“What is it?” I try to see what he’s looking at, but he hits the button on the side, turning the screen black.
“You don’t need to see that shit.” Noah grabs his keys before tossing my cell onto the counter.
“Honey.” His mom reaches for him as I scramble to get my phone.
“Keep her here,” he orders as I turn on my cell and try to find what they saw. Rebecca follows after him.
It only takes a second to locate the last message I got and see that it was from Conner. When I tap on it, I can only stare in disbelief at the text and image he sent me. In the middle of what used to be Conner’s and my backyard is a pile of name-brand bags, shoeboxes, clothes, and even my jewelry box, with a red can of gasoline front and center. The message under it just reads:I bet you talk to me now.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I mutter under my breath, then come out of my daze when I hear the back door slam shut. “Oh, no.” With my heart pounding, I run down the hall and swing open the door, then stumble down the stairs as Noah backs his truck out of the garage.
His mom looks at me, wringing her hands, looking at a loss for what to do. “I couldn’t stop him.”
“Noah!” I scream while running to the front of his truck, slapping my hands on the hood.
“Bridgett.” His mom rushes to me, grabbing my arm. “Let’s go inside.”
“I’m not letting him leave,” I tell her, feeling panicked because I don’t know what Conner might do if Noah shows up at the house. He’s obviously lost it if he’s going as far as burning my stuff to get my attention.
“Move, baby,” Noah yells out the window, and I shake my head and circle around to the driver’s side, where the glass is now rolled down.
“I don’t care about any of that stuff.”
“It’s still your stuff.”
“Yeah, but it’s just stuff.” I pull on the door handle to open it, but it’s locked.
“Move out of the way, babe.”
“Don’t you understand that this is what he wants? He wants to get a rise out of me. He wants to upset me.” I pull on the door handle again with no luck. “He doesn’t get anything else from me. He doesn’t get anything from you.”
“Move,” he instructs, and my eyes fly up to his.
“Please, don’t do this,” I beg, hating Conner more than I ever have, and that’s saying something since I already despised him.
“Step back, baby,” Noah orders quietly, and I do, even though I feel completely defeated. Dropping my gaze to the ground, I feel his mom’s arms wrap around me. A second later, she lets me go, and before I have a chance to question why, Noah’s huge body is wrapped around mine, and he’s embracing me.
“Thank you.” I sag against him, overwhelmed that he listened.
“I still want to kick his ass.”
“He’s not worth it.” I tip my head back when his fingers go under my chin, putting pressure there.
“He’s not worth it, but you are. You get that, right?” he asks, and tears fill my eyes. “Don’t cry.”
“I won’t.” I press my face into his chest so I can suck in a deep breath. The truth is that his words hit a part of me I didn’t even know was vulnerable. For so long, I’ve felt like I’m not worth much of anything. That I’m a burden my family has just dealt with because that’s what they’re supposed to do. It’s horrible to feel like nothing more than an obligation to people.
“Go inside with Mom,” Noah says after a long minute, and every muscle in my body gets tight. “I’m not going after him.” His lips rest against the crown of my head. “I’m just going to pull my truck back into the garage.”
“Come on.” Rebecca slides her arm through mine. I let Noah go with a nod and head into the house with her but stop right at the back door. “He’d never lie to you.”
“I—”
Her quiet laughter cuts me off, and she takes my hand, dragging me down the hall. “He’s always been brutally honest. I’m sure you’ll find that out eventually because him being truthful doesn’t always feel great.” She grins. “That said, if he says he’ll do something, he’ll do it, and vice-versa.” Her expression turns serious as she studies me. “Are you okay?”
“My ex is a jerk.” I take a seat at the counter and watch her pour two cups of the wine Noah opened.
“I’ve been there, done that, sweet girl. And you’re one hundred percent right about feeding into him. Guys like him get high off making other people miserable.” She passes me one of the cups. “Noah’s daddy was just like that, a liar and a master manipulator. That’s why my boy is truthful to a fault and overprotective of the people he cares about.” Her gaze on me goes soft, and my pulse quickens.
