Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
“Hey.” River jerked his chin at the boys again, and I refocused on them. “Corey just handed Noa somethin’.”
And they were parting ways. Noa zipped up his parka and took off in a jog, while Corey returned inside their cabin.
Okay, now I was really curious, because Noa passed our own cabin. He only paused to bend down and tie his shoes, and while doing so, he cast a few furtive glances toward the main house. Toward us. And he had to know I was up, considering I hadn’t been there when he’d climbed out of bed.
I frowned as Noa disappeared along the side of the house, and River furrowed his brow.
“I’m gonna go check,” I said and headed for the front door.
I walked briskly until I reached the front door, and then I pushed it open and saw that Noa must’ve picked up the pace. He was almost at the end of the front lawn.
“Noa!” I called. Still holding my stupid mug, I left it on the railing before I hurried down the steps.
Noa had frozen, and he turned around with wide eyes.
“Where are you going?” I headed toward him.
He cursed. “I was kinda hoping you were out buying breakfast or something.”
Why would I do that? Cam had made sure we had everything.
“Well, I’m not. Mind telling me why you’re sneaking out?”
The only thing missing from this picture was a cookie jar, because his hand would be in it. I’d definitely caught him in the act of something, and when hesitation replaced the half-expected whine or mischief, it put me on edge.
Noa was usually so easy to read.
I kept advancing until I was a few feet away, and that was when he chose to start walking backward.
“Noa…?”
He huffed. “I’m gonna go talk to my mom, okay?”
What the fuck.
I came to an abrupt stop.
“I’ve postponed it long enough,” he continued. “I don’t want KC to worry that I don’t wanna be with him in public—or that I’m putting anyone before him. I have to do this.”
KC, not Daddy. That spoke volumes about his mind-set. But he was so way off. “KC would never think that, sweetheart.” I started following him again, and I noticed him fiddling with a very green car key. In other words, he’d borrowed Corey’s car. “Come on—let’s get back to the cabin and discuss this in a calm manner—”
“No! You don’t get it, Lucian.” He even stomped his foot, and then he spun around and jogged toward Corey’s car. “I’m doing this right now, before I chicken out again.”
“Noa!” I ran after him and patted my pockets. Thank God—I hadn’t taken out my own car keys from last night when I’d gone out to grab KC’s pain meds. Goddammit, Noa was going to make me use my, in his words, scary Dom voice. He wasn’t fucking stopping; he’d reached Corey’s car. “You stop right now, Noa.”
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face me, jaw tense, eyes filled with trepidation and just as much determination.
He was bracing himself for disappointment that I would keep him from doing something he clearly needed to do.
I had no such plans, but he wasn’t going on his own.
I took out my car keys and couldn’t fucking believe I was about to leave the house wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. What would Cam think of me? I’d promised this would never happen.
Pressing the fob to unlock our car, I nodded for Noa to join me. “If you insist on doing this right now, I’m coming with you. Get in.” My tone left no room to argue, but by the look of relief in his expression, he was more concerned about simply going. He’d feared I was going to hold him back. “Do you have your phone with you?”
“Yes, Sir.” He darted around the car and opened up the passenger’s side.
I got in behind the wheel. “I want you to text Cam. Tell him we’ll be back in a couple hours. We’re on an important brat mission. Use those words.”
I didn’t want Cam and KC to worry.
Noa typed away on his phone as I backed out of the carport and began our journey toward…far away. I hardly ever went east of the Anacostia, though I did enjoy when Noa brought food from Mama’s Pizza Kitchen. Best damn wings ever, and the subs were fantastic as well.
It was possible I was hungry.
“I wish it was a brat mission,” Noa mumbled and pocketed his phone.
I reached over and gave his leg a squeeze. “Talk to me. Why do you insist on telling her today? I’m not convinced you don’t need more aftercare. Things got intense last night. You should be resting up on the couch in your PJs and watching your cartoons.”
Tell me to turn around, darling boy.
“I can’t.” He swallowed hard and looked out the window on his side. “KC’s right—it’s been hanging over my head for too long, and I hate lying every time I go see Mom. It piles on.”