AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I’m at Carl’s boat today. He’s given me access to every part of their life, depositing money into my savings that they swear should have rightfully been mine. I don’t want it. I never want to gain from this pain. But, if Noah and I divorce, I want to hold onto our house, for the kids. As a parent, I’ll push aside my pride to do what’s right for them.
I just want to be today. I don’t want to feel. But every little memory, in the days I’ve lived without Noah next to me, is a reminder of the life we should be living.
I’m on the bow of the ship, looking into the vast blue of the ocean. I don’t have a glass of wine, No, I’m drinking it straight out of the bottle.
The inside of the boat rocks a little, like someone is here. Carl told me I should have the boat to myself when I asked about it this morning.
But Noah or Liam never asked their parents.
I pull at the door leading from the bow to the cabin, and as I do, it opens up, swinging right toward me.
“Ah fuck!” I scream. I can’t worry if someone is robbing me, because the door has opened on my nose.
“Fuck!” the other person screams. I know the voice, no reason to open my eyes, as I cover my nose. “Shit, Ash. I’m so sorry. Here, let me look.”
Noah’s fingers touch my own, and in his tenderness, I almost believe that we’ll be okay.
“Fuck, Noah. First you break my heart, then my fucking nose. Wanna go for the leg? The arm. Maybe my neck.”
I can’t see him, but a dark chuckle, almost vile in nature, so unlike my Noah, falls from his lips.
“Dramatic much. And anyway, how the hell was I to know you’d be here?”
I’m still holding my nose, and his fingers are no longer on my hands. “I don’t know, maybe call your dad. He told me I could have it today.”
He begins with the same evil laugh, just as foul in nature. “I’ve never had to ask my dad to use the boat, or anything that belongs to him. And I won’t start now.”
He’s in a mood, but he doesn’t have his nose all busted up. I sit down on one of the cushions on the bow, my head tilted up.
“Can you let me in, so I can see what the damage is, Ash?” he asks, his voice low, tender. It’s like the Noah I fell in love with.
I lower my hands, and I can feel him push his strong body over me. His fingers barely touch my nose.
“Does that hurt?” Noah asks.
“You’ve barely touched me. How would I know if it hurts?”
“If your nose was broken, you’d wince at even the slightest touch. It’s not bleeding. Let me get you some ice.”
Do I leave? Should I? He’s been an asshole, and I get it. He’s having a different reaction to finding out we’re brothers. He’s hurt me all the same but I still want him in my space. We’ve barely seen each other except for the times he’s picked up the kids. But he’s living with his brother, so at this point, he’s taking them for the day, or over to his parents.
“Here, put this on your nose.”
He looks at my bottle in my hand. “Who is picking up the kids from school?”
“My mom. As you probably know, she’s having a hard time. Her heart is hurt, like she was the one who kept this secret this whole time.”
It’s not meant to be a dig at Evelyn. No, I love both her and Carl. I loved them before I found out they were my parents. But as my biological mom and dad, I do love them. “Liam is treating my mother like she personally wronged him.”
“If it makes you feel any better, he’s treating mom even worse.”
I release a snort, followed by a scoff and my mouth pulls into a sour grin. “Why the fuck would that make me feel any better, asshole? I don’t want my mom or yours to be treated like the enemy.”
“It’s an impossible situation,” he offers. He stares at me with a bland half smile. “How’s Tia?”
“Miserable. Absolutely fucking miserable.” Even in his half smile, it’s wiped away by my strong words.
“You’re drunk?” It’s a question. And I don’t plan to answer. I needed a day, by myself, and I don’t drink at home, with the kids in case there’s an emergency. “Sure, ignore me, Ash. That’s rather adult.”
