The Cherished Wife

"That's something to be happy about, isn't it? It shows how much your grandfathers really care about you!" Charles could tell Noelle was getting hung up on the negative, so he gave her hand a reassuring pat. "Noelle, trust me on this. Let's just act like this whole thing never happened, okay?"

"Why should I?" Noelle looked up, her eyes searching Charles's face for answers. "I'm not really a Shaw, am I? They took me in for whatever reason, but who are my real parents? Why did they leave me? I don't know anything about it. If I hadn't found out, maybe I could've lived my whole life without knowing, and maybe that would've been okay. But how can you expect me to just pretend I don't know now that I do? I can't do that!"

Noelle's stubborn streak was showing. Once she got an idea in her head, it was nearly impossible to stop her. She was the type to keep going until she hit a dead end. "Charles, I can't live my life not knowing the truth. You understand that, right?" Charles's expression grew somber. "You won't get Grandpa to spill the beans."

"I'll just ask Granddad, then. He's got to know. He wouldn't have been so nice to me all these years for no reason. Plus, I overheard Mom saying she had to adopt me before Granddad would give her something. That means I'm definitely his granddaughter, right?" Noelle blurted the words out, her voice tinged with hope. Charles brought the car to a halt and fixed her with a serious look. Noelle felt a wave of fear under his intense gaze. "Charles, you..."

"Do you really think Granddad will talk if Grandpa won't?" Charles shook his head. "You won't get a peep about it from them. Trust me. Let it go for now. You don't need to stress over this. You're so set on finding out, I'll look into it for you. Just give me some time, okay?" "Really?" Noelle eyed him warily. "You'd do that for me?"

But you've got to promise me you'll

"Fine, I'll drop it for now. I won't ask Granddad. But you have to promise to look into this. I have to know, no matter

if you might not

clouded with a touch of naivety, locking onto Charles's. She nodded

into a reassuring smile as he gently

frowns. Let's see that smile!"

smile, the

his head, pulling back his hand. "It's still early. I've got a special place in mind to take

furrowed in puzzlement. "What kind of place could we possibly go to when