Kiss Me (Preview)

The Billionaire’s Secrets Book 2

Kayla C. Oliver

Chapter One

Julia

 

 

We had been standing on the steps for close to an hour now, and eventually we just sat down. Every time I turned to look at Noah, I could see he was inching closer and closer toward bursting into tears. His lips were pouted, his small face was scrunched, and his eyes were watering up.

Noah was six years old and a bright energetic boy in class; in fact, he was the last one out of all my students who I would have expected to cry. However, today was different. Today we had been waiting for more than an hour for his mom to show up to pick him up. He had been putting on a brave face for some time, and now he was beginning to crack.

“Maybe we could play a game while we wait?” I said to him in a cooing voice as I smoothened the fabric of my cotton skirt on my lap. Noah kept his face firmly forward; he didn’t want to look at me while I spoke to him. Even for a six-year-old, I could see that he was bubbling with an adult sort of rage. I sighed when he didn’t reply and looked down at my phone screen again.

I’d left five voice mails to his mom’s number by now and sent her a couple of texts as well. My two other colleagues, who worked at the kindergarten with me, had both left by now, passing me sympathetic looks when they saw me waiting on the steps with Noah. I was his teacher, so he was my responsibility.

In the four years that I’d been a kindergarten teacher, I had never had any problems with any of my students. That was until Noah. I could see the sparkle of intelligence in the boy’s eyes, his thirst for knowledge, and his ability to learn faster than any of the other kids. But there was also a streak of rebellion in him that I couldn’t account for. Noah was destructive, mean to the other kids, started fights, and never did his homework. I was patient with him because I wanted to give him a chance, but I wasn’t sure how much longer I could keep this up.

His mother, Alicia Carter, rarely ever attended any meetings. Every time I saw her picking Noah up, she seemed distant and unwilling to talk. I wondered if the woman was depressed, if that was the reason why Noah kept acting out in class.

I heard a low whimpering cry escape his lips now, and I turned to him.

“I’m sure she’ll be here any minute, honey,” I said to him, trying to reassure him. Despite his bad behavior, he was still just a kid.

“No, she’s not!” he snapped, turning to me with a jerk of his head. In his green eyes I could see anger, and I tried smiling at him.

“She must have just got caught up with something else. I’ll stay with you till we can figure it out, okay?” I said, but he turned away from me with a roll of his eyes.

That’s when we heard the screech of tires. We both looked up to find a silver Ferrari zooming toward the parking lot, the rubber sparking on the gravel as the driver drove the car recklessly to a crazy halt.

Before I could even react, Noah had jumped off the steps and was running toward the opening door of the car.

“Noah!” I screamed after him, jumping up in panic because I had never seen this car before, or the man who was now stepping out. But clearly, Noah knew him. From the way the boy threw himself at the man, and the way the man in turn lifted him up in his long arms for a hug… I could see that he was the mystery father. The man I had never met. All I knew was his name: Brian Carter. He had never dropped off or picked up Noah before, had never attended any meetings or called in to check on his son.

As I watched the two of them laughing and hugging, I could feel the muscles in my body stiffen. I had taken an instant dislike to this man, even before I had seen his face. He was an absent, disinterested father… and in my head, I was already blaming him for Noah’s rebellious streak and Mrs. Carter’s depression. The car he was driving and the way he was driving it were prime examples!

I watched from the steps as he carried Noah over to the back seat and strapped him in and then banged the door shut. I could feel my nostrils flaring and my eyes narrowing as he turned and then started walking in my direction.

But my decision to despise him melted away quickly when he finally became clear in my vision. There was something menacingly attractive about this man who was striding toward me.

He was in a steel-gray suit, much like the color of his car. He was tall, broad shouldered and muscular; his body was stretching the fabric of his suit with every step he took. He had longish dark hair, which he had tied in a small ponytail, and he had a dark stubble growing on his jaw. The man was a strange mix of scruffy and stylish; I couldn’t quite decide which one he was yet. His eyes were intensely green, just like his son’s, and they were focused on me now. He was looking me up and down, assessing me for size, figuring me out.

I felt strangely naked under his stare, almost like I wanted to hide myself. Brunswick was not exactly filled with men like him, and I had lived here all my life and never come across this man before. When he came to a stop at the bottom of the steps, turning his face up at me, I jutted my chin out to prove that I wasn’t afraid of talking to him.

