Part 2 (1/2)
”Talk to me, Noah,” she begged. ”I can help you.”
How could I explain what Reese did to me that night with a straight face?
Who the h.e.l.l was going to believe a skinny little thing like Reese could force me into anything?
The cop I told sure as h.e.l.l didn't. a.s.shole broke his sides laughing when I tried to explain what she had done to me that night. His reaction had told me all I needed to know, so I kept my mouth shut from that point on.
The officer arrived back into the room then, letting us know visiting time was over.
Pus.h.i.+ng her chair back, Lee got to her feet and, with a determined look on her face, she said, ”I'm going to help you, Noah Messina. Not because you're my husband's brother, or my children's friend. I'm going to help you because you deserve to be helped. You deserve better than the life you've been forced into. Have faith,” she added before she was led from the room.
KYLE CARTER WAS LIKE A HURRICANE, I decided as I watched him pace the Harte's kitchen floor, dominating the room and causing the air to crackle with electricity.
To be honest, my heart went out to Sheila as she pottered uneasily around the two huge American men in her kitchen, offering tea and brown cake a typical Irish mammy.
The attractive blonde haired man who had arrived with Teagan's father was unfamiliar to me, but Hope called him Uncle Mike.
Apparently, he was another one of Hope's grandfather's offspring, though he was the one that had been claimed and carried the surname Henderson.
From what I could gather, Mike Henderson lived in London, and was due to fly back to the states to discuss the newest member of the family when Kyle told him to meet him at Shannon.
”This is bulls.h.i.+t, Hope,” Mr. Carter all but roared, pulling at his tie and then ruffling his hair with his free hand. ”You're not staying here. I forbid it... oh thank you, Sheila,” he added, taking a tiny china teacup from Liam's mother.
Sheila blushed scarlet red before excusing herself from the kitchen, leaving us alone with Mr. Carter and his brother.
”You can't forbid me to do anything, Dad, I'm eighteen,” Hope reminded him as she leaned against the doorframe. ”And you can't force me to do anything either.” She crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at her father. ”I'm not Mom.”
That comment earned a chuckle from the uncle, who was much calmer than his brother.
”Help me out here, Mike,” Mr. Carter begged, clearly distraught.
”Technically, she's right, brother,” Mike announced, clapping him on the shoulder. ”Hope is legally an adult.”
Mr. Carter growled, shrugging Mike's hand off to resume his pacing. ”I knew I should have brought Derek. You're f.u.c.king useless to me.”
Mike grunted and Hope screamed.
”Don't you dare,” she snapped, eyes wide and glowing with anger. ”Keep anyone with the last name Porter far away from me.”
”Good girl,” Mike chimed in. ”Those Porters are bad news.”
”Shut the h.e.l.l up, douche,” Mr. Carter grumbled, glaring at his brother before turning his attention to his daughter. ”What the h.e.l.l did that little s.h.i.+t do to you?”
Hope's cheeks turned bright pink. ”Nothing.”
”And what about your mother?” he accused, hands on his trim hips, as he towered over her. ”Do you think Mom needs this kind of stress in her life; especially considering the circ.u.mstances.”
Hope narrowed her eyes. ”What circ.u.mstances?”
”Well...” he muttered, rolling up the sleeves of his s.h.i.+rt. His cheeks reddened as he started to backtrack. ”I didn't want you to find out like this.”
”Find out about what, Dad?” Hope asked. The blood seemed to drain from her face and she roared, ”Tell me you didn't!”
”I did,” her father muttered with a grin, causing Hope to scream. ”Mom's pregnant.”
”Again?” Mike chuckled, patting his brother on the shoulder. ”Congratulations, man.”
”Thanks,” Kyle replied proudly, ”She is three months.” Turning his attention to his daughter, he said, ”We wanted to sit all the kids down and tell them together.”
”Ugh, you complete freak,” she wailed, holding her head with her hands in sheer dismay. ”You guys are too old to be parents again,” she groaned. ”This is sick.”
”I'm forty-one, Hope,” Kyle shot back, wounded. ”Your mother's only thirty-eight. We're hardly over the hill.”
”You need to be sterilized!” Hope retorted angrily. ”How many this time?” she added sarcastically. ”Because we all know you don't shoot singles, Dad.”
A laugh escaped my mouth and I had to smother it with a cough.
”Sorry,” I mumbled, covering my mouth with my hand when she glared at me. There was no way I was getting on Hope's bad side, not while she was in this mood.
”Angel. Just come home with me,” her father said with a sudden vulnerability in his voice a vulnerability that made Hope flinch. ”And I promise you that I will fix everything. Just come home. Please,” he added in a desperate tone.
”I can't go back there, Dad,” she whispered. Her eyes welled up with tears. ”Please understand.”
Kyle Carter stared at his daughter for what felt like forever before turning his attention to me. ”What about you, Blondie?”
I swallowed deeply. ”What about me?”
”You're just gonna leave the kid to rot?” he demanded, and the accusatory tone in his voice caused my hackles to rise. ”After all he's been through?”
”No offense, Mr. Carter,” I seethed, grinding my teeth. ”But what I do with my life is absolutely none of your business.”
”Noah's my brother,” he declared proudly. ”The kid loves you, Teagan. He's going out of his mind worrying about you.”
”Then you take care of him,” I hissed, forcing myself not to flinch. ”He's not my problem anymore.” Not since he stuck his d.i.c.k in Reese f.u.c.king Tanner. I forced down the bile that was threatening to spill out of me. ”And you can tell your brother that I am done!”
Noah didn't love me.
He didn't give a d.a.m.n about me.
If he did, he wouldn't have thrown everything we had away for a quick f.u.c.k.
”So it's like that?” Mr. Carter asked in a tone laced with disgust. ”You're just going to carry on with your life and pretend your boyfriend isn't sitting in a jail cell right now?” He shook his head and shrugged. ”I thought you were made of tougher stuff than to run at the first hurdle.”
”He's not my boyfriend,” I managed to choke out, feeling winded and completely broken. ”I am protecting myself, Mr. Carter, from getting even more hurt than I've already been. So stop trying to make me feel bad for doing nothing wrong.”
He shook his head in defeat. ”You're making a mistake, Teagan,” he told me wearily. ”I may not know the ins and outs of what happened between you two, but if you loved the boy you would be standing by him now and not hiding out here like a coward.”
”You're right about one thing, Mr. Carter. You don't know a d.a.m.n thing about me!” I hissed before stalking out of the room. Stopping in the doorway, I turned and glared back at him. ”You don't know what happened between us but if you go and ask Reese Tanner, I'm sure she'll be more than happy to tell you everything.”
Swinging around, I bolted from the kitchen and didn't stop moving until I was inside Liam's room.