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

“We’re wrapping up for the day,” Tyler tells me just before five. “Wanna get a beer?”

I grab a towel and wipe off my hands. “I’d rather not go to a bar tonight, but thanks for the invitation.”

“I understand. Come over to the cottage then. Gemma’s been texting me for the past two hours about how good it smells. She made pot roast.”

Chuckling, I nod. “Alright, sure, thanks.”

“I’ll lock up, and we’ll get outta here. Smith, you ready?”

“Ready, boss.”

The three of us head outside, and I watch as Tyler locks the door.

“Stop beating yourself up, man,” Tyler says as he catches me looking at the boarded-up window. “I already called insurance, and a new window will be installed tomorrow, along with security cameras.”

I nod and hope this is the only incident I have to deal with, but a part of me thinks that’s too good to be true. For some reason, this feels like a warning shot.

Chapter Nine

KATIE

“Hey, buddy…” I tap my knuckles against Owen’s door. “Dinner’s ready.”

“Okay. Be right there, Mom.”

“I think you need to clean this room…” I say, glancing around at the Lego pieces and other random toys on the floor.

He furrows his brows. “It is.”

I snort, then pick up a piece of clothing. “Oh, is the floor your new hamper?”

His face turns red as he takes the dirty underwear from my hand and tosses it into his basket. I turn as Owen follows me to the kitchen.

Since it’s Friday, I’d usually be at the other house working for a couple of hours, but I couldn’t get a sitter, and after the long week I’ve had, I was content with staying in with Owen.

“So, tell me about school today. Anything fun happen?”

“No, school’s boring.” He groans as he twirls the spaghetti around his fork.

“Even recess and lunch?” I tease.

“No, those are fun.”

“So…” I linger, trying to ease into the conversation naturally. “Do you play with Anthony during recess?”

The image of Brittany all over Noah hasn’t left my mind, and even though it shouldn’t bother me, I’m annoyed by how much it does. I may be mad as hell at him, but I still care.

“Yeah, we play sometimes. We have to sit alphabetically at the lunch table, so he’s kinda across from me.”

“Ohh gotcha.”

“He doesn’t have a daddy, like me,” he blurts out, and I’m taken off guard.

“You guys have talked about that?” I ask, shocked.

“Just a little. We had a class project where we had to make a family tree.”

I furrow my brows because I had no idea about this. “Why didn’t you tell me, Owen?”

He shrugs, gazing down at his plate instead of at me. “I don’t know.”

I’ve talked to him about Gabe his whole life but haven’t told him everything about the night he died. I don’t want him to feel any of the resentment and anger I have, so I try to only talk about the good memories I shared with his dad.

“You know we can talk about your daddy anytime you want,” I say. “I know he’d be here if he could, baby.”

He wasn’t always a great husband, but I have no doubt he would’ve made an amazing father. He was always good with kids.

“I know.”

Owen doesn’t bring it up again while we eat, and once we’re finished, I serve ice cream for dessert. He talks about his favorite game, Roblox, and shows me all the cool things he’s built on the iPad. I love that it encourages him to be creative, though I don’t really understand it, honestly. But it has opened a dialogue for online safety and strangers on the internet.

I spend the rest of the evening relaxing on the couch with a glass of wine as I scroll through Pinterest. I love looking for inspiration and have several boards and pins of house ideas. I’m not the best decorator, so I’ve been saving things for when it’s time to finally get furniture and décor.

“Alright, baby. It’s time for bed. Get jammies on and brush your teeth, please,” I tell him at nine. I let him stay up an extra half hour on the weekends.

He slowly walks down the hallway with the iPad in his face, and I chuckle when he nearly runs into the wall. “Turn it off, Owen. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

“I will!”

If I had a dollar for every time he said those words, I’d have enough to retire.

I clean up the living room and kitchen while I wait for him to get ready for bed. My mom’s going to watch Owen tomorrow so I can get an early start at the house.

Once I’m done, I head to Owen’s room and tuck him in. “Love you, sleep tight.” I kiss his cheeks.

“Night, Mom. Love you too.”

I slide my hand underneath his pillow and grab the iPad. “Nice try.”

He groans as he rolls over and closes his eyes.