Special … how special?
His mother finally looked at her, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “We’ve already met.” Clearing her throat, the older woman turned away and found the chair by the window. “This is a nice house. It’ll make a good studio for you.”
Noah pulled Spider to the couch. “Mom, I’m glad to see you, but what are you both doing here? I thought you were touring the country in the RV? Wyoming, last I heard.”
“Your mother got your messages.” Larry took a seat on the other side of Noah. His hand grasped Noah’s shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “Your brother called her first. She thought we should come see you. We got here as soon as we could.”
Mrs. Harwell’s face was turned toward the window. The poor woman looked ill with worry. Sighing, she finally turned and looked at them. “Emma, have you known my son very long?”
“Uh, well…” She glanced at Noah for assistance. No, ma’am, only a week or so, and yes, we’ve already slept together. Oh, geez. She hadn’t said that out loud, had she?
“Mom.” Noah’s voice interrupted anything further Spider might have said. “If you’re here, I assume what John told me is true.”
His mother seemed ready to bolt. Her gaze kept flickering towards Spider with uncertainty, and Spider wished she were anywhere else. Iran. North Korea. The moon. Bound to be vacations compared to this. Stomach churning, she placed a hand on her belly. I am going to be so sick all over his carpet in a minute. Maybe that’s why Noah covered her other hand with his, pulling it to his knee and lacing their fingers together in a gesture of solidarity.
“Anything you have to say can be said in front of Emma. She’s a part of this too now.”
Whoa. He was not acting like a man skittish of relationships anymore. What the heck had Kate done to him?
Tears welled in his mother’s eyes, and Spider felt an immediate urge to rush over and hug the woman. If this was miserable for her, how must his mother be feeling? How hard was this for Noah? Glancing at him, she squeezed her hand, trying to offer some support. This was about them, not her.
Suck it up.
“Yes, it’s true.” His mother’s voice quavered. “After we had John, we tried for more children, but I never got pregnant again. I assumed we couldn’t have any more, and your father—” She lowered her gaze to the hands clasped in her lap. “You know what he was like. When I had the opportunity to take you in, I realized it was worth staying with him if that allowed me to be eligible for the adoption. It was only later, after I got pregnant with Kristina, that I realized I could still have children.”
The way Noah’s fingers tightened around hers was almost painful, but Spider didn’t pull away. She waited for him to speak, for his mother to continue, but the room fell uncomfortably silent. Noah’s eyes glistened with unshed tears. His jaw muscles twitched. If only she could comfort him.
Clearing her throat, she leaned forward and spoke in a gentle tone. “Did you know Noah’s birth mother?”
Wiping her eyes, Mrs. Harwell nodded. “Her name was Kate Levine. We were cousins, the only family each other had. She went missing when Noah was just a toddler. Social services found me, asked if I was willing to take him in until Kate reappeared. When it became clear that Kate wasn’t coming home, we filed to adopt.”
“Wait a minute. You knew Kate?” Noah asked.
“Not very well. Kate lived with her parents in Covington, and we rarely saw them.” His mother rushed to her feet and knelt in front of him. “No matter what you’re thinking, Noah, you will always be my little boy.” She reached up and caressed his face, her own distorted with sorrow. “You are my son. That’s why I never told you. I didn’t see the need.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I understand.” He brushed the other’s woman hair behind one ear. “Thank you for taking me in.” He swallowed so hard the sound echoed around the room. “I know this is hard for you, but I need to know more about my birth mother. Do you know what happened to her?”
“Only what the police told me.” Her husband stood so she could sit beside Noah while she talked. In a trembling voice that grew stronger as she spoke, Mrs. Harwell reinforced everything they’d learned. “She was a good woman. The few memories I have of her – she was so kind.”
“Didn’t she have any other family?” Spider asked.
“She lost her parents not long before you were born.” She told Noah. “Car accident. I saw her at the funeral. She was alone and pregnant. I offered for her to stay with us, but she was eager to attend college here in Atlanta. She was excited about making a home for you. She had some insurance money, so I thought she would be fine. I never forgave myself for not keeping in touch.”
