Noah (The Mitchell/Healy Family #1)(8)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I looked at Bells and she smiled. “Sorry. We were just reminscin’ that’s all. Come on, Dad, I know all about your party days. You probably still do it with uncle Conner.”

Uncle Ty was a crazy man. Growing up he’d taught me how to be funny, mischievous, and also that no matter what I did, there’d be a time to grow up and be responsible. “Back in the day I did a lot of things. If your mother caught me out here smoking dope with our daughter she’d cut my balls off and grill them as an appetizer. Put that shit away. There’s kids here that look up to you. You know better.”

Maybe we should have told him that we’d gotten it from the kids, but it seemed stupid to get them in trouble when we were adults.

“Dad, wait up!” Bells went running over toward him. “Don’t be mad at me. It was just for fun. Neither of us do it everyday.”

I smiled, watching Bells kiss up to her father. Aside from me, he was who she’d always turned to. Their relationship had begun on the day she was born. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t her biological father. She’d never have another dad, or want one.

I watched her kiss him on the cheek and walk back toward me. “We need to go to the main house and help out. I covered for our ass**le cousins this time.”

“I was thinkin’ he was going to bend you over his knee and whip your ass.”

She rolled her eyes and giggled. “Fat chance. He’s never beat me before. I’m his princess.”

I put my arm around her. “You really take advantage of that, Bells. It’s kind of pathetic.”

“Hater!”

“He won’t be walkin’ away smilin’ when you tell him you’re movin’ to Kentucky.”

She stopped walking and looked down at the ground. Instantly her mood had changed. “I know.”

“We should tell them our plans together. I know you’re goin’ to say it’s a bad idea, but I think if we’re all together as a family it would be safer, for at least a little while.”

“Hell no! I’m not makin’ a family announcement like that. You’re crazy.”

“Fine, I’ll tell them first and then I’ll add your news.”

“Don’t!”

“We’ll be fine. Trust me.”

I could tell from the look on her face that trusting me was going to be impossible. Maybe it was the marijuana making me feel brave, or maybe it was just having her by my side to do it. Whatever it was, I was determined that I wasn’t going to keep her promise and wait until the party was over. My dad needed to know that I wanted something more with my life. He needed to understand that I was serious this time. I wasn’t going to live this way anymore.

Noah

Chaos.

That’s what happened when the family got everyone together in one place. Although the kids were now at least teens, it was still loud and unpredictable. While everyone waited for my mom and dad to show up at my grandmother’s house, I silently thought about how I was going to approach my dad. This was a long time coming and I was positive that if I did it while everyone was around, I’d at least have a few people on my side, supporting my decision.

Bells was going to be pissed.

The room became silent when my aunt Amy announced that they’d pulled up. Everyone hid in the kitchen and waited for them to appear. Slowly but surely, they walked in, talking to each other the whole time, having no clue that this was actually a surprise for them. Since their anniversary wasn’t anywhere near this particular date, they had no inkling.

My dad approached me first. He put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me in for a hug. “This was real nice, Noah. I know you had to help with it.”

I nodded as he pulled away. “It was nothin’. I just did what everyone told me.”

“Well I appreciate it and everything you do, for that matter.” Great, he was making me feel guilty already.

I clenched my jaw and said nothing as he walked away. Of all the times for him to thank me it had to be when I was preparing to tell him that I didn’t want this life anymore. I just couldn’t bring myself to understand why I was feeling so guilty.

It took a while for my mother to make her way over to where I was standing. She’d been thanking everyone and chatting, while making eye contact with me the whole time. It was weird of her to be so attentive toward me, especially since the whole family was around.

Don’t get me wrong, she was a great mother, the best I could have ever asked for. I knew she didn’t give birth to me, but that meant nothing, not after everything we’d been through.

After the accident and hospital stay, which I don’t really remember, the police took me to this building where a woman from Social Services came and sat with me. I was scared and cried for my birth mother, Krista, over and over again. I was almost four and didn’t understand that my birth mother wasn’t coming back. I was too young to perceive the concept of death.

All they could tell me was that my mother was in a better place.

There were days when I wished that I couldn’t remember; times in my life that I wished I’d forgotten forever. That was definitely one of those times.

I owed Savanna my life, and although I was very young, I remember the day that I met her for the first time, when Social Services brought me to the door of my dad’s house. It wasn’t his fault that he never knew about me, and I’m sure the adjustment was hard on both of them, my mom especially. She’d been through a terrible ordeal after being abducted, and losing a baby. Yet she still welcomed me with open arms. When I was younger she used to tell me I saved her too. I’ll never forget that, or her smile on that first day.

Even though most of it was a blur, meeting my dad and his wife were vivid. I remembered the way her eyes narrowed in on me when I came into her view. I could still recall the way she bent down to be on my level and spoke to me with her angelic voice, giving me so much hope when I felt completely alone and afraid.

We’d had our share of disagreements, but at the end of the day I knew she was meant to raise me and be my mother. It was hard to explain, maybe because I’d been so young. I didn’t have memories of my birth mother, so I had nothing to compare Savanna to. All I knew was that she’d been there for me, and I loved her more than I would ever be able to express. I was blood to her, the same as both of my sisters. She never treated me like I didn’t belong to her.

Her arms wrapped around me and her words vibrated against my cheek. “I can’t believe you kept this from us.”