I cleared my throat and said, “I know what he did to her, Steve.”
Without ever taking his eyes off of Noah, he said, “Tell me.”
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath. “Court just turned sixteen, and Noah had asked her to the prom. He snuck into her room and told her he was going to have sex with her because he saw the way she would look at him, and he had waited until she got older. He threatened her by saying he would hurt Tyler, you, Marie, and worse yet…he would go after Sissy.” I stopped talking when I saw Steve making fists.
“How long did it go on for?”
“Three months.”
Steve’s head dropped, and his shoulders began shaking. I fought like hell to hold back my tears. I tried to place myself in his shoes, but I couldn’t. As much as I wanted to kill this fucker, I couldn’t imagine how Steve felt.
I sucked in another breath and continued, “One night, Courtney went down to your gun safe. She got out a pistol and waited for him. When he came into her room, she told him she would kill him, and if she had to sit outside Sissy’s door every night, she would. She told me Noah stopped staying over, and Tyler would instead stay at Noah’s house when his parents were out of town.”
Steve sucked in a shaky breath. “Did you ever touch Sissy?”
Noah looked up at me. “She told you everything?”
I nodded my head, and he looked away.
Steve yelled, “Did. You. Touch. Sissy?”
“No. Never.”
I was pretty sure Steve and I both let out the breath we had been holding, but I didn’t trust this bastard.
“The only reason I’m not walking over to my gun safe right now is because I love my family, and they need me. Otherwise, you’d be dead right now.”
Noah’s face dropped, and I could see the sweat running down his forehead.
“If I so much as ever see your face or find out you are attempting to talk to anyone in my family, I’ll find some way to make it happen. Do you understand me?”
Noah nodded his head and whispered, “I understand you. What are you going to do?”
Steve stood up and turned to look at me. “I’m going to leave you alone with the man who loves my daughter, and you better pray the police get here fast.”
“Think about Courtney,” Steve said to me as he made his way past me and to the door.
As the door shut, I turned and looked at Noah. He just stared at me as I made my way over to the same chair Steve had been sitting in.
“Why don’t you just get it over with?” he said as he looked away.
I sat down in the chair and let out a gruff laugh. “Believe me, asshole, I’d like to beat you until you’re barely breathing.”
He gave me a cocky smile and said, “Then, why don’t you?”
“Because I love Courtney, and I won’t do anything to harm our future. Besides, I’m the winner in this.”
“You’re the winner? How do you figure?” Noah said as he touched the side of his eye that I had split open when I hit him over and over.
“I’m married to the most amazing woman, and we’re going to have a baby in April. I’m going to give her everything she has ever dreamed of. I’m going to make love to her every single chance I get. Each morning and each night, I’m going to cover her in kisses while I tell her how much I love her. I’m never going to take her love for granted, and I will adore her always.”
He smirked and said, “I’ll always be her first.”
I jumped up and grabbed him by the shirt as I got in his face. “You were never her first. You were nothing but a nightmare that I intend on making sure she never has to worry about again. I swear to God, if you ever attempt to contact her, you will regret it. I would go to jail for the rest of my life to protect her and my child.”
Noah quickly looked away.
“Do you understand how lucky you are? There are three men here right now who would love to kill you. I suggest you leave and never look back.”