Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

I only talked to my cellmate and a couple of younger guys who came in at eighteen years old. They looked like me when I first arrived—terrified as hell. I wasn’t a killer and had only gotten into a handful of fights my whole life, but I had to put on an act just to protect myself. That’s all behind me now, though, and today’s the beginning of a fresh start.

Being thirty-two years old and starting completely over in my childhood home is an odd feeling, but I’m not taking this second chance for granted. Instead, I’m giving all my energy to rebuilding the life I almost missed out on, and I hope like hell Katie will allow me to be in hers.

Chapter Three

KATIE

After seeing Noah on my front porch and abruptly slamming the door in his face, I couldn’t focus on much yesterday. My first instinct was to smack him for even having the audacity to come to my house, but I didn’t. Hopefully, my reaction made it abundantly clear I didn’t want to see him.

I don’t know what the hell Gemma was thinking by bringing him there, but she’s getting an earful from me very soon. She texted last night, but I haven’t responded yet. I didn’t want to say anything I’d regret later since I was so mad.

Seeing his face after a decade took me by surprise. He looks the same but older and more muscular. Minimal facial hair filled his jawline, and his features are more prominent than I remember. He’s grown into a man, quite different than when he was twenty-two.

Once I left the house, I returned home and met Loretta and Owen. She loves spending time with him on the weekends, which really helps me when I’m busy remodeling. After she left, we had dinner and watched a movie before I tucked him in for the night.

Now it’s Sunday morning, and Owen’s watching YouTube on his tablet while I make breakfast. It’s become our routine. Since I’m so busy working at the house on the weekends and evenings during the week, we spend Sunday mornings together and hang out for a few hours.

“Come get your biscuits and gravy, bud,” I call out. After I set his plate on the table, I walk to his room to grab his hamper.

On Sundays, I also try to catch up on all the chores I neglected during the week, especially laundry.

Once I’ve put his clothes in the washer, I head back to the kitchen and see his empty chair.

“Owen!” I shout. “Your food’s getting cold.”

“I’m comin’, Ma!” He finally trails in from the living room with his eyes glued to his tablet.

“You know the rules. Turn it off.”

He releases a groan, then looks at me. “Why can’t I watch it while I eat? All my friends get to.”

I take the tablet and close the cover, then set it on the kitchen counter. “Good for them. They aren’t my children, but you are, so I guess you gotta listen to my rules instead.” I flash him a wink, but he rolls his eyes with a grunt.

“No fair.”

He’s only ten, but some days, I swear he acts like a hormonal fifteen-year-old.

“Watch that tone.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He dives into his food, and I clear my throat to get his attention. “Where are your manners?” I sit across from him with my own plate.

“Thank you, Mom.”

“You’re welcome.” I smile as I take my first bite. “What would you like to do after?”

He shrugs, which is his usual go-to response. Owen’s an energetic kid, but he has his moments. Lately, hanging out with his friends and playing games on his tablet have become the most important things in his life.

“Wanna play one of your new games that Memaw and Papa got you?”

It was his birthday a few months ago, and my parents got him some board games that we’ve only played a couple times.

He shrugs again.

“What about Pay Day? See if you can beat me this time?” I tease.

I finally get a smile out of him. “Yeah right, but sure.”

We continue eating, and I make a mental list of things I want to do this afternoon. Besides laundry, I need to change our bedding, clean the kitchen and bathrooms, and tidy up before going to the new house. I’ll probably only get a few hours of work in this afternoon when my mom comes over and hangs out with Owen.

“Can we watch a movie?”

I glance at the clock and figure if we spend an hour playing a game and another hour and a half watching a movie, I’ll have time to switch the laundry over between.

“Sure, bud.”

He’s obsessed with Star Wars, so streaming the movies with Disney Plus has been a godsend.

Once we’re done, Owen takes our empty plates and places them into the dishwasher. That’s one of his chores, and I make sure he stays on it. Besides dishes, his other responsibilities include putting his clean clothes away and keeping his room tidy. It’s not always an easy task, but one warning about losing his tablet and he gets it done.