Chapter 8
The next few weeks flew by. Liam and I were wrapped up in our own little world, laughing, teasing, and just enjoying being together.
By July Fourth weekend, I was finally meeting his mom for the first time.
Since it had always just been Liam and her, I hadn’t wanted to meet her until I knew-until he knew-that he actually wanted me in his life.
By now, I was certain: I loved him. But I stayed cautious.
Gabe was right, I’d had my heart broken twice in six months, and with school starting in the fall, weekend visits could only do so much.
I kept telling myself not to get my hopes up.
As we pulled up to Liam’s house, a nervous flutter settled deep in my chest. My palms felt clammy, my stomach twisting into anxious knots. Meeting his mom felt like stepping into a whole new world-one I desperately wanted to belong in, yet feared might not accept me.
“Babe, she’s going to love you” he whispers while squeezing my hand.
“Easy for you to say, because she’s your mom. Moms don’t like me”.
“My mom is going to love you, simply because I love you” he grabs my hand kissing it gently.
He gave me a sly smile. “Oh, and I forgot to mention, her boyfriend and his daughter and her boyfriend are going to be there too. I haven’t even met him yet, but don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Really, it’ll all be fine, trust me.”
“Oh, that’s just dandy”.
We pulled into the driveway, and my stomach sank the moment I spotted a car I knew all too well. Noah.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I muttered under my breath, my voice tight. “Does her boyfriend’s kid… happen to be named Sydney?”
Liam looked at me, confused, opening my door. “Uhm, yeah. Why?”
“That…that right there,” I said, pointing with a shaky hand, “is Noah’s car.” I straightened my red sundress and pressed my lip gloss again, trying to look calm, trying to act like this was nothing but my heart was hammering against my ribs.
“Oh shit,” Liam muttered, cupping my face and looking me dead in the eyes. “Babe, I am so sorry. I didn’t think my step-sister would be that Sydney. We can leave if you want.”
“Why? So your mom can hate me?” I forced a fake smile, even as my stomach twisted. “Yeah, no thanks. We’re already here. Let’s get this over with.”
We walked into the house, the air suddenly thick with tension. His mom greeted us warmly at the door. “You must be Isabel! I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Cori.”
The rest of the family lined up behind her. “…And this is my boyfriend Bob, his daughter Sydney, and her boyfriend Noah.”
Boyfriend. My stomach dropped. So everything Noah said… meant nothing, again.
I plastered on a smile, forcing a wave. “Hi.”
I look at Liam, and he’s glaring at Noah, like they are having a silent conversation.
Cori shows me to the back patio, “So Isabel, I see that you and Liam have been spending a lot of time together. He really seems to be smitten with you”.
“Well, I hope so, because I’m really smitten with him too” while watching Liam and Bob man the grill.
“So how long have you and Bob been together?” trying to get to know Cori a little bit better.
“Well, we’ve been together about a year,” Cori said, giving me a pointed wink. “I just love Sydney. I’ve always wanted a daughter… and two wouldn’t be bad, right?”
I froze, the words hitting me like ice.
She continued, casually leaning closer. “I don’t know. I guess he came into my life at the perfect time-with Sydney going to State and Liam moving to St. Augustine. We can be lonely together.”
I choked on my own air. “Liam… is moving to St. Augustine? When?”
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry,” she said, frowning. “I guess he hasn’t told you yet. He got a job at a shop there starting in August… to be closer to you. He’s permanently moving into the beach house. Has he taken you there yet?”
Her eyes flicked to me, clearly trying to change the subject. I could feel the weight of her gaze, and I knew something about this wasn’t sitting right. Just then Liam walls over and takes the spot next to me.
I shook my head, forcing a laugh that didn’t reach my eyes. “No, not yet.”
Cori’s smile didn’t falter. “Oh, well, I’m sure you’ll get there soon. It’s a lovely place. Very peaceful.” She leaned back, her tone casual, but there was an edge to it-as if testing me.
I shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Liam. He squeezed my hand reassuringly, his smile calm, but I could feel the way his eyes darted between me and Cori, like he was measuring how I’d react.
“And Liam,” Cori said, turning to him, “you really have thought this through? Moving permanently? That’s a big step.”
“Of course, Mom,” he said smoothly, shrugging like it was no big deal. Then, with a quick glance at me, he added, “I just want to be close to her.”
My chest tightened. The words should have been sweet, but with everything that had happened with Noah, and now seeing him here, they felt… calculated.
