“Ok,” I grin. “I’d like that.”
Aria jumps up from Dad’s lap. “Can I come with you?”
I look to Dad who gives a slight nod. “Ok, Squirt. Go grab your shoes.”
Aria races off and returns no less than three seconds later before dropping down on the floor to start doing up her shoes. She’s only just started learning about tying her shoelaces and naturally, she doesn’t need anyone’s help, so it takes forever.
As she does that, I come down behind her and finish tying up her hair so she looks presentable to the outside world. Before I know it, she’s barreling towards my car and diving into it as though she owns it.
I drive like a crazy person until I’m finally pulling into the fire station. Noah’s been loving volunteering here and to be honest, I find it sexy as hell.
The first thing I see as I drive in is Noah standing out front with a few of the other firefighters, all working together to clean the big red truck. Aria instantly loses her mind at seeing it while I do the same, only it has nothing to do with the truck and a little more to do with the fact that they’ve welcomed Noah in so much that they given him a uniform, and damn…that’s nice to look at.
As if recognizing the sound of my engine, Noah looks back over his shoulder and takes us in. His brows dip in concern before a bright smile takes over, always loving to see me.
It’s been a pretty good few days.
Noah didn’t exactly like hearing what happened at the races with Anton, but he couldn’t deny that what I was told was good news. He’s still extremely weary and I have to admit, so am I. But when it comes down to it, Anton seemed genuine in his own twisted way. Though it’d be smart not to assume it was over. For now, Noah’s free of him and that’s all that counts. I just hope he doesn’t come back one day claiming that Noah is his.
The whole Anton being River’s father thing was a hard pill to swallow. Even more so for Tully and Noah. Sitting there explaining that to them was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. Tully instantly burst into tears for the kind of life Rivers has had while Noah sat there looking shocked, wondering how he missed it. After all, he met Rivers when he was eleven and Anton was the one who introduced them.
All the shit about Gina? I don’t know what to think there, but that’s so not my business. I don’t even want to go hunting for those answers.
It sucks, but it is what it is and there’s nothing we can do about it. All we can hope for is that one day Rivers can break free from this dark life that was carved out for him. Surely, he must know that he’s better than that.
I hope that joining the military was a way for him to try and distance himself. He already put his mother away and broke free from her, but what about his father? I don’t even want to begin to understand what their relationship must be like. No wonder he spent so much time at Noah’s place. Hell, most nights he slept there.
He’ll rise up. I just know it. He may have a dark past but his future is bright. His heart is too pure and full of goodness for him to be swallowed by the ugliness of this world. I feel it within me. He’s better than our mom and he’s so much better than his dad. He can’t allow that bullshit to define him.
If anything, he’ll shine bright because he has us and not to mention, the love of a strong, beautiful woman like Tully who would go to the ends of the earth to help him through it.
He’ll be alright.
Finding out that Rocko has now taken Noah’s place…that was a whole other story. Tully has never been so happy to have dodged a bullet.
I bring my car to a stop beside Noah’s Camaro and launch myself out the door with my acceptance letter firmly clutched between my fingers.
Noah starts making his way towards me. “What are you do-”
I crash into him, throwing my arms around his neck and jump right up into his arms. The breath is knocked out of him, but he catches me with ease. I crush my lips to his and devour him as I hear Ari groaning behind me in disgust.
When I finally pull back and allow Noah to breathe, he grins at me with a sparkle in his warm eyes. “What was that for?” he questions. “What are you doing here?”
I release my legs from around him and he helps me to my feet, making sure I’ve got my balance before letting me go. I pass him the acceptance letter and watch as he takes it and starts reading over it. “I got in,” I beam. “I got a scholarship.”
His head snaps up with wide, excited eyes. “Are you shitting me?” he booms. “Tell me you’re not shitting with me.”
“This is not a drill,” I laugh. “Your girlfriend is officially college material.”
Noah throws the acceptance letter high into the air and pulls me in, crushing me hard against his chest. “Fuck yeah.” He spins around to face the firemen working on the truck as Ari scrambles to get the flying paper. He practically launches me into the air in his excitement. “My girlfriend just got accepted for a scholarship at Broken Hill University.”
The firemen start crowding around, whooping and cheering for me despite never having met me before. As a Haven Falls kid, getting into college is a big fucking deal, getting accepted for a scholarship to a college like BHU, well that’s just unheard of, and you don’t need to be a student to understand how much of a big deal this is around here.
These guys don’t know me and the fact that they’re celebrating with us means the fucking world to me. Today is seriously the best day ever.
It turns into a bit of a party and before I know it, Ari has convinced the guys to give her the grand tour of the fire truck so she can turn on the sirens while Noah refuses to let go of me even for one second.
The celebration comes to a startling halt when the alarm sounds and I watch in amazement just how quickly these guys get into action. “Sorry, Spitfire,” Noah says, giving me a quick hug. “I have to go.”
“Don’t be stupid,” a voice says from behind us. We spin around to see the fire chief, smiling fondly at the two of us. He nods towards Noah. “Get out of here and go home with your girl. Shit like this doesn’t happen every day, especially in Haven Falls.”
