I throw myself into my dad, my arms circling him and holding as tight as I possibly can. “Thank you so much,” I nearly cry. “You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Sure, I do, Squish. I’ve seen how hard you’ve been working lately and I know just what this means for the kids in Haven Falls. You’re going to have your friends bowing down at your feet, impressed as shit. You did the impossible, just remember, when you’re winning awards and making millions of dollars, I’d really love a house on a hill with a shed big enough for my truck.”
“You got it,” I laugh moments before Aria crash tackles into us, sending us flying into the back of the couch.
The need to share this with Noah and Tully is far too great and I push up off the couch. “I’ll be back in a bit,” I tell Dad and Ari. “I need to go tell everyone.”
Dad rolls his eyes but the smile is impossible to move from his face. “Alright, just be back for dinner. It’d be nice to all eat together tonight and celebrate.”
“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.