Come Together by Marie Force

Chapter Twenty-Three

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

—Robert Frost

The middle-of-the-night conversation had changed things between them—in a good way. Noah could tell she was giving careful consideration to his idea. They didn’t talk about it again or anything more significant than what they should have for dinner and when would be a good time to visit Izzy, who was now at home with Cabot tending to her every need.

They were bringing dinner to Izzy’s that night, two days after their late-night conversation.

Brianna had made some of her famous lasagna for Izzy, who was curious to try it after hearing about it from her siblings.

When Noah pulled into Izzy’s driveway, he noticed Ray’s truck parked in front of the house. “Mom and Ray are here, too.”

“I made a ton, so there’s plenty if they want to eat with us.”

Noah leaned across the center console to kiss her. “Thanks for cooking for my family again.”

“I love your family.”

That was just another reason for Noah to love her. Mel had often been annoyed by his boisterous family, who were always asking them to do something. She usually had something else she’d rather be doing when he spent time with his immediate family and his Abbott cousins. “Too many people,” she’d say, dismissing whatever invitation they’d received.

“I’m glad you love them,” Noah said to Brianna. “Let me come around to help you carry that.”

He circled the truck and opened the passenger door to take the heavy pan from her. After she retrieved another bag from behind the seat, she followed him up the walkway to Izzy’s adorable Craftsman-style house.

“I love this house.”

“She does, too. She did most of the work herself with a little help from her contractor brother. It took years.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I agree. She did a great job.” The house was painted white with bright red trim that Noah had thought would look silly. But Izzy had been determined to go with the red, and he’d later had to admit it was perfect. In the summer, the porch was full of potted plants and comfortable furniture that he usually helped his sister move to the basement for the winter.

Cabot met them at the door and held it open for them to pass through with the food. “Something smells delicious.”

“It’s Brianna’s famous lasagna,” Noah said.

“I’ve been thinking about that all day,” Cabot said.

“How’s the patient?”

“She’s much better today,” Hannah said. “She even took a shower without any help. I was here on standby in case she needed me.”

“Stay for dinner,” Noah said. “Brianna made a ton.”

“We don’t want to crash your party,” Hannah said.

“Don’t be silly,” Noah said. “We’d love to have you.”

His mother gave him a curious look, but before he could ask her what was up, Brianna needed him to show her how to work Izzy’s fancy oven. Since he’d helped her install it and figure out how to use it, he was able to show Brianna.

“That’s her pride and joy,” Hannah said of the restaurant-quality oven and gas stove.

“After her cameras,” Noah added.

“Are you guys talking about me?” Izzy asked as she came into the kitchen, moving slowly but looking better than she had.

Cabot was ready with a chair for her and an arm to hold as she lowered herself to sit in what seemed like a well-practiced routine.

Noah was intrigued by the way Cabot doted on his sister. He caught Izzy’s eye, raised a brow, and she shrugged as if she didn’t know any more than he did about what was going on with Cabot.

Brianna put a plate in front of Izzy with lasagna, salad and garlic bread.

“This looks fantastic,” Izzy said. “Thank you. Everyone has brought the yummiest food. I’m going to be nine hundred pounds by the time I can move normally again.”

“You need to relax and let your body heal,” Hannah said as she brought her plate and Ray’s to the table.

“That’s easier said than done,” Izzy said, frowning. “Being out of work is going to put me in a bind. The downside of self-employment. There’s no one to fill in for me.”

“You can file for disability,” Hannah said.

“That’ll take a while to kick in,” Izzy said.

“I’ll take care of whatever you need,” Cabot said. “Don’t worry about anything.”

“You’re not paying my bills, Cabot,” Izzy said. “But it’s sweet of you to offer.”

“Why not? You need it. I have it. No big deal. Now eat your dinner, and we’ll have that fight later.”

She gave him a withering look that had helped to keep their younger siblings in line. Izzy could be scary when she wanted to be—not to Noah as the older and wiser brother, but to the younger ones for sure. They did what she told them to, and she’d been a huge help to their mother when the “kids,” as they called them, became teens.

Cabot had no idea what he was in for after they left.

The thought of Izzy handing him his ass made Noah smile. He was so very thankful she’d survived the awful accident.