“You must be Miss Clarkson,” he said in a deep voice that startled me for a moment.

“Yes, I’m Julia Clarkson. Noah’s teacher,” I told him and watched as he thrust his hands into the pockets of his tailored pants. It didn’t seem like he was in the mood for a conversation, so I gulped and cleared my throat.

“We’ve been waiting here for over an hour—Noah was on the verge of crying,” I said, but the man kept staring at me, studying my face.

“I left several voice mails and texts to Mrs. Carter’s phone and got no response. I had no idea if anyone was coming to pick him up,” I continued in a voice that was on the brink of erupting. Not only was I angry that the couple were so forgetful of their son, but this man’s arrogance was really pissing me off.

“But I’m here now,” he finally said, in a calm voice, making my high-pitched angry voice sound crazy. It only irritated me more.

“Yeah, but you’re an hour late and you gave me no notice. All it would have taken was a message to the kindergarten, and then I would have known what to expect. I could have prepared Noah accordingly,” I snapped and crossed my arms over my breasts.

He followed my movement with his eyes, his gaze lingering for a few seconds on my breasts, and then he looked back up at my face and smiled.

Most of that smile was hidden by his stubble, but I could see he had firm thin lips, stretching wide over his handsome chiseled face. And that smile threw me. For a few moments, I suddenly felt lost.

“I will make sure that Alicia follows protocol going forward,” he said in a businesslike voice, and I wasn’t sure what to add to that.

“Good,” I said authoritatively, struggling hard to not fall for his easy charm. He was one of those men who knew the effect he had on women, and I was determined to prove to him that I wasn’t swooning. He was nothing more than one of my student’s fathers, I kept reminding myself over and over again.

“Good,” he repeated and then stuck out his hand to me. I blinked at his stretched hand, confused because he had managed to throw me again. Then, gathering myself as smoothly as I could, I shook his hand. His handshake was firm and rough, and he didn’t waste a minute, quickly drawing it from me and then beginning to back away.

“Thank you, Julia, and once again, we are all very sorry for what happened today, and for all your trouble,” he said, but from the smile on his face and the twinkle in his eye, it was very evident to me that he didn’t have a single sorry bone in his body.

I crossed my arms over my breasts again, straightening my back as I watched him walk away. For a few feet, he kept walking backward, his eyes still drinking me in, and then he whipped around and sprinted across the parking lot to his car.

I realized that I had been holding my breath, and I released it now as I watched him get into his car. Within a second, he was zooming out of the parking lot with Noah in the back seat and my heart leaping out of my chest. The man was a wild maverick with no regard for his son’s welfare or safety. I wanted to hate him.

I turned and walked back into the building to gather my things, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Brian Carter. Who was he? What did he do? What was his marriage to Alicia Carter like? From the little I had seen of that woman, they seemed like they were poles apart.

I shook my head as I adjusted the purse on my shoulder, trying to get those crazy thoughts out of my head. I locked up the small building behind me and then walked down the steps.

In my head I was replaying that image over and over again, of seeing him walking toward me. The strength in his powerful shoulders, his athletic muscular body, those notorious green eyes… Brian Carter was trouble. And he was the married father of one of my students, and I knew I shouldn’t have been daydreaming about him.

I couldn’t help it.

I was still trying to hate him. He was the reason why Noah was so rebellious in class, because maybe he was in constant search of validation and attention from his father. I didn’t blame Noah for being destructive anymore. If his role model was Brian Carter, who drove a car like that… it was no wonder that his son liked to beat up the other kids and be a bully.

I decided I needed to speak with Mrs. Carter. I needed to be firm with the couple and sit them down and have a talk. For Noah’s sake, before things got out of hand and he ended up ruining his life. But just the thought of that man… I pressed my eyes close and tried to remind myself that I needed to be professional.

I took my usual route toward my apartment, which I shared with my best friend, Lewis. I had already decided that it would be for the best if I didn’t tell him about Brian Carter. Even though Lewis and I had been best friends since high school and shared practically everything with each other, discussing dates or my love life in any form with him would just be rude. I knew Lewis had always been in love with me, and I loved him too—like a brother, like a best friend.

It would be hurtful to him if I told him I had just met a man who had set my body on fire with just one glance.

