More Than She Can Chew | Book Two ✔

Chapter Thirty-Two

Alissa tossed and turned all night as Veronica slept soundly next to her. Why did she have to choose? This was Marc and Andrew all over again, except she was more into Noah than she was Andrew and less into Trevor as she was Marc. Also, the fact that Noah was her boss and if she chose Trevor, she could lose her job. That put a stop to her heart for a second. If she told Noah things had to stop between them, he could fire her...

This wasn't just ruining her love life, this was ruining her career. She felt tears forming as her phone started to ring. Veronica woke up as Alissa quickly grabbed it and saw it was her mother calling.

"Mom?" Alissa answered as she stepped into the kitchen, closing the bedroom door behind her.

"Alissa, your cousin Eliza is having her baby," Bridgette exclaimed in a panic.

"What? But I thought the baby wasn't due for two more months!"

"It's a premature forced pregnancy. There's something wrong with it and so they're doing a cesarean section as we speak!"

"Oh my god! I'll take the first plane out tomorrow and call my boss to let him know I can't be in on Monday. Oh, mom, that's terrible. I hope Eliza and the baby turn out okay!"

"Me too," Bridgette said in a shaky voice.

"I love you, mom."

"I love you too, sweetie. Get some rest. Call me when you know what time you'll be landing and I'll make sure Zach picks you up from the airport."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Night."

Alissa hung up the phone and sat down on the couch. She was terrified for Eliza. She couldn't even imagine how her and Paul must have been feeling. Although, she was grateful to be able to stay with her family for a few days. Maybe this was just what she needed to figure out her own dilemma—some family time away from Denver.

~~~

She arrived at the Albany Memorial Hospital the next afternoon with Zach, and even Hannah had joined them. When she made it to outside Eliza's room, she only saw Aunt Leah and immediately hugged her. Her eyes were blotchy from crying so much. It broke Alissa's heart to see her family so distraught.

"How is she and the baby doing?" she asked looking into her aunt's green eyes.

"Eliza is a trooper. She's doing great. It's the little guy we're worried about," Aunt Leah mumbled.

"So, it's a boy, then?" Alissa asked with a smile, hoping to cheer up her aunt.

Her aunt gave a small smile, "Yeah, it's a boy. I have a grandson." She teared up again.

Alissa held her aunt as Zach and Hannah stood next to them waiting for their other family members to come back over. Apparently, they had gone to grab some food from the hospital cafeteria.

~~~

Alissa, Zach, Hannah, and her parents only stayed until a little bit past dinner time. The cell service in her hometown was spotty at best, so if she received any calls or texts from Trevor, she didn't feel guilty ignoring them, because she most likely didn't even receive them, and Noah knew she was in New York for a family emergency, so he wouldn't be bothering her either. Alissa felt fortunate to be back in her parents' home without any outside troubles from her life whimpering in her ear like a persistent puppy begging for food.

Alissa laid in bed that night tossing and turning, again. Her troubles might not have literally followed her to New York, but they sure hadn't figuratively left her mind. She couldn't stand not knowing what to do. She knew she had to speak with her mother about this. She would know what to do.

~~~

The next morning, after a poor night's sleep, Alissa made her way downstairs to the kitchen to pour herself a cup of coffee. Her father was sitting at the island reading the daily newspaper as he drank from a mug.

"Morning," she said as she sniffed the strong, rich scent of the freshly brewed coffee.

"Morning, sweetie," he said, not even looking up from his paper.

"Where's mom?"

"Oh, she's on the back porch, I think."

Alissa walked through the living room that was opened to the kitchen to the sliding glass door that led to the screened-in porch. There, she found her mother reading a book and drinking coffee.

"Good morning," she said.

Bridgette looked up from her book, "Morning, dear. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

Alissa looked outside through the screened walls to the sun shining bright on the green lawn before the back edges reached the tall shadows the pines casted. The sky was a clear, calm blue today. A warm breeze swept its way through the screen, softly blowing her hair around her. She nodded as she sat down on the white wicker cushioned sofa next to Bridgette.

"Mom, I need your advice." She sighed.

Bridgette put her book down and took off her bright red reading glasses before giving Alissa her full attention.

"I've done something terrible," her voice shook.

Bridgette held her daughter's hands, "You're my daughter. Nothing could be too terrible to me."

She drew in a shaky breath before continuing to tell her everything that had ensued between her, Trevor, and Noah.

"And now, Veronica says I need to choose between the two, but I don't know what to do."

"I'm going to give it to you straight," Bridgette said looking Alissa right in the eye. "You should have never let it get so far with Trevor without first telling him you thought his wants were more than your own, and you should have never done anything naughty with Noah, even if you thought your job was in jeopardy! He sounds like a terrible man! You deserve better than Noah, and Trevor deserves better than you."

Alissa looked down at the teal wood slabbed floor. Her mother was right. She would have to end it with both men.

"You also need to tell Trevor what happened."

While her mom had never learned the truth about what she did to Marc, Bridgette was right. She needed to tell him like she had Marc.

"He deserves the truth. Especially after confessing his love to you and then you just up and leave him, then run away to New York!"

"I didn't run away to New York! Eliza needs me."

Bridgette rose her eyebrows at her and frowned. "Really, now?"

Alissa sighed, "Fine. I kinda am..."

Bridgette patted Alissa's hands, "It's okay to run away every now and then, as long as when you return, you do the right thing."

Alissa nodded and sighed before leaning back in the sofa and closing her eyes, basking in the warmth of the sun.

~~~

A/N: How do you think Trevor and Noah will take the news? Do you think she'll be able to keep her job after this?