He looks back at me. “Keep talking.”
“Ummm…there’s always picking up trash and cleaning up the community. You know, scrubbing graffiti off buildings or giving them a new paint job.”
“Like a fucking criminal doing community service? No thanks. What else you got?”
“Uh, you could volunteer for the fire department. I’m sure they’ll appreciate the help. You’re fit enough to keep up with those guys, but I’d be pissed if you killed yourself trying to be a hero.”
Noah looks over at me. “That’s not a bad idea. I’m going to look into that.”
“Good,” I smile proudly as I dig into my lunch. “Now, what about Anton? Have you worked out what you’re going to do there?”
“Nope,” he says with a heavy sigh, putting his lunch down. “I can’t tell the cops what I know without telling them how I know it. They’ve tried him so many times before that they’ll need hard evidence to get another warrant and as bad as I want to take him down, I’m not too keen on taking myself down with him. But if I could find a way to make that happen and be the guy who puts him away, that’ll go far in earning back mom’s trust.”
“She’ll come around eventually,” I tell him. “She’s just hurting and feeling betrayed. Just give her a little time.”
“It’s not that easy. She’s my mom.”
“I know,” I tell him, a little jealous of the bond he shares with her. I was never lucky enough to have something like that. The woman I thought was my mother was awful until she abandoned me, and the woman I’ve recently discovered is my biological mother…well, she’s currently rotting in prison.
How did I get so lucky?
“I think it’ll get worse before it can get better,” he tells me. “I can’t earn her forgiveness and trust without telling her the full story. She needs to know about Lily’s involvement with this. Right now, she just thinks I work for the guy to earn a bit of cash. I have no idea how she’s going to react when she finds out that I sold my soul to him for Lily.”
“I think it’ll take a little while, but she’ll eventually understand.” I scoot into his side and get undeniable relief when he wraps his arm around me. “No matter where you’re living or how upset she was, just remember that she loves you.”
“I know,” he sighs. “I’m trying but when your mom kicks you out of her house, it’s not that easy to remember.”
“You have no choice but to remember,” I tell him before glancing down at his crotch. “Now, how much is that thing hurting? I want to see it in action.”
Noah shakes his head. “Trust me, babe. I am so out of action,” he says with a smirk. “And you’ve got no one to blame but yourself.”
Chapter 2
Noah and I walk through my door just after seven at night. We spent a good four hours with Tiny and she managed to get the whole outline done. I’ll be going back in a few weeks after it’s healed to get the color added and I can’t wait. It already looks incredible.
It was crazy and it hurt like a bitch. I’ve been jumped and been involved in more fights than I care to admit, but getting a tattoo? It sucked.
Tiny and I talked nearly the whole time. I told my life story and then we switched and she told me all about herself while Noah slouched in a chair with an ice pack on his dick, absolutely shameless. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep and I instantly became jealous.
At first, Noah did what he could to try and get my mind off it. He hated seeing me like that but it got to the point where his incessant asking how I was doing was driving me insane and I ordered him away. He refused to go far which is how he ended up slouched in the chair.
By the time Tiny was done with the outline, I was more than happy to get up off that table. I was dying to pee and the need to check out my ink was becoming overwhelming. Seeing it for the first time though...wow. I felt kind of badass to be honest. I mean, I have a tat now and that means I’m a bad bitch. Well, I already am a bad bitch but now I have the ink to go with it.
Both Noah and I have had an exciting, spontaneous, and painful day. I want nothing more than to collapse down into my bed and wait for dad to fall asleep so Noah can sneak into my bedroom.
The last few days have been pretty good despite how shitty it was with the whole Violet thing. Dad has been in the hospital so me and Noah have been playing house. It’s been kind of awesome and gave me ‘the feels’ big time. It’s as though I could pretend that this was mine and Noah’s future. It’s exactly how I imagined it; us slaving over the stove, stealing kissing and ass grabs while the kids run around the house. It was perfect. Until dad had to come home and ruin it.
