AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Inside, her parents welcomed her with tight hugs, their familiar scents washing over her. It felt good to be home; it was a rare occurrence for her in the past few months.
The smell of her mother’s homemade turkey dinner filled the house.
“You’re just in time,” her mother told her.
Sophie grinned; she was starving. “Lucky me.”
“Sooo?” her father asked.
Their faces were filled with anticipation.
“It’s a boy!” she told them.
Her parents yelled, her mother with victory and her father with defeat. It seemed they had bet each other on the baby’s gender. They wrapped her in a group hug, practically sobbing with joy.
“We’re so happy for you, Soph,” her mom said.
Her dad scruffed her hair. “No Noah tonight?” he asked.
Sophie had prepared for this question. “He wasn’t feeling well.”
She was still undecided as to whether or not she wanted to tell them about her and Noah’s deal. Every time it came up, she pushed it off.
The table was already set when they sat down. Sophie savored every bite of her mother’s cooking.
Being at home was making her feel nostalgic. This is where she had grown up. With two parents who loved each other and who loved her.
Again, Sophie shoved down those feelings. She would find a way to provide her child with a loving home and a magical childhood. Regardless of how involved Noah was.
She left around nine, conscious that she needed to get up early for work tomorrow. With one last hug from each of her parents, she made her way back home.
CHAPTER27
NOAH
The elevator dinged, signaling Sophie’s return from dinner with her parents. Noah laid in bed as he listened to her get ready for bed.
He hadn’t meant to be rude when he’d told Sophie he couldn’t come to dinner; he just knew that if he went once, her parents would grow to expect it. And Noah had a bad habit lately of creating expectations for himself just to disappoint them.
They still hadn’t talked about the night they had spent together. It seemed that Sophie understood that it didn’t mean anything because she was acting like nothing had changed between them. They carried on as normal with their odd half-roommate, half-coworker relationship.
He had lied to Sophie today; he had never told the office his reasons for not coming in. Noah told himself it was his way of keeping his promise but in truth, he wanted to be there. Something about missing that appointment felt like a line he didn’t want to cross.
They were having a boy. Noah was going to have a son. It felt fitting that Noah would have a boy, seeing as he was now following perfectly in his father’s footsteps.
He wondered if his father had attended those appointments with his mother. If, when he saw that little baby on the screen, he was overcome with emotions. Joy. Guilt. It was highly unlikely that he ever did. Still, it didn’t make Noah feel any better.
Just because he had experienced emotions after seeing his baby, that didn’t make him any better than his father. If anything, it probably made him worse.
Noah would be a terrible father; he didn’t even know what their role in the household was besides financial support. His nanny had raised him.
Richard only started paying Noah any mind once he began to mature, once he could mold his mind into his legacy for Birch Industries. It seemed he had done a good job.
That night, Noah dreamed about a son.
About holding a newborn in his arms. Teaching a child to dribble a basketball. Watching him hug his mother before he left for college.
The mother was Sophie and the boy was his son.
