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“I’m serious, Maria. She’s my daughter, and I’m not going to let anything happen to her. Not even when I’m far away.”
I become aware of movement, and Noah walks from the bedroom door to me. My stomach twists. Did he just hear me?
“I’ll make sure he stays away from her,” Maria promises.
“Thank you. I have to go.”
“Me too, we’re getting ready for bed. Be safe. Let me know when you’re on your way home.”
I promise that I will, and we end the call.
When I turn to Noah, his face is serious.
He heard.
“You have a daughter?”
I swallow before I nod.
“And you didn’t think to tell me that?”
He’s suddenly angry, and that makes me angry, too.
“Since when do you have a right to know everything in my life?”
“I thought we shared shit with each other. Damn it, Raven, what have we been doing all this time?”
He paces away from me and sits down on the couch, glaring daggers at me.
“Having a good time. A fling. Fucking and having fun. Isn’t that what you want?”
“Yeah,” Noah says. “At first. That’s all I wanted. But damn it, Raven, we’ve been spending so much time together and you never thought to mention to me that you have adaughter?”
I shake my head. “I’m not obliged to tell you everything that goes on in my life. It’s not like you were planning to be in it long-term.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” he says in a low voice. “I told you I’m not going anywhere.”
“And what the hell does that mean? I’m leaving soon, and there’s nothing either of us can do about it. So that promise, nice as it sounds, isn’t something you have to follow through on. For all I know, they’re just words to make you feel better about yourself and make me think you’re this amazing Prince Charming.”
Noah shakes his head and laughs bitterly. “Because that’s what I am, right? All charisma and charm, but I don’t mean anything I say?”
“That’s who you’ve always been, right? I mean, why did we hook up in the first place? You fucked your way through college. I’d be surprised if there was a woman youdidn’tsleep with.”
I cross my arms over my chest.
“You want to go back to college?” Noah asks. “You want to judge my characterthen?”
I know it’s not fair, but he caught me talking about Ava, and I’m on the defense, trying to keep him at arm’s length. I know I’m wrong, but I don’t know how else to deal with this. Admit that I didn’t tell him about her? He would only stop trusting me. Not that this would prevent that. But I can’t tell him more.
“Tell me you’re not married,” Noah says in a cold voice.
“I’m not,” I say flatly. “But thank you for needing to clear up that I’m not cheating bitch on top of everything else.”
“Did he leave you?”
I blink at Noah. He doesn’t know that technicallyhe’sthe one he’s asking about.
“Yes,” I say. “He did.”
