Chapter 39 Noah
Noah
“Yeah, I’ve got it all.” I say into the speaker on my phone. The same phone that Brad got for me. I grip the phone tightly in my hand.
Fuck, does everything have to remind me of him!?
Ever since the fair last night, I’ve been second guessing everything. I begged him to open up—and when he finally did, I still walked away.
The amount of times I replay that final moment, I can’t help but feel like I chose wrong, yet again. Why do I keep doing that?
“Did you remember your tent?” Dakota laughs.
“Hardy har, har. Very funny,” I say sarcastically, rolling my eyes. I really shouldn’t have told her all the details about how Brad and I got together. “Yeah, I got my tent.”
I’m leaving for the weekend to camp up north with Dakota, her cousin Jodie, and their friends. They were nice enough to invite me, and honestly, getting further away doesn’t feel so bad right now.
Not when every single second makes me miss Brad. And Paislee.
Although, driving down the street in my old car feels nice.
It’s good to finally have some freedom again after using my mom’s car and depending on Brad to get everywhere.
I’ve missed having my own set of wheels.
All those extra shifts at the bar really helped me save up quickly to get my car out of storage and tuned up.
My manager was kind enough to give me the month off for… personal reasons. I just need to figure out where I’m living when I get back from camping. Returning to that house would just be…too hard.
Huh, it’s funny, really.
Broke, bruised, and broken-hearted.
I really came full circle.
“Yo! You still there?” Dakota says into the speaker, snapping me out of my day dream.
“Yeah, sorry. I—” That’s when something red snags my attention.
I’m driving a little out of town, and it only hits me now that this is where Brad’s main office space, Stone & Creek, is.
But, I know my mom's red hot Honda Civic anywhere, and that’s it.
Which is confusing since it’s Friday, which means she’d usually be at home with Paislee while Brad is at work at the new lot. So why would her car be here?
Questions zip in and out of my mind as I try and piece it together but nothing makes sense.
“Sorry, can I call you back? I think I just saw something.”
“Yeah, for sure.”
I end the call, and turn into the office parking lot.
I’ve only been here a couple times with Brad, but it was typically to stop by quickly, report to Kev and be on the way out.
I park beside my mom's car and make my way inside the building. I’m not sure why…I just feel an overwhelming need to follow my intuition.
Something’s weird.
I can feel it the moment I enter the office space. Something feels off in the type of way that I feel when I watch scary horror movies.
Opening the front door, I pass through the frosted glass foyer and head toward the front desk.
My eyebrows shoot up, as soon as I see Rebecca, the young front desk girl, sitting on the ground on a play mat with Paislee. Why would she be watching my little sister?
“Oh, hi Noah!” Rebecca offers a nervous, too-wide smile.
“Hey.” I don’t hide my confusion. I crouch down and tickle Paislee on the cheek as she crawls on her little blanket, gnawing on her favorite teething ring.
“My mom here?” I ask her.
Rebecca's mouth opens and shuts, gaze flicking toward the hallway. “Yeah, she’s in Kevin’s office.” Her voice is small, like she’s hoping I’ll just go and stop asking questions.
Swallowing deeply, I stand up and start heading towards the back. A mixture of emotions storm my gut but I push through it.
Rebecca makes no move towards stopping me which tells me everything I need to know.
Marching my way back there, I follow the sounds of faint giggling and a low voice.
I swing open the door labeled Kevin Johnson, stopping dead in my tracks at the sight inside.
I wish I could say I was surprised.
I wish I could say that I never saw it coming or it was the first time ever catching my own mother with another man's head between her legs. But, unfortunately, I can’t.
Unfortunately, she no longer can surprise me.
“Oh my God! Noah!” she gasps, quickly squeezing her legs together.
“Ouch!” Kevin winces, being suffocated by her thighs.
I slam the door and head for the exit.
Fuck this.
I need to tell Brad. I need to let him know. I can’t believe she’d do this to him.
Before I get to the car, I feel a firm grasp around my arm pulling me back.
“Woah there, where are you heading so fast?” Kevin pants, pushing me against the car.
I wince, but shove him back. He’s bigger than me. But not bigger than Brad, which means I’ve got a chance.
I’ve taken Brad down more than once, I bet I can take him too.
“You know exactly where I’m going.” I shove him back.
“I don’t think you are,” he says, voice low and calm. “Because you're smarter than that. You're not about to torch your whole life just to play the hero, right?”
“He deserves to know.” I attempt to push him off of me, but it’s no use.
He grabs at my arms, pinning them to my sides.
Kevin tilts his head, like he’s watching something crawl. “And what about your mom, huh? You sure you want to open that door, Noah? What do you think the truth's gonna do to her?”
My breath catches. Time freezes. “What?” I swallow thickly. How could he know about that?
He leans in closer, lips near my ear. “Oh, you think I didn’t know? I’ve seen the way you look at each other. I mean, I didn’t want to believe it. But after I followed you both the other night at the fair, it all made sense.” His lip twitches into a wicked smile.
“You don’t know what you’re fucking talking about.” I squirm to try and release myself.
“Hell of a betrayal, don’t you think?” His smirk twists cruel. “Fucking your mom’s fiancé while she’s at home raising his kid?”
My skin goes cold.
“You know what? Telling her and all his friends might actually be fun. Maybe he'll be a coward and run away—just like your daddy did.”
I don’t think. I just swing. My fist cracks against his cheekbone, pain shooting through my knuckles. I’ve never been in a real fight before, but for him, I’d do it. Again and again.
Kevin snaps his fist back, aiming for me. I dodge, but his other hand comes down fast, clipping my lip.
The sting rips through my jaw, but I don’t hesitate—I swing again, this time connecting square with his chin.
He stumbles, shock flashing across his face. Hell, it shocks me too.
Kevin chuckles low, rubbing his jaw.
“You feel better?” he pants.
“Not even close.” I breathe hard, flexing my sore hand open and shut.
“Well, let me make it simple for you. You tell Brad about this, I’ll tell your mom all about you two.”
My brows knit, as my brain thinks about that. “You wouldn’t.”
“I would.”
I shake my head. “Why? Isn’t Brad supposed to be your best friend? Why would you do this to him?”
Kevin's evil grin slips away, leaving something more deep behind. He stands up straight. “She deserves a hell of a lot better than what he gives her. He doesn’t love her. Hell, you know it better than anyone.”
I narrow my eyes. “Wait…you love her?” I huff out a laugh. “Oh, you poor bastard.”
“Sometimes…the wrong set of people meet first,” he says, backing up towards the office. “Do the right thing, Noah.”
I watch as he re-enters the building. A sickness stirs in my gut just knowing he’s in there with my mother. How long have they been doing this? Am I even mad at her for doing it knowing everything I’ve done with Brad?
I get into the car and take a deep breath, burying my face in my hands.
I want to tell Brad. I need to. But if I do, and he freaks out and tells my mom—our secret is out. I may be ready to deal with the consequences of that… but, is he?
There’s only one person who knows that answer for sure.
After a long moment of deep thoughts. I take out my phone, swiping through a long line of unanswered text messages to send one of my own.
We need to talk.