Time Will Tell

I stare out the window, drinking my mocha macchiato. I’m in such a haze this morning. Gracie is on the floor acting like she’s never seen a stuffed animal before and I’m curled up on Noah’s couch typing a paper for my English class. Noah is in the shower and his mom is in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Gracie fumbles over to the couch and holds her arms up to me. I reach down and grab her, pulling her into my lap and wrapping my arms around her, resting my chin on top of her head and staring blankly at the computer.

She starts hitting keys with her little baby fingers and giggling. I smile and kiss her cheek.

“You can tell her to stop, you know?” Ms. Roberts says to me, leaning against the door of the kitchen.

“I know,” I sigh. “But she’s getting more done than me.”

She laughs. “Paper troubles?”

“Yep,” I groan, saving what I’ve got so far and closing my lap top.

Someone knocks on the door before Ms. Roberts can say anything else and she goes to answer the door.

“What the hell are you doing here?!” I hear her exclaim.

“Noah!” a voice calls, aggravated.

“Oh, no you don’t!” Ms. Roberts protests. “You aren’t stepping one foot in this apartment!”

“NOAH!” the voice calls again.

Grace covers her ears with her hands and hides her face in my shoulder. I wrap my arms around her and stand up, taking her into the kitchen.

“What the fuck?” I hear Noah shout.

“Where’s my baby, Noah James Roberts? Where the hell is she?” the voice screams. Celeste.

Gracie is about to cry so I sit her on the counter and look into her eyes. “Shh, baby,” I whisper. “It’s okay.”

I kiss her forehead and smile brightly at her.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing here? You aren’t about to take away my baby!”

“Who’re you whoring around with, Noah? She is not going to be spending time with her. Grace is mine, not hers!”

“You left!” Noah shouts, exasperated. “You didn’t want her! So what does it even matter if my girlfriend spends time with her? She loves the child you didn’t want to waste time on!”

“Who is she? Regan Forester or whoever, who the hell is she Noah, and why is she spending time with my baby?!”

“Teagan Foster,” he corrects. “is my girlfriend and I care about her, and she cares about me and Grace, so that’s why she’s spending time with MY baby. Now, I’d really appreciate it if you’d leave.”

“This is far from over Noah!” she warns and then a few seconds later the front door slams.

That’s when Gracie decides to cry, her little fists clenching and her face turning red and her eyes scrunching up.

I frown at her and pull her to me. She wraps her arms around my neck and cries all over my cheek.

The kitchen door swings open and Noah walks in. He’s really tense, but his eyes are full of concern.

Grace turns a little and holds out an arm to him. He smiles sadly and goes to take her away from me but she won’t let go of my neck. Noah chuckles a little and pulls me to him, Gracie in between us, her arms now around both of our necks.

Noah kisses her forehead and then my cheek. I smile up at him softly.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

He nods at me. “I’m fine.”

I frown at him. “Don’t lie.”

He shakes his head slowly side to side, his eyes closed. He’s hurting right now, therefor I’m hurting right now. “What if she takes her away from me?” he asks like he’s about to cry.

I cuddle up closer to him and kiss his neck. “She can’t,” I say softly, though I’m not entirely true. “You’re all she knows, and she’s happy and well taken care of – no one would let her take Grace away.”

He presses his cheek against mine. “You mean so much to me, Teagan,” he whispers into my ear. “You and Grace… you’re all I have.”

Someone clears their throat and Ms. Roberts stands there staring at us with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, and you too, mom,” Noah says with a sheepish grin on his lips.

“That’s more like it,” she smiles. “You have nothing to worry about, honey, Celeste is all talk. Now, get out of my kitchen, I have dinner to fix.”