Before even letting me get him settled in at home, he was already ordering Noah onto the couch, claiming he’s far too young for grandbabies. I rolled my eyes but it’s not like I was surprised. I could see it a mile away. In fact, I should have expected him to put up more of a fight to get out of the hospital a few days earlier just to chaperone our nights together.
If only he knew.
We walk into the living room and Aria instantly springs up from the floor, sending her dinner flying halfway across the room. Dad groans while both Noah and I brace ourselves. I turn to the left, preparing myself if she crashes into me while Noah turns to the right and angles his hips away, hoping his junk is secured if she chooses him.
How it is we both left this morning perfectly fine yet come home, both suffering from self-inflicted pain?
“Squirt, your dinner!” Dad grumbles but she doesn’t seem too worried about it as she continues full steam ahead.
Lucky for me, Aria smashes into Noah and does a good job of avoiding his groin, making him sigh out in relief as she welcomes him home. Noah wraps his arm around her and she giggles as he ruffles her hair.
Aria is loving having Noah stay with us, and I can’t complain, I’m loving it too, though it didn’t stop her from complaining about how I cook breakfast and requesting we head over to see if Violet will cook for her instead.
With Noah not currently welcome, we compromised and she was satisfied with Noah cooking instead. Though I really don’t get it; my pancakes are fucking incredible.
On the car ride home, Noah received a call from Maxen who said that Jesse was hosting a massive party at Broken Hill lake and we were all invited. We ‘ummed’ and ‘ahhed’ the whole way home trying to figure out if we should go or crash into bed and put this day to rest. We’re both exhausted, but at the same time seeing Kaylah would be awesome and I have a feeling that Tully will probably show too, so it didn’t take much convincing.
What can I say? I have a wild spirit and I’ve come to realize that there’s nothing quite like partying with the Broken Hill crew.
As Aria attempts to smother my boyfriend, I make my way towards dad. “I see you managed to make it through a whole day without ending up in the hospital,” I tease. “I’m impressed.”
“Knock it off,” he warns. “Are you kids heading out tonight?”
“Yeah,” I say, dropping down to the floor and crawling around to scrounge up Aria’s chicken nuggets while holding my tongue and choosing not to say anything about the fact that a healthy salad would have been a better option for dinner. I mean, when I’m not here to enforce our new rules, he can be a little lax, but for the most part, he’s doing alright.
Noah gets in a workout wherever he can and for the past few days, dad has been joining him. Watching dad groan and grunt as he tries to keep up with Noah is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen. I caught dad ‘practicing’ his exercises yesterday and while he’ll never admit it, I think it’s so he can impress Noah when they workout next. I could be wrong here, but my gut is telling me that dad has a bit of a man crush on my boyfriend. Either that or he’s extremely impressed with Noah’s dedication while working out and that keeps him motivated.
“There’s a party in Broken Hill that we thought we’d check out. It should be fun. It’s at the lake and I’m assuming Kaylah will be there. Maybe Jackson too.”
/> “Broken Hill?” dad questions, warily. “Are you sure you should be hanging out with those kids? They seem like trouble.”
“Trouble?” I scoff. “If anyone is trouble; it’s the kids from Haven Falls. Trust me, we can handle the Broken Hill guys. They’re like angels compared to the shit we grew up with.”
“You better not be trouble,” dad warns. “I didn’t raise you like that.”
I roll my eyes before grinning wickedly at the old man who I seem to be very fond of. “What can I say?” I shrug. “It’s in my DNA.”
“Bullshit,” Dad laughs. “You have DNA to die for. Top of the line. People would pay big coin for that stuff. I can assure you, if you have trouble in your DNA, then I want a refund. I didn’t bargain for trouble.”
I can’t help but laugh while I try not to consider the fact that I share my mother’s DNA, and well, she’s the definition of trouble. “It seems you didn’t bargain for anything,” I remind him. “I showed up on your doorstep, so really, you’re damn lucky to have me, screwed up DNA and all.”
