Chapter 1

Noah Martin was one of the top physics instructors at Le Lierre Université. He was also the most attractive man there and most women swooned when they saw him. Noah's chiseled features, muscular body, and model smile made most women blush and their hearts beat faster. His medium length golden hair sparkled in the sunlight and the gold flecks in his emerald eyes caught fire. He spent just as much time fending women off as he did teach.

He was happily engaged to Olivia Wilson, a very talented designer for children's clothing and for clothing that fit the average woman. She had wanted to start a business that made clothes for women of all shapes and sizes. She prided herself on her collections and fashion shows with average sized models. Some were even mothers as well and their kids would model her outfits.

Noah sighed and ran his hand through his hair before he adjusted the collar on his pastel green button down. He always unbuttoned the top button and tucked his shirt into his slacks, usually dark grey or black. His belt buckle was rectangular and made of stainless steel. His dress shoes were always black to match his belt. He may not be a model anymore, but he still felt like he had to make his ensembles work together. He set his book bag down on his office desk and turned on his computer.

"Monsieur Martin?" A voice came through his door and Noah looked up from his lesson plan.

"Come in!" Noah called for them to enter and tapped the papers on the desk to level them.

The door slowly opened and a tall, thin, woman with strawberry-blonde hair walked in. Her black kitten heels rang out along the wood flooring, and she adjusted her black pencil skirt and flowy pink blouse. Her hair was up in a bun that was held in place with a pen and her make-up was natural looking with a pink lip gloss.

"I brought your coffee. How are you today?" She always spoke as if she was intruding, but she never was. Not to him.

He enjoyed their talks in the mornings. It always brightened his day and made it better. Plus, she always brought his coffee just the way he liked it. Two spoonsful of sugar and a splash of vanilla creamer.

"Thank you, Lea." Noah took the coffee from her and took a generous sip. "Perfect. I'm doing okay, stressed. I have so much grading to do, and I still am trying to perfect this lesson plan." He sighed and slid the stack of papers across the desk to her.

Her lips formed an 'o' and she sat down, smoothing her skirt beneath her. She touched the papers with her fingertips and looked it over. "Looks like you're headed in the right direction, Noah. What if... you add in some personal examples to try and relate it to the students. That way it may stick with them better." She smiled up at him and caught a hint of pink on his cheeks. "Just a thought." She blushed and passed the papers back to him.

"That's a great idea." Noah smiled and went to work editing them.

"So... you don't have class today. Are you really just here to edit your lesson plan and grade? I feel like you could have just done that from home." Lea prodded him for information. She was curious about everything in his life. He was the most wanted man at the college, and she wanted him too.

"Mm!" Noah set his coffee cup down and smiled as he looked over at a framed photo of Olivia with their daughter, Amelia. "Olivia gets busy with orders and designs, so I try to stay out of her hair. Plus, I'm so busy... and our daughter can be a bit much when she cries all the time... so it's easier to just work from my office rather than the one at home. If that makes sense."

"Well, you did just have a baby about three weeks ago, didn't you? That's how babies are. So, Olivia still isn't understanding how busy you are and why you can't help her?" Lea's expression became concerned. She felt bad for the man and wanted to be there to lift him up. Especially, if he wasn't getting what he needed from his fiancée.

"I would love... for my fiancée to understand why I can't help her with the things she needs. I help when I can... but it's hard when I'm drowning in essays, making tests, creating experiments, and meeting with my students. Then throw in my father needing me to sign certain papers for the Andre brand because he wants me to take it over when he is no longer alive. Then throw in bills and student loans... car payments... and Amelia." Noah sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger.

"Well, I'm sure she has her own things too. Like sketching up new designs, making patterns, making dinner, cleaning the apartment, and taking care of little Amelia. Sounds like there's a lot on her plate too." Lea tried to offer some understanding on both sides, even if she always sided with him.

"I know she has her reservations too, but I can't always model her prototypes like she wants me to. And when I don't... she gets mad at me like it's my fault that I'm trying to keep a roof over our heads." Noah sighed and took his coffee up again, bringing it to his lips. "I want to be there for her... but at the same time... I can't be. Not all the time and I need her to understand that."

"Well... have you tried talking to her?" Lea raised an eyebrow at him. It seemed too simple to her. They could just talk it out. It made logical sense in her mind. She set her hands on his desk and waited for his answer.

He rubbed the back of his neck and tapped the desk with his fingers. "Well, there lies the problem. We don't work the same schedule. So, when I'm free... she's not and when she's free... I'm not. Our schedules don't match up. I feel like my father. He never had time for me, and I fear I'm doing the same to her and our daughter." Noah sighed and gripped his soft hair in his hand.

Lea smiled and touched his chin, bringing his gaze up to hers. "Well, what is she doing right now?"

"Watching Amelia so I could get what I needed to done." Noah peered into her green eyes.

"Well... sounds like you could have stayed home after all and talked to her." Lea shook her head with a giggle. "So, why are you really here?" Her gaze became glassy as a pink hue came to her cheeks.

"Um..." Noah swallowed hard, getting lost in her eyes. He shook it off and pulled away from her hand. "Avoiding it." He gave in with a sigh and sat back with his legs spread wide.

"That's what I thought." Lea got up from the chair and walked to his door. "Just go home and talk to her, Noah. Maybe she feels the same."

Noah worried his bottom lip and groaned. He picked up the framed photo and looked it over. He made an irritated sound and gathered his paperwork up and stuffed them into his book bag, making his way out of his office and to his car.