“Oh.” Well, shit. Where the hell had she gone? It was too early for her to have gone to work, and—
“Do you want to come in? I can text her.”
And warn her I was there? I wasn’t sure that was such a good idea.
“She left to try to find you this morning. She’ll want to talk to you.”
Before I could even register that he knew who I was, the kid turned and walked off into the house, leaving me to make the decision on my own.
Stay or go…
I looked over my shoulder at my car and knew that was the easy way out of all of this. Just get in my car and leave. Hell, if I really wanted to, I could drive straight to the airport and be on a plane by noon. But when I looked to the open door in front of me, I knew I’d forever wonder what would’ve happened if I’d decided to walk through it.
With my decision made, I stepped inside the house and quietly closed the door behind me. As I moved out of the foyer and into the living room, I spotted the couches with pillows and throws facing a fireplace and TV, and had to hand it to Laurel. She’d created a home that felt like a warm embrace the second you stepped inside.
“I was making breakfast. Are you hungry?”
I quickly turned, feeling as though I was doing something I shouldn’t, and then I realized I hadn’t actually introduced myself yet.
Yeah, the guy knew who I was, that much was clear. But we were still circling each other with no names or formal introduction.
Trying to act like the adult in the house, I stepped forward and held my hand out. “I’m Noah, by the way.”
He looked at my hand and then reached out and took it. “I know who you are. I’m Jake.”
When we let go, we slipped our hands into our pockets at the same time and froze, and that rush of blood and ringing in my ears started up again.
Shit. Holy fucking shit. Ryan’s right. But that means—
“So you want some breakfast?”
I blinked several times and could feel my heart pounding a million miles an hour. Fuck, at this rate I might just have a heart attack.
How could this be happening? How could it be…real?
“The kitchen’s this way,” Jake said, and then walked off down the hall, and as I watched him go, I could barely wrap my head around what I was finally realizing.
Laurel had a son, and so, apparently, did I.
33
Laurel
I DRUMMED MY fingers against the steering wheel as I stared at the front door of Wilhelmina’s, and for the first time ever I was nervous to go inside. I’d been thinking about this all night, ever since Jake and I returned home. But as I sat here now running through all of the things I wanted to say, I wondered if any of them were enough.
How did you tell a man that seventeen years ago you had his son but then made a deal where you couldn’t tell him about it? It was an impossible conversation. There were no words. None that would soften the blow, anyway.
I closed my eyes and thought of the conversation I’d had yesterday with Jake. He’d been pretty quiet when we got home, still processing all that he’d learned. But I could tell his curiosity was starting to get the better of him when he began to ask some questions.
How did you two meet? What was Noah like as a kid? Am I like him in any way?
I’d answered every question and then some, and my only hope now was that, after the initial shock and anger he would no doubt feel, Noah somehow managed to find a way to accept Jake and eventually meet him. After all, this was my doing, not Jake’s, and he shouldn’t be punished for that.
With newfound determination, I shoved open the car door and made my way up the front steps, and the second I stepped inside, I was bombarded with the delicious aroma of baked goods. I wasn’t here for comfort food, however, even if the thought of a freshly made cinnamon roll sounded like heaven right now.
A quick look at the check-in desk told me that Willa must still be in the kitchen. So I snuck over, and was about to “hack in” and get Noah’s room number, when the sound of someone clearing their throat made me snatch my hands away from the keyboard.
“Huh. I didn’t know you were helping out here this morning. Is the winery not open? Or are you just looking to make a little extra cash this month?”
I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. Willa knew good and well what I was looking for. I’d bet my actual next check on it.
“Miss? Excuse me, miss? Could you please tell me how many rooms are still left this weekend?”
“Would you cut it out?”
“I’d really like a room with a view, or maybe one that’s next door to the newest Chamberlin brother to come into town.” Willa tapped the side of her cheek. “What’s his name again?”
I arched an eyebrow. “Okay, you win. Can you please tell me which suite Noah’s in?”
“I can, but he’s not in there.” She paused and then frowned. “Actually, I’m kind of surprised he managed to drag himself off to work already. He was hammered last night.”
“Hammered? As in drunk?”
“As in Ryan and I had to go and pick him up midway through Monopoly, and you know how I get about leaving my properties unattended.”
I did—she was fiercely protective about her purchases. Especially if she owned Boardwalk.
“Did he, um, say why he was drinking?”
“Yeah,” Willa said with a smile. “Apparently you having a kid flipped his oh shit switch, and, you know, he decided to numb it with some whiskey. I’m sure he’s processed it by now, but boy was he shocked. You know how some guys get.”
“Right.” I pressed my fingers to my forehead and tried to ease the throbbing headache I could feel coming on. If Noah had been that upset by just the idea of me and Jake, I couldn’t begin to imagine his reaction when he found out the rest of it.
“I’ve, uh…” I pointed to the front door and came out from behind the desk in a kind of daze. “I’ve got to go.”
“Laurel?” All of the humor and sarcasm from earlier had left Willa’s voice as she came over to me and took my hands in hers. “Laurel? Are you okay?”
My breathing began to come a little faster, and her living room began to spin as the last few days caught up with me and all my thoughts blurred into one.
“Maybe you should come and sit down.”
I shook my head. “No. I need to go. I need to go and find Noah.”
“I don’t think you should be driving anywhere right now. I want you to sit down and let me get you a drink of water and some ice. Then, if I feel like you’re okay, I’ll let you go.”
Okay, fair point. I probably shouldn’t be driving if things were spinning around my head. I took a seat and closed my eyes, trying to calm myself, and by the time she got back, I felt a little better.
Willa held out the water, and I took it without argument, then she sat down beside me. “Want to tell me what that was all about?”
I swallowed and nodded. “I do. But I can’t.”
Willa narrowed her eyes. “At least tell me you’re okay.”
“Yes.”
“This has to do with Noah, right? If it’s about the way he acted over Jake—”