Chapter 177
Audrey’s POV:
Night, Thornton Estate.
“…and then the brave little star found his way back home to the night sky, where all the other stars welcomed him with twinkling lights.”
I closed the storybook, smiling at Noah’s wide–eyed fascination.
“Another one, please?” Noah pleaded, his small hands clutching at my
sleeve.
Despite the late hour, he was remarkably alert.
“It’s already past your bedtime, sweetheart,” I said, gently tucking the
blanket around him.
“You need your rest for tomorrow.”
Noah’s lower lip jutted out in a perfect pout.
“But I’m not tired. And I like when you read to me.”
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I couldn’t help but smile.
“Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?” he asked, his voice small
but hopeful. “Like this, every night?“,
My heart melted a little.
“Tonight, yes. But when you get bigger, it won’t be appropriate
anymore for me to stay in your room until you fall asleep.”
Noah’s eyebrows furrowed in concentration.
“Then I don’t want to get bigger,” he declared with absolute certainty.
“I’ll stay small forever.”
I laughed softly, stroking his hair.
“Everyone grows up eventually, Noah.”
The door creaked open, and Caspar appeared in the doorway, his tall
frame silhouetted against the hallway light.
He was still dressed in his work clothes, though he’d loosened his tie
and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt.
“Noah, you’re still awake?” Caspar’s voice was gentle but carried a
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hint of surprise.
Noah immediately wrapped his arms around me possessively.
“Audrey is reading me stories. She’s mine tonight,” he stated firmly,
eyeing his father with a territorial expression that nearly made me
laugh.
Caspar raised an eyebrow, his lips twitching.
“I see. But I need to borrow her for a few minutes. There’s something
important we need to discuss.”
Noah’s grip on me tightened. “No. She’s staying with me.”
I gently disentangled myself from his arms.
“I’ll be right back, Noah. I promise.”
Noah looked unconvinced. “How many minutes?”
“Just a few,” I assured him.
His small face scrunched up in thought.
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“Ten minutes,” he negotiated, sounding remarkably like his father
during a business deal.
“Not one minute more. I’ll be checking the clock.”
“Deal,” I agreed, trying not to smile at his seriousness.
I followed Caspar into the hallway, closing Noah’s door partially
behind me.
Caspar leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest.
“He’s becoming quite attached to you,” he observed. “At this rate,
you’ll never be able to leave the Thornton household.”
There was something in his tone–half joking, half… something else-
that made my pulse quicken.
“Did you need something?” I asked, deliberately changing the subject.
“Ethan Cole called. He’s invited us to see his new apartment in
Manhattan tomorrow afternoon.”
Caspar watched my reaction carefully.
I nodded, keeping my expression neutral.
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“We should go. Normal interaction.”
“There’s more,” Caspar added, his eyes never leaving my face.
“Robert and Sara Cole will be there as well.”
My stomach tightened.
Although I knew and accepted the fact that they were my biological parents, meeting them… that was an entirely different matter.
“I see,” I said quietly.
“We don’t have to go if you’re not ready,” Caspar offered. “I can make
excuses.”
I shook my head. “No. Running away won’t solve anything. I need to
face this.”
Caspar stepped closer, his expression softening.
“If at any point you feel uncomfortable, just give me a signal, and I’ll
get you out of there immediately.”
“Thank you,” I said, genuinely touched by his protectiveness.
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Caspar moved closer still, his gaze dropping to my lips.
My breath caught in my throat as he leaned in, but before our lips
could meet, Noah’s voice called out from his room.
“Audrey! It’s been nine minutes!”
Caspar closed his eyes briefly, frustration evident on his face.
“I need to arrange for him to visit Dorothy soon,” he muttered.
I stepped back, fighting a smile. “I should go back, I promised.”
I slipped back into Noah’s room, finding him sitting up in bed, eyes
fixed on his digital clock.
When he saw me, relief washed over his small face.
“You came back,” he said, as if he’d genuinely feared I wouldn’t.
“Of course I did. I promised, didn’t I?” I settled back beside him on the
bed. “Now, time to sleep.”
As Noah snuggled against me, gradually drifting off to sleep, I
couldn’t help but wonder what tomorrow would bring.
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Meeting the Coles–my biological parents–was a prospect that filled
me with equal parts curiosity and dread.