“And my father?” Noah managed softly.
His mother reached for her purse and pulled out an envelope. She handed it to him. He looked at the piece of paper and Spider leaned closer to peek at it too. “My birth certificate?”
His birth name had been William Noah Regner. Mother: Katherine Levine. Father: Christopher Regner.
“I only know his name from that. Kate said he wasn’t ready to be a father, but she seemed okay with it.” Mrs. Harwell pulled her son closer for a half hug. “I promise you, I did try to find him for you. Neither the social worker or I ever had any luck.”
“Was my name Billy?”
She looked surprised. “That’s what Kate called you. We decided to call you by your middle name instead, start afresh. You were so young, we didn’t think you’d remember.”
Noah’s face had paled. “It’s okay.” He nodded and glanced at Spider. “I appreciate everything.”
He didn’t look as though he appreciated it. He looked absolutely devastated. Spider’s arms itched to pull him into a bear-hug and squeeze.
His stepfather gave an obviously fake cough to break the tension. “Sweetheart, you should tell him about the boxes.”
Hand on her chest, Mrs. Harwell forced a smile. “We stopped by our house and got them on the way here. Your … mother’s things. I’ve kept them in storage. It’s everything she owned when she disappeared. We sold most of the furniture, so it’s not much. I thought you might like to have it.”
Noah frowned, his brow furrowing as he, too, stared at the carpet. She wondered what he was thinking.
Leaning around him, she asked, “Mrs. Harwell, do you mind if I ask? What do you think happened to Kate?”
Noah’s mother shrugged. “I believe she’s dead. I don’t think she would have ever left Noah alone for so long otherwise.”
Noah shifted away from them both and stood. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he turned and met Spider’s gaze. “Why don’t you go home and get changed? Make that call you wanted. Maybe you can come back later? Help me go through these boxes?”
He didn’t want her to stay? Feeling hurt by the implication, she nodded. She wasn’t clingy, so why did his dismissal bother her so much? The poor guy probably needed space to come to terms with all he’d learned. She couldn’t even imagine.
Fine. She’d give them some privacy. A shower and change of clothes would be awesome right now, anyway.
Besides, she needed to tell someone about Lake Allatoona.
“It was nice to meet you,” she told the older couple before hurrying toward the door.
“Excuse me,” Noah said behind her, and she felt his presence before she realized he had followed her onto the porch. “Emma, wait.”
She turned. “Uh-huh.”
“I’m sorry our time was interrupted.”
She touched his arm. “Me too. Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine.” Sighing, his knuckles brushed her hair behind her ear. His colour was more normal now. He no longer felt as hot to the touch either. “Promise me you’ll come back. Two hours?”
Relief flooded through her. “I’ll be here.”
“Good.” His expression sobered. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Please.” She rolled her eyes. “What kind of trouble can I get into over there?”
She gestured across the street. Well, given her track record, it was a fair request. “Don’t answer that.” She pushed him toward his front door. “Go. Your mom needs you. Worry about her, not me.”
His mouth slanted. “Two hours.”
She gave him a thumb up. That would give her plenty of time to gather what she needed, call her dad, and touch base with Hannah for her daily check-in. He didn’t know it yet, but she had a plan to solve this mystery once and for all.
***
Holy hell! He was adopted.
Noah had no idea how to handle that truth. Hearing it from his brother had been one thing – but from his mother? He’d experienced a myriad of emotions since she’d admitted everything. Confusion had turned to sadness. Sadness turned to frustration. Frustration turned to anger that had boiled to near overflowing in his chest, threatening to choke him. He’d had to excuse himself again to keep from screaming, “Why can’t I just be normal? Why did you have to hide this from me?”
Why? Why? Why? So many questions in his head.
