Page 44 of Prove Me Wrong (The Sunburnt Hearts #5)

Chapter Thirty-Four

NOAH

“ C ome on, Jade. Please eat your food.”

My head hangs with exhaustion as I lean over the bench, watching my daughter refuse to eat her dinner. I can’t tell if she’s sick, or if she can feel the pain riddling my own body, but it’s hurting me more that she’s refusing.

“It’s good, I promise,” I murmur, even though I hardly believe myself. I bring the spoonful to her mouth, only for her to push it away again, distaste evident on her innocent face.

Sighing, I put the spoon down, dropping into the seat beside her as Jade’s fingers attempt to undo the straps that hold her to the chair.

She at least hasn’t flipped over her plate, so that’s a start, but I am just waiting for the inevitable sound of plastic hitting the floorboards and food splattering.

I didn’t sleep last night, tossing and turning in my bed, unable to get Mia off my mind.

She’s become an addictive thought, a drug that’s cursed my mind to only think of her.

My mind was swirling until the sun peeked through the blinds and Jade stirred beside me.

I couldn’t lie alone, so at some point I carried my daughter into my bed and lay her down beside me, needing her with me as my waking dreams were consumed by grey eyes, long dark hair, and a timid smile I miss.

All day I’ve moved like a zombie, taking care of Jade, not myself.

I just can’t understand what is wrong with my parents, and why Mum would drive Mia away, making her think that she was nothing to me.

When I tried calling Mia, it went straight to her voicemail, and my messages aren't being delivered.

I’ve lost someone important to me, again, and now I don’t know if I'll ever get her back. She’s gone, and I couldn’t even say goodbye.

The thought presses down on my chest, making it harder to breathe.

I never said goodbye to Em, and that has haunted me for almost two years.

I’ve known Mia for three months, and she’s affected me in so many ways.

My bookshelf, the glasses, the laundry machine and Jade’s room all remind me of her.

Even my briefs… I hate that one because it feels too personal, but it’s true.

Lifting the spoon once more, I try to get Jade to eat something, just a few bites, but she’s in solidarity with me supposedly because she pushes it away, and I give up.

Groaning, I drop the spoon on the bench when my phone rings loudly.

I’ve had it on this whole time in case she calls so that I won’t miss her.

I dive for it in the hopes that it’s Mia calling to tell me that she’s coming home, only to pause as Tatum’s name shows on the screen, requesting a video call.

Sliding it to answer, I’m suddenly relieved when her strawberry blonde hair and green eyes fill my phone.

“Hi, Noah.”

“Hi, T,” I bounce back miserably.

She holds up a finger, silently asking me to wait, and I do. Nathan’s scruffy raven hair and dark eyes appear in the other corner. Despite wanting to be alone right now, I’m happy to be speaking with my best friends.

“Noah, are you watching the game?”

My head shakes as I carry Jade’s plate of untouched food to the sink and unclip her highchair straps. She holds up her little arms for me, and I skilfully pick her up with one arm and hold her on my hip. “Say hi, Jade.”

Both of them gush over her, raining compliments on my daughter as she shoves her hand into her mouth, concealing a smile before blabbering something to them that’s not English.

“I miss cuddling her.” Tatum pouts like a little kid, and I snicker.

Nathan pipes up, “I get to see her all the time, T. I hope that makes you jealous.”

“I hate you.”

He laughs. “No, you don’t.”

“How’s Sydney going, T?” I ask, changing the conversation as I carry Jade into the living room where a basketball game plays on the TV. I’m not really watching it, but there’s nothing else that’s interesting, and Nathan asked me to.

My friend shrugs a shoulder. “Look, it could be better, but I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

My brows pull together as Nathan blows out a breath, my eyes glued to his. “What’s happened?”

“She’s been seeing someone,” Nathan answers.

Tatum snaps back, “ Nathan .”

I feel a whisper of a smile on my lips. “Who?”

“Nobody,” Tatum answers shortly, but I think her frustration is more directed at the situation, and less at Nathan and me, who exchange a look.

“Someone you work with?” I question. Tatum is never secretive about the guys she sees, so it must be someone important, or someone she doesn’t want to talk about in front of me. “Wait, you knew, Nate?”

“Heck yeah. She told me. Well, more I coaxed it out of her.” He pumps his dark brows.

