Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(69)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Cut it out, Per.”

“No, I’m done here.” She pointed to me. “You can have him. All he’ll do is make you fall in love with him while he’s f**king your sister. Good luck with that.”

I felt like all of the food I’d consumed was going to come rushing back up. Before she got into her car, I was already running inside of the house. Bella said something as I passed her and made a beeline for the bathroom, locking the door so that he couldn’t come in after me.

Noah was a liar and a cheater, just like the rest of them. It was probably why he didn’t tell his family about me. He kept secrets and I couldn’t handle that, especially after my last relationship.

The knock on the door startled me. “Shalan, let me in.”

“Go away, Noah. I don’t have anything nice to say to you.”

“Please. I can explain. I swear it. It’s not what you’re thinkin’, darlin’.”

I put my face against the door as I screamed, “I’m not your f**king darlin’. This thing between us is over. You can either call me a cab or drive me to the airport yourself. Right now I don’t even care. I just want to get the hell away from you.”

I looked in the mirror and saw the makeup running down my face. Up until this moment I hadn’t even noticed that I was crying.

“Shalan, please. I don’t want you to leave.”

After my face was free of makeup I took a few deep breaths and opened the door. Noah was standing there looking as if he’d lost his best friend. For a moment I felt sorry for him, until I remembered what had just happened. “Save your story for the next girl you bring around. I refuse to deal with men like you, Noah. I’m just done.”

He grabbed my arm and I snatched it back away from him. “Don’t you f**king touch me. Don’t you ever touch me again.”

“You don’t mean this.” He grabbed my bag before I could reach for it. “I know you don’t. Shalan, you love me. I can feel it when we’re together.”

“Your dick can’t sense love, Noah. Give me my bag and let me go.”

He stared at me for a second, as if I was going to breakdown and change my mind. Then the bag fell free. I opened it and shoved my dirty clothes inside, feeling the belt that I hadn’t yet given him. I pulled it out and threw it towards him. “Here’s something to remember me by.”

I don’t know why I thought it was smart to walk out the door and head for the gates. It would take me days to get to the airport on foot, and Noah knew it. I heard his truck start up before I’d made it a quarter of a ways down the lane. He rolled down the window as he pulled up beside me. “I didn’t tell you about her sister because I knew you’d get mad. It’s not like you think. I would never do that to you. You’re different.”

I turned to look at him. “Do you know how many times I’ve heard that, Noah? I’m different? Well, I don’t really care what I am, because you know what? I’m done. I’m done with you and every other man on the planet. I’m tired of secrets. All this time I thought I’d learned everything about you. We said no secrets, and you held a huge one from me. How could I ever love someone like you?”

Noah put the truck in park and flew out the door. He chased me a good ways before he caught me and held me from behind. “I’m not lettin’ go until you calm the hell down and listen to me. Nothin’ has to change. Perry is an overdramatic bitch. She said that thing about the stars to get you angry. It’s not a secret place that I take women to. My whole family goes up there to watch the stars. Ask Bella if you don’t believe me. I just wanted to take you somewhere quiet to talk to you, that’s all.”

“Even if that part is the truth, there are still lies. You kept me from your family, and you slept with your girlfriend’s sister. What kind of man does that? Did you really not think about what that would do to their relationship?”

I was crying again, just imagining having a sister and my boyfriend sleeping with her. I thought my best friend was bad, but that tops it all.

“She came on to me. We were drinkin’ and it happened. I can’t take it back. It’s why I ended things with Perry. I couldn’t live with what I did. You have to believe me, Shalan.”

“I’m sorry, Noah. I just can’t.” Noah kissed the top of my head and finally let me go. I couldn’t look him in the eyes and show him how destroyed I felt. “Please, just take me to the airport. The sooner I’m home the better I’ll feel.”

Noah climbed into his truck and waited for me to get in. We drove the long trek in silence, and I said nothing as I hopped out and grabbed my bag. As I was walking away I could see the reflection of his truck in the glass door as I approached it. Noah had his head against the steering wheel like he was upset. Even if he was, it didn’t compare to the hurt I was feeling.

I sat alone in the airport all night long thinking about him. His touch, his smell, and the way he held me made it hurt so much worse. Noah had made me feel so good about myself. He’d given me hope when I thought I had nothing left. As much as I was mad at him, I felt devastated that this was our goodbye.

I would have liked to know what we could have been if the circumstances were different. I guessed now I never would.

Noah

How could things go from being so right to so damn wrong?

I sat in my truck for a long time wondering how this had all came to be. I had her right where I wanted her. I could taste our future, and in the blink of an eye it was all gone. Shalan wanted nothing to do with me, and I didn’t know how I was going to fix it.

After I left her several messages unanswered, I headed home. My cousin shot out of her seat and wrapped her arms around me. “I’m so sorry, cuz. I tried to get her ass to leave before you got back.”

“It ain’t your fault, Bells. It’s mine for not bein’ honest about a few things.”

Bella pulled away and looked me right in the eyes. I wasn’t in the mood to have her trying to figure out what was going on in my head. “You’re in love with that girl, Noah. I can see it in your eyes. What the hell just happened?”

“I f**ked up before I met her, and it’s somethin’ she’ll never be able to look past. My feelin’s don’t matter to her, not anymore. It’s over. It ain’t like it would have worked out anyway. I’m stuck on this f**king farm, and she’s got a fancy future ahead of her. Who would ever want to give up a chance to be famous to be here?”