Page 89 of Until Then

Tyrell taps the table. “I mean, there’s been talk, for sure. But Rob spoke with us and your manager. The videos all show him putting his hands on you first. Kim made a statement on your socials. We’ll be all right.”

The way people shift in their seats, there’s more. I look to my mom. “What is it?”

Her eyes dance between me and Noah. “Um, well, Addy’s been our social media hawk.”

The teenager beams at me like she’s a genuine spy.

“She’s been scanning the internet, trying to find a statement from Holston,” Justin grumbles.

“She found one,” Mom goes on. “There was a quote by one of his lawyers saying they . . . well, they hinted they would likely be taking action against Noah.”

Tyrell leans forward at once. “Noah, you have your own legal team, and video proof.”

“I still hit the guy.” Noah glances at his bruised knuckles.

“Knowing you,” Briar says, “you had good reason.”

Carter frowns. He’s not the same man filled with bravado when he meets my gaze across the table. “I’m sorry you have a crappy dad, Hayley. I have one of those too.”

“Oh yeah?” Not the story I expected.

Carter scoffs. “Yeah. A casino tycoon in Vegas. Basically thought having kids meant a monthly check for a long time. He’s a little better now.”

“What changed?”

Carter’s face brightens. “His kids finally stood up to him. Publicly. My sister led the charge, but once we let him have it on how he basically sucked our entire lives, he started making . . . effort, I guess. He’s not dad of the year, but he’s apologized to all of us, and is making up for it by being a better grandpa to my nieces and nephews, at least. The point is, I’ve seen a guy with power try to bully his offspring into submission. Don’t let him.”

I give Carter a small smile. There’s a hardness in the man’s eyes. Clearly, this entire situation has dug under his skin. It means something he’s frustrated for Noah out of their friendship, but also for me out of solidarity.

“What was the reason you hit him, Noah?” Tyrell asks.

“Shane insulted me,” I blurt out before Noah has a chance to downplay his reasons and make himself look like the bad guy. “He called me a vulgar name, grabbed Noah, and he reacted. Shane is so disgusted he helped make a child, that he tried to threaten Noah’s career over being with me. He says we’re always concerned about him, when really Shane’s always the one trying to crush us.”

“Like, why are you so obsessed with me?” Adaline says, mimicking a valley girl until the table laughs.

“Exactly, kid.” Milton high-fives the girl and looks to Noah. “So he talked bad about my niece?”

Noah shifts, clearly uncomfortable. “He did. I didn’t know he was her biological dad when I went to that meeting, but the things he said . . . Val”—he looks at my mom— “I’m not aggressive with Hayley or anyone else. I swear. He just wouldn’t let me leave, and kept saying crap?—”

“Noah.” My mom reaches out and puts a hand on his wrist. “You have no idea how many times I’ve wanted to do the same thing with the way that man has spoken to me and our daughter. You defended my girl at the risk of yourself. What more does a mom want for their kid?”

I let my head fall to his shoulder when he lets out a breath of relief. How long did his thoughts convince him everyone would despise him, believing he was some short-tempered, violent man?

“Look,” Nan says. She uncovers a deep casserole dish in the center of the table. “We’re not worrying about all this on empty stomachs. We’re going to eat, laugh, and we’ll worry about life a little later. Now, dig in. Noah, you first. You look rough.”

“Nan.”

“What? Look at those bags under his eyes.”

More jokes spill out, mostly charged by Rees, who insists he’s now the better looking twin. Like Nan wanted, for a moment we just breathe.

“Hey, Rees.” I step onto the balcony of Noah’s condo. All morning we avoided social media, we finished the chores on the ranch together, then when Noah looked ready to collapse, we came back to his place. He crashed on his bed two minutes later.

Rees looks up from his phone. “Hey.” He tucks the device away and tugs a chair next to his. When I sit, he leans onto his elbows over his knees, eyes pinned to the ground. “Thank you, Hayley. For being here. I can’t tell you what kind of relief it was to know he wasn’t alone.”

“I love him, Rees. I plan to always be here.”

There are key differences in some aspects of the twins’ faces—Rees has a straighter nose, but Noah has the sharper jaw. Rees is half an inch shorter, and Noah isn’t quite as broad as his brother.

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