Chapter Two

Hunter

 

 

I peeked a look at Noah in the rearview mirror; my nephew was sitting strapped in the seat, staring wistfully out of the window as I drove him toward his home. Noah wasn’t much of a talker, and even though I knew that he adored me, he wasn’t the kind of kid who liked to discuss his day or what drawings he made in class.

I had been absent for the first three years of his life, traveling across the country, working in bars, and living a life on the road. Now that I was back in Brunswick, and from the moment I had set my eyes on this kid, I was sold. Nobody was as precious to me in my life as my nephew was.

“Buddy, you okay back there?” I asked him, and I saw him glance in my direction and force a smile on his face. He didn’t have to tell me for me to know that he had been having a hard time this past year, since his father left.

Noah nodded and I twisted my arm around my seat to pat his swinging knee. Growing up without a father was going to be hard on him, I knew that. And I wanted to make sure that he didn’t miss out on anything in his life. Either way, his loser father, Brian, wouldn’t have been much of a role model to begin with.

The man was a drunk, hadn’t ever been able to keep a job down, and I had no idea why my sister, Alicia, had married him in the first place. But I had been gone from Brunswick for too long. I left right after high school, and I had no right to pass judgments on my sister’s life. Without parents or a brother or any kind of family, I didn’t blame her for wanting some sort of stability. She was young and believed that she had found that stability in fucking Brian Carter.

I tried to hum a tune as we drove, to lighten the mood in the car. I could sense that Noah was upset. Alicia should have been there to pick him up. I shouldn’t have received a phone call from her, an hour after she was supposed to pick Noah up from kindergarten, begging me to do it instead.

I had walked out of a business meeting, driven like a maniac to the kindergarten, and thankfully found him waiting outside with that gorgeous woman, who was surprisingly his teacher. My mind wandered to Julia Clarkson.

What was she doing in a small town like Brunswick? How had our paths never crossed before? She looked like she had stepped straight out of some high-fashion perfume advertisement as she waited there on the top of the steps. She had the facial structure for it with her high cheekbones, petite slender body, shining blonde hair cut fashionably to a bob just below her earlobes. Her eyes were large and brown and expressive, and she had a beautiful, flawless, peaches-and-cream complexion. The best part was that she had no idea that she was runway-model material. I knew because I’d banged more of them than I could count.

But there was more to Julia Clarkson than that. It was in the way she held herself, how she struggled to keep her chin up as she spoke to me, how adorably naive she was in quickly assuming that I was Noah’s father. Julia was untouched, a small-town girl who had led a simple life but looked gorgeous enough to have been a supermodel in another world.

I drove into Alicia’s cramped driveway and parked the car. Noah was quick to jump out of the car and bang the door shut before running inside. By the time I stepped through the door, I could hear him running up the steps to his room and banging that door shut as well.

I found Alicia sitting at the kitchen table, cradling a mug of what seemed like tea in her hands, staring blankly at the wall.

“What the hell, Alicia?” I barked at her, a little worried at the same time because she was my sister after all, and she looked like she had seen a ghost. After I had been standing there, fuming with heaving shoulders for several moments, she finally dragged her eyes away from the wall to look at me.

“What?” she snapped, and I gritted my teeth.

“You called me an hour late. Noah had to wait there with his teacher for an hour on the steps outside! How could you do this to your son?” I growled and Alicia looked away from me.

“I couldn’t leave the house,” she replied and started staring at the wall again.

My brows were furrowed. I was still fuming with rage at her.

“You couldn’t or you wouldn’t? What’s going on?” I asked, studying her now and noticing that she hadn’t changed out of her pajamas yet. Her dressing gown was stained with food and coffee. This was not the environment I wanted my nephew to grow up in.

“Same difference,” she said, and I breathed out heavily before taking a chair across from her.

“Look, Alicia… you have to tell me what’s going on so that I can help you,” I said to her in a softer voice. Screaming at her wasn’t helping. She looked at me again; her gaze was still blank, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

“You know what’s going on, Hunter. Brian and I are going through a divorce,” she said flatly, and I clenched my jaw. It was hard to imagine that this was the same person who as a kid used to hide my toys from me, just to annoy me, and then take me to the amusement park, keeping a firm grip on my hand because she was worried her little brother would get lost. What had happened to the sister I used to know? I should have never left Brunswick. I shouldn’t ever have left her alone in this town.