When the doorbell rang at the back door, Brianna got up to see who it was. “Come in, Gray.”

“Sorry to interrupt your dinner,” Grayson said, his gaze finding Noah.

“Everything okay?” Noah asked his brother.

“Could I speak to you in private?” Gray asked.

“What’s going on, Grayson?” Hannah asked.

“I just… I need a minute with Noah.”

Noah got up from the table and led the way into the living room.

Grayson followed him.

“Noah,” he said in a low tone so only Noah could hear him, “we found Melinda where you thought she’d be.”

“Not surprised. That’s where she grew up.”

“There’s more.”

“What?”

“There’s a child—a boy. The investigator said he’s about two to three. He took photos from a distance.”

Noah’s entire body had gone cold. “What the fuck are you saying, Gray?”

“Look, we can’t prove anything with photos from a distance—”

“What the fuck are you saying?”

“He looks like you, Noah.” Grayson showed him a photo on his phone, and right away, Noah could see the resemblance to a picture of himself that hung in the hallway at his mother’s house.

The entire world tilted, and it was all he could do to remain standing. This could not be happening. She wouldn’t.

And then he was screaming, oblivious to his mother, Ray, Cabot, Izzy and Brianna, all of whom came into the room and looked on with alarm.

“Noah, my God,” Hannah said. “What is it?”

“I’m going to fucking kill her!”

Grayson held on to him so tightly that Noah couldn’t move. He could only scream at the top of his lungs. It was the only thing he could do to keep from bawling his head off. How could she have done this to him? How? Once upon a time, she’d told him she’d love him forever.

When the tears came, he pulled loose from his brother’s grasp and sank to the sofa, face buried in his hands.

Gray sat on one side, Brianna on the other. He knew she was there because he could smell the fresh scent of her hair.

“What’s happened?” Hannah asked.

“You can tell them,” Noah said.

Grayson filled them in.

“Are you kidding me?” Hannah asked in the tone that used to make her children quake.

“Noah.” Brianna’s soft voice and gentle touch shattered him.

Noah didn’t want comfort from her or anyone. “I, uh… I have to go.”

“Where’re you going?” Grayson asked.

He had no idea. His house was full of siblings who’d want to talk about it. Noah didn’t want to talk about it. “I don’t know, but I’ve got to go.”

“Stay with me,” Brianna said. “We’ll figure it out.”

“No, we won’t. We won’t figure it out. We won’t figure out anything.”

Ignoring the stricken expression on her face and the pain it gave him to know he’d hurt her, he got up, grabbed his coat and left the house.

Grayson followed him, jumping into the passenger seat of his truck before Noah could drive off.

“Get out and go home, Gray,” he said. “I’m not going to kill her. You don’t need to babysit me.”

“I’m not babysitting you. Your place is full of Colemans. Go to my house. The guest room is all yours if you need a minute to yourself. Emma and Simone are at a Girl Scout thing tonight.”

After a long moment of silence, Noah asked his most pressing question. “How could she do this to me?”

“I don’t know. It’s an awful thing to do to anyone.”

“She used to tell me she loved me so much, more than anything.”

“It’s complete and total bullshit, and we’re going to get to the bottom of it, Noah. I promise.”

“What does getting to the bottom of it even entail? I have a son I didn’t know about for almost three years. How do I ever get back that time?”

“You don’t, but you can go forward from here.”

He sat staring blankly out the window for a long time before he noticed it was snowing. “Is she still with Miguel?”

“Yeah.”

“Great, so he’s raising my kid as his own. Just when I thought this situation couldn’t be any more fucked-up than it already was.” Rage made it almost impossible for Noah to process the implications. “She was never going to tell me.”

“Probably not.”

“She’s a fucking monster, as bad as Brianna’s ex-husband.”

“Maybe even worse.”

“How do you ever know that you’re with someone who won’t crush you?”

“When it’s the right one, you know.”

Noah shook his head. “I don’t believe that.”

“Don’t do this, Noah. You’ve started something great with Brianna. We’ve all seen there’s something special between the two of you. If you let Melinda ruin that for you, that’s just another thing she will have taken from you.”

Noah heard his brother’s words and even agreed with them, but he was so fucking furious that he couldn’t imagine ever trusting anyone outside of his own family ever again.

