CHAPTER 27
LIAM
If I ever mention buying a house again, someone please shoot me. Noah and I spent all of Saturday and Sunday wandering Beaumont with my excessively hyper real estate agent. The only thing I learned was how to eye roll like a nine year old.
Sarah, Sadie or maybe it was Suzie – I don’t remember – showed us house after house, none of which met my requirements. Yes, I may be one person with a kid that I will have occasionally, but that doesn’t mean I want a small house. I want two stories with a full basement and attached two-car garage with at least a half-acre of land. I didn’t think these requirements were too over-the-top, but apparently they were.
Now Noah and I sit outside this two-story house in the same neighborhood as my parents. I realized that this was exactly what I was looking for, so we drove though looking for a FOR SALE sign. We found one.
We're waiting for the agent to arrive so we can see the inside, but I know I already want it. I can imagine Noah climbing the giant oak trees that surround the property and can see him throwing the football around with his friends in the yard.
This new agent steps out of his car and waves at us. He’s short and pudgy with white hair. He looks like a marshmallow.
“Hi, I’m Liam Westbury and this is my son, Noah.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Stu. Let’s go in shall we.”
We follow Stu up the brick steps. The porch is wide with white pillars in desperate need of a paint job. Stu opens the door allowing Noah and I to step in. Before us is the staircase, open on both sides so you can see into the dining room and living room. The living room has two large windows, one in front and one in back, two more on the side. The kitchen is new, with a nook and all new appliances, and windows facing the back yard. There is a nice sized bathroom just off the kitchen. The dining room faces the front yard with one large window and two that face the side yard.
We head upstairs to the four bedrooms. The master is large with a walk-in closet that leads to a bathroom with shower and Jacuzzi tub. One room is decorated as a nursery which I’d have to change. The other two rooms are the same size. All the rooms have ample natural light. There is one shared bathroom upstairs.
Stu is sitting at the table when we come down. “We’re just going to check out the basement,” I say as we pass him. He smiles and nods at us and goes back to his paperwork.
The basement is accessed through the kitchen. We stomp down the steps, testing their sturdiness. There is a laundry room and a very large space.
“What do you think, Dad? I’m thinking a man cave like Uncle Mason’s over there and your studio there,” he points to the wall on the left side of the room.
“Yeah? You know the studio is pretty big. I need a place to set up equipment.”
“I think it will be big enough. What do you think?”
I look at my son. He's beaming with excitement. “I like it. Do you think you’ll like living here?”
“Yeah, I do.”
I put my arm around him and pull him into a half hug. “Let’s go buy us a house.”
We climb back up the stairs. Stu raises his head when we enter. “We’ll take it,” Noah blurts out before I have a chance to say anything.
“Yeah, we’ll take it.”
Stu starts talking about financing and banks. I tell him this will be a cash sale and that I want to move in right away. He calls the homeowners and tells them the deal that is on the table. They accept right away and I agree to show up tomorrow to sign papers in his office.
Noah and I walk around the yard after Stu leaves. He climbs one of the trees and we race across the yard to see who's faster. I may have let him win, but I’ll never admit it. We leave the house when the sun starts to set and head to dinner.
Family dining at Deb’s is a Beaumont pastime unless you’re a Westbury. The first time I went there, I had just gotten my driver’s license. When my mom heard about it the next day she was horrified. We Westburys do not degrade ourselves with a place like Deb’s.
Whatever.
I love Deb’s. Noah and I grab a booth and order our celebratory dinner. He asks when I’ll be able to move some stuff in and I tell him that we’ll order furniture this week and everything else we’ll need. I still haven’t been able to come to a decision about leaving L.A. so until then I’ll be here for a week or so every month.
We’re half way through dinner and Noah drops a bomb. “Mom and Nick fight a lot.”
I set my napkin down, placing my arms on the table. “What do you mean? Does Nick hit her?”
“No, at least I’ve never seen him do anything like that, but I hear them at night arguing. He doesn’t think I should be able to spend more than a weekend with you at a time and he doesn’t want you buying a house here.”
I bring my hands up, resting my chin on them. Noah should not hear them argue about me. It’s not fair.
“Listen, buddy. This is a difficult situation for all of us and honestly really unexpected. You know when I came here for Mason’s funeral I never expected to find you. I was shocked, hurt and even angry. I didn’t know about you and to hear this boy tell me that he saw me kissing his mom on a DVD, I didn’t know what to think. So imagine what your mom thought when I showed up or when Nick heard you call me dad. There are a lot of high emotions right now and we're all trying to find the best way to deal with them.