“Alicia…” I reached for her hand, and she allowed me to hold it. There was no pressure or force in her grip; it just lay limp there in mine. “You can tell me if you miss him. No matter what Brian is like, you shared a life with him for several years, you have a kid together… There’s no shame in admitting that you miss having him around,” I said in a quiet voice, and she yanked her hand away from me and stood up from her chair.

“I don’t miss him. I hate him. I want him gone,” she muttered under her breath. Her tone of voice had changed into something nasty now, and I furrowed my brows again.

“Well, he is gone, isn’t he? You’re getting a divorce,” I stated while Alicia poured herself a bowl of cereal.

“He wants everything—he wants to take away everything,” she said, and I stood up as well, following her around the kitchen as she looked for a spoon in the drawers.

“We won’t let him. Listen to me, Alicia!” I barked and made her stop in her tracks so she’d look at me again. “I will make sure that he gets nothing. Once this divorce is over, you can start living your life like normal. Noah would want that. He misses his mom,” I said, and she took in a deep breath.

While she stared at me, it seemed like she was about to say something, and I tried to urge her with my eyes to say it. But she didn’t. She nodded and looked down at her feet.

“Yeah, you’re right. We just have to wait for the divorce to be over,” she said, and I placed my hands on my sister’s shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.

“The lawyers are taking care of that. Nothing is going to happen to you or Noah. You have my word,” I said, and she wriggled out of my arms and went and sat back down at the table.

I walked over, picked the mug of tea up, and brought it to my nose. I detected the whiff of whisky in the tea immediately and poured it drown the kitchen sink. Alicia said nothing. She didn’t even look at me while I did it.

“I don’t want to tell you what to do—you’re an adult—but all I’m saying is that you have a son, sis,” I said.

I waited for a few moments for her to say something, but she just ate her cereal like there was nobody else in the kitchen. I sighed and left the kitchen, taking the stairs two at a time up to Noah’s room.

I knocked on his door before I entered and found him lying on his single bed, reading a book or at least pretending to.

“Hey, buddy, you all right here? I have to get back to work,” I said, and Noah looked at me over the top of his book. He smiled and nodded, and I walked over to him.

“Call me if you need anything, okay? I’ll take you to kindergarten tomorrow and pick you up too,” I told him as I patted the top of his head. Noah’s eyes lit up when he heard that, and a smile finally formed on his face.

“Really?” he asked, dropping his book down.

“Sure. Your mom isn’t feeling very well, so I’ll do it for some time, okay? Just until she feels better again,” I told him, and Noah nodded again, excited at the prospect of seeing me more often.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, buddy,” I said and gave him a quick hug, before walking out of his room and out of the house without seeing Alicia again. It wasn’t like she wanted to see me. She wanted to be left alone. There had been a point in our lives when we were both teenagers and living in the same house when we told each other everything. But things were different now.

I beeped my Ferrari open outside and sat in my car for a few moments, aware that I needed to head back to that meeting right away. I’d left important potential clients waiting in our boardroom, who had flown in all the way from Maryland.

I sighed at the thought of all the success I had amassed. I had returned to Brunswick three years ago, only to meet my nephew and now I couldn’t leave. I had started our shipping company, C Scape, from scratch, capitalizing on the docks that our town boasted. My friends Rhett and Owen had agreed to join me, and together we were in the process of building an empire, the likes of which our state of Georgia had never seen before. The three of us had quickly become some of the youngest billionaires in the state.

And despite all this, everything I had achieved in the short span of only three years, the people who were important to me—Noah and Alicia—were unhappy, and there was very little I could do about it. No amount of my riches or success could possibly buy their happiness, and it was all that bastard Brian’s fault.

I drove maniacally back to our office building, my mind still racking over what I could do to make their lives better. On any other day, all I would have been able to think about would have been Julia Clarkson and my need to have her, but not today. Today I had more depressing thoughts to occupy myself with.

The one thing I knew for certain was that I was going to shield Noah from everything, even if that meant shielding him from his own parents.

Chapter Three

Julia

 

 

The next day at the kindergarten, I kept an eye out on the parking lot through the window of the classroom. It was nearly time for the kids to go home, and I had been hoping against hope all day that today Noah’s parents would come to pick him up on time. I didn’t want this turning into a pattern, given his already rebellious mood.

I had just finished playing the last song on the ukulele for the kids, when I heard the distinct screeching of tires. When I looked up through the windows again, I saw that Brian Carter was just parking his Ferrari.

