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.