Chapter 0314

“There we go, little one,” he said softly. “We’ll have you all clean and comfy in no time.”

I must have made a sound, because Noah looked up, his eyes meeting mine in the doorway. “Did you need something, Hannah?”

I shook my head, still trying to process what I was witnessing. I wanted to pinch myself to see if it was real. “How… how do you know how to do this?” I blurted out.

Noah shrugged, his focus returning to Olivia as he fastened the fresh diaper. “As soon as I found out you were pregnant, I started reading everything I could find. Books, articles, YouTube videos—you name it, I’ve probably watched or read it.”

“But it’s only been a few weeks.”

“That’s plenty of time to get my research done.”

He lifted Olivia into his arms, cradling her against his chest. She cooed happily, blowing little spit bubbles on his shirt, which—once again, to my utter surprise—didn’t faze Noah in the slightest.

“I know I have a long way to go,” he said, “but I wanted to get a head start. I thought it was important to be as prepared as possible.”

I just stared at him, open-mouthed, completely unable to hide my shock.

“What?” he asked.

I shook my head. “I… I never thought you’d actually care enough to learn all this,” I admitted. “I figured you’d just expect me or a nanny to handle it.”

Noah’s face fell slightly, a hint of hurt flashing in his eyes. “Hannah, of course I care. It will be my child, too. I believe a father should take on at least half of the childcare, if not more.”

He gently rocked Olivia as he continued, “A woman goes through so much with a pregnancy—the physical pain, the hormonal changes, and then there’s the matter of labor, which is some of the worst pain imaginable.”

He shook his head. “The least a man can do is step up and make a mother’s life as comfortable and easy as possible. It’s the bare minimum for all the work she does bringing a child into the world.”

His words hit me harder than I expected, embarrassment and shock washing over me. I didn’t know what to say—not that it mattered, anyway, because he was already brushing past me with Olivia in his arms.

We made our way back to the dining room in silence, my steps stumbling behind him as I tried to reconcile the version of Noah I thought I knew and whatever this was.

As we resumed our places at the table, Lily looked at us with a hopeful expression. “How did it go?”

I felt my cheeks flush, the heat rising to my face as I mumbled, “He’s really good with kids.”

The rest of dinner passed in a blur. I barely tasted the food, my thoughts preoccupied with the new side of Noah I was encountering. Was this kindness always there, hidden beneath his seemingly cold exterior? Or was this a recent development?

Or… was this just another ploy? An act to make himself seem like the good guy in front of my parents? A tactic to keep me complacent so I wouldn’t leave him?

When dessert was served—a soft lemon custard dish that I normally loved—a wave of nausea washed over me. The sight and scent of the dish were enough to turn my stomach, and I knew I had only seconds before the battle with my gag reflex would be lost.

“Excuse me,” I managed to choke out before bolting from the table.

I heard my mother’s voice calling after me, but I couldn’t stop to explain. I barely made it to the bathroom in my old bedroom before the contents of my stomach made a hasty reappearance.

As I heaved over the toilet, the sound of the bathroom door opening reached my ears. Warm hands gathered my hair, holding it back from my face.

“I’m here,” Noah said gently.