“Okay, kids, collect your things,” I clapped my hands and said, and everyone started arranging their backpacks, except Noah, who seemed hesitant in doing it. I went up to him and bent down in front of his small desk.

“He’s here, Noah. You don’t have to wait with me today,” I told him with a wide encouraging smile on my face, and I saw the way his eyes lit up. He was packed and ready to go within minutes after that.

I led the kids out of the classroom, into the hallway, and then toward the main doors of the building where I knew all their parents would be waiting. At the same time as trying to maintain order and discipline amongst the kids, I kept an eye on Noah as he walked at the back of the group, his eyes searching the crowd of parents up front.

“Ms. Clarkson, I wanted to talk to you about Jamie if you have a moment.” Mrs. Doherty stopped me, just as I was about to follow Noah, who went running to his dad.

“Of course.” I stopped in my tracks and turned to the lady. I couldn’t ignore a parent’s request for a quick chat, just because I wanted to see that man again.

Mrs. Doherty was talking to me about what kind of lunch she wanted to give Jamie, and I discussed healthy options with her, while keeping an eye on Noah and Brian Carter at the same time. I knew I was acting distracted, and I tried to concentrate on the conversation. Then I saw the pair walking away toward the parked car, and I felt my heart beating out of my chest.

“Sorry, Mrs. Doherty, we can talk about it in detail if you want to set up a meeting with the office. I really need to speak to another parent right now,” I said apologetically and didn’t wait for the woman’s response. I was already bounding down the steps of the building and rushing after the pair.

“Mr. Carter!” I called out to him, just as he closed the door on Noah in the back seat. He turned to me with that same nonchalant grin on his face, and I felt a tingle on my fingertips again. He had a strange destabilizing effect on me, which somehow upset me. I wanted to have a serious discussion with the parent of one of my students, but every time he looked at me, I found myself embarrassingly blushing.

“Julia,” he said and stepped away from his car. He was dressed impeccably, just like the previous day. Tailored navy suit, shiny polished shoes, a perfectly matching silver tie, and his hair neatly held together in a ponytail at the back of his head. His green eyes were sparkling with excitement as he studied my body. Once again, I felt like he could see right through me, and I tried to shake off that feeling of nakedness and the way it excited me to be watched by him.

He looked at the Rolex on his wrist and grinned at me again.

“I’m not late today,” he said, and I gulped as I stared at him, realizing that my throat had completely run dry.

“No, you’re not,” I said, and he smiled at me some more.

“So, do I get a gold star?” he asked, studying my face and searching my eyes.

“For being on time to pick up your son?” I snapped at him, surprised by the rudeness in my voice. Usually, I was known for being polite and well-spoken with parents and kids alike. Everyone around town praised me for being good with their kids and for being an approachable teacher. Yet somehow, every time I spoke to this man, I felt like I needed to defend myself. My voice took on a harsh tone, and my cheeks flushed up. I forgot all my manners.

“I had a feeling you would say that, but yes, I think I deserve a gold star—I believe in positive reinforcement. Isn’t that what you use in your classrooms these days?” he said, and I knew he could see how nervous he made me and was rejoicing in it.

I lifted my chin up in the air and tried to smile because I knew he was making a joke. I didn’t want him to think I didn’t have a sense of humor, but then again, why did I care what he thought of me? I knew what I thought of him. He was an entitled, arrogant man and a bad parent to Noah.

“Positive reinforcement works if you are a child in your formative years, or if you’re a dog,” I said and crossed my arms over my breasts defensively. He stared openly at my breasts for a few moments, before he looked back up at my face.

“It isn’t the first time I’ve been compared to a dog, and I have to say, I love it. It’s hardly an insult. Dogs are loyal and brave and nonjudgmental,” he said, enjoying himself, and I could feel my nostrils flaring as I stared at him.

“I wasn’t calling you one,” I said, and he laughed abruptly and reached out one of his large hands to give the side of my arm a quick squeeze.

“I know. I was making a joke, Julia,” he replied, his laughter dying slowly.

Aside from realizing how inappropriate that gesture was, given that we were in a strictly professional environment, I also noticed the way goose bumps erupted on my skin and how hot the back of my neck got. Once again I felt embarrassed, and I stepped away from him with a jerk. I hated that he gave me this reaction. I could feel a burning in the pit of my stomach, and I wanted to avoid that from happening ever again.

