Chapter 168
I’m still smiling by the time I leave the clinic. The sun has climbed higher and the world somehow feels different.
As I walk toward the car, my smile grows until I can’t help the quiet laugh that escapes me.
The driver spots me from the parot and hurries to open the car door. “All done, Miss Sierra p>
“Yes, thank you,” I say softly, slipping inside.
As we pull away, I watch the city blur past. I press a hand against my stomach, against my baby. It feels like I’m riding on cloud nine. I can’t explain, but I feel peaceful inside.
My mind wanders to Adrian. I shouldn’t be thinking about him this much. This soon, and yet I am.
Adrian said he’d text me the date. A date. Or maybe not a date, technically, just coffee. But still, it’s something right? The thought alone sends warmth spilling through my chest, melting away the weight that’s been pressing down all morning.
For the first time in weeks, my mind isn’t circling around Noah or the suffocating chaos that follows him everywhere. For the first time in a long while, I feel something stir inside me that isn’t pain or confusion. For the first time, I have everything thing that has happened these past few weeks.
Something different to look forward to. Something new. Something that takes my mind off has h
Adrian’s smile flashes in my head again. Such an easy and disarming smile. The kind that makes you forget why you were ever frowning. I don’t know what it is about him. Every time I see him, something in me stirs. A strange mix of nerves and comfort, like my body can’t decide whether to lean closer or run away.
Maybe it’s the way he looks at me. There is just something about the way he looks at me. It’s in a way no man has ever looked at me, or maybe not. There was a time I swore Noah looked at me like that… But that was a long time ago. That was before everything went south. That was before I realized it was just my wishful thinking. 1
I rest my head against the seat, exhaling slowly. For a fleeting second, I think about calling Lilly. I can already imagine her teasing
“A coffee date, huh? Maybe Doctor Adrian has ore than caffeine in mind p>
The thought makes me laugh under my breath. I stop myself though. It’s just coffee. It doesn’t mean anything. And besides, my life is complicated enough without inviting Lilly’s wild imagination into the mix.
By the time we pull into the mansion’s driveway, I’m way excited than I should be. I grab my bag and head inside, my mood still lighter than it’s been in a long while.
I’m halfway to my room when I pause. There’s giggling coming from behind my door followed by the sound of pencils scratching on paper. I push the door open slowly, and the sight that greets me makes my heart melt.
Nova and Nolan are sprawled on my bed, their notebooks open, pencils in hand, their legs crossed as they concentrate on their homework, while Blackie lies curled beside them.
“Hey my sweets,” I say softly, leaning on the doorframe.
I’ve taken to calling them that because apparently they love it when I give them pet names. It makes them so happy that and it hits so hard that sometimes I feel like crying.
They both look up and then chaos.
“Sierra!” Nova squeals, jumping off the bed and racing toward me, Nolan right behind her. They crash into me with little arms wrapping around my waist.
“Where were you?” Nova asks, her eyes wide and curious. “We came back from school and you weren’t here p>
“Yeah… We were told you left” Nolan adds, frowning.
I smile, brushing my hand through Nova’s curls before doing the same to Nolan. “I had a doctor’s appointment, so I had to leave p>