Chapter 29 Never Let Go
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Never Let Go
~~Aria~~
Drakos has been gone over two hours. I attempt to talk to Noah, but he tells me to go away. I decide to give him more time. I’m at a loss as to what my next steps should be. I decide to call Gardenia, who has more experience with kids than I do.
“Hey, did you tell Noah?” Talk about reading my mind.
“Yes, and he didn’t take it well.” I reiterated what happened and how upset Noah is. “What should I do? He won’t talk to me.”
“He needs time to adjust to the idea. He adores Drakos. Once the shock wears off, he’ll get used to the idea and even like it.”
“I hope so.”
“Wait a few hours. I know little boys. When he gets hungry, he’ll come out of his room. Most likely sooner than later.”
“And if he doesn’t?”
“You’ll need to go in there. Listen to him. Don’t push, but be understanding and allow him to adjust.”
“Thank you. You’re the best.”
“I know.” She laughs, and I manage a smile.
“Let me know how it goes.”
“I will. Good thing the boys don’t have practice today. I think it’s better he deal with Drakos and me first.”
“It is. Good luck.” Gardenia ends the call. I set down the phone and go to the kitchen. Maybe it’s devious, but I start cooking spaghetti with meat sauce, another of Noah’s favorite meals. Pretty soon the rich aroma of simmering tomatoes and garlic fills the apartment. I check the time and wait.
I’m too nervous to relax, so I tidy the living room and clean the kitchen. By the time the house is spotless, Noah trudges from his room. He’s dressed in jeans and his Icehawks jersey with Drakos’s name and number on the back. His choice of outfits has to be a very good sign.
“Hi. I’m so glad you’re out of your room,” I say too brightly. I’m trying too hard. I need to back off.
Noah grunts and crawls onto the barstool. He places his elbows on the counter and rests his chin in his hands. He’s still struggling with our revelation, but he’s here and in Drakos’s jersey. I’ll take any small win I can get.
“How long did you know?” He lifts his eyes to mine. I’m devastated by his expression. He thinks I’ve betrayed him, and maybe I have.
“About Drakos?”
He nods.
“A while. Your mom told me, but she didn’t want anyone, including Drakos, to know.”
“Why?” His voice rises an octave, and I fear a meltdown might be coming.
“Noah, sometimes adults do the wrong thing but believe it’s the right thing at the time. She never meant to hurt you. She thought she was protecting you.”
“From Drakos?”
I shrug. I’m treading a fine line between telling him too little and too much.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” His tone is accusatory, and I’m the biggest bitch around. I feel like shit.
“Your mom made me swear to keep her secret, and I did for a while until I realized that you need to know.” I put a comforting hand on his shoulder and am reassured when he doesn’t jerk away. Instead, he leans against me.
“Drakos is really my dad?” He flips from accusatory to earnest. I marvel at kids’ ability to bounce back even from the toughest news. Noah’s resilient and a fighter. He’ll be okay. He’s his father’s son, but he’s also my nephew, and we’re all three fighters.
“Yes, he is, and he wants so much to be a big part of your life.”
Noah’s blue eyes cloud with tears. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.” I hug him close, and he clings to me, reminding me once again that as grown-up as he seems at times, he’s still a little boy.
“Will I have to go live with him now?”
I narrow my gaze, but I can’t read whether he considers living with Drakos a good or bad thing. “Do you want to?”
“I don’t want to leave you alone. You need me.”
I stifle a laugh yet remind myself that he’s right. I do need him. “What would you say if I told you that we’re all going to live together in a big house with a big yard?”
“I’d love that. Can I get a dog?” He’s on his feet and dancing around the room as if he hasn’t a care in the world. “Can I? Can I?”
“I don’t see why not.” At this point if he asks me for an elephant, I’ll find a way to get one.
“Yay!!! I have to call Rowen and Ryder.” He grabs my phone and runs down the hall as fast as his short little legs will carry him. I beam with unfettered joy. I can’t wait to tell Drakos, but first, I have to get my phone back. I’ll wait.
I don’t wait long. Drakos uses the key I gave him earlier and enters the apartment. His gaze is clouded with concern. He cocks his head and narrows his eyes as he studies me. I’m guessing he’s not sure what he’s seeing.
“Is everything okay?” he asks tentatively.
“It’s beyond okay.”
Drakos collapses on the couch and props his feet on the coffee table. He lets out a long sigh of relief. “Thank God. What’ve I missed?”
I fill him in, and his grin grows broader and broader by the second. “Where is he?”
“He’s in his room telling the Bang twins I told him he could have a dog.”
“Fuck, he can have twenty if that’s what he wants.”
“You said a bad word,” Noah proclaims from his vantage point down the hall. I’m not sure how much he’s heard, but he’s grinning from ear to ear. Drakos faces him. Noah freezes. I hold my breath, not sure what’s coming next.
“I’m sorry. I’ll do better.” Drakos pretends to be serious, but I can tell he’s fighting a smile.
“Okay. Is my last name going to be Lenkov?”
“If you want it to be.” His voice is husky with emotion.
“I’d like that. Is that okay, Aunt Aria?”
“It’s wonderful, Noah.” I swipe at the tears in my eyes.
Drakos is doing the same. Noah runs to Drakos and wraps his arms around him.
His father bends down and pulls him close.
They hug for a long time, while tears stream down my face, and a lone tear escapes and draws a wet trail down Drakos’s cheek.
“Nice jersey,” Drakos says gruffly in an attempt to lighten the mood, most likely so he won’t completely lose his shit. After all, he’s a big, tough hockey player, but I know better. He’s also a good guy who cares deeply about his friends, his teammates, this city, and now his family—Noah and me.
“I like it.” Noah draws a laugh from both of us. “Can I call you Dad?”
“I’d be honored.”
“Okay, Dad.” Noah splits a big grin, and Drakos matches it, driving home how similar these two are.
After an emotional afternoon, Noah falls asleep on the couch. Drakos and I sit at the counter with a couple glasses of wine. Drakos holds his glass to mine.
“To us,” he says with one of his cocky winks that I’ve come to love.
“To us.” We clink glasses and sip our wine in silence for a few short seconds. I clear my throat and look Drakos in the eye.
“In all the turmoil over Noah, I didn’t have the chance to tell you something important.”
“What’s that?” He watches me curiously.
“I love you.”
“Well, of course you do. You’re a smart woman, and I’m hot as shit.”
I snort and give him a playful punch in the shoulder. “Your body does give you an unfair advantage over other men.”
“You’re damn right. My body is my secret weapon.”
“Oh, it’s not that secret.” He pulls me into his arms for a searing kiss. We continue to sip our wine in a companionable silence.
“I feel like I’ve been domesticated.” Drakos grabs my hand and squeezes it. A warm glow spreads from my head to my toes. There’s nowhere else I want to be.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” I quip.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but it’s a good thing. A very good thing.”
“Don’t lose your wild side. I like it in certain places.”
“Like bed?”
“Definitely.”
We hold each other and watch Noah sleeping.
“You know, I never thought I’d be part of a family again because losing mine was too painful to take a chance.” Sadness clouds his eyes briefly before he smiles again.
“What happened to your family?”
“They were all together for Christmas Eve, and a Russian bomb exploded, destroying our house and everyone in it. I lost my entire family in the blink of an eye. But you’ve given me hope and the gift of loving again when I swore my heart was too damaged to do so.”
“I’d like to hear about them sometime when you’re ready.”
“You will, I promise, and I want to know everything about you.”
We kiss again until Noah gags and joins us. We pull him into a group hug, and I hold on as though I’ll never let go, because I won’t.