Revenge After Divorce Novel by Black Rose

Chapter 228

NICK

I thought I knew what joy and happiness were, but then I heard my son defend me. He stood in front of me, protective and determined, insisting that I shouldn’t be sent away. A warmth spread through my chest, filling me in ways I’d never experienced before, making me feel more alive than I ever had.

So, this is what people meant when they talked about the joy of having kids. I’d been grinning like a fool since that guy left and made me angry.

“Did you find yourself a woman?” Ethan asked, raising an eyebrow. I frowned.

“What are you talking about?”

He took a sip of his beer, not breaking eye contact. “You’ve been smiling like an idiot, like you’re thinking about someone you love, someone who makes you happy. A woman.”

I laughed, shaking my head. Luke chuckled too, but then he added, “As much as you look ridiculous with that smile, I’d be glad if you found a woman.”

I laughed even harder. “Who said only a woman can make a man happy?”

They both stopped and turned to look at me at the same time, like I’d completely lost my mind.

“Nick Jones, are you sure you’re still a man? Would a man say something like that?” Luke said, looking utterly

confused.

He looked so funny saying it. Ethan wore a similar puzzled expression.

“Am I still your best friend?” Ethan asked, his voice slightly dramatic.

I shook my head, still smiling. “You are, and you always will be.”

Ethan sat up straight, suddenly more serious. “Then tell me, who is she? Where’s she from? How did you meet? I have to know everything about the woman making my best friend smile like that.”

I chuckled. “There’s no woman, truly. I’m just happy with the warm welcome I got when I arrived.” Then, I turned to Luke, my expression growing serious. “Thank you, Uncle. About Samuel… I don’t know why you did it, but my son always knew who I was because of you. I’m grateful for that.”

Luke waved me off, as if it was nothing. “I did it because I know what it feels like to be apart from your child. I couldn’t be with Olivia, and she didn’t even know I existed.I wanted your son to know about you, even when we weren’t there for him. I wanted him to understand that you love him, and you’ll be there for him when the time comes.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I wasn’t usually an emotional man but hearing that hit me harder than I expected. I hadn’t realized just how big–hearted Luke was. It was true what they said: never judge a book by its cover. Luke didn’t seem like much on the surface with the kind of work he did, but slowly, we were getting to know the man behind it all. A good man. noveldrama

“Oh my, are you going to cry now? I’m leaving!” Ethan teased, and we all laughed. I hadn’t felt this light–hearted in a long time.

“It’s good to be here,” I said, taking a sip of my drink. “But I can’t help but think of the hell Marcus is going through right now, and alone.”

We fell into a brief silence, sipping our drinks.

“Do you think they’ll be alright?” Ethan asked, breaking the quiet.

“I don’t know,” I answered, looking down at my drink. “He’s not me. She might give him a second chance.”

Luke nodded thoughtfully. “I think they’ll be just fine. Did you notice how she looked behind us when we arrived, like she was expecting him to be there?”

I hadn’t noticed that, but I did notice how radiant she looked. Even with the cast on her leg, she looked stunning in that dress. It reminded me of the first time we met.

“Nick?” Ethan called, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turned to look at him.

“Did you say something?” I asked.

He shook his head disapprovingly. “I know you, man. Don’t go there. Don’t even think about it.“.

I sighed, nodding. He was right. I shouldn’t. Olivia wasn’t mine anymore. I’d lost her, and it was time to stop thinking about her that way.

“So, what fun things can we do around here?” I asked, trying to shift the focus.

Both Luke and Ethan looked away.

“We can’t tell you that,” Luke said. “Since you came with the baby, you’ll be helping the women with that.”

I couldn’t believe Luke had just said that.

“Yeah, man, it’s the right thing to do,” Ethan added. “Besides, that baby makes me uncomfortable. I like babies, but that one doesn’t even look like a baby. She’s so small, it breaks my heart.”

Wow, so because they weren’t comfortable with it, I was supposed to pick up the slack?

“I’m so going to tell Marcus where we are so he can come take care of his daughter himself,” I said, deadpan.

They both snapped their heads toward me, wide–eyed.

“And I’ll tell Olivia it was one of you who did it,” I added, my grin growing as their

eyes widened even more.

Fools. They wanted all the fun while I played daddy to Marcus’s “rat.” No way.

“Come on, you already know what to do with her. I heard from the hospital how you and Marcus took shifts taking care of her. What’s so different now?”

Ethan nodded in agreement. “Besides, there’s no need to threaten us. This will give you more time with both kids, Samuel and the ‘rat,‘ as you call her. You get to be a dad, man. Embrace it.”

They both nodded, agreeing with each other as they stood up.

I didn’t know where they were going until I saw Olivia approaching. I stood and met her halfway.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I need help… with the baby,” she said, her voice soft but urgent.

Without waiting for her to say more, I led the way, and she followed closely behind me.

When we got to the room, Lupita was sitting there, watching the baby. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw she was alright.

“That doctor showed me how to feed her, but I’m scared. Can you help?” Olivia asked, and I was glad she did.

She sat down, and I–gently picked up the baby, placing her carefully in Olivia’s arms. I then took the bottle and showed her how to feed her. When the baby started sucking on the bottle, a smile spread across Olivia’s face.

In a way, we were both getting to experience what it was like to have a newborn. With Samuel, she had been in jail, and I hadn’t even known about him. This was our chance to experience everything we had missed with him, do-over. I was determined to make the most of it.

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