Chapter 137

“Just… why?” I managed, swallowing hard. “Why would you be with her when your wife was injured at home?”

He paused, a muscle twitching in his jaw. “It was for Adam.”

“Adam?”

“I didn’t want him to watch his mom go through that alone,” he explained. “And I didn’t trust Drake to show up. So I stayed with him last night until his grandparents arrived.”

My insides felt as if they’d fallen out. The dented pillows, the comb, the hair… Noah had slept here last night, but not for the reasons I’d thought. He wasn’t with Zoe. He was caring for a scared little boy.

“Oh,” was all I could say.

A long silence followed. Finally, I touched his arm. “You’d make a good dad,” I said softly. “Really.”

Noah’s jaw clenched; his arm recoiled. I winced—I’d hurt him. The last time we talked about parenthood, I’d told him I’d never have children with him. Now, here I was, pregnant with his child.

“Noah, I…”

The words caught in my throat. I’m pregnant. I’m pregnant with your baby. I ached to tell him, to feel his arms around me, to hear him say everything would be okay.

But I couldn’t. It wouldn’t be his child, not in the ways that mattered. My imagined future was a fantasy.

“Anyway,” he said, pulling away, “I’m glad you ate. It’s good to see you enjoy food—you always have, even when you don’t let yourself.”

I blushed and turned to bed. I had always loved food.

“Hey,” I said, turning back, “remember when we were teenagers and stole those roasted quail eggs from my parents’ kitchen?” A fond smile touched my lips. “My parents were furious; they were for guests. But the juice running down our chins, the flavor… it was worth it.”

I vividly remembered it: sneaking through the kitchen, stuffing our pockets before the summer picnic. We fled the angry chef, found a tree, and feasted. The breeze swayed the leaves above us, the warm, gooey insides staining our shirts. We laughed, ate until our bellies were full, and laughed even when scolded.

But Noah only looked confused. He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Hannah.”

Chapter 138