All Chapters of Play Me Like You Mean It: Chapter 101 - Chapter 110

CHAPTER 102 – Secrets revealed The moment I got home, I tried to act normal. That was the funny part about motherhood. No matter how badly your world shook, your child still needed dinner, a bath, and bedtime stories like the universe hadn’t just flipped. I kicked off my heels by the door and let out a breath that felt like it had been trapped in my chest since Cade’s office. “Noah,” I called, forcing my voice to sound light. “Baby, I’m home.” His little feet padded into the hallway, and he threw himself at me with the kind of trust that always humbled me. “Mummy!” I scooped him up and kissed his cheek. “How was preschool?” He launched into a story that made almost no sense, his hands flying everywhere like he was narrating a blockbuster. Something about paint, a dinosaur, and his friend Jose annoying him. I laughed at the right places, nodded, asked questions like a good mother. And for those minutes, Cade Reeves didn’t exist. Emy, his nanny, had picked him up earlier. A c

When I left Romi’s room, Emy was just stepping out of Noah’s.She smiled softly. “He’s asleep.”“Of course he is,” I said quietly. “Romi doesn’t play. She exhausts him like it’s a sport.”Emy laughed under her breath, grabbed her bag, and said her goodnight. The door clicked shut a moment later, leaving the house wrapped in the kind of stillness that only comes after a long day.I walked into Noah’s room slowly.The nightlight cast a warm glow over his small body, curled under his dinosaur blanket. His lashes rested against his cheeks. His lips were slightly parted.I sat on the edge of the bed and just looked at him.And all I could see… was Cade.The shape of his jaw. The stubborn line of his brow. Even the way his fingers curled slightly when he slept.My chest tightened.How would he react when he realized he had a father?Would he bond with Cade automatically?And would Cade look at Noah the way he used to look at me, like I was something worth fighting for?What would our lives

The moment Noah asked that question, my brain went completely blank.I looked at Jesse.Then at Romi.Help me.Jesse reacted fast and handled it smoothly.“Oh,” he said lightly, reaching for his drink. “Cade is… an old friend of your grandma’s.”I blinked.Grandma’s friend?That was the best he could come up with?But Noah didn’t look suspicious. He just nodded slowly like that made sense.Then Jesse clapped his hands once.“First person to get to my room gets chocolate!”Noah gasped and shot out of his chair the second the words left Jesse’s mouth.They both took off at the same time. Footsteps thundered down the hallway.I released a breath so deep it felt like my lungs had been underwater.Romi didn’t smile.“You better get ready,” she said quietly. “With what just happened, I can tell time is running out.”“I know.”I rubbed my forehead.“What was he texting that got you so worked up?” she asked.I handed her my phone.She read through the messages. Her eyebrow lifted.“Oh,” she s

I slept through most of Sunday like my body was trying to recover from emotional whiplash. Saturday had been hijacked by Jesse’s gift mission and Cade’s unexpected restaurant appearance. My brain needed quiet.By the time I stepped out of my room, it was already noon.Romi was in the kitchen, hair tied up, laptop open on the counter, typing.“Alive?” she asked without looking up.“Barely,” I muttered, grabbing water.I could hear noises coming from Noah’s room, and I wondered what kind of mess was going on in there.I smiled.Before I could properly sit and gist with Romi, time did that annoying thing where it moved too fast.It was suddenly evening.Time to get ready for the party.I showered, calmly did my makeup, and fixed my hair. Chanel’s family were high society. I didn’t want to show up looking out of place.When I stepped out, Jesse still wasn’t ready.Which rarely happens. He’s usually the one waiting on me.I walked straight to his room and leaned against the doorframe.He w

The moment I stepped inside the house, Romi appeared like she had been waiting behind the wall.“Apparently,” she declared, hand on her hip, “your brother has been in his room all day sulking.”“Sucking?” I blinked.“SULKING,” she corrected. “Emy told me about his mood before she left. I tried talking to him. He insists he’s fine.”“And he’s not,” I concluded.“He’s anything but fine, Mira,” she said seriously. “Please go find a way to get him to talk. Whatever is bulging inside him needs to come out.”I nodded.All I wanted at that moment was a hot bath and unconsciousness. But I guess tonight I was playing big sister.I knocked once before entering Jesse’s room.The first thing that hit me was the music.One of those heartbreak songs Romi blasts around the house whenever she’s fighting with Max at the office.Jesse and I used to tease her mercilessly for it. If this situation wasn’t serious, I would have burst out laughing.Life really does come at you fast.He was lying flat on his