Chapter 16
SADIE
Maybe it was wrong that he was there, that he and I were alone.
Still, at that moment, like many others, he was the only man I wanted to see.
Noah stood at the entrance to my little apartment, dressed in navy slacks and a white, button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his sexy, toned forearms, his coat draped over his shoulders.
Like always, he was effortlessly handsome. And knowing he was the father of our beautiful babies only made him even sexier.
“It’s good to see you,” he said. “All three of you.”
“If they could talk, I’m sure they’d say the same thing. Go ahead and hang up your coat. I’d help but…”
“You’re a little busy,” he said with a smile. “Please, don’t get up.”
He hung his coat on one of the tiny hooks near the door. I was seated on the bed, leaving the only other place to sit the tiny loveseat on the other side of the room.
“Have a seat,” I said.
Noah nodded, and as he lowered himself onto the couch, I watched as his eyes glanced around the room. Didn’t take a genius to guess what he might be thinking.
“I know, I know,” I said. “It’s way too small.”
“It’s, ah, cute,” he replied. “A nice little flat for one person. But you don’t need me to tell you that this is in no way big enough for you and the twins.”
“There’s the house, too,” I reminded him.
He nodded, as he sat back, stretched his huge arm across the back of the couch, and crossed a leg over the opposite knee.
“There is the house. But that isn’t exactly big enough either – no offense.”
“It was big enough for me when I was a baby.”
“Baby,” he said. “Singular. You’ve got two. Your parents are wonderful people, Sadie. I’ve got no doubt they’ll bend over backward to help you out. But imagine those twins screaming their heads off at two in the morning over there. Your Ma and Da aren’t going to be able to get a moment’s rest.”
Emmy finished eating and I covered up before flipping her over to burp her.
He was right. The place was too small for five people, two of them being babies who’d spend most of their days eating and sleeping and screaming their heads off. I had no doubt that Mom and Dad were ready and willing to help, but they both worked, and I didn’t want to subject them to the same sleepless nights that I’d be suffering through.
All the same, moving in with Noah seemed like a bad idea.
“For now, it’s fine,” I said. “I’ve got some money saved up, so whenever I’m ready to move out, I can find a place more suitable for the three of us.”
“Then you’ve got another problem to worry about – you’re going to be all on your own. You move in with me, and I can be there for you, even get some outside help if that’s what you want.”
I bit down on my lower lip. I’d only been a mother for a few days and already I was seeing how hard it was going to be to do it without a partner in the picture. Having Noah around would be a huge help – not to mention that he’d be able to spend some quality time with his own flesh and blood.
“You’re forgetting one little detail,” I said. “Think of how weird it would look to other people if I were to move in with you before they knew the truth.”
“Yeah.” He nodded, conceding the point. “But I’m not just some guy – I’m a family friend.”
“Listen, I know you want to help, but until the truth is out there, and everyone’s had a chance to deal with it, we’re going to have to keep things professional. So – you were asked to come here to take a look at this place and see if it was baby-friendly. What do you think?”
He let out a laugh. “Well, that’s easy because my opinion as a doctor is the same as a father – this place is too damn small. Trust me, one month into motherhood and this little studio’s going to be covered in dirty diapers, bottles, and onesies. You’re going to be navigating through a path carved through it all just to get to the bathroom – which is also going to be dirty.”
He went on. “And that’s to say nothing of what’s going to happen when you finally go back to work.”