“Please,” he scoffs. “You’re the one who’s lucky.”
Shit. Ain’t that the truth? I know he’s teasing right now, trying to talk himself up and all that, but I don’t think he realizes just how right he is. I hit the jackpot when my birth mother gave me up and despite the feeling of abandonment that pulses through me every time I think about it; I can’t help but feel grateful.
I turn to take in Noah who’s still trying to get through the door with Aria attached to his leg. “Come on, Ari. Leave Noah alone and come finish your dinner. “
“But I don’t want to.”
I grin back at the miniature she-devil. “I’ll get you a treat if you eat it all up.”
Her eyes go big and she instantly releases Noah’s leg to race for her dinner, diving in and popping a nugget into her mouth before her ass has even hit the chair.
Dad leans forward. “What do you mean ‘treat’?” he questions, studying me closely. “I thought you got rid all of the bad shit around here? I’ve been eating rabbit food for the past few days and I’m already sick of it.”
I look at dad as I walk through the living room and towards the hallway, smugness pouring out of me in waves. “You really think I’d get rid of all the good stuff? It’s still here, just somewhere that you’ll never find it.” He looks at me like I’m some kind of stranger as I make my way down to my bedroom, chuckling as I go. “Besides,” I call back over my shoulder, “shouldn’t you be eating healthy?”
“Shouldn’t you be leaving?” he throws right back at me.
I roll my eyes and push into my room. I instantly grab a few painkillers and throw them down the hatch, hating how my skin seems to burn from the tattoo but Tiny assured me that will ease overnight. I hope she’s right because I’m not keen on this feeling. Maybe I’m being a baby and should toughen the hell up. After all, I’m supposed to be the Queen of Haven Falls. What kind of Queen shows weakness?
Noah hangs out with dad and Aria while they watch the game and I laugh to myself as Noah pretends to get into it for dad’s sake. He couldn’t give a shit about football. He’s more of an extreme sports kind of guy, and if they don’t include a motor then he’s not particularly interested.
Aria chats the whole way through and is constantly shushed to the point she ends up coming to hang out with me, helping me pick out something to wear. After letting me know that all my clothes suck and that I need some new jeans because mine have holes in them, we settle for a white loose tank that won’t rub against my skin, leather jacket, and a pair of ripped jeans because that’s something I simply won’t budge on. Then I sit on the edge of my bed letting Aria brush through my hair so she thinks she’s being helpful despite how bad it hurts and before long, I’m ready.
When eight o’clock comes around, Aria forces Noah to complete her bedtime routine and after reading six books and singing four songs, he comes striding out of her room half an hour later, proud as ever for getting the kid asleep. I should probably tell him that if you just tell her to lay down, give her a goodnight kiss, and switch off the light that she’ll go to sleep in about three seconds, but listening to him bonding with my sister is too good. Besides, it gives me and dad a good laugh hearing her get away with it.
“Ready to go?” Noah questions as he appears back in the living room.
I smile at him and get up from the couch before turning to dad. “Do I need to worry about you while I’m gone?”
“Oh, please,” he scoffs. “Get out of here. Just be home at a decent hour.”
With that sorted, Noah and I scram.
We get into his Camaro as he’s decided that he’s somehow able to tolerate the pain between his legs, but don’t get me wrong, I have a feeling it’s going to be an early night.
We pull up at Broken Hill lake not long after and I gawk at the sight. I’ve been here a handful of times but never when Jesse Ryder is hosting the party. The place is packed. It’s standing room only.
Speakers have been brought in, there are strings of fairy lights hanging between the trees creating a canopy over the party, and not to mention, someone went to the effort to blow up a shitload of pool floaty things that people are lounging in on the lake.
It’s only a few months until summer and I’m vibing hard. This is a taste of what my summer is going to be like and I can’t wait. It’s going to be incredible. I have a feeling most of my time will be spent with Tully and Noah on the beach or chilling at their place while Noah works on his car. I’m assuming Maxen’s racetrack will be open by then so our nights will most likely consist of fast cars and alcohol.
