eyes with the world-weary expression of an eight-year-old. "She makes everyone read it a million times."
As I scramble the eggs, my mind drifts to Mia. I pull out my phone and text her:Want to bring the twins to the park this afternoon? The kids would love to see Rory and Corey again.
Her response comes quickly:That sounds perfect. We could all use some fresh air.
The morning passes in a blur of breakfast, dishes, and Sophie's insistence that I read her princess story. Twice. By the time we're ready to head to the park, I'm already exhausted, but there's something satisfying about it. Something that feels right in a way I didn't expect.
The park is crowded with families enjoying the warm afternoon. I spot Mia immediately, sitting on a bench near the playground. She's wearing jeans that hug her curves and a simple t-shirt under a lightweight jacket that shows off her full breasts. Her dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and even from a distance, I can see the tension in her shoulders.
The twins race ahead when they spot Maya, Ethan, and Sophie. Within seconds, all five kids are climbing on the jungle gym together, their laughter carrying across the park.
I settle onto the bench beside Mia, close enough that our thighs touch. The contact sends electricity through me, and I notice her breath catch slightly.
"How's Blake doing?" I ask.
"Overwhelmed. Terrified. But he's handling it." She watches the kids play, her expression distant. "Lily is sweet. Scared, but sweet."
"And you? How are you handling all of this?"
She turns to look at me, and I'm struck again by how beautiful she is. Those blue eyes that see right through me. The curve of her lips that I want to kiss. The way her body fits perfectly against mine.
