Isabella (The Mitchell/Healy Family #2)(14)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Keep it that way, man. She’s got issues with guys that you don’t even want to begin to understand. To keep the peace in my family I’ve got to be a dick about it. I hope you understand.”

I did. Noah loved her like she was his sister. Him protecting her was an instinct. If I’d only had that kind of instinct before my life may have been different. “I do. No worries, man. I’m just going to head home.”

That night it was harder than ever to not think about her. My mind went back to being alone with her, and how for the first time she’d appreciated my company. It may have been nothing but a few hours, but it meant more than she’d ever know.

A knock at my door well after midnight caught my immediate attention. I grabbed a bat and headed toward the door, being extra cautious. When I opened it up and saw her standing there I pulled her inside the trailer. “What are you doing out in the rain?”

She put her hood down and reached inside of her pocket. “I figured you need this in the mornin’. I found it in the couch earlier.” My phone was placed into my hand, but I never took my eyes from hers.

“Thanks. I appreciate that.”

“Look, I’m really sorry about Noah earlier. He’s got a hair up his ass when it comes to me.”

I pulled out a chair and offered it to her. “Sit down for a minute?”

She sat and took off her jacket. “I probably shouldn’t be tellin’ you this, but I was involved with this guy who cheated and lied to me. We started datin’ in high school and I thought he was my future. We attended the same college, and talked bout being married and having a life together. It all turned to shit when I found out he was still havin’ relations with his first love. He may have been mine, but apparently I wasn’t his. When I went home a couple months ago I promised Noah that I wouldn’t see this particular guy again, and the first thing I did was run right to him. I ran right back to his bed and gave myself to him completely. Only minutes after it was all said and done did I realize that I’d become the other woman. He actually had pictures of them hidden, so that I wouldn’t see them. Anyway, you can imagine how f**ked up it made me. I had to call my little brothers to come pick me up that night. One of them gave him a good beatin’. I thought it would make me feel better, but it didn’t. That night you heard me cryin’, it was because of that. Anyway, that’s the reason that Noah’s bein’ irrational. He doesn’t trust me to make the right decisions, and even though I lied to him, he still thinks I snuck and saw Tate. He knows me better than I know myself, which is why he’s always determined to be my keeper. So don’t take it personal. It’s not you at all.”

This was more than she’s ever talked to me before. I couldn’t let her leave, not when she was opening up like this. I reached over the table to touch her hand, but pulled away right before. “It’s not a big deal. He loves you, that’s all.”

“Sometimes Noah loves me too much. He forgets that I’m an adult too. If I wanted to have some hot affair with you, I don’t need his permission. Not that it’s ever goin’ to happen. I’m just sayin’ in general.”

Hearing her say that sent a jolt right to my cock. I knew if I tried to stand up she’d notice it immediately. I clenched my jaw and tried to stay calm. “I appreciate you telling me. It probably wasn’t a good idea to fall asleep next to you. I can’t imagine what he must think.”

“He thinks we’re f**kin’. Noah has a one-track mind.”

“We both know that’s not the case.” Not that I would be against it happening. Imagining her soft skin against my hands was something that I’d been doing for as long as I’d known her. If she knew that she’d be so creeped out that I was sure to get fired. It was something I’d have to keep a secret.

“Of course it isn’t. I’m real sorry if it caused problems for you. I know you like to keep to yourself.”

“I keep to myself to avoid drama, yes. That doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to help out a friend. I know we’re strangers, but I can assure you that your secret is safe with me. I don’t plan on causing you any trouble.”

She seemed to be pleased with my response. After standing up she held out her hand. “Thanks for listenin’ and helpin’ me out earlier. For what it’s worth, it was nice to sit in a room with someone that wasn’t judgin’ me.”

No. Instead she was sitting in a room with someone that fantasized about being with her. I don’t know what was worse.

“It’s not a problem.”

“I better get goin’. It’s startin’ to thunder.” I watched her putting on her jacket and walking out the door. I couldn’t help by peer through the window as she pulled away on a golf-cart.

Isabella had confided in me. It meant that in some way she trusted me. Against Noah’s threats I had to find a way to know more about her. Even if I had to sneak around, she was worth the risk. I had to figure out why I felt so drawn to her, so I could come up with a solution to make it stop.

Chapter 9

Isabella

For the next week I threw up each morning, and sometimes during the evenings. My stomach turned, and every single smell made me gag. It wasn’t until I was driving home after the fifth day that I realized what it could be. I almost drove my car off the side of the road into a ravine because of it.

It couldn’t be true.

There was no way.

It had only been one night; one time.

I turned my car around and went into the pharmacy, determined to prove my theory wrong. After buying three different tests, I went straight home. It took me a while to build up the courage to walk into the bathroom and pee on those sticks. A part of me wanted to just think I could wish myself not to be, and it to work.

When I’d run out of reasons to not do it, I took two of the tests and ran out of the bathroom. My heart was racing, and I was certain that I was about to pass out. Silently, I sat on the couch staring down the hallway at the bathroom door. My fate sat on two sticks inside of it, and I was too afraid to see what they said.

Then my cousin came barging in my kitchen door. He had company too. Behind him came Rusty, who was helping him carry this cabinet that was supposed to sit on the back of my toilet. I panicked.

I excused myself into the bathroom, desperately trying to find a place to hide the tests. When I heard the door closing I looked out the window to see Noah standing outside on his phone. I looked down at the tests, seeing the results. A lump formed in my throat as I gathered the two stick and all of the rest of the garbage and packed it into a white plastic bag. I tied to top and ran out into the kitchen as fast as I could. Tears were streaming down my cheeks when I got to where Rusty was standing. “I need a favor before he comes in here.”