Tatum groans. “He tricked me into it.”

“Why didn’t you want me to know?”

Tatum sighs, sitting down on her couch. She folds her legs up, letting her loose tee fall lazily around her shoulders. With her hair tied up in a messy bun, I can tell she’s in her mood to relax. “You’ve been so busy, Noah. It’s not important.”

“Hey, anything that’s bothering my friends is important to me, you know that.”

Green eyes fill my screen, and I see the secrets lying within them, colouring them to the point that I want to know what she’s hiding.

She shrugs again, shadows lining her features. “We all have stuff going on.”

I sink back into my couch cushions, knowing exactly what she’s talking about. Nathan’s smile drops a little, and I can tell he’s thinking the same thing. “How’s your dad, Nate?”

His mouth twitches sideways, eyes dropping as he shakes his head. “Still waiting to know how bad his cancer is.”

My stomach twists, like someone has driven a knife through it, and the blade is grinding through my organs and bones. It makes me feel nauseous. “I’m sorry, man.”

“Do you need anything?” Tatum asks, her eyes heavy with moisture.

Nathan’s chest puffs, then exhales a short breath. “Nah. Just being strong for him and Ivy. Not much else I can do right now. ”

My mouth tightens when I feel Tatum’s gaze on me through the screen. “How about you, Noah? I heard you’re having a rough time.”

“Nate told you, didn’t he?” My tone is flatter than the horizon.

Tatum nods, and Nathan flicks me an apologetic smile. “Do you want to talk about it?”

No .

Rubbing my forehead viciously, my thoughts go back to school, when Tatum and Nathan saw how much pressure my parents pushed onto me.

They saw me break down in the hospital, only to have my own parents toss me aside like I was a failure for wanting to bring up my child.

The memory still makes my fingers curl, and my teeth mash together tightly.

“I hate them,” I let out savagely. I mean it, and they’d agree, too. “I just can’t believe that they’d meddle like that in my life. Mainly Mum. I don't think Dad had much of a choice in the matter.”

They’re both quiet for a few beats before agreeing.

“They haven’t been around for you since Jade. I can’t believe they are back now because of a loophole in your contract. Are they really that greedy?” Tatum questions.

“Yeah,” I let out hollowly. Jade moves off my lap to sit on her floor, playing with her toys at my feet. “I haven’t missed them, and I don’t think I will. You should have seen them. Neither of them even asked about Jade, or how I'm feeling. It’s just money and fame to them.”

“But you are so much better than them, Noah. You have made a life for yourself and your daughter. You don’t need them anymore.”

“Mum would disagree,” I grumble. “She drove Mia away, telling her that she’s not needed, because Mum assumed I’d agree to her ridiculous deal even though I yelled at her on the phone, and told her not to contact me again.

Now Mia’s gone and I don’t have a way to reach her.

I don’t know if she’s okay, where she is, if she misses me like I miss her.

..” I don't want to lose my composure in front of my friends. Although it wouldn’t be the first time and probably won’t be the last, either.

Tatum blows out a heavy breath. “I’m sorry, Noah. I know how much you like her, but this isn't your fault. It’s your parents.”

“Yeah, man,” Nathan chimes in grimly.

“But now she’s gone, and I don’t know if she’ll come back. Maybe it was too good to be true. Maybe I’m jinxed.”

“You’re not jinxed, Noah,” Tatum exasperates.

“First Em, now Mia. It’s not looking good. Even you have to agree with that.”

“Doesn’t mean you’re jinxed. What happened to Em was a very unfortunate accident, and Mia leaving wasn’t your fault.”

My head hangs between my shoulders as I force out thoughts of Mia’s soft lips, her rounded silver eyes, and the silkiness of her pale, freckled skin.

I'm missing her more than life itself right now. I have Jade, but Mia was becoming a part of me, and I offered it when I told her I loved her. I do love her, I meant it when I said it, and she knew. I could see it in her eyes. Something Mum told her must have made Mia run away, because there’s no other way.

She might not have said the words to me, but I saw it in her dilated pupils.

I felt it when I kissed her and touched her.

“I want her back,” I grumble out gently.

The line goes silent, and I pull it away to check that our call has disconnected. Tatum murmurs, “I know Mia is staying in Sydney.”

