Always the Last to Know(23)

“I’m here to take care of my father, Noah. Not have your babies.”

“Oh, I know. Believe me, I know. Nothing else could’ve gotten you back here to this hellhole.”

I was quite sure I’d never called Stoningham a hellhole. “Still bitter, are we?”

“Yes.”

His hair, which had been short a couple of years ago (thank you, Facebook), had grown longer and wild again, and I was glad.

“Can I take a peek at your baby?” I said.

He scowled properly, then undid two clips and lifted out his son. I went over to them.

The baby was asleep, but I could tell he was Noah all over, tiny black eyebrows, the full cheeks, the perfect mouth. “Hey, little one,” I whispered, and touched his cheek. It was as soft and perfect as a puppy’s ear.

“Okay, that’s enough,” Noah said, repacking him. “Look. You’re here. I’m really sorry about your dad and I hope he gets better. But you left a mark, Sadie. We’re not gonna be friends. I can’t do that. I’m not your backup plan.”

Oh, the ego. “Was I humping your leg just now, Noah? Or begging you to marry me? Because I must’ve missed that part.”

“I’m just being clear. You’ll ruin me all over again, and I have a son to raise now. So if we run into each other, it’s not old home week. Okay?”

I pursed my lips. “Got it. But before you go, I have to point out that you were as stubborn as I was, Noah. We could’ve been together if you’d been open to anything but your own life plan. So you ruined me, too.”

“Yeah, right. Heard about your rich boyfriend.”

“And I heard about your event planner. So neither of us has been sitting around nursing a broken heart. Good for us.”

“You did exactly what you wanted to, Sadie.”

“And so did you, Noah!” I dropped my voice, remembering the baby. Noah glared at me, somehow still looking as hot as Jon Snow, even with a baby carrier on. Maybe because of the baby carrier.

“Hey! Sadie! How the hell are you, woman!”

It was Mickey Watkins, dressed in running gear.

“Hey,” I said, recalibrating fast. “I just met your son! Wow! Congratulations!”

“Right? He’s the cutest baby in the entire world, isn’t he? Hi, Marcus! It’s Mommy! Who shouldn’t be running with two breasts full of milk!” She put her hands over her boobs, ever without a filter, just like I remembered, and I grinned. “God, this hurts! The second I see him, I’m leaking like a bad radiator. Look at this.” She moved her hands, and yep, there were two big wet spots. She went to Noah and kissed her son’s little head, and Noah smiled.

“You two okay?” Mickey asked.

“We were just yelling at each other,” I said.

“We’re fine,” Noah said at the same time.

“Sorry about your dad,” Mickey said.

“Thanks. He’s doing okay.”

“Glad to hear it. Hey, you should come by sometime. I’ll let you sniff Marcus’s head. It’s good for the soul.”

“Mickey,” Noah muttered.

“What? Am I supposed to hate her because you loved her once? Get over yourself, straight boy.” She looked at me and winked. “Well, I can’t run with these milk jug boobs. Noah, where’s your car? I have to nurse this little guy or I’ll explode. Sadie, great seeing you. I mean it about coming over. Noah and I share custody. Three nights with him, three with me. Have you ever seen a breast pump? Clearly invented by a man. It’s a fucking torture device. Anyway, take care, hon! See you soon!”

Off they went, leaving me in a state of shock. After a minute or two, I started back toward home.

Noah had a child. With Mickey Watkins, one of the best people in our year, a funny, boisterous girl—woman now—who was always full of life and laughter. Good. Her genes would balance out the Prince of Gloom’s over there.

Noah was a father.

It was a lot to take in.

“Hey,” I said when I got to the house. Jules was there, eating lunch at the table with Mom. “Thanks for telling me Noah and Mickey Watkins had a baby together.”

“So? You two have been done for ages,” Mom said.

“Completely slipped my mind,” Jules said.

I sighed. Reminded myself that I had a nice boyfriend and didn’t care what Noah did. “Where’s Dad?”

“Asleep,” said Mom, taking a hostile bite of her sandwich.

I went to check on him; we’d turned the dining room into his room until he could handle the stairs. I fixed his blanket and sat in the chair. He wasn’t sleeping, just staring ahead.

“Remember my boyfriend, Dad? Noah? He’s a father,” I told him. “He made a baby with Mickey Watkins from our class. It’s a boy. Also, he’s still mad at me.”

Dad said nothing. He could’ve had you, I imagined Dad saying. Inflexible, that one. Not a good quality in a spouse. I should know.

For some reason, I had a lump in my throat. Even if I shouldn’t. The heart wants what the heart wants, and the heart can be a real idiot.





CHAPTER NINE





Sadie


Ever since I could remember, I’d wanted to leave Stoningham, because even though I loved it, I hated it. It was so smug. So content. So adorable. So assured of itself. In a way, it was like my sister, never questioning its value. Welcome to Stoningham. You’re lucky we let you in, the town seemed to say. If you play your cards right, we might let you stay.