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I hold her while she cries, letting out as much teenage angst and confusion as she needs to.
It’s only when she pulls back that I realize I’m crying too.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” Noah reaches out and wipes away a tear rolling down my cheek.
“Since we’re sharing secrets…want to know mine?”
She nods.
“After I married Neil, I found out that I needed a hysterectomy. Do you know what that is?”
“Is that when you remove all your baby stuff inside your body?”
“Yes. Your uterus is where the baby lives when you’re pregnant. But I didn’t have a healthy uterus. I had something called fibroids, and they were pretty large. I had a lot of complications, so I had to have everything removed.”
Noah’s eyes widen. “But now you don’t have a place for a baby.”
“That’s right.”
“You can’t have kids now?”
“Nope.”
“But you wanted to?”
I nod.
“I’m sorry, Lenny.”
“You might not get to have a mom, and I might never get to have children. But me and you? We have each other.” I take her hands in mine and squeeze them tight. “You are an incredible human. I see it, and your dad sees it. And he loves you with all his heart. Everything he does, every decision he makes—it’s for you, Noah. You might not understand why he tells you no or treats you like a baby, but he always has your best interest at heart. So go easy on him. And remind him what a great dad he is, okay? He needs to hear it.”
She nods. “Okay.”
“Good.”
I snag some tissues from the living room, and we wipe our eyes.
“Lenny, can I ask you one more question?”
“Of course.”
“Do you love my dad?”
I pause, letting that word bounce around my head. “I think I was starting to.”
“I think he loves you too.”
My stupid hopeful heart attempts to leap out of my chest. “Whether he does or he doesn’t, I’m here for you. Do you understand?”
She nods. “For what it’s worth, I love you, Lenny.”
“I love you too, kid.”
17
Grant
“What didyou expect to happen when you sent this dickwad over to her house? God only knows what he said.”
