Noah's Adventure - 3. Chapter 3 The Cookout

The backyard buzzed with laughter and music, the smell of grilled burgers drifting through the warm air. I scanned the crowd and froze.

There, near the patio, were two other guys I’d never seen before — and they were ridiculously attractive too.

I blinked. Where did they even come from?

“Penny for your thoughts, dear nephew?” Uncle Nathan said, appearing beside me with his usual knowing smile.

“Um…” I stammered, trying not to sound too obvious. “Who are they?” I asked, pointing toward the mystery trio.

“Ah, those guys.” Nathan’s grin widened as if he’d been waiting for the question.

“So you do know them?” I pressed, watching as two of them chatted animatedly with Uncle Luca.

“I do,” he said. “They came down with Luca and me. We thought they could use a change of scenery.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Right, because nothing says ‘different environment’ like a massive family cookout.”

Nathan laughed. “That was Luca’s idea. I wasn’t entirely on board, but who knows what goes on in that beautiful brain of his.” His tone turned fond, almost wistful.

“You all are too mushy for me,” I muttered, grabbing a burger off the platter before walking away. If no one was going to introduce me, I’d just do it myself.

“Hey, Jay,” I said, bumping fists with him — or trying to. My plate tipped, and the burger tumbled straight into the grass.

“Looks like you’re gonna need a new one, dude,” one of the mystery guys said, laughing. “Unless you like yours with a side of dirt.”

He stepped forward, offering his hand. “I’m Shawn. And those two are my brothers — Shaun and Sean.”

I stared. “Wait… you’re all named Shawn?”

Jay burst out laughing. “Told you he’d fall for it!”

“What’s so funny?” asked one of the others, walking over with a confused look.

“I told him our names are all Shawn,” the first one managed between fits of laughter.

“Dude, that’s such a tired joke,” the third guy said, rolling his eyes. He stuck out his hand. “I’m Shane. And you are?”

“Noah,” I said, shaking his hand.

His eyebrows shot up. “You’re Noah? The Noah?”

“Uh… just Noah,” I said, completely thrown.

“Well, Just Noah,” Shane said with a grin, “I’ve heard about you. Hey, Shi! Come here a sec!”

The last of the trio — apparently Shi — sauntered over, giving us a lazy nod. “Sup?”

“Bro, this is Noah,” Shane said again, emphasizing my name like it meant something huge.

I frowned. “Okay, seriously, what’s going on? This is my graduation party — why do you guys keep saying my name like that?”

All three burst out laughing just as Uncle Luca strolled over.

“Hey, guys. I see you’ve met Noah.”

“Yeah,” Shawn said, grinning. “We met Noah.”

Something in their tone made my stomach twist. “What the hell is going on?” I snapped, louder than I meant to. Conversations around the yard paused.

Grandma’s voice cut through the murmurs. “Everything okay over here?” She turned a sharp look toward Luca. “You promised everyone would be well-behaved.”

“Everything’s fine,” Luca said quickly, hands raised. “I just… might’ve told the boys a bit about Noah and the family.”

My chest tightened. “You what? You talked about me to strangers?”

Heat surged through me — anger, sharp and sudden. I turned toward Luca, ready to say something I might regret, when out of nowhere, Uncle Matt tackled me to the ground.

“What the hell, Uncle Matt?!” I gasped.

“Noah, listen to me,” he growled, his voice low but steady. “Breathe. Right now. Or we’re staying here on the ground until you do.”

The world spun for a moment, then steadied. I nodded, my pulse slowing. “Okay… okay, I’m good.”

“You sure?” he asked, still holding my shoulders until I nodded again. Then he stood, pulling me up with him.

“That was one hell of a tackle,” Uncle Luca said, trying to laugh it off.

Uncle Nick came running into the yard, panting. “What the hell, Matt? You took off like a bat out of hell!”

“Sorry,” Matt said, brushing grass off his pants. “I could tell something was about to explode.” He gestured toward me. “Luca, mind explaining what’s actually going on?”

Luca looked like a deer caught in headlights. “I, uh… well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “When I was running a group therapy session, the topic of family came up, and somehow… you came up too, Noah. I might’ve told the triplets about you.”

“Triplets?” I repeated. And suddenly, it all clicked — the uncanny resemblance.

“Shawn and Shane are identical,” Luca said quickly, “and Shiloh — we call him Shi — looks almost identical too, but he’s the one with blue eyes.”

Shiloh. I filed the name away.

Grandma’s voice cut in suddenly, a note of panic lacing her words. “Wait — the gift is okay, right?”

“Yes, Mom,” Nathan said, stopping mid-sentence as realization dawned on his face.

“Well,” Grandma said, her expression softening into a smile, “no time like the present.” She chuckled at her own pun and pressed something small and cool into my palm. “Congratulations, sweetheart.”

I looked down. A key.

“A key?” I echoed, confused.

“It’s out front,” Grandpa said, smirking. “Go take a look.”

Heart pounding, I walked through the house and out the front door.

There, gleaming in the driveway, sat a truck.

My throat tightened. “My dad’s?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper.