CHAPTER 5. Noah #2
I can’t speak. I can’t move. I can only watch as our parents greet each other by the cars, their voices carrying across the property—easy laughter, the familiarity of old friends.
“Hey, guys! How was the drive?”
“Not bad at all. Traffic was light for once.”
“That’s rare for a Friday.”
“Tell me about it. We were bracing for the worst.”
I should go over there. I should say hello. I should act like a functional adult instead of a teenager caught in the headlights of his first heartbreak.
But my feet remain rooted to the ground.
My mother hugs Maria, then immediately fusses over Cassidy’s dress, going on about the fabric as if it’s made of spun gold. Rick greets my parents, then stands slightly apart, his eyes scanning the property until they lock onto mine.
For a split second, something flashes across his face—raw and unguarded, too quick for me to read. Is he surprised to see me? Before I can make sense of it, his expression shifts, and the next second, he’s smiling that perfect white smile, already walking toward me.
“Noah!” he calls, like we’re old friends who haven’t seen each other in years. Like he didn’t end three years of whatever we were with a text. Like he didn’t break my heart so badly that for weeks afterward I could barely function.
I force my body into motion, stepping forward on legs that feel numb and disconnected.
Rick reaches me and pulls me into a hug before I can decide how to react.
His arms wrap around me, and the familiar scent of his cologne—the same one he’s worn since college—makes me dizzy. My body missed this. Missed him.
“Hey, man,” he says, pulling back to look at me. “It’s been forever. How’ve you been?”
Man. Buddy. Friend. That’s what we are now, apparently.
I stare at him, mind blank. How have I been? Gutted. Destroyed. Trying to rebuild a life from the ashes of the one you burned down.
“Good,” I say instead, the word scraping my throat. “Really good.”
Rick smiles, his eyes crinkling at the corners exactly the way they used to when he’d look at me across a crowded room. That smile used to be mine. Now he gives it away freely, and the thought makes something cold settle in my chest.
“Great to hear it,” he says, squeezing my shoulder. “I’ve been following your rescue work on Instagram. That fundraiser you did for the hurricane pets was amazing.”
He’s been watching my Instagram. The thought makes me dizzy. Has he been checking up on me all this time, scrolling through my life from a safe distance while I’ve been trying so hard not to look for him in every crowd?
“Thanks,” I say, the word catching in my throat.
“Noah,” Cassidy steps forward, her smile bright but not quite reaching her eyes. “It’s so good to see you again.”
She leans in for a quick hug, and I get enveloped in the vanilla scent of her perfume.
Cassidy and I have met at various events over the years—charity galas, birthday parties—but our interactions have always been brief.
Now there’s something strained between us, though I can’t tell whether the awkwardness is real or entirely in my head.
Does she know about us?
The question hits me with a sudden wave of panic. Did Rick tell her? Is that why she’s looking at me like that—with pity barely hidden behind her polished smile?
“You too,” I manage, stepping back. My skin feels too tight, as though it might split open at any moment and reveal all the hurt and rage I’ve been holding in these past months.
Rick smiles beside her, his hand finding the small of her back in a gesture so casually possessive it makes my stomach turn.
“We’re really excited for the weekend,” Cassidy continues, her voice smooth as honey. “Your mom said there are horses?”
“Yeah—” I start to answer, but the words stick in my throat. Seeing them together, having to pretend we’re all just old friends, makes my chest tighten until it’s hard to breathe.
That’s when I feel an arm slide around my waist, pulling me against a solid side. Connor.
Water from his still-damp body seeps into my hoodie, but I barely notice. All I can feel is the pressure of his arm, holding me together when I feel like I might shatter.
“Sorry, I’m cold now,” he murmurs close to my ear, and when I look at him, his eyes are full of private amusement. He smiles at me and I smile back, feeling my pulse quicken, because I know Rick and Cassidy are watching us.
“Hello there,” Rick says, clearing his throat, bringing the attention back to him. “Have we met before?”
He looks at Connor, his eyes widening slightly, then back at me, clearly trying to process what he’s seeing.
His expression changes so subtly that someone who hasn’t spent years memorizing every microexpression on that face might miss it—a tightening around the eyes, a barely perceptible stiffening of his shoulders.
“Rick, Cassidy,” I say, finding my voice again. “This is Connor.”
Connor extends his hand to Cassidy first, then to Rick, his expression neutral. “Nice to meet you, guys,” he says, his Irish accent sounding stronger than usual.
