I nod. “You can go check it out with your mom. I’ll be right behind you.”
“Okay,” he says easily, finally walking toward us.
I grin. He’s definitely my son.
“Thanks for the save, but how will I get himoutof your room?”
“One thing at a time, Chrissy.”
She takes Noah’s hand and walks him out while I stare at all the stuff my mother got him. I shake my head before calling for one of the guards. After directing them to clean up and move all the toys to another room, I head over to my son and his mother.
The door’s wide open when I get to my room. Christine’s on my bed with her arms crossed while she watches Noah. She looks amazing tonight. She always looks beautiful, but when she truly dresses up, she manages to look divine.
Her skin pops against the white dress. And her cleavage, which is on display, is driving me out of my mind. My mom chose the dress, and if I didn’t know better, I’d think she picked it just to fuck with me. But that can’t be right.
I’m distracted from my thoughts when Noah pulls a book out of my tall bookcase. I never let anyone in here, which is why no one knows about my hobbies. But my eyes widen when I catch sight of the book Noah’s holding.
“Mama can I read this one?” he asks excitedly.
“No,” I immediately say, walking into the room. I pluck the book from his hand. “This one has a lot of amatory scenes,” I explain, looking at Christine.
His eyes widen. “What does ‘amatory’ mean?”
I clear my throat. “I’ll tell you later.”
I crouch in front of him and ruffle his hair. “What’s it going to take for me to get you downstairs to the party?”
He frowns and his expression turns uneasy.
“I’d rather stay here and look at the books.”
“I know, Noah, but I really need you to come with me. It won’t take long. Your grandmother’s going to hold your hand and introduce you to everyone,” I tell him.
“Do I have to?”
I look at Christine, who sighs.
“No, you don’t,” I reply. “If you don’t want to, then I can’t make you.”
“Noah,” his mother starts, walking over to us, “your father’s going to be right beside you.”
“What about you, Mama?”
“I’ll be watching you, too,” she assures him.
Finally, he nods. “Okay.”
In the end, it goes well. Noah’s cute as ever and well-behaved as my mom introduces him as a Crane. People are surprised because even though it’s been years, many residents of the town knew that my brother and Christine dated. I’m sure we’ll see many articles questioning his appearance tomorrow.
After Mom’s speech, Darla ushers Noah back upstairs and the gala continues. I move to find Christine. She’s talking to Matt and Cora, but once my brother sees me approach, he excuses himself from the conversation.
“He’s still not ready to talk? He needs to grow the fuck up,” I say.
Christine jabs her elbow into my side. I give her an affronted look.
“You’re a pretty big asshole, Michael Crane,” Cora states.
“So, I’ve been told, Cora Crane,” I say with a smirk.