Noah
I wake to the sound of small feet padding across my hardwood floors. The morning light filters through my bedroom curtains, and for a moment, I forget where I am. Then Sophie's face appears beside my bed, her curls wild from sleep, her thumb firmly planted in her mouth.
I glance at my phone. Six-thirty. Two weeks. Vanessa's "few days" has stretched into two full weeks, and I'm starting to wonder if she's ever coming back for them.
"Okay, sweetheart. Let me get dressed and I'll make breakfast."
Sophie nods and pads back out. After I dress, I head into the kitchen where Maya is already awake, sitting at the table with a coloring book. She looks up when I enter, her brown eyes serious.
"Can I help make breakfast?" she asks. "Mom lets me crack the eggs."
"Sure. That would be great."
We work together in comfortable silence, Maya carefully cracking eggs into a bowl while I start the coffee maker. Ethan appears in the doorway, his stuffed rabbit clutched to his chest, and immediately attaches himself to my side.
"Morning, buddy." I ruffle his hair with my free hand.
He doesn't respond, just presses closer. He's been like this since Vanessa dropped them off. Quiet and clingy. Probably afraid I'll disappear too.
Sophie bounces into the kitchen and climbs onto a chair. "Can you read me my story after breakfast? Please?"
"Which story?" Though I already know the answer.
"The princess one!"
"Again?" I can't help but smile. "That'll be the third time this week."
"It's my favorite!" Sophie's enthusiasm is infectious.
Maya rolls her eyes with the world-weary expression of an eight-year-old. "She makes everyone read it a million times."
As I scramble the eggs, my mind drifts to Mia. I pull out my phone and text her: Want to bring the twins to the park this afternoon? The kids would love to see Rory and Corey again.
Her response comes quickly: That sounds perfect. We could all use some fresh air.
The morning passes in a blur of breakfast, dishes, and Sophie's insistence that I read her princess story. Twice. By the time we're ready to head to the park, I'm already exhausted, but there's something satisfying about it. Something that feels right in a way I didn't expect.
The park is crowded with families enjoying the warm afternoon.
I spot Mia immediately, sitting on a bench near the playground.
She's wearing jeans that hug her curves and a simple t-shirt under a lightweight jacket that shows off her full breasts.
Her dark hair is pulled back in a ponytail, and even from a distance, I can see the tension in her shoulders.
The twins race ahead when they spot Maya, Ethan, and Sophie. Within seconds, all five kids are climbing on the jungle gym together, their laughter carrying across the park.
I settle onto the bench beside Mia, close enough that our thighs touch. The contact sends electricity through me, and I notice her breath catch slightly.
"How's Blake doing?" I ask.
"Overwhelmed. Terrified. But he's handling it." She watches the kids play, her expression distant. "Lily is sweet. Scared, but sweet."
"And you? How are you handling all of this?"
She turns to look at me, and I'm struck again by how beautiful she is. Those blue eyes that see right through me. The curve of her lips that I want to kiss. The way her body fits perfectly against mine.
"I'm terrified," she admits quietly. "Everything is so complicated, Noah. Jack suspects the twins are his. Blake just found out he's a father. And you..." She trails off.
"And me?" I prompt, my hand finding hers.
"You're dealing with Vanessa's kids, and I feel guilty adding my mess to your plate."
I turn to face her more fully, my knee pressing against hers.
"Mia, I'm falling for you. Harder than I expected.
Harder than I probably should, given how complicated this situation is.
" I gesture toward the playground where all five kids are playing together.
"But watching you with them, seeing how you care about Maya and Ethan and Sophie even though they're not yours, it makes me imagine a future I never thought I wanted. "
Her eyes fill with tears. "Noah, I don't know if I can give you that future. I don't even know what my future looks like right now."
"Then we figure it out together." I squeeze her hand. "That's what we do, right? All four of us. We figure it out."
She laughs, but it sounds broken. "Four people trying to navigate one relationship. It sounds like something out of a history book. Some scandal that would have destroyed reputations."
