Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(11)
Author: Jennifer Foor

She cried harder, so much that I had to look away from her. I couldn’t stand seeing her so upset and being the culprit for making it happen. “This is your home,” she repeated.

I opened my mouth to speak and saw him coming toward us. Quickly, I glanced over at my mother and lifted her hand to my lips. After kissing it, I still held it while I spoke. “I’ll call you as soon as I get settled. I promise.”

“Noah, don’t –.”

“Let him go, Savanna. Just let him go. He’ll be back when he realizes how good he has it. You’ll see.”

I pulled away from them, leaving my mother to cry against my dad’s chest. It was difficult to stay collected when my adrenaline was heightened. Still, I kept my focus and knew that after I was packed and off the ranch I could stop and have a drink to calm down.

The worst part was over with. My dad knew the truth and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

Noah

I’d no sooner got back to my house and found a duffle bag when I heard someone coming in the back kitchen door. I didn’t stop gathering my things even when I heard the person approaching. “Noah, what the hell just happened?”

I turned to see my cousin standing in the doorway. “You know what was going on.”

“You knew this would happen, didn’t you? You knew that your dad would go off and you’d have a reason to speak your mind?”

“Not exactly.” I probably should have known, but I hadn’t considered it to be an option.

“Don’t give me that. You forget who you’re talkin’ to.”

“Whatever, Isabella. Don’t you have a boyfriend to tend to?”

She shoved me down while my back was turned. When I got to my footing she was standing behind me with her hands on her hips. “Noah Mitchell, are we usin’ full names tonight, because I can play that game too.”

Nobody except my mother called me by my full name. It wasn’t that I hated it. I just didn’t particularly like it being used. “Screw you.”

“Screw you! What is wrong with you? Did you even consider that I’m not goin’ to be able to move in now? My dad’s never goin’ to be alright with it.”

“Bells, I don’t give a shit about where you live. Hell, I don’t even have a place to live. Just go back to the party and leave me alone. I’m not in the mood for your opinions.” I stood up and tried to get past her, but she refused to budge.

“Dude, this is like that time when I called your girlfriend a whore and you didn’t talk to me for three months?”

I scrunched up my face. “No. It ain’t like that. We ain’t kids anymore.”

“Well you’re actin’ just like one.” I could almost see her blood boiling.

“Like I said before, you can leave. Where’s lover boy?” I hated him so much that mentioning his name pissed me off. “You better go run after him before he tries gettin’ into someone’s pants at the party. Hell, he’s probably already f**ked one of our cousins already.”

Her hand made contact with my cheek, and while I put my hand up to coax away the sting, she kneed me right in the balls. I sank down holding myself while pain ripped through me. “What the hell is wrong with you, Noah?”

“He’s no good for you, and you know it.”

“You’ve got no room to judge. Your life is pretty f**ked up right now.”

I sat up and reached for my cousin. The pain in her eyes let me know that my words were hurting her. Immediately I felt horrible. Of all the people in the world that I’d hurt were the two that were most dear to me. “Damn it. Bells, I’m sorry.”

“Save it.” She put her hand up. “We need to put our heads together to figure out where we’re goin’ to go.”

“We?”

“Yes, we. You think I’m goin’ to let you go without me? I want out too. There’s got to be a place out there for us.”

I put my hands on her shoulders and looked right at her. “Bells, you ain’t goin’ with me. Stay here and watch the house. I’ll call you when I settle in somewhere.”

“You’re just goin’ to leave me? After everything we’ve been through? You’d leave me?”

“It ain’t like that and you know it.” I kissed the top of her head and backed away, grabbing my bag off of the bed. “This is somethin’ that I need to do on my own.”

“I just don’t understand where this is comin’ from. You don’t have to leave to figure things out. You’ve got your own house. Your mom and grandparents aren’t goin’ to let you just ride off into the sunset, Noah. You’ve got other choices.”

I turned and looked right at her. “Bells, you heard my dad. He wants me out, and I’m happy to oblige. I’ve lived under his rules for too damn long. In fact, if anyone is to blame for all of this, it’s him. I’m tired of his shit.”

She sat down on the couch and crossed her arms. As soon as I sat down beside her we heard someone coming in through the kitchen. When I saw her boyfriend standing there I lost it. “Get the f**k out of my house.”

Not only did he not turn around and leave, but he began to walk towards me. “I came for my girl. She don’t need to be around you when you’re acting like a tool.”

I cocked my brow and turned to look at my cousin. Why she was with such a loser was beyond me.

I got up in his face, looking down to his shorter level. “What did you just say?”

“You heard me.” He didn’t stand down.

I shoved him, giving him little time to get his footing. He tumbled back onto the kitchen floor. As he started to get up, I could hear Bells coming up from behind me. “Noah don’t!”

As soon as I turned to apologize, grab my bag and leave, I felt something hard smashing into the side of my face, just below my eye. I closed it and took the full blow before turning back to look at him. With his arm cocked back prepared for another punch, I caught him off guard, and shoved him with my head. We landed back down on the floor and I took advantage of the situation by ramming my fist directly into his jaw repeatedly. “You’re nothin’ but a lying cheater. You don’t deserve her. You never have and you never will.”

Bells was on my back in an instant. “Get off of him, Noah. You’ll kill him!”

I kept pounding my fist into his face, getting the release I needed from all of the drama that had conspired earlier. The harder I punched him the more I felt better about what I was doing.