Chapter 4 - Nobody Gets to Buy a Family
Ethan Caldwell did not demand Noah immediately.
That surprised everyone.
He sat across from Emma in a hospital conference room.
“No lawyers,” Emma said.
Ethan looked toward his attorneys.
“Leave.”
They did.
William remained.
Emma pointed at him.
“He stays.”
Ethan nodded.
“All right.”
Noah sat in Emma’s lap.
Ethan could barely take his eyes off him.
“What was his first word?”
Emma frowned.
“He’s six months old.”
“Right.”
William almost smiled.
Ethan rubbed his face.
“I don’t know anything about babies.”
“I noticed,” Emma said.
Ethan laughed once.
Then his expression became serious.
“His mother’s name is Rachel Wilson.”
Emma nodded.
“She left?”
“Yes.”
Ethan looked devastated.
“We were together briefly. Then she disappeared. She never told me she was pregnant.”
Emma studied him.
“Why should I believe you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
That answer surprised her.
Ethan continued.
“You should watch what I do next.”
William recognized the words.
Almost the same promise he had made Emma.
“What do you want?” Emma asked.
“To know my son.”
“And then?”
“To take responsibility.”
Emma’s arms tightened.
Ethan noticed.
“I’m not taking him from you today.”
“Or tomorrow?”
“I don’t know what happens tomorrow.”
“That means yes.”
“It means I refuse to lie to you.”
Emma looked at William.
“Tell him Noah needs us.”
William nodded.
“He does.”
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“And who are you exactly?”
“William Parker.”
“I know your name. I’m asking why you’re involved.”
William looked at Emma.
“I’m still figuring that out.”
Later that afternoon, Martha woke.
Emma rushed into her room.
“Grandma!”
Martha smiled weakly.
“There’s my girl.”
Then she noticed William.
“You’re still here?”
“So everyone keeps pointing out.”
Emma climbed carefully beside her.
“We found Noah’s father.”
Martha’s smile disappeared.
“What?”
Emma explained.
Martha listened silently.
When she finished, Martha looked at William.
“Will he take Noah?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can he?”
“Potentially.”
Emma’s face crumpled.
Martha reached for her hand.
“Listen to me. Loving someone doesn’t mean owning them.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
Emma looked toward Noah.
Martha continued.
“If his father is a good man, Noah deserves to know him.”
“What if he forgets us?”
“He won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because babies may forget rooms. They may forget blankets. But children learn love from the people who give it.”
Emma wiped her cheek angrily.
William looked away to give her privacy.
Then Martha addressed him.
“And you.”
William turned.
“Yes?”
“You came for lunch yesterday and somehow ended up inside our entire disaster.”
“That’s one interpretation.”
“What happens when you go back to your real life?”
Emma looked at him.
William suddenly realized he had no answer.
His penthouse.
His company.
His meetings.
His empty dining table.
For years, that had been his real life.
Now the phrase sounded strangely inaccurate.
“I don’t know.”
Martha nodded.
“Figure it out before she starts depending on you.”
That night, William stood alone outside the hospital.
Daniel joined him.
“The board wants you tomorrow.”
“Reschedule.”
“They’re already angry.”
“They’ll survive.”
Daniel studied him.
“What are you doing, Will?”
William looked through the glass doors.
Emma was inside, bouncing Noah gently while Ethan awkwardly tried to prepare a bottle.
“I think I’m finally handling something that matters.”
His phone rang.
It was his investigator.
William answered.
“Yes?”
The investigator spoke for thirty seconds.
William’s expression darkened.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“What is it?” Daniel asked.
William ended the call.
“The man who stole Martha’s pension wasn’t random.”
“Then who was he?”
“Someone had been targeting elderly tenants in her building.”
“Why?”
William looked up.
“Because someone wants that building emptied.”
Daniel went silent.
Then he understood.
“Who owns it?”
May you like
William’s jaw tightened.
“We do.”
