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“He’s asleep?” she questions, and I nod. “I knew he was going to tire out soon, he kept jumping up and down in the car.”
“Yeah, he gets energetic bursts like that sometimes. It wears him out,” I tell her.
“He’s really smart, though. He asked me if I could buy him a birthday gift for his birthday, and I told him it wouldn’t be a birthday gift if I didn’t buy it on his birthday. He insisted there was such a thing as belated birthday gift. I was really surprised. How does he even know the word ‘belated’?”
“Probably from me. You know I forget everyone’s birthdays. All he ever hears me say is ‘happy belated birthday.’”
“Yeah, that’s true. You are the worst at remembering birthdays. It’s great he loves to read, though; we know he didn’t get that from you. You wouldn’t touch a book unless you absolutely had to, growing up. Where does his love for reading come from?”
I shrug. I have no idea.
“Maybe it’s from his dad,” Tia states.
“Doubtful. I’ve never seen Michael read a novel before in his life.”
“How would you know? You don’t know what that man does in his free time.”
“I do,” I retort. “Or at least I did.”
“Your little crush does not count as a friendship where he shared his deepest darkest secrets with you. Michael’s a bit mysterious, if we’re being honest. Sometimes he’s a colossal jerk, and other times, he’s a lowercase asshole,” she says making us both burst into laughter.
“He’s nice and sweet to the people he cares about,” I say in his defense because it’s true.
Michael’s fiercely protective of his family. He would do anything for them.
“He doesn’t care about much else apart from that, does he?”
I shake my head.
“Aren’t you bothered about that?” Tia questions.
“What do you mean?”
She takes a deep breath. “What if Michael doesn’t accept that Noah is his? How would that make you feel?”
“I would be a little hurt and disappointed,” I say honestly.
“Wouldn’t you be glad? I mean, if he doesn’t believe you and decides he wants no part in Noah’s life. The man doesn’t seem like someone who shits rainbows and puppies. Would he be able to handle a kid?”
Tia’s not asking me questions I haven’t asked myself so many times over the past couple of days. These questions were what led to my decision to keep Noah away from his family so many years ago.
“I don’t know, Tia. It’s why we’re trying to give him a chance,” I state.
“And when he does accept it, what’s your plan for when he finally decides to believe you?”
I bite down on my bottom lip.
“I haven’t thought about that.”
Tia shakes her head.
“So what? You’re just going to take Noah to him and introduce them. You’ll be like, ‘Hey, buddy, meet Michael. He’s your new daddy’?” she questions mockingly.
I glare at her.
“No. Of course not! I’m not sure I want them to meet at all, but this isn’t about me. He asked me about his dad the other day and I had to come up with an excuse and a believable story, but I can only lie to him for so long. I don’t know what I’ll do when Michael accepts it all. I haven’t thought much past getting him to believe me.”
“And when he does?” Tia presses.