Rick recovers quickly, shaking his hand. “Yeah, you too.” His brow furrows slightly. “Wait, I think I remember you from his building. You’re Noah’s neighbor, right?”
“I’m Noah’s boyfriend now,” Connor corrects smoothly, his arm tightening around me.
Rick’s face shifts—surprise, confusion, then something else flickering in quick succession before he masks it with another smile, this one not quite reaching his eyes.
“Boyfriend?” he repeats, glancing between us. “That’s great. I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”
The way he says it—with a slight emphasis on you, as if the idea of me moving on is somehow surprising—makes anger flare in my chest.
“A couple of months now,” I say, leaning into Connor’s side, grateful for his solid presence. His skin is still damp from the lake but radiating warmth, despite what he said about being cold.
“We’ve known each other for years, so it feels like we’ve been together much longer,” Connor says, and then I feel it—his thumb tracing a small, soothing circle against my side under my hoodie.
His voice is so warm, so genuine, that for a second even I believe him.
“That’s great,” Rick says again, a beat too late, before adding, “Cassie and I have known each other our whole lives, but we only started dating six months ago.”
I feel a twinge of pain in my chest at the words, but do everything I can not to let it show.
“That’s great,” Connor echoes, perfectly polite.
And then Maya comes sprinting up from the water’s edge, saving us from this disastrous conversation.
She’s dripping lake water all over the gravel, her hair plastered flat against her shoulders, with absolutely no sign she’s picked up on the energy of the last thirty seconds. She’s just Maya—blazing into a situation with no idea it’s on fire.
“Rick!” she says, pulling him into a hug that leaves a large wet patch on his light blue shirt. “Oh my God, how long has it been?”
Of course she can touch him like that—easy, uncomplicated. She never knew what we were to each other.
Rick laughs, the sound making my chest ache, and hugs her back. “Your mom’s birthday, right? So not that long. Look at you, superstar. I caught your last game against Boston. That hat-trick in the third period was insane.”
“You saw that?” Maya beams, genuinely pleased.
“Of course I did,” Rick says, mock-hurt.
“We watch all your games,” Cassidy says, reaching to hug Maya. God, she’s so fucking perfect I could puke. I know Cassidy isn’t to blame for Rick or for the way he ended things with me, but I still hate how flawless she seems.
“Aw, you guys,” Maya says, hugging her, then pulling back to beam at both of them with a warmth I’m physically incapable of faking right now. She shoots a quick look at Connor and me and says, “Have you met Connor already?”
“We just did,” Rick says smoothly, before adding, “I’m surprised I didn’t know about him.”
“You’re not the only one,” Maya says, chuckling. “We found out about Connor, like, two days ago. Noah is very secretive about his boyfriends.”
“He is,” Rick says, chuckling back, and his eyes immediately flick to mine, clearly treating this as some sort of inside joke. Fresh anger flares in my chest, but I do everything I can not to meet his gaze.
“You’re the first boyfriend Noah introduced to the family, Connor,” Maya says, throwing him a wink. “Our awkward boy must be really serious about you.”
Connor smiles at her, giving me a squeeze. “Well, I’m serious about him too.”
I feel my cheeks heat at the whole interaction and ignore Rick’s insistent gaze on me. I hope he’s annoyed by what Maya just unknowingly insinuated, even if it’s just a little bit.
Then Brad and Maria come over, and it’s more hellos, more how are yous, and me introducing Connor to them too. Both Brad and Maria seem a little taken aback by Connor’s appearance—his rugged look and tattoos, the complete opposite of what they consider appropriate.
“Alright, everyone,” Mom finally says, steering us all toward the cottages.
“Dinner should be ready soon, but there’s still time for everyone to freshen up.
” She looks at Rick and Cassidy, then turns to me.
“Rick, Cassie, Noah will show you to your cottage. Your room’s upstairs on the left—right next to Noah and Connor’s.
” She gives me a brief, reassuring smile like she’s done me some kind of favor.
“Daniel and I will get Brad and Maria settled in the West Cottage, and then we’ll meet in the Main Cottage in twenty minutes, okay? ”
We all nod. The older Scotts head toward the West Cottage with my parents and Maya, Brad’s hand on my dad’s shoulder. Brad and my dad are already talking about the U.S. Open Golf Championship in June, while Maya tells Maria about making the playoffs.
Which leaves me.
With Rick. And Cassidy. And Connor. And this short but awkward walk back to the East Cottage.
Perfect.
“Right this way,” I say, and even I can hear how strained it sounds.