“But don’t think that the three of us don’t love you. We do, very much. You're our number one priority. Just be patient with your mom and Nick. They’ll work out and things will be fine.” I’m not sure where all of that came from but I feel good saying it to Noah. He needs to understand that I’m the catalyst for these emotions between Nick and Josie. What I don’t understand is Nick. On Thanksgiving he promised to try and be cordial for Noah and Josie’s sake. I didn’t promise him anything.
I drop Noah off at home and tell him I’ll see him tomorrow after school. Right now the agreement is I’ll pick Noah up from school, keep him for dinner and drop him off an hour before bedtime unless he has practice.
I drive by my soon-to-be new house and park out front. I want to see Josie running outside with me and Noah. I want her flowers decorating the front and inside. I want her living here with us as a family.
It’s Noah’s last game of the season. I’m standing in my usual spot with Peyton beside me. She watches Noah like a hawk and I haven’t figured out if it’s a crush or if she wants to play football. Katelyn says no football, but maybe in a few years she’ll change her mind.
Noah is struggling today. He’s thrown two interceptions and has fumbled the ball. I’m counting the seconds to halftime so I can ask him what’s going on. When the buzzer sounds, I walk over to the sideline to greet him. He takes off his helmet. His unhappy expression makes my heart ache for him.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. Nothing feels right. I’m seeing everything slow.”
“Do you not trust your receivers?”
“Noah, get over here,” Nick yells. I know he’s the coach, but it’s not like I don’t know what I’m talking about.
“Trust your receivers, Noah. Throw the pass as it’s designed. They'll be there to catch it.”
“Thanks, Dad. Sorry you can’t come tonight.” I look at Noah questioningly. He’s with his team before I can ask what he’s talking about.
Noah’s second half fairs better than the first, but they still end up losing. Noah looks sad and probably angry with himself. He throws his helmet, which I don’t approve of at all. I head over to the bench to speak to him about sportsmanship.
“Pick it up, Noah.” Nick demands. Noah is standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but it won’t fly. Pick it up.”
“Noah, what’s going on?” I ask, stepping forward and standing next to Nick. Nick takes a deep breath, turns and glares at me.
“This isn’t your concern, Westbury. In fact, you’re the problem.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me,” he growls.
I look in the stands for Josie. She’s standing there, her face frozen as she takes in this scene. There is definitely something going on there that I’m not privy too.
“Get your stuff, Noah. We’re going to be late.” Noah stares at Nick, not moving. He looks at me with tears in his eyes. I walk over to him and pull him aside.
“Noah, what’s the deal?” I ask, bending down to his level.
“There’s a team party and Nick said you can’t come.” I look over my shoulder at Nick who's in a heated conversation with Josie. He makes shit difficult when it could be so easy.
“It’s all right, buddy. We can hang out tomorrow.”
“No, I want you there and since it’s for kids, I should get to pick.” My son, the logical one, who knew?
“Tell you what. You go to the party and call me when you’re done then I’ll come get you and you can spend the night, okay?”
“Mom will say no.”
“Leave your mom to me,” I say. He leans forward and gives me a hug. “By the way, if I ever see you throw your helmet again, you’ll be sorry. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Go pick it up.”
I wait a moment before interrupting Josie and Nick. I hate what I’m about to do, but Nick is giving me no other option.
“So, Noah is going to call me when your party thing is over and I’m going to pick him up and take him back to Katelyn’s to spend the night.”
Nick starts chuckling. “Says who? You?”
“Nick—”
“No, Josie. Set some god damn boundaries with him. You let him walk all over you and Noah played like shit tonight because he’s pissed off at me.”
“Hey, don’t blame Noah. It’s not his fault.”
“Stay out of this, Westbury.”
“You know, Nick, I thought we were cool, but I guess not. Either way, you don’t matter in this equation.” I hate saying these things because I promised myself I’d treat Nick like a parent. I look at Josie; she looks embarrassed. She should be. “I’ll pick Noah up when he calls. If this doesn’t work for you, tell me now so I can have my lawyer fax you a custody agreement.”
I leave her with the words I never wanted to say, but she’s giving me no choice here. I’ve met every demand of hers and she allows Nick to fight me on spending time with my boy.
No more.