Noah's Quest - 9. A brief explanation

Nathan sat in the armchair in absolute silence. Grandma brought another chair over, sitting close beside him and squeezing his hand tightly.

Sensing the shift in the house, Chase walked in from the porch, his eyes darting between them. “What’s going on?”

“Nathan is going to explain to Noah exactly why he’s here,” Grandma replied softly.

I sat up on the couch, making room as Chase sat down beside me, his thigh pressing against mine.

“Noah, I didn’t know about the plan until recently,” Nathan began, his voice strained. “I kept telling myself that what I’d learned couldn’t possibly be true.”

“What is it, Uncle Nathan?” I asked, prompting him forward.

“Shane and Shawn. They convinced Damian and Dominic to tell Shiloh what happened.”

“How did they even know?” I asked, my brow furrowing.

“That’s the part I’ve been trying to piece together. From what I’ve gathered, they overheard someone mentioning bits and pieces of what you discovered about Silas. They wove those details into a fabricated story that completely convinced Shiloh.”

“So they lied to him.”

“Yes. They manufactured a story and used real, current events to make it believable.”

“But how do Damian and Dominic fit into this?”

“That’s the part I don’t have an answer to,” Uncle Nathan said, looking helplessly over at Grandma.

“Noah, he’s telling the truth,” Grandma interjected, an edge of irritation bleeding into her voice. “I had other family members look into it, and they confirmed the lie. But they still can’t seem to figure out how the boys were manipulated into tricking Shiloh in the first place.”

“They wanted Shiloh to return to Pennsylvania and attend school with them,” Uncle Nathan explained. “He was planning on applying to several colleges down here to be close to you, and they did whatever it took to make him hate this place.”

Chase let out a low, dark breath. “So they deliberately blew up the relationship.”

“Exactly,” Grandma agreed.

“So why tell me all this now?” I asked. That was the million-dollar question.

“Because you deserved to know the truth about what happened.”

“Well, I hope you don’t think I’m going to run off to Pennsylvania and sweep him off his feet.”

Chase wrapped a firm, protective arm around my shoulders. The sight of it actually made Uncle Nathan let out a faint, genuine smirk.

“No, I don’t,” Nathan said. “From what I can see here, and from how you are with Chase, you have a very healthy relationship.”

“Thanks,” Chase grunted, tightening his grip on me.

“I’m going to keep working on finding out why your cousins did what they did,” Nathan added, standing up. “And we still have to locate Tristan. He’s been missing since this all went down. He’s never stayed in hiding this long, and if you can even believe it, the elders are actually getting worried.”

That comment managed to bring a wave of much-needed laughter to the room, considering Tristan was a notorious, career troublemaker.

Grandma and Nathan moved into the kitchen to talk privately, leaving me on the couch with Chase’s arm still securely anchored around me.

“You know this doesn’t change a single thing, Marine,” I said, turning my head to look at him.

“Are you sure?” he asked. I could hear the faint, vulnerable trace of fear in his voice.

“Yes,” I said firmly, leaning in to kiss him. “Shiloh has moved on. And even though Jaxson said we’re endgame, that doesn’t mean anything right now. Heck, maybe we’ll get together when I’m in my nineties.”

“What, you think I’ll die first?” he chided, a playful glint returning to his eyes.

“Let’s see... you’re a Marine, for starters. You literally run toward trouble.”

“Touché,” he smiled.

I stretched my legs. “Do you think we could go to the mall? I really need to grab some clothes for college starting.”

“Sure. Should I hook up the trailer to the truck?”

I blinked, puzzled. “What for?”

“Your shopping habits might exceed the weight capacity of the bed,” he teased.

I lightly slapped his arm, laughing.

After letting Grandma know our plans, we hit the road toward Westfield Montgomery over in Bethesda. I absolutely detest driving in D.C. traffic, and because it was the height of summer, parking took an eternity. The mall was packed.

We made our way inside and stopped at the digital directory. I mapped out a mental list of the stores I wanted to hit: Abercrombie, American Eagle, Hollister, J.Crew, Macy’s, Old Navy, Under Armour, and a few others. By the time we were done, I wasn't even sure how much money I’d spent, but it required multiple trips back to the truck to unload bags.

At one point, Chase cleared his throat. “Hey, I need to take care of something quickly. I’ll be right back.”

“All good,” I said.

While he was gone, I wandered into Liljenquist & Beckstead. My jaw nearly hit the floor as I browsed the luxury watch displays. But after staring at the price tags and deciding that buying a Marine a Rolex wasn't exactly practical for his line of work, I moved on.

When I met up with Chase again, he was sitting on a bench, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

“What did you do?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.

“Oh, nothing,” he said, his smile only widening.

We walked back to the truck and finally made our way home. Chase helped me carry my massive haul up to my room but stopped on the way back down to talk with Grandma.

I was in the middle of sorting through the bags and putting things away when I heard someone clear their throat in the doorway.

“Hi, Grandma,” I said, folding a heavy shirt.

“Noah,” she said, her voice unusually cautious. “We need to talk.”

“About what Nathan had to say?”

“No,” she said, stepping closer and picking up one of my new purchases. “Since when do you wear triple-XL shirts?”

“Um...” I stammered, staring at the massive, tent-like fabric.

“Don’t remove any of the tags until you’re absolutely sure, honey.”

“I am sure. That’s why I bought them.”

She looked at me intently, a heavy silence hanging between us, before she turned and walked out of the room.

After finishing with the clothes, I went downstairs in search of Chase. The moment I entered the family room, the conversation died instantly. Uncle Matt, Uncle Brody, and Grandma were all seated on the couches.

“Noah, sit down,” Uncle Matt said, utilizing his calm, clinical doctor's voice. “I think what happened yesterday is affecting you significantly more than you’re letting on.”

“No, it’s not,” I said, a sudden wave of defensive irritation rising in my chest.

“Noah,” Grandma said soothingly. “I’ve never known you to wear baggy clothes. You’ve always liked things fitted, tight in the right spots. Never this big.”

Suddenly, a vivid, suffocating flashback hit me. I saw Jack standing in that trailer. I saw the pure, predatory lust in his eyes. I heard his sinister voice echoing: I always get what I want.

I swallowed hard, subconsciously pulling at my own clothes, realizing what I had done. I was trying to hide my body.

“Grandma,” I said, fighting back a sudden rush of hot tears. “Uncle Brody said Jack did something to Kevin.”

You could have heard a pin drop. The room went entirely dead silent. Grandma slowly turned her head, fixing Uncle Brody with a glare that possessed enough fire and raw rage to burn the house down.

Uncle Matt quietly excused himself, leaving us. Grandma let out a long, heavy exhale, the wheels visibly turning in her head as she tried to find the right words.

“Noah,” she began with extreme caution. “Jack has done some truly unspeakable things in his past. It isn't my story to tell you. However... we didn't actually know Jack was the assailant until very recently.”

“We only learned the truth a month ago,” Grandpa’s voice cut in. He was standing in the doorway, his expression harder than stone. “Lucky will need to tell you his own story when he's ready. But I am going to personally ensure that Jack—and his entire family's legacy—is completely ruined.”