Even Brianna.

* * *

“I don’t knowwhat to do for him,” Brianna said, feeling frantic after Noah left. Thankfully, Gray had gone after him. “What do we do?”

“We give him a minute to wrap his head around this news,” Hannah said. “And once he does, we’ll support him in the war he’ll wage with her over what she did to him.”

Cabot got up from the table and started clearing the dishes, taking them to the sink and rinsing them before loading the dishwasher. He made such a racket that they stopped talking to look at him.

“Cabot,” Izzy said. When he didn’t reply, she called to him again.

He stopped what he was doing and stood at the sink, shoulders bent forward, head down. “Sorry. Just brings it all back.”

Izzy reached out to Brianna, who was sitting next to her. “Help me up.”

Brianna stood and gave Izzy an arm up.

She moved slowly to where Cabot stood at the sink and put an arm around him.

“You shouldn’t be on your feet.”

“Shhh,” Izzy said. “I’m fine.”

He leaned into her, seeming to draw comfort from her presence.

Watching them, Brianna felt removed from what was happening right in front of her. All she could think about was Noah and how he’d stood by her through every rough moment she’d had in the last few days, not leaving her side for as long as she needed him. “Where would they go? Noah and Gray?”

“The kids are all at Noah’s place,” Hannah said.

“They’d go to Gray’s,” Izzy said. “He’d take Noah to his place.”

“Will you take me there?” Brianna asked Ray and Hannah. “Please?”

“Of course, honey,” Ray said. “Whatever you need.”

“I need to be with Noah. He needs to know he’s not alone. Not anymore.”

“We’ll take you,” Hannah said.

“Go ahead and go,” Cabot said. “I’ll finish cleaning up.”

“Are you sure?” Hannah asked, eyeing the dishes on the table.

“Positive. Take Brianna to Noah.” To Brianna, Cabot said, “Don’t let him push you away. Let him know you’re there for him no matter what happens. That’ll matter to him when the shock wears off.”

“I will,” Brianna said softly. “Thank you, Cabot.”

Twelve minutes later, Ray pulled up to Grayson’s house, where Noah’s truck was in the driveway.

Brianna had never been more relieved to see a vehicle in her life.

Hannah turned to speak to her in the back seat. “He’s going to try to push you away. That’s what he does when things like this happen. He’ll try to put up a wall around himself to keep the hurt out. Take Cabot’s advice and don’t let him push you away.”

“I won’t. Thank you both.”

“We’re rooting for you two, Brianna,” Hannah said. “My son hadn’t smiled in years. All he does is smile when you’re around. He needs you, even if he tries to convince himself he doesn’t.”

“I need him, too. I won’t give up. Don’t worry.” Bolstered by Hannah’s words of encouragement, Brianna got out of the car and went up the shoveled walkway to the mudroom door they’d used the last time they were there. She rang the bell, aware of Ray and Hannah in the truck watching to make sure she got inside safely before they left. Or maybe they’d go to Ray’s place over the garage in the back of Gray and Emma’s. Thinking about what they might be doing was better than worrying about Noah sending her away.

Gray came to the door, seeming surprised to see her. “Come in.”

Brianna waved to Ray and Hannah and then followed Grayson into the house. “I know he doesn’t want me here, but he’s not getting rid of me that easily.”

“He’s a bit of a bear.”

Brianna kicked off her boots. “I’m not afraid of him.”

Grayson smiled. “I knew I liked you. The guest room is to the left of the family room. First door on the right. Make yourself at home.”

“Thank you, Gray. And tomorrow, we’ll be petitioning the court for paternity or custody or whatever needs to happen, right?”

“First thing.”

“Excellent.” Brianna walked through the kitchen to the family room, taking a left and coming to a stop outside the first door on the right. She took a deep breath and let it out, squared her shoulders and gave a quick knock on the door before she walked in.

Noah stood at the window, staring out into the snowy darkness.

Brianna closed the door and leaned back against it. “I know you don’t want me here, but I’m not leaving you alone with this, just like you wouldn’t have left me alone with the news about Rem. Whether you want me here or not, I’m here and I’m staying. You don’t have to do this yourself. A lot of people love you.” She licked lips that’d gone dry. “Including me.”