"History is full of unconventional arrangements," I point out. "The difference is we're choosing this. We're being honest about it."
"Are we?" She pulls her hand away and wraps her arms around herself. "I haven't told Jack the truth about the twins, even though he asked me point-blank at my parents' house. I haven't found the courage or the right moment."
Mia looks at me, and something shifts in her expression. Heat flares in her eyes, and I'm suddenly very aware of how close we're sitting. How her leg is pressed against mine. How her breasts rise and fall with each breath.
I want to kiss her. Want to pull her against me right here in this public park and claim her mouth with mine. But we're surrounded by families and children, so I settle for brushing my thumb across her knuckles.
"Tell Jack," I say. "Soon. He deserves to know, and you deserve to stop carrying this secret."
"I know. I will. I just need to find the right moment."
We sit in comfortable silence for a while, watching the kids play. Maya is showing Rory how to do a cartwheel. Corey and Ethan are building something in the sandbox. Sophie has convinced all of them to play some elaborate game that involves a lot of running and shrieking.
"They're good together," Mia observes. "All of them."
"Yeah." I watch Maya laugh at something Rory said. "They are."
Mia leans her head against my shoulder, and I wrap my arm around her. She fits perfectly against my side, her body warm and soft. I can smell her shampoo, something floral and sweet that makes me want to bury my face in her hair.
"Thank you," she murmurs. "For being here. For being patient with me while I figure all of this out."
"I'm not going anywhere." I press a kiss to the top of her head. "No matter how complicated it gets."
She tilts her face up to look at me, and the vulnerability in her expression makes my heart ache. I'm about to say something else, something about how much she means to me, when movement catches my eye.
A man is walking toward us across the park. Tall, well-built, with dark hair. He's wearing designer jeans, which I think is odd attire to wear to a park. He looks like he just stepped off a modeling shoot for a men's magazine or something.
Mia stiffens against me. "Oh God."
"Marcus?" I guess. I've never met the man, or even seen a picture of him, but something told me it was him.
"Marcus," she confirms, her voice tight with tension.
I stand as he approaches, positioning myself slightly in front of Mia. It's instinctive, protective, and probably unnecessary, but I can't help it.
Marcus's brown eyes take in the scene with obvious displeasure. His gaze lingers on where Mia and I were sitting pressed together, then moves to the playground where the kids are playing.
"Mia." His voice is smooth, practiced. "What a coincidence running into you here."
"Marcus." She stands, moving to my side. "What are you doing here?"
"Just out for a walk. Enjoying the beautiful day." His smile doesn't reach his eyes. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"
"Noah Young," I say, extending my hand. "I teach history at Riverside Academy."
His grip is firm, bordering on aggressive. "Marcus Rosemond. I'm Mia's ex-boyfriend. And the man who helped raise her sons."
The emphasis on "her sons" is deliberate, a claim of territory. I resist the urge to point out that helping raise someone's children for a few years doesn't make them yours. Ironic, though, coming from me, who is currently taking care of three kids that aren't biologically mine.
Marcus's smile widens. "They're good boys. I miss them. We had a real family dynamic going, the four of us."
Mia's hand finds mine, her fingers cold despite the warm afternoon. "Marcus, we've talked about this. That's in the past."
"So you say." The smile doesn't leave his face. It's confident, as if he has all the time in the world because he knows he'll get Mia in the end. The competitive sportsman in me straightens with the unsaid threat.
"Just go, Marcus," Mia says, her voice shaking. "Please."
Marcus's gaze shifts to the playground, where the five children are still playing together, oblivious to the tension among the adults. His expression changes, becomes calculating.
He takes a step toward the playground, and my stomach drops. I know what he's about to do before he does it.
"Marcus, don't," Mia warns, but it's too late.
He walks closer to where the kids are playing, close enough that his voice will carry to the other parents scattered around the playground. Close enough to cause maximum damage.
Marcus looks directly at the twins playing with the other children and says loudly enough for nearby parents to hear, "It's so good to see my boys again after all this time."