𝐃𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝

Chapter Forty-Three

B E L L A M Y

"What?" Noah snapped, the ladle he was using clattering on the kitchen counter before he appeared in the living room.

I turned up the volume, slowly lowering the remote when Noah sat down next to me, his eyes fixated on the TV.

"He..." Noah whispered, blinking rapidly when the news anchor moved on to another item. "Wyatt got arrested?"

I slowly nodded, turning to him.

The sound of the TV faded, and Noah looked at his lap with a frown. "I don't understand."

I moved to the floor, kneeling in front of him and grabbing his hands. He looked white as a sheet, but when he finally looked me in the eyes I saw hope.

"Let's sleep on it," I suggested, rubbing my thumbs over his palms.

As on queue, loud crying sounded from our bedroom, and the corners of Noah's mouth curled up. I let out a sigh, rising to my feet. "I guess someone's hungry."

Noah followed me to the hall, making his way to the kitchen as I went to grab Gray.

Maybe after dinner we could find out what exactly was going on with Noah's stepfather, and ease our minds a little bit.

—

Gray made sure we were up early the next day, and I felt completely exhausted because he woke us up twice in the middle of the night too. But, as soon as I saw his cute little face, everything was fine.

I fed and bathed him, gasping when he treated me with a tiny smile. If it were because he was passing gas or that he was genuinely happy to see me didn't matter, my little boy was smiling.

"Hmm, morning," Noah groaned as he rolled over in bed, grinning up at us when we walked into the room.

"You want to be with Daddy? Don't you, baby?" I cooed to Gray, shooting Noah a quick wink as I leaned over and handed him his son.

"But, I—" he tried, but I gave him and Gray a kiss on their forehead before I walked off.

It was finally time to take a shower by myself, and instead of treating myself with using an expensive body scrub and shower gel, I just stood under the water, listening to it clattering on the tiles.

The sound was peaceful, and I closed my eyes, letting out a content sigh. Finally a moment to myself.

I knew I didn't have long, so I decided to give my body a quick rinse with some flowery body wash before I stepped out.

"Bellamy," Noah said as I walked into the bedroom, pulling on a quick pair of leggings and a shirt. "What if..."

I smiled at the sight before me, watching Noah cradle Gray against his chest. "Hmm?"

"What if I made us some pancakes for breakfast?" he offered, chuckling at some babbling from Gray in his arms.

My face lit up and the sound of my stomach rumbling made Noah look up at me. "Please."

I took Gray from him and placed him on the bed, grabbing his favorite teddy bear to keep him entertained. Noah pulled on some sweats and left the room, leaving me behind with a very happy baby.