Chapter 0148 âAre you alright?â he murmured.
I swallowed hard, forcing a tight smile as I nodded. âIâm fine,â I lied.
In truth, I felt anything but fine. Every step along the boardwalk was agony, Zoeâs incessant chatter grating. on my ears as she talked all about how kind and caring Noah had been in the wake of her surgery.
âItâs just so nice to get out of the house, you know?â she said. âDonât get me wrong, I love Adam. But Iâm more than just a âmomâ.
I like to have fun, too.â
I wanted to vomit. Clearly, Noah was treating Zoe like a downright princess-giving her a break from motherhood, taking her out, cooking her meals... sleeping in her bed.
âWhere is Adam, by the way?â Drake asked, although he already knew the answer.
Zoe shot him a look, her gaze darkening a bit as she glanced at him. âHeâs with my parents.â
âYou didnât think to ask if I might want to take him for a while? Heâs my son.â
Zoe narrowed her eyes, and for a moment, the silence was so heavy I thought it might fall and crush all of us. Finally, with a shrug, she said, âI figured youâd be busy. Youâre always busy.â
And with that, she kept walking down the boardwalk with Noah beside her.
Beside me, Drakeâs jaw was ticking, his free hand clenched into a tight fist at his side. I could only imagine how uncomfortable this must be for him as well, being forced to watch his wife talk about how she needed a break from their son after she hadnât even asked him to take care of Adam during her recovery.
I exchanged a silent, vengeful glance with Drake then, and he shot me a knowing look. His fingers tightened around my waist, his jaw setting hard, and I gave him a subtle nod as if to say that we were on the same page.
Make them jealous.
I knew it was hypocritical of me; I had been leading Noah to believe that Drake and I might have an interest in each other all along, and meanwhile, I was getting pi***ed over the two of them doing the same.
But Drake and I had no intentions of any such thing, despite his pl***y reputation. Noah and Zoe on the other hand. Well, they had already shared a bed. And it was all the more obvious tonight.
Suddenly, Zoe stopped in her tracks.
âOh, look!â she said, pointing at a stuffed animal on a shelf above a game-booth-one of those shooting games where youâd try to hit moving cardboard ducks with foam bullets from a toy rifle. âThatâs adorable.â She glanced up at Noah then, shooting him a curious look. âDo you think you could win it?â
I followed her gaze to see an oversized plush dolphin hanging among the prizes, its glassy eyes seeming to mock me. Of course Zoe would want Noah to win something for her.
Noah didnât respond at first, his expression unreadable as he stared at the booth. For a fleeting moment, I allowed myself to hope that he might refuse, that he might put an end to this charade and leave Zoe to her own devices. I took a slow step forward out of instinct, my fingers itching to take his hand despite 1 But then, without a word, he strode towards the game attendant and slapped a few dollar bills down on the counter. Drake pulled me back against his side and gave me a squeeze, subtly shaking his head as Noah picked up the toy gun âHow much to win that stuffed dolphin up there?â
Chapter 0140