Page 20 of Rock the Cradle of Love
“Yeah. Noah, if you do this, it’s going to go public. Whether it’s going to be a big story or a little story, I have no idea. But you’d probably better give your PR and HR teams a heads up.”
“Yeah, Coach mentioned that.”
“Have you done it?”
He nods and takes a drink of water.
“Honey…” She sits back and gives him hard look. “Are you sure about this? Being a single parent isn’t easy.”
She speaks from experience, having been artificially inseminated and raising him on her own.
“I know, Mom, I do. But you and I both know that me finding someone to spend my life with is going to be difficult enough.” Except of course, he’s got Taylor now, whom he needs to mention at some point. “Trying to have kids will be a definite challenge, and this might be the only chance I’ll have.”
“So many actors are adopting kids, you know. I don’t think it’s going to be as difficult as you think.”
“Maybe not, but look, Julia needs to not be a mom, Emma needs a home, and I want a family.”
“Plenty of families would take Emma.”
“Mom—why are you trying so hard to talk me out of this? You’re the one who taught me to work hard and go after my dreams. You’re the one who taught me to never give up. You’re the one who taught me to always help others if I had the power to do so.”
She sighs and fights a smile. “I did, didn’t I? It’s just…you’re so young. And single. And that baby needs a mother.”
Noah’s eyebrows go up. Now it’s his turn to be surprised. “Why? Why does she need a mother specifically?”
“Well, because.” Mom shrugs. “She just does.”
“That’s not a good enough answer, Mom. I understand that studies show that stable two-parent homes are ideal, but the world just doesn’t work that way. I mean, you chose to have a kid at thirty-three without the benefit of marriage or even a special man in your life.
“No one questioned that because you’re an educated woman, and you were able to provide for me. And I’m not complaining about our life at all. I’m not. There were plenty of men at the college and in my life as coaches and the dads of my teammates. And of course Steve. But I want to know why you think my daughter needs a mom over a dad—over me—who you know is going to love her and dote on her and give her everything she could possibly need. Why, Mom?”
Mom’s eyes get watery and then she’s blinking away the tears. “You’re right, baby. I’m sorry. I grew up in a time that was biased toward motherhood, and fathers weren’t as hands on. You’ll be a great dad.”
“I am a great dad, actually.” He can’t help the smile. “We’ve bonded and things are going really well finally.”
“Finally?” One of Mom’s eyebrows arches.
“The first three days were tough, I’ll admit. Emma cried a lot and I was so exhausted from the end of the season, I was barely keeping up with it all. Luckily, Taylor showed up and took care of Emma and me both.”
“Well, thank him for me.”
“I will.” And now that Taylor’s been brought into the conversation, Noah needs to segue into the fact that they’re seeing each other.
“So tell me about Emma then,” his mother says. “I assume you’re taking pictures?”
“Of course.”
“Let me see her—this granddaughter-to-be of mine.”
He finds his pictures and hands his phone over. His motheroohsandaahsover his baby girl, swiping through images. It’s not until her eyebrows draw together, that Noah’s stomach starts churning. He’s not sure what picture she’s seeing right now, but it’s one with Taylor, no doubt.
Which is good. It’s the opening he needs.
His mother turns the phone toward him.
“Excuse me—aren’t you Noah Drinkwater?” asks a young boy. There’s a teenaged girl behind him. They’re both smiling widely.
His mother sets his phone facedown on the table.
