Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(48)
Author: Jennifer Foor

Bells propped herself up on her elbow and watched me turn to face her. “She was real, cuz. That’s not even the best part.”

“Did you steal a horse and rescue her from an old time jail with a skeleton key that you stole from the sleeping deputy?” Her sarcasm was annoying, but creative.

“No. She never went to jail.”

“If I were her boyfriend, I would have pressed charges, even if I was a cheatin’ douche.”

“Well, we don’t know if he did, how’s that?”

“Don’t tell me you fled with a criminal.”

“She’s not a criminal. She’s a nice girl, who’s had it f**kin’ bad, Bells. Her mom died of cancer and -.”

She put her hands up. “Say no more. That right there is why you’re connected to her, and don’t try to deny it.”

I laughed. “It’s more than that. I know what you’re thinkin’ and you’re wrong. It’s not just the cancer thing. I like her. She’s a little spitfire, and her voice is the prettiest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“So she has a sexy voice? You mean she talks sexy all the time?” My cousin would think that.

I flipped a strand of her blonde hair. “Such an airhead.”

“Shut up.”

“No, she doesn’t talk sexy to me. I meant she can sing. You should have heard her. She’s f**kin’ awesome.”

Bells smacked me hard on the chest. “Did she sing for you before or after you took her to New York and got her into bed?”

We both laughed. Okay, in my defense I didn’t have a good track record. I was too busy for relationships, and besides Perry, I’d only hooked up with women when I felt like having company. “Before and after, but not like you’re thinkin’. I didn’t know where I was headed, and she just wanted to get out of town. I let her tag along and things happened. It’s no big deal.”

“If it’s no big deal then why can’t you get that grin off of your face? It’s more and you know it. I’m pretty surprised, since you just dumped that chick Perry not even a week ago.”

She was right. Mentioning Perry, who I thought I cared about, did nothing for me. Though just talking about Shalan got my blood boiling. I could picture every inch of her skin, the way she smelled, and even tasted. I had her lips memorized and the way she walked. “Fine. I like her. It doesn’t matter now. She’ll never talk to me again.”

“Because of me?” Bells put her head down and started to cry. “I’m sorry, Noah. I didn’t know.”

I reached for her and pulled her into a hug. “Nothin’ could have prevented me from coming to protect you, Bells. No matter what, you can always count on me.”

“I don’t want to ruin your life, because I’ve f**ked mine up.”

“Our first night in New York we sang karaoke. The place we were at had this band that performed three nights a week. Anyway their singer had his tonsils removed and they asked us if we wanted to fill in.”

“No shit? For real?”

“Yeah. So for two nights we sang with a band in front of a real crowd. Anyway that isn’t even the best part. After the second night a producer and his wife came to eat at the restaurant and heard us. He set up an appointment for us to come in and talk about a contract.”

“What? Oh my God. When do you go?” She looked so happy for me, and it only reminded me of what I’d walked away from.

“I don’t.” I looked down at the bed and creased my brow out of frustration. “Dad called and gave me an ultimatum. I knew I couldn’t go from the beginnin’.”

“Noah, you have to go. This is huge. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get discovered like that? You weren’t even tryin’.”

“The meeting happened earlier today, Bells. It’s over.”

Her excitement diminished. “Because of me? You missed it because of me?”

“No. I told you why.”

“And she isn’t goin’ to talk to you again because you left. Oh my God, this is ALL my fault. I’m so sorry, Noah.”

I put my hands on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. “Bells, it ain’t your fault. I was already leavin’ anyway. You just gave me a reason to do it sooner. My decision was mine to make.”

“Did she still go?”

I shrugged. “I hope so. She deserves it more than anyone I’ve ever heard sing.”

Bells stood up and walked over to the window. She peeked outside like she was worried someone was coming for her. “You should call her, Noah. Let her know you care.”

“I just met her.”

She turned around and put her hands on her hips. “Don’t make me steal your phone and call her myself.”

“I don’t have her number.”

She threw her hands up. “You’re hopeless.”

I pursed my lips together, feeling annoyed with her now knowing that I’d f**ked up another chance with a nice woman.

“Now it’s your turn. Get your ass over here and tell me what happened, before I get in my truck and sight in my rifle on your ex’s ass.”

She crossed her arms and took in a deep breath. “It’s a long story.”

I motioned toward the chair. “We’ve got plenty of time.”

An hour later I’d been well informed of the situation, not that it helped with my feelings about the guy. I still wanted to kill him.

Apparently my cousin had taken it upon herself to catch her ex with the woman he’d been cheating on her with. She followed them to the chick’s house, and proceeded to climb through one of her windows. She’d cut her arm before she even made it inside.

She explained that she started to panic when she realized that she was breaking the law, so she darted for the door. Well, in that small amount of time the woman had grabbed a shovel out of the garage to defend herself. Apparently her ex was already in the shower, unaware of an intruder. Bells said she was hit with the shovel on the side of the face before she even saw the first blow coming. Then the chick hit her several more times until the guy came running out of the shower and turned on the lights. Bells said she got up and ran out of there as fast as she could, knowing he’d come after her. She said that he’d gotten into his car and started calling a few minutes later. That’s when she kept driving and called me. She told me that he said when he found her she was going to be sorry.

What was with women and cheating exes? Did they really feel it was necessary to break the law?