I sit up as the blood freezes in my veins. “Where exactly?” My tone sounds desperate, but internally, it’s reflecting how I truly feel. I’ve become reliant on her, and having Mia so far away has my internal fire burning as a meek single flame. “Wait, how do you know that? ”

My friend groans into the phone, and I know that sign. She’s about to share a secret with me.

“Fine, I’ll tell you, but this doesn’t leave this call, all right?”

I nod. “You know me, I'll take it to the grave.”

Staying quiet for a few seconds, Nathan grunts and blurts out, “She slept with Sinnett Baxter.”

“Hey!”

Nathan’s dark eyes widen. “You were going to tell him anyway.”

“Yeah, me. Not you,” Tatum grumbles, her green eyes rolling.

“What’s the difference?”

“It happened to me, not to you. It’s not your story to tell, Nate,” Tatum snaps.

I cut them both off once my mind makes the connection. “Wait, you slept with Sinnett Baxter? As in Mia’s twin brother?”

What are the odds that my best friend is seeing Mia's brother? Given the fact that she works for the same club, I would say highly, but it's still a crazy revelation.

“She’s been seeing him for months,” Nathan whispers, and I see the fire in her eyes.

“ Nate !”

Nathan shrugs it off, and Tatum pinches the bridge of her nose.

I blink at her. “Wait. Is he the one you didn’t want to tell me about?”

"Look, if what I know about Sin's relationship with Mia is true, I have no doubt she would be in Sydney with him. Call it intuition."

Swallowing, my fingers tingle with anticipation. “Where is she staying?”

Tatum's light brows pull together. “If I had to guess, their parents, but I don’t know the address. ”

My eyelids slam shut as I lean back on the couch. Teeth grinding, my pulse races as I try to settle my short breaths. She’s so close yet so far, and it’s starting to mess with my brain.

“What do you know, T?” Nathan asks, his eyes glued to something else, which I can only assume is the basketball game.

“Sinnett and I aren’t really on speaking terms, but I guess if you really want to find her, then I could give you his number,” Tatum offers.

I sit up once again.

I know I look desperate and needy right now, but I am. I’ve never been good at lying, and I won’t start now in front of my two best friends. “Please. I will do anything to find her, T.”

“All right.” She goes silent for a moment before a text comes through from her with a number. “Don’t abuse it, though, because I don’t want him to hate me for giving out his number without asking.”

“I’d never do that,” I murmur, adding his number to my list of contacts. “Why aren’t you speaking with him?”

Her lips twitch as she rubs the back of her neck. “It’s complicated.”

“Code for she’s not getting any…” Nathan chimes. I know if they were both in the room with me, they’d be fighting each other right in front of me.

Tatum groans out, “Shut it, Nate.”

He giggles before yelling something at the TV, and my eyes float up to see that they’ve called a foul.

“Look, I should probably leave you two to your game. I just wanted to check in with you.”

My mouth flicks up for a beat. “I appreciate it, T. And I hope it works out between you and Sinnett, whatever it might be. ”

“Yeah…” she breathes out before sniffing and plastering on a smile that’s too big to be real. “I’ll speak with you both soon. I have things to do before I sleep.”

“Night, T,” I murmur, holding the phone in front of Jade’s face. She takes the phone and mumbles something. Tatum calls out goodnight and hangs up, leaving Nathan and I on the phone. “Why didn’t you tell me about Sinnett and Tatum seeing each other?”

Nathan shrugs, returning his attention to the TV screen. “Not my secret to share, you know that.”

“Right.” I stifle a yawn. “Do you want to talk about your dad, Nate?”

He shakes his head again. I hate that he’s keeping most of this to himself, that he’s not opening up to me, but Nathan is sometimes a private guy.

Sure, he tells me in great detail about the girls he gets with, but something like this is real and raw.

I know it’s affecting him more than he’s letting on, but if he doesn't want to tell me, then I have to respect that .

“We don’t have to. How about we just watch the game together?”

“Yeah,” Nathan lets out, shuffling deeper into his couch. “I’d like that.”

Smiling, I pull Jade back onto my lap, wanting her warm snuggles as my mind trails back to Mia. She’s consuming my thoughts once again, but I want her to do more than that. I want her here with me again, beside me, smiling and tickling Jade, their giggles mixing, filling this now colder house.

“I’d like that, too,” I breathe, but I’m not talking to Nathan.