As I said, it’s going to be incredible. This summer is going to be my best one yet. You know, considering I get accepted into the scholarship program and have something to look forward to; otherwise I’d probably be pretty bummed. I’m really looking forward to the idea of spending the next few years of my life working towards a rewarding future.
Noah takes my hand as we walk around the party. The whole world has shown up. Nearly all of Haven Falls is here and of course, everyone from Broken Hill. Well, at least from what I can see; this year’s seniors. I haven’t seen Nate and Tora making their way around but I wouldn’t be surprised if they showed their pretty faces later on.
“Where the hell have you been all day?” a stern voice demands from behind me, pinching my waist and forcing me to whip around in surprise.
“Ah, there you are,” I grin, throwing my arms around Tully and pulling her in as she gives her twin brother the look of death. “I’ve been with Noah at the tattoo parlor.”
Tully gapes at Noah. “You got another tattoo?”
He gives her a hard stare. “Hi to you too, sis. I’ve been great, thanks for asking.”
“There’s no need to be an ass.”
“Apparently, there is,” he tells her. “You’ve been avoiding all my calls and texts.”
“Yeah, because you’re a douchebag who involved my baby sister with a guy like Anton Mathers.”
“Are you really going to hold something against me that I did when I was eleven?” he snaps at her. “I was a fucking kid who made a mistake and don’t start acting as though the money that working for him brings in isn’t helpful. You seemed to be pretty fucking thrilled when I bought you that Jeep.”
“Don’t bring that shit into it. I never once said I wasn’t grateful for everything you’ve done for our family. My issue is that you’ve kept this from me for seven years.”
Noah lets out a deep sigh. “Come on, Tullz. Can’t we just forget about this? I fucked up. I’ve already lost mom; I can’t have you hating on me too.”
Tully’s eyes fall to the ground. “I don’t know,” she says. “You should have told me.”
“How could I when I knew you’d end up looking at me like this?”
“I really want to hate you.”
A cocky grin spreads across his face as he reaches out and drags his sister into his arms. “But you can’t.�
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I can practically hear her roll her eyes. “Get off me, you big turd,” she tells him, pressing against his chest and fighting for her freedom. He finally gives in and allows her a little space before she looks over his arms. “Did you really get a new tattoo?”
“Wasn’t me who got a tattoo.”
Tully’s mouth drops open before she turns and gapes at me. “You got a tattoo without telling me?”
I start pulling out my phone to find the picture I’d taken of it at the parlor because right now it’s all bandaged up. “Well, it was kind of spontaneous,” I explain, turning my phone around to show her the pic. “I didn’t plan for it.”
“Shit, this is nice.” She takes my phone from my hand and zooms in on the picture. “I’m so jealous. This design is awesome. Did Tiny do it?”
“Uh-huh. She’s great, isn’t she?”
“Sure is. I’ve been working up the nerve to get my own but every time I get close, I chicken out like a little pussy,” she laughs, looking back at the picture and admiring it a little more. “I can’t wait until it heals and I can see it properly.”
I scoff. “I can’t wait until summer and dad realizes what I did.”
Tully shakes her head before studying me closely. “You lost a bet, didn’t you?”
“Actually, no. He did.”
“Huh?” she grunts, looking up from my phone with a blank expression. “That makes no sense. If he lost, then shouldn’t he have gotten one, not you?”
I grin widely. “He did get something done.”
“Ok…and this is where we finish this conversation,” Noah cuts in, clearly not ready to tell his sister exactly what it is he did today.
Tully’s eyes flick between me and Noah a few times before realization begins to dawn. Her mouth drops open and she gapes at him. "You didn’t?”
“Believe me,” he mutters. “I fucking wish I didn’t.”
Tully howls with laughter to the point that tears start spilling out of her eyes. Aiden comes up behind her and loops his arm over her shoulder before giving me a questioning look. “What the fuck is so funny?”
Undeniable: Haven Falls (Book 5) Page 2