It didn’t help that he still felt slightly feverish. No idea why. When he’d fallen asleep and started dreaming, he’d known right away he was in for a different experience. This time he’d watched as Kate tore away from her captor and escaped into woods. At some point, it hadn’t been Kate he’d been watching run wild among the trees. It had been Emma. Waking up, he hadn’t remembered all of the details, and he’d been mostly grateful for that. His body had felt like he’d been run over by a damn dump truck.
That feeling had faded throughout the day until all that lingered was a mild ache behind one eye.
And a swelling rage that demanded an outlet.
His fist found the target closest to him in the garage where he’d come to hide before his anger exploded and sent his mother to the loony bin. The cardboard box fell off the shelf and landed with a thud, the old clothes he’d intended to donate spilling out.
“Whoa. Don’t make me call the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Cardboard in here.”
He turned at the sound of Emma’s teasing voice. His chest loosened its grip around his heart even as his pulse quickened at the sight of her. If he didn’t know better, he’d say this amazing young woman with her funky hair and snarky mouth was a witch. How else could he explain the fact he immediately relaxed in her presence?
“Two hours,” he reminded gruffly.
It had been at least three. Not that he’d been counting.
She shrugged and placed her messenger bag on an empty shelf. “Sorry. I got held up.” Kneeling, she began scooping up the clothes and placing them back in the mangled box. “I take it things here haven’t gone well?”
Rubbing his forehead, he shrugged and paced to the back of the garage. “It’s fine.”
“Yeah, because you seem totally fine.” She snorted, lifted the box, and placed it back on the shelf. His gaze raked over her. Jeans, Converse sneakers, and a tight-fitting green t-shirt that showed a pair of lemons and read, “If life gives you lemons, KEEP THEM. Because, hey, free lemons.”
A chuckle tore out of his chest.
She tugged at the material. “It was this or my shirt with the ninja kitten that says ‘Awwwssasin.’ I figured this one was more fitting today.”
He took a deep breath and stepped toward her. “Good choice.”
“I do occasionally make them.” She pushed up on tiptoe to kiss him. “You look better. Are you feeling better?”
He nodded.
“I called Alexandra because I was worried.” Her eyes raked over him in concern. “She said you should probably rest. She doesn’t think Kate possessed you, not exactly. But if Kate used you to speak to me, then Alexandra warned me you’re probably feeling like hell. Are you?”
“I’ve felt better,” he admitted. “But I feel a lot better than I did.” He glanced at the boxes that held Kate’s belongings.
“I called my dad. He thought I was crazy when I asked him to search the lake for Kate’s body.”
“You did what?”
“Oh, right. I haven’t explained what you said this morning.” Briefly, she told him about the words that had left his mouth; words he didn’t remember saying. “My dad wasn’t very receptive to it when I asked him to search the area based on a dream.”
Noah frowned. “I doubt he would be.”
Eyes skimming his face, she bit her lower lip and glanced over her shoulder. “Why aren’t you inside with your parents, Noah?”
He grabbed her waist and pulled her closer. Something about her proximity warmed the cold ache of loneliness inside him, the one that had always been there, only he was now learning to recognize it. “I needed some space.”
“I see.” Her hands gripped his biceps and she lifted her pretty face up to his, eyes serious and searching. “She’s still your mother. You know that, right?”
Of course he did. On some level, he knew nothing had really changed, except he now knew something he’d never known before. And the ramifications of that knowledge were staggering. For one, he wasn’t Derek West’s son. A swell of hope lifted his chest on that one major positive. Maybe he wasn’t genetically predestined to be a philandering asshole after all. Maybe he stood a chance at a happy future with a loving family of his own someday.
He’d never allowed himself to hope for that possibility, had never even considered that he wanted it. Now he knew he did.
“Noah?”
He blinked down at Emma, remembered her question, and nodded. “I know.”
She pulled away from him and picked up her bag. “Good. Now get in there and make sure she realizes it. She didn’t drive halfway across the country to stare at your wallpaper. We can talk about finding Kate’s body later.”