Then Noah spoke, his voice low but sharp, cutting through the tension. “Close enough to stake your claim, huh?”
I froze, my heart lurching. Liam’s confident facade flickered for a split second, and I realized this family dinner was about to turn into a battlefield-and I was right in the middle.
“So… how long have Sydney and her boyfriend been together?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady as I glanced at Noah and Sydney.
Cori hesitated for a moment, then answered, almost too casually. “Uhm… I’m not quite sure. I know they’ve been hanging out for a few months. We were introduced around Easter, I think. You and Jessica met him too, didn’t you Liam? He seems like a nice boy.”
I froze. Easter? Liam knew? Jessica was here for Easter?
My stomach twisted. My chest tightened, and a cold wave of anger and betrayal washed over me.
Easter. They had known about each other this whole time.
Liam hadn’t told me a word. And Noah… well, he had been lying too, pretending like he hadn’t been with Sydney or like it didn’t matter.
It all clicked. Every carefully chosen word, every promise, every casual shrug, they had been hiding things from me.
Both of them. Liam’s sweet reassurances, his “I love you”s, the way he made me feel like the center of his world wasn't the whole truth. A lump formed in my throat. I wanted to scream, to storm out, to demand answers, but I also felt that familiar sinking fear..what if I was overreacting? What if I was misreading everything? No. Deep down, I knew this wasn’t paranoia. I had been too trusting..again.
I could feel my hands trembling slightly as I gripped the edge of my sundress. Every time I looked at Liam, I wanted to believe him, but the cracks were there, and I couldn’t ignore them anymore.
Both of them… both of them had been lying to me.
“I’m going to go inside to get a drink. Do you want one?” I asked, hoping desperately to escape the tension that had settled over the porch like a thick fog.
“Oh yes, thank you, dear. Glasses are in the cabinet,” Cori said with a warm smile, completely oblivious to the storm brewing behind me.
I stepped into the kitchen, grabbing two glasses from the cabinet and quickly filling them with water.
The cool liquid was supposed to calm my nerves, but it did nothing.
Then I felt him-Noah-sliding in behind me.
The air seemed to shift, heavy and suffocating, as he closed the space between us, cornering me in that familiar, impossible way.
His presence was overwhelming, his eyes sharp, assessing, almost daring me to react.
I froze, gripping the glasses tightly, heart hammering.
Every instinct screamed at me to step back, to escape, but my body betrayed me, holding me in place. This wasn’t just awkward anymore.
This was a showdown I hadn’t asked for. Noah leaned a little closer, his presence pressing against me. “So… meeting his mom, huh? How’s that going for you?” His tone was sharp, almost taunting.
I set the glasses down on the counter, deliberately putting space between us. “It’s fine,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “Better than having to deal with you, actually.”
His eyes narrowed. “Better than me? Is that what this is? You moved on that fast?”
I felt heat rise to my cheeks, anger and hurt mingling. “I waited for you, Noah. I gave you six weeks, and you didn’t even have the decency to be honest with me. You lied. You hid things. And now you show up like none of it matters? No. I’m not going to let you do that to me again.”
His jaw tightened, and for a moment I thought he might snap, but then his expression softened, almost too smoothly. “Bella… I didn’t mean-”
“Please, don’t. I can’t even look at you.
I can’t breathe around you. Honestly, part of me wants to run, to leave, but I’m not giving you that satisfaction.
You truly are a piece of shit, Noah. I thought I meant more to you than this.
After everything, after all the years we’ve spent together, I just found out how little you actually care.
I am heartbroken, and I am so angry, so please, just don’t. ”
My hands are shaking slightly but my gaze is firm. “I’m done listening to excuses. You made your choices. I made mine. I’m not your option, Noah. Not now, not ever.”
He opened his mouth again, but I didn’t give him the chance. I grabbed the drinks and stepped past him toward the door, my chest tight, my heart still racing. I refused to look back.
I didn’t stop. My heels clicked against the hardwood, each step echoing my resolve.
“Noah,” I called over my shoulder, my voice steady even as my chest burned. “There’s nothing to explain. You made your choices. I’m done being hurt by you.”
He stopped a few feet behind me, his breath ragged, eyes pleading. “Isabel… please. I never meant for any of this. Just… hear me out.”
I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. “No. I’ve already heard too much. You had your chance. You wasted it. Don’t make me regret even giving you a second thought.”