E is let them try. I own controlling interest in this company. The board advises they don’t rule. Victoria crossed her arms. I’m done apologizing for choosing someone good just because it’s inconvenient for other people. Noah felt warmth spread through his chest. Someone good, huh? Don’t let it go to your head.
Too late. Victoria smiled despite herself. We’re really doing this. Making it official. dealing with whatever comes. Yeah, we’re really doing this. What came was intense and exhausting and sometimes wonderful. The media attention was worse than Noah had anticipated. Photographers camped outside his apartment until the landlord complained and Noah had to temporarily move himself and Emma into Victoria’s house.
Emma thought it was an adventure. Noah felt like his privacy was being violated on a daily basis. Online, people had opinions about everything. his relationship with Victoria, his qualifications, whether he was a good father, whether Victoria was making good choices, whether their relationship was appropriate given the age gap.
Victoria was four years older, apparently scandalous, and the power dynamic. The foundation came under scrutiny, too. Journalists dug into every grant decision, every family helped, looking for evidence of favoritism or mismanagement. They found nothing because Noah ran the foundation with meticulous care, but the investigation itself was exhausting.
Patricia, the case manager, found Noah in his office late one night looking defeated. They’re trying to break you, she observed. It’s working. No, it’s not. You’re still here, still fighting. Patricia sat down across from him. You know what I see when I look at our program statistics? 300 families stabilized.
200 kids who didn’t have to change schools midyear. 50 parents who found jobs that actually pay living wages. That’s what matters, not what some blogger thinks about your dating life. It’s hard to remember that when they’re tearing everything apart looking for scandal. That’s because there’s no real scandal, so they’re inventing one.
Patricia’s voice was firm. You’re doing good work, Noah. Don’t let them convince you otherwise. That night, Noah went home, Victoria’s home, which still didn’t quite feel like his, even though he’d been living there for a month, and found Victoria feeding Lucas while Emma did homework at the kitchen table.
It looked domestic and normal and completely surreal. “How was your day?” Victoria asked. “Long yours.” Lucas spit up on three different outfits, and I had a conference call with Tokyo at 3:00 a.m., but other than that, pretty standard. She adjusted Lucas in her arms. Claire’s threatening to resign if I don’t start sleeping more than 4 hours a night. She has a point.
So do I. The company doesn’t run itself. You have people for that. I am people. Emma looked up from her homework. You guys sound like an old married couple. It’s weird. How would you know what an old married couple sounds like? Noah asked. Mrs. Chen and her husband. They argue about everything, but you can tell they like each other.
Emma went back to her math problems. You and Victoria do the same thing. Noah and Victoria exchanged glances. When did she get so observant? Victoria asked. I ask myself that every day. They settled into a routine that was chaotic but functional. Noah handled morning drop off for Emma while Victoria did the early feeding with Lucas.
They’d both head to the office around 9:00, Victoria bringing Lucas because she was still nursing and work until early afternoon. Then Noah would handle the foundation work while Victoria dealt with corporate business from home. Evenings were family time, and that word family started feeling less strange the more they used it.
Emma took her role as big sister seriously, insisting on helping with everything from bath time to picking out Lucas’s clothes. Victoria watched them together with an expression that made Noah’s chest tight. “She’s so good with him,” Victoria said one evening while Emma sang off key lullabibis to a drowsy Lucas. “She’s had practice.
Sarah used to let her help with the neighbors kids. I never had siblings. Never really had friends growing up. Seeing Emma just naturally know how to be kind and patient. Victoria’s voice caught. I want Lucas to have that, to grow up knowing how to care about people. He will. Emma will teach him. And you and me.
Victoria leaned against Noah’s shoulder. We’re really doing this, aren’t it? Building a family. Looks like it. I’m terrified I’m going to screw it up. H. >> Noah kissed the top of her head. Welcome to parenthood. The terror never goes away. You just get better at functioning despite it. 3 months after Lucas was born, the foundation held its first impact review.
The board gathered to examine what they’d accomplished in the first year and whether the programs were actually making a difference. Noah had prepared for weeks, compiling data and case studies and testimonials from families they’d helped. He stood at the front of the conference room with his presentation ready and his stomach churning.