“You sure?” Noah questions.
“Trust me, as you get older you realize what’s truly important in life and this is one of those times.”
With that, the chief turns his back and hurries over to the fire truck and climbs in just in time for it to take off to attend whatever emergency was called in, leaving the three of us behind to get on with our day.
“You heard the man,” Noah says, heading inside and dragging me along while Ari skips behind us. “Let me get out of this uniform and I’ll take you home.”
I tug on his hand, stopping him in his tracks as my eyes roam up and down his body, taking in the uniform. “You don’t really have to take that off, do you?” I question, my eyes burning with desire. “Because I wouldn’t mind doing it for you.”
Noah raises a brow before a devilish grin spreads over his face. “You got yourself a deal, but be warned, tonight is about celebrating you so you better be prepared because I won’t be stopping until you physically can’t scream my name any longer.”
I swallow hard.
Hell to the freaking yes. How did I get so lucky?
Chapter 12
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” I ask Noah as he stands at the door, hesitating while looking incredibly nervous.
He glances across to me before looking over at Lacey and letting out a deep breath. “It’s now or never, right?” he says. “Besides, this is about Lily and finding a little bit of closure. Her feelings for me don’t matter right now. If she still wants to hate me, then I’ll suck it up and deal with it. If not, maybe she’s ready to talk.”
“Ok,” I say. “Then what are you waiting for? Tully’s already told you your parents are home. Just knock on the door.”
Noah scrunches up his face before hesitating again, so instead of allowing him to back out, I knock on the door for him, forcing him to face his fears. Well, I guess ‘fears’ isn’t ex
actly the right word. He’s not scared of his mother, but I think he’s terrified of her rejection, of hurting her again. He wants nothing more than to earn her forgiveness and while he’s been doing everything in his power to make that happen, it all comes down to this moment, whether she believes he’s put in enough effort or if she wants him to continue paying for his mistakes.
“Shit,” Noah grumbles under his breath as he becomes fidgety. I take his hand and lace my fingers through his, giving him all the support in the world.
“What’s going on?” Lacey questions, flicking her eyes between me and Noah, clearly confused by Noah’s reluctance to walk straight through the door. After all, this is his family home and people generally don’t feel this way when standing at their own front door.
“It’s a long story,” I tell her, realizing that Noah’s not about to go and give her any answers, but I feel as though I need to prepare the poor girl before she walks in there. “Noah’s not exactly on good terms with his mom right now.”
“Oh, so am I supposed to be some sort of bargaining chip to get him on her good side?”
“No, not at all,” I tell her as we hear the sound of someone moving around inside. “You’re the sun in the sky which could hopefully lead them all out of the darkness. They’re all missing Lily so much, especially Violet and we’re hoping that your stories of her could help to heal her heart, even if it’s only a little. Noah will deal with his differences when they’re both ready. The only question is if she’ll let him through the door.”
Noah scoffs beside me. “No need to remind me.”
“Sorry,” I grumble moments before the door is pulled open.
Violet stands before us with a warm smile on her face for her guests, that is until she takes in Noah standing before her. The smile instantly drops, and she runs her eyes over me, giving me a small nod before glancing at Lacey and then returning her eyes to Noah. “I thought I made it clear that you weren’t welcome in my home until you had made up for the things you have done.”
“I promise, I’m working on it,” he tells her. “But this is important. I thought maybe you could put aside your differences just to hear me out. It’s about Lily.”
Violet’s brows dip down as she focuses closer on Noah. “What are you talking about?” she questions, desperately, searching his eyes for something I can’t quite work out.
Noah indicates to Lacey beside him. “Mom, this is Lacey.”
Violet’s eyes widen in surprise and she cuts off whatever Noah was about to say as she turns to take in the girl. “Lacey?” she questions with slight hesitation. “As in, the little girl Lily would talk about in the room across from hers?”
“The very one,” Lacey smiles fondly.
Violet’s heart sits upon her sleeve as she continues taking her in. “Oh, sweet girl,” she gushes. “I’ve always wondered how you were doing. It’s so lovely to see you again, though in my mind you’re still a little girl, but it seems you’re all grown up now.”
“I am,” Lacey chuckles. “I hope it’s alright that I’m here.”
“Of course, darling.”
Noah raises his chin. “Lacey sought out me and Tullz last week and told us everything she remembered of her time with Lily and I thought I’d invite her over to share the same things with you and dad,” he explains.
Violet glances back at Lacey with tears pooling in her eyes. “You’d be willing to do that?” she questions. “Share your memories of my baby girl with us?”
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” she tells Violet. “I’d be honored.”
With that, Violet steps out of the doorway and welcomes us in, and it’s not until I get a few steps into the living room that I realize Noah and Violet are still standing at the door, staring at each other with broken souls.
“I’ll, um…I guess I’ll go,” Noah murmurs. “I just wanted to bring her here.”
Violet sighs. "Don’t be silly. Come in and share in the memories of your sister. We can talk afterward.”