She was right, but he still hesitated. He gestured toward the boxes he and Larry had pulled from their RV. “Those were Kate’s. I haven’t opened them yet.”
“Oh.” She slid her hand into his. Her voice was gentle when she pointed out, “They’ll still be here later. Your mom – not so much. Come on.”
“Bossy, arent’cha?”
“Darn right.”
He allowed her to lead him out of the garage, and he couldn’t help but notice his house looked a lot neater when they went inside. The vacuum was sitting out. That made him smile. That was his mom. Always cleaning when she was stressed, and Lord knows, they’d had one helluva clean trailer for a family with four rambunctious kids.
“Mom,” he called to get her attention, and she stopped dusting to turn and look at him. Her eyes were puffy and red. Damn. He’d seen her look this way a lot, thanks to his no-good father.
No, not his father.
“Emma,” she said in surprise. “I didn’t realize you’d come back.” His mom glanced between the two of them as if she were figuring out a puzzle.
“I hope you don’t mind that I did.”
“Of course not.”
He felt a hand in the small of his back, urging him forward. “Noah wanted to talk to you.” She stepped aside, sat her bag against the wall, and addressed his stepfather. “Mr. Harwell, would you like to help me make coffee for everyone? Maybe some sandwiches? I’m sure we could all use something.”
Larry looked grateful for the reprieve, quickly moving to join her. The two of them disappeared toward the kitchen.
His mother smiled and twisted the rag in her grip. “She’s lovely, Noah. I’m glad you’ve finally found someone. I was always worried…” She let the unspoken words hang between them. Not that she needed to finish. He was sure she’d been worried he’d end up like the man who had raised him.
He stepped forward. “She’s afraid you don’t like her.”
“Don’t like her?” She frowned. “I don’t even know her.”
He smiled.
“I know her and I like her. That’s all you need to know.” He took a deep breath. In and out. “Mom. Listen. This has been … confusing for me. I want you to know it doesn’t mean anything between us has changed. You’re still my m
other.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she rushed forward, squeezing him around the waist so hard he knew she’d been suffering a hell of her own these past few hours. “You children – all of you – mean everything to me. No matter what else, Noah, you must believe that.”
“I do. Don’t worry.” He let her hold him longer than was comfortable, his side feeling pinched by the pressure of her embrace. When she finally pulled away, he took her hand. “It’s going to take me a while to come terms with everything I’ve learned. Can you understand that?”
“Of course.” She lifted a hand and caressed his face. “Take whatever time you need, son. Just don’t shut us out. Please?”
“Never.”
She smoothed out the wrinkles she’d caused in his shirt. “Now, tell me about Emma. How long have you two been dating?”
Dating? Hell. “Not long.” He glanced toward the kitchen and heard himself speaking his thoughts aloud. “I’m worried I’m gonna screw things up. I’ve never felt this way about anyone before, and we didn’t have the most conventional start.”
“Good.” His mother’s smile grew wide. “When you fall, it’s always scary at first. Trust your instincts, Noah. You’ll be fine. You’ve always been a good judge of character.”
“Have I?”
Nodding, she turned and finished the spot of dusting she’d abandoned earlier. “I’m sure you want us out of your hair so you can spend some time with her, so I’ll finish this and tell Larry we need to hit the road.”
“Aren’t you staying?”
She turned back to him. “I wasn’t certain how this day would end. We left the camper at a campground outside the city. We’re driving back home tomorrow.”
“You’re welcome to stay.” Truth was, he hoped they didn’t.
“No, I think you need some time to take this all in.” Her gaze strayed toward the kitchen. “I feel so much better now that I know you’re not alone.”
As if on cue, Emma and Larry came strolling through the hall, each carrying two mugs of coffee. His stepfather looked every bit as taken with his sexy neighbour as Noah felt.
“Holly, did you know that Emma here is the Atlanta police chief’s daughter? She’s a whip-smart young woman, works in computers. Isn’t that something? Said she’d take a look at mine and see why it’s been running so slow.”
Spirited Away Page 20
