Noah's Quest - 2. Noah gets a surprise

If it wasn’t Tristan… then who was it?

Uncle Matt did call Grandma and tell her about the revelation, though none of us really knew what to do with the information.

That evening we sat around the beach house eating pizza because there wasn’t much else in the kitchen.

“Any dating prospects?” Chase asked during a lull in the conversation.

“I’ve tried,” I admitted, “but things seem to fall apart pretty quickly.”

“How so?” Chase asked. “Are you self-sabotaging?”

“Are you turning into Uncle Matt now?” I joked, earning a grin from my uncles.

“Dating hasn’t exactly been easy,” I continued. “Shiloh’s the only person I’ve ever seriously dated. Hookup culture is everywhere, and honestly… I want more than a one-night stand.”

“It’s good that you know what you want, Noah,” Uncle Matt said supportively. Then he looked at Chase. “What about you? Anyone special?”

“Nope,” Chase replied casually. “Just enjoying the single life and playing the field.”

“You’ve always been weirdly private about dating,” Uncle Brody said. “You know we wouldn’t care if you dated women.”

“Yuck,” Little B interrupted dramatically. “Girls have cooties.”

The room erupted into laughter while Chase’s face turned bright red.

“You know,” Asher added with a smirk, “Chase could probably be your wingman.”

Brody nodded in agreement.

“I’m not even sure I should date right now,” I said. “College starts soon, and I really need to focus on school.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“You sound exactly like Grandma,” Uncle Matt said between fits of laughter.

“He also sounds just like his father,” Asher added.

The room instantly went quiet.

Nice job killing the mood.

Asher’s expression softened immediately. “I mean that in a good way, Noah. I knew your dad for a long time. He was one of the most loyal, level-headed guys I’ve ever met. Dedicated to his family, dedicated to school… just a genuinely good person.”

Tears burned at my eyes before I could stop them. Uncle Matt stood up and wrapped me in a hug.

“I was really close with your dad,” Asher continued quietly. “Your mother didn’t deserve him.”

“Very true,” Uncle Matt agreed.

I decided not to mention the fact that I’d actually met my dad. Uncle Matt and Brody already knew, but I had no idea what they’d shared with the others.

The conversation slowly faded after that. We turned on the TV while everyone settled around the living room. I took the recliner while Uncle Matt and Brody shared the loveseat. Little B bounced from person to person like usual.

He was one of the only cousins from Uncle Matt’s side who hadn’t abandoned me, and I loved him for it.

Jay used to joke about “bros before hoes.” I missed having him and Taylor around. Taylor had gotten into her dream school, Harvard, while Jay was headed to The Ohio State University. I hadn’t seen either of them since they’d left because their families always had trips planned during holidays and breaks. I was pretty sure they were somewhere in Europe now.

Later that night Grandma called Uncle Matt with an update. Nathan and Luca were both denying any involvement in breaking Shiloh and me up—though apparently Nathan wasn’t exactly upset it happened.

“Your Uncle Nathan can be a real prick sometimes,” Uncle Matt muttered after hanging up.

That night I barely slept. I kept replaying Little B’s words over and over in my head.

It wasn’t Tristan who told Shiloh.

The next morning I dragged myself into the kitchen half-awake—and immediately froze.

Chase stood at the stove wearing nothing but an apron and a jockstrap.

Instant panic.

And, unfortunately, instant reaction.

He turned around, caught me staring, then very obviously noticed the problem sticking out of my boxers. A slow smile spread across his face before he winked.

Fantastic. I was going to die.

For context, Chase was the youngest of the Andrews brothers and a former Marine. He clearly took care of himself. Blond hair, green eyes, ridiculous physique… the whole package.

“Noah?”

I nearly jumped at Uncle Matt’s voice. The moment shattered instantly.

“You okay?” he asked, eyes flicking downward before a smirk appeared on his face.

“Is my brother-in-law cooking naked again?”

“I’m wearing a jock,” Chase called from the kitchen.

“That’s barely better,” Uncle Matt replied with a laugh. Then he looked at me knowingly. “You’ve got a few minutes before Little B wakes up if you need to, uh…”

His sentence trailed off as he winked.

I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me whole.

“I don’t—” I stammered.

Uncle Matt gave me a look that clearly said you’re full of it before walking away laughing softly.

Mortified, I retreated back to my room and shut the door.

And yes, if you absolutely must know, I handled the situation. I was still a teenage boy after all.

By the time I emerged again, I felt significantly less flustered. Chase was fully dressed now, and he and Uncle Matt were setting the table for breakfast.

“Who went to the store?” I asked while adding fruit to my plate.

“Asher,” Chase replied.

“Where is he?”

“He had to head out early this morning,” Chase answered, exchanging a glance with Brody.

“Which brings us to something else,” Uncle Brody began. “You and Chase are taking the Jeep back. We don’t have enough room in the Bee, and it makes no sense for us to drive past the house just to take you home.”

“You could’ve asked me to leave my truck at Grandma’s place.”

“We genuinely didn’t think about that,” Brody admitted.

Oddly enough, talking to Chase came naturally. He was easygoing in a way most people weren’t.

Before we left, he tossed the Jeep’s roof into the back instead of putting it up.

Then he peeled his shirt off.

I absolutely failed at not staring.

“It’s hot,” he said with a shrug.

“Do you ever wear clothes?” Uncle Matt asked, laughing.

“Nope,” Chase replied smugly.

“On second thought,” Uncle Brody added, “the last time we let Chase drive the Jeep home alone, he got pulled over wearing nothing but a jock.”

Oh my God.

Think about something else, Noah. Dead puppies. Taxes. Literally anything else.

Chase caught me panicking internally and smirked before winking again.

Being a teenage boy was genuinely terrible sometimes.

We finally loaded up and headed west. Conversation flowed easily during the drive, and we stayed behind Uncle Brody until we reached Annapolis.

Then Chase sped past them, laying on the horn while waving out the window.

By the time we arrived back at the estate, I was actually disappointed the drive was over.

I invited him inside.

After dropping my dirty clothes in my room, I grabbed us drinks downstairs. When I walked back into the living room, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Chase was standing there completely naked.

“Did I read you wrong?” he asked, voice low and husky.

I shook my head.

A slow smile spread across his face.

“Then strip, Noah.”