Noah’s eyes flick to mine before he nods and walks through the door. I offer Lacey a seat as Noah drops down onto the couch. “Henley, sweetheart, could you race down and see what Tully is doing? I’m sure she’d like to be here for this.”
“Sure,” I smile. I hurry down the hall as Violet ducks into the kitchen, most likely to get some drinks and search out Eddison. I push my way through Tully’s door, hoping I’m not about to walk in on anything that I can’t unsee as you never know with this girl.
I find Tully laying face down on her bed, propped up on her elbows as she looks down at her phone. “Hey, what’s going on?” she questions. “Did Noah have the balls to walk through the front door?”
“Sure did,” I chuckle, “and he brought Lacey with him.”
Tully instantly sits up. “What?” she questions. “Really? Lacey’s here?”
“Uh-huh. Your mom invited her in to chat about Lily. She thought you’d like to be there and hear what she has to say.”
Tully flies off the bed. “Yeah, I would,” she tells me, grabbing her phone and sliding it into the back pocket of her jeans. “She hasn’t started yet, has she? I know she’s probably just going to say the things she told us the other night but maybe she has more to add.”
I smile at her excitement. “No, you’ve still got time. Your mom is playing host and getting her settled before bombarding her with questions.”
Tully smiles fondly before pushing through her door and heading up the hallway. She drops down beside Noah and I make my way into the kitchen to find Violet hastily trying to get a spread set up and pour drinks at the same time.
I take the cup out of her hand. “Here, let me. Go get started with Lacey and I’ll come out when it’s all ready.”
“Are you sure?” she questions, not wanting to burden me with the task.
“Of course. Go and hear about Lacey’s friendship with your baby.”
Violet reaches out and squeezes my shoulder. “Noah really has found an angel. He better not screw it up and lose you. I’d be furious with him.”
“Trust me, if either of us is going to screw it up, it’d probably be me.”
“I highly doubt that,” she laughs before giving me a bright smile and turning away. She heads into the living room, most likely taking her place beside Eddison. I get busy and sort out something for everyone to nibble on before pouring everyone’s favorite drink. I guess that’s the good thing about becoming so close with people, you begin to learn all about their little preferences. Just as I know that Eddison likes to have a few ice cubes in his soda while Tully prefers to have iced tea.
I hear them chatting in the living room and let out a sigh. The emotions flowing around that room are nearly too much for me to handle and I have a feeling that the second I walk in there, I’m going to be bowled over by them.
Once everything is ready, I take it into the living room and place it down on the coffee table, central to everyone before Noah grabs me and pulls me down into his lap, holding me tight as he listens to everything that Lacey has to offer.
For two hours the group share memories of Lily, each and every one of us discovering something new. Tully and Violet both have tears in the eyes while Eddison’s and Noah’s minds seem to be somewhere far away.
Violet walks Lacey out after chatting with her about her recovery and how she’s been doing over the past few years while I hop off Noah’s lap and start clearing away all the cups and empty plates.
As I head back in to grab another handful, I find Violet walking back from the door with a fond smile on her face, clearly feeling at ease as that little insight of Lily’s life from a friend manages to satisfy her aching heart. “Oh, you don’t need to do that,” she tells me, taking the cups from my hands and scooping up the last plate off the table. “You’ve already been so helpful.”
I refuse to give her the cup from my left hand and walk with her into the kitchen. “Tully told me you got your scholarship,” she smiles proudly. "Congrat
ulations, sweetie. I knew you could do it.”
“Thanks,” I beam. “All my hard work finally paid off and it’s even better because now I have something to show Aria that just because she’s from Haven Falls doesn’t mean that she can’t achieve her goals.”
“You see, I knew the day you showed up here with that little girl you were going to make an incredible big sister. She’s so lucky to have you.”
“I think it’s the other way around,” I tell her honestly. “Having Ari to look out for has motivated me to be better.”
“That was already inside you. Now you have someone to prove it to,” she says, giving me a knowing smile before walking out into the living room.
I follow behind and sit down on the armrest of Noah’s couch when Violet lets out a deep sigh and looks down at him with disappointment, though it almost seems forced, as though all the joy from hearing about Lily is clouding the anger she has pulsing within her for Noah.
I rest my hand against the back of Noah’s neck and rub my thumb along his skin, giving him all my support. I guess this is the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Tully discreetly gets up and disappears down the hallway as Eddison sits up a little straighter.
I go to make my move when Noah curls his arm around me, holding me still and not letting me go. I guess that settles it, I’m going to be here for this ass whooping.
“How have you been, son?” Eddison questions, raising his chin to appear somewhat of the authority figure here, but we all know Violet is the one who wears the pants in this relationship.
“I’m not working for Anton any longer if that’s what you’re asking.”
Eddison raises a brow and it’s almost startling how much he resembles Noah as he does it. “Why don’t you start from the beginning,” Eddison says as Noah’s eyes flick up towards his mom. “Your mom has had some time to cool off,” he continues. “So as long as you’re making some progress, we shouldn’t have any issues here.”
Undeniable: Haven Falls (Book 5) Page 12