“Well, I’m not here to crack jokes with you, Mr. Carter,” I snapped at him, and his eyes widened, like he was still finding this funny. He hadn’t taken offense to the fact that I had yanked myself away from him so obviously.

“Oh? When you came chasing after me, I assumed it was because you were desperate for a laugh,” he said, still smiling happily, and I tried to control my breathing so I wouldn’t burst. I decided not to respond to that statement, instead tucking in my short blonde hair behind my ears and glaring at him menacingly.

“I wanted to discuss Noah,” I said, and finally, the man seemed to take the statement seriously. The smile fell from his face quickly, and he looked back at me with furrowed brows.

“What about him?” he said, almost daring me to say something. I could see it in his eyes, that despite how bad his parenting skills were, this man was violently defensive of his son. I knew instantly that this was going to be a difficult conversation to have with him.

“Noah has been acting out in class. He’s always been a quiet child, but in the past few months I’ve noticed that he’s becoming increasingly violent toward the other kids,” I said as emotionlessly as possible. Brian Carter glared at me for a few moments, like he was in complete disbelief.

“Noah has been violent toward the other kids?” he asked, still in a daze, and I nodded. All of a sudden, I felt sorry for this man. It was a quick fall from grace for him. He had been cocky and flirtatious just moments ago, and now he looked strangely worried.

“What has he done?” he asked next, and I took in a deep breath.

“The day before yesterday, he stole a pair of scissors from my crafts drawer and cut a hole in Melissa Brown’s skirt while she wasn’t looking,” I said to him and watched as the man’s face fell even further.

“He cut a hole in a girl’s dress with scissors?” he asked. A tone of shock had entered his voice. I took in a deep breath and nodded again.

“I know it was partly my fault. I should have been keeping a better eye on my crafts drawer, but this has never happened before. The kids all know that they aren’t allowed anywhere near my scissors. I’ve locked it up in a different room now,” I said, and I watched as he rubbed his face with his hands in frustration.

“What else has he done?” he asked, and I licked my lips nervously and looked at Noah, who was quietly sitting in the back seat of the car. I felt bad that I was telling on him, but this was for his own good.

“He’s punched Jamie Doherty—not enough to actually bruise or hurt him, but Noah is developing a habit of using his fists,” I said in a softer voice, and Brian clenched his jaw angrily.

“And does Alicia know about this?” he asked, and I let out an exhausted sigh.

“I’ve sent her letters and voice mails, but Mrs. Carter has been unwilling to talk. She zooms away every time she picks Noah up, and we’ve never had a chance to discuss this. Mr. Carter…” I said, trying to hold his gaze, but he kept flitting his eyes away from me. I could see that he was already thinking hard. I was worried that he would take out his rage somewhere else… like on his wife, or worse still, on Noah.

“I don’t want to scare you, or Mrs. Carter. Sometimes kids act out, and Noah’s behavior isn’t highly abnormal. I just think that the three of us should sit down and discuss probable causes and what we can do to handle the situation,” I said, and he looked at me firmly. His green eyes were dark, and there was a stormy hue on his face now.

“You want us to have a meeting?” he asked, and I nodded.

“With Mrs. Carter, you, and myself because that is exactly what Noah needs. Until then, I would suggest that you don’t discuss this with him. We don’t want him to feel threatened,” I said, and thankfully, he nodded in agreement. I could see the pinched worry on his face. Just minutes ago, it was the same man I wanted to get away from because of his attitude. Now, I wanted to wrap my arms around him and give him an encouraging hug. Had I misjudged Brian Carter? Was he just a young father who was lost at parenting and just needed some guidance? One thing was clear to me: he loved his son.

“Okay, when can we meet?” he asked.

“Tomorrow morning? Say ten? It’s a Saturday so there won’t be any students here,” I said, and he was already walking backward toward his car.

“Won’t be late,” he said, and I watched as he got into his car.

I waved at Noah with a smile on my face as they drove away, but the boy didn’t wave back, and I bit down on my lip. Now more than ever, I wanted to help him and his parents. Whatever problems they were going through, whatever was making Noah act this way, I believed could be solved.

I wasn’t going to give up on this kid… and I tried to tell myself that it didn’t have anything to do with how attracted I was to his father.