Chapter 185

Noah

As the Bowl drew closer, and with it the wedding, life started to feel like a countdown clock.

Every morning came with another practice, another press mention, another set of questions about my “future with the Harts.” I played the part — smiled when cameras were around, nodded when people talked about California, kept my answers short and professional.

The truth was, I barely slept. My head was a constant loop of game plays, flight times, tux fittings, and the quiet sound of Aiden’s voice in the back of my mind telling me breathe, baby boy.

That was the only thing keeping me steady.

I’d been doing my best to hold it together, focusing on the good — my family safe, Aiden’s plans for Oregon, our little future whispered in the dark. Everything else I pushed to the edges. Until William asked to meet.

He’d sounded unusually formal on the phone. “We need to go over the updates regarding your father,” he said. “It’s good news.”

I arrived at his office early. The place always smelled like cigars and money — too clean, too cold. He was standing by the window when I walked in, phone in one hand, that unnerving calm plastered on his face.

“Sit down, Noah,” he said, setting the phone aside. “There’s been progress.”

I waited, tense but silent.

“Your father can’t come near you or your family. Not legally, not physically. As you know, the court had already approved their emergency protective order. But based on what you forwarded me, my attorneys filed an extension immediately after—you’re now included in it. The non-contact clause is absolute. He cannot reach you, your mother, or your sister by phone, text, or through any intermediary. He’s already been notified of the extension.”

For a moment, I didn’t know what to say. The weight of that sentence sank slow and heavy in my chest.

He went on, adjusting his cufflinks like this was routine business. “He’s been careful in his messages. Never enough to qualify as blackmail—only references to what you ‘owe him.’ Which, technically, could be interpreted as a civil claim, not harassment. But, given the restraining order and his history, the judge agreed to a zero-contact mandate. Any attempt to reach you or them, even indirectly, will justify immediate arrest.”

I let out a slow breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “So… it’s really over?”

“For now,” he said smoothly. “As long as you follow instructions and forward anything you receive. If another message comes in, notify me immediately. Don’t delete anything. Don’t respond.”

When I left his office, the air outside felt sharper, cleaner, but I couldn’t shake the sense that every good thing from William came wrapped in barbed wire, but that was only the beginning, as I had already suspected, William never left anything half done.

Not a week had passed before William invited us all for dinner, calling it “a family evening of good news.”

The table gleamed—silver cutlery, crystal glasses, candlelight softening the marble edges of his perfection. I should’ve known better by now. But the second I saw my mother’s face, I couldn’t help the flicker of hope that rose in me.

William stood at the head of the table, one hand resting on Lexie’s shoulder, his tone warm, composed, rehearsed. “I thought it was time we all celebrated a victory of our own. Margaret, I believe you and Emily will appreciate this most.”

My mother’s fork froze halfway to her plate. “Victory?”

His smile never wavered. “My attorneys moved with precision. Your husband has been served and escorted from the property. The court has granted you temporary full custody of Emily and exclusive possession of the home.”

Her breath caught. “He’s out? Already?”

William nodded, taking a sip of his wine as though he hadn’t just reshaped our lives in a sentence. “Effective immediately. The final hearing is scheduled, but until then, the order stands. You and your family are under full protection. For your safety, I strongly advise remaining here in Texas until it’s finalized and everything calms down.”

Emily clapped her hands, grinning from ear to ear. “So that means we get to stay with Noah for a while? Until he’s, like, totally famous and playing with the big guys?”

Laughter rippled around the table. Even my mother smiled, though tears shimmered in her eyes.

“That’s the idea,” I said softly, squeezing her hand under the table.

Lexie, glowing beside William, leaned forward. “It’s perfect! We’ll all be together—finally one family. And now I’ll officially have a sister!”

Everyone laughed again, the sound light and full, like something worth believing in. I tried to smile, to let myself enjoy it. My mother deserved peace. Emily deserved joy. Lexie deserved honesty.

But as I looked around the table—at William’s proud posture, Lexie’s unguarded excitement, my mother’s shaky gratitude—I couldn’t shake the ache under my ribs.

I wanted to believe in happy endings.

He’d done what the law couldn’t. He’d given my family a house, protection, peace—but also power over all of it. Over us.

And every favor he handed me came with an invisible cost I hadn’t yet calculated.

Still, I told myself the same thing I’d been telling myself for weeks:

One step at a time.

We’d make it through the Bowl.

I’d get that contract, that bonus.

And when the time was right, I’d pay him back in full and walk away for good.

I just had to make it that far.

That night, after the Harts’ driver took my mother and Emily to their new home, I stayed behind for a while, talking with Lexie. She was glowing—happy, relieved, planning already our trip to California among a million other plans. When I finally rose to leave, I stopped by William’s study.

He was at his desk, papers in neat, surgical rows, the lamplight gilding his hair and the edge of his glasses.

“I just wanted to say thank you again,” I said from the doorway. “For everything you did. I can’t believe how fast you were able to take care of all this.”

He nodded once, not looking up from the document in front of him. “Of course, son. That’s the extent of my power.”

I started to turn, hand already on the doorframe, when his voice stopped me.

“…So, Noah?”

“Yes, Sir?”

“You should be very careful.”

The words landed like ice on my spine. When I looked back, he was watching me—no smile, no warmth, just a steady, unblinking warning.

Then he lowered his eyes again, pen moving across the page as though I’d already disappeared.

I stepped out of the room without another word, but the chill followed me. That was no generic warning. That was personal.

There was no doubt in my mind—William knew.

Or if he didn’t know exactly, he suspected.

He knew something was still happening between Aiden and me.

And that made this whole game more dangerous than ever, something that should’ve terrified me. Instead, it made my decision effortless.

I swung a leg over my bike, the engine roaring to life beneath me, and didn’t think twice about where I was going.

Straight to Aiden’s house.