All the Little Things

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jamie's heart stops as he joins the rest of his family in the living room. He has a sneaking suspicion of who is on the other side of that door, the one that has caused everyone in the room to fall silent.

Swallowing heavily, Jamie walks over to Noelle, who is the only one making noise. She bounces in her little chair, chewing on her hand while mumbling to herself. She smiles up at Jamie as he bends over to pick her up, but even the weight of her in his arms is not comforting. Another threat to his family dynamic is waiting outside his home, and all Jamie wants to do is carry Noelle away, where no one can take her away from him.

But he can't do that.

He has to face the chaotic music.

"Becca," his boyfriend says, his voice coming out steady, the exact opposite of how Jamie is feeling. "What is going on?"

Maris grabs her wife's hand, whispering something in her ear. After pressing a comforting hand on Luca's arm, Maris leads her wife out of the room. Jamie doesn't bother to watch them leave, too scared to take his eyes away from the scene in front of him, but he hears the backdoor open and close. They are leaving them alone. Privacy, he guesses. But that is the exact opposite of what he wants.

"Can I come in?" Becca says. "I don't think this is a conversation we should have out here in the open."

Luca doesn't say anything for a couple of seconds, a moment's hesitation, before he steps aside. Becca comes into the house, the door closing behind her.

Immediately, her eyes land on him. "Hello, Jamie."

"Becca." The word comes out steady but rushed.

The woman's eyes flick over to Noelle, an emotion that Jamie can't recognize flickering over her face before she turns away from them.

"Shall we sit?"

She is too comfortable in their home for Jamie's liking. It is obvious that this place used to be her home, and he cannot stand it. Everything she touches Jamie wants to be rid of. He doesn't want any trace of this woman in his home. Jealousy is building up inside Jamie, but he can't hold it back. This is the woman who had everything that Jamie has ever wanted, and she threw it all away. He doesn't resent the woman, but that doesn't mean that he likes her either.

She takes a seat on the couch, and Luca being the closest, automatically sits down on the other end of the piece of furniture, leaving Jamie to sit across from them. Already, he doesn't like where this is headed.

"My parents called me about a week ago." She sits still, always so calm and collected. "They want me to testify for them."

The room falls silent. Becca doesn't betray any emotions, leaving it up to them to decipher what she is trying to say. Jamie looks at Luca. Betrayal is all over his face, lips pinched tight, as well as his brows. Jamie steps in, knowing that Luca will just continue holding back.

"Are you going to?"

Becca's eyes flit over to him. Jamie had always thought that Noelle looked like Luca, except for her curly brown hair, which she definitely got from her mother. But, with Becca sitting here in front of him, it is impossible to deny their relation. They share the same eye shape, the doe-eyed innocent look. Staring at her, and seeing the similarities between the little girl he considers to be his own daughter makes him catch his breath, arms tightening around Noelle.

"They never were excellent parents, you know." She pauses looking over at Noelle, who has exchanged chewing on her fingers for trying to get her toes into her mouth. "Always dictating my every move. Put into boarding school as soon as I was out of kindergarten." Her lips purse. "I- I don't want that for her."