Ex-Husband's Regret (Ava and Rowan) novel Chapter 576

Noah

The hum of the car blends with Nolan’s off-key singing from the backseat, a tune I couldn’t place but one he’s singing with so much conviction I didn’t have the heart to stop him.

Beside him, Nova is trying to braid her doll’s hair while instructing her brother, rather loudly, that he's singing it wrong.

“It’s la-la-la, not na-na-na, Nolan,” she insists, her tone carrying all the authority of a five-year-old who believes she’s queen of the world.

He rolls his eyes but keeps singing, and louder this time. “You’re wrong, Nova. I’m the big brother. I know everything.”

“You’re only eight minutes older,” she shoots back.

I chuckle under my breath, glancing at them in the rearview mirror.

“Dad, when can we go to the toy store again and buy a new set of Legos?” Nolan asks, eyes bright in the rearview mirror.

“When you finish the one you already have,” I reply, one corner of his mouth lifting.

“But I already finished it,” Nolan protests.

There is no denying that the twins are mine. They have that stubborn streak that runs in the Wood family. Once they set their mind on something, they stubbornly go after it.

“You finished building it,” Nova chimes in without looking up. “But then you made it a spaceship and broke it.”

I chuckle as Nolan groans in defeat.

These were the moments I live for—simple, unfiltered and filled with the kind of warmth nothing else could buy.

They never fail to make my day. No matter what happens, coming home to them? Watching them? Loving them? Always has a way of easing the heaviness in my heart and lighting the darkness that has surrounded me since Chloe died.

We pull into my parents’ driveway, the familiar sight of the big house instantly easing the knots in my shoulders.

Fridays meant dinner. It’s been a tradition since I can remember. It doesn’t matter what you are doing or where you are, Friday dinners are a must.

Chloe used to love them because Mom always taught her new recipes, plus she got to bond with everyone. While I would drag my feet and insist on arriving later, she always wanted to arrive earlier. I used to grumble about it but now I miss those moments. Now, I’d even arrive three hours earlier if it meant she got to stay with me.

Before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt, Nolan and Nova were already scrambling out, racing up the porch steps. Their laughter echoed through the front hall before the door even closed behind them.

“Grandma! Grandpa!” I hear them shout for their grandparents.

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