Wrapping Up (Mitchell Family #4.5)(27)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Rick, I don’t want any trouble. My family is here visiting and it’s Christmas.”

He held his hands up like he was surrendering. “I just came for Amy. I know she’s here. I saw her car out by the road.”

To everyone in town, Rick was just a drunk. He’d never been a violent person at all. I didn’t believe he was going to get physical with anyone, well, not unless he knew where Amy was, at that very moment. It occurred to me that I needed to make sure Rick went nowhere near Conner; in fact he didn’t even need to know Conner even existed.

“She’s in the back bedroom resting. Wait here and I will get her.” I left him standing outside while I walked back to tell Miranda what was going on first. The man didn’t smell of alcohol and he seemed calm enough to not put up a fuss, but who really knew.

When I got to my bedroom and found my wife, laying across our bed, in nothing but a skimpy Mrs. Claus outfit, I almost forgot all about Rick. She looked so smoking hot; I wanted to pounce right on that shit. “Oh, Baby.” I licked my lips. “You don’t know how hard this is for me. God, I feel like I am going to kick myself in the face for this. Look, don’t be alarmed, Rick is here for Amy.”

She stood up before I could say anymore and started walking toward the bedroom door. “MIRANDA!”

She froze and looked down at her body. I threw her a t-shirt and a pair of my sweats off the bed. “Put this on.” While she pulled the clothes over top of her cute little number, I explained. “I don’t think Amy ever told him about Conner.”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t know. When he first moved in she said he was very jealous and if she told him that my single brother was living with us she would never be allowed over again.”

“Here’s the plan then. You go in Conner’s room and get Amy. I don’t care what you have to do, but do not let your brother come out of that room.”

We started walking out of the room. “He’s going to want to kill Rick, you know that.”

I patted her on the ass. “Then you should take him down like you did when we were kids.”

She was already walking away from me. “He’s a little bigger than when we were kids.”

“Do your best, Baby.”

I walked toward the front door again, not wanting Rick to hear Conner when he got wind of who was at the door. I could hear commotion coming from the bedroom and I held my finger up to Rick to let him know it would be another minute and I walked back toward Conner’s room. Sure enough, he was fighting Miranda tooth and nail to get to Rick. Amy had him by one arm, while Miranda was blocking the door with her body.

“He needs to know what it’s like to have a fist thrown at his face.” Conner’s face was scrunched up and his eyebrows were creased.

I pushed my way past Miranda and stood in front of Conner. “Amy, I don’t care if you stay here for Christmas, hell, I don’t even care if there is something really happening between you and Conner, but right now your husband is at our door and he ain’t going to leave until you talk to him. Now, I will stand beside you the whole time if that’s what you want, but if you want to remain friends with Conner, or whatever else you are to each other, then I suggest he stays put in this room and keeps his mouth shut.” I looked Conner right in the eye when I said that last part.

I turned around to look at my wife’s reaction. She gave me a smile and grabbed my hand, like she somehow, at that very moment, had come to terms with the Conner/Amy situation. “I’ll stay back here with my brother. You two go do what you need to do. Amy, if you want to stay, you know you’re welcome. You don’t have to go back with him.”

Amy put her head down and started to cry. “I wish it were that easy.” She looked back at Conner and I saw the disappointment in his eyes. “Conner, you know I can’t stay. You know why I have to go.”

“You’d pick that over your own safety?” This conversation was deeper than Miranda and I knew.

“I have to. I’m so sorry you guys. I have to go with him.” She started putting on her jacket and walking out of the room. Conner looked pissed and he started following her out of the room, but him walking up to Rick in a pair of sweats with no shirt, wouldn’t go over good at all, and could put Amy in a worse situation.

I took my hands and pushed Conner back in his room slowly. “Ty, you don’t understand. She doesn’t want to go with him.”

I finally got him pushed down on his bed. Miranda had gone with Amy and I was ready to use force if I had to, in order to keep him from being discovered. We both heard the front door opening and we could hear voices, which meant they would be able to hear us. Conner shook his head, but began talking in a whisper. “She ain’t goin’ to leave him. He has somethin’ on her and she can’t afford to leave. I told her she has friends that would help her, but she’s adamant, man. I can’t just sit back here and know that he’s goin’ to be layin’ his hands on her, forcin’ himself on her again.”

I stood in front of Conner and looked down at him. He had his hands on his knees, but I knew firsthand that at any second he could take me down and run out into the living room. “You have to let her make the choice. Look, dude, I know she’s your friend and I know you care about her, but she’s a grown woman. If she wants to leave with him, you have to let her.”

We were distracted by a man’s cries and both of us stopped talking. Rick was begging Amy to come home for Christmas and he was really putting on a guilt trip.

Conner put his hands in his face and shook his head. “This is bullshit!”

I heard footsteps and saw Iz and Noah walking past the bedroom. With ninja speed, I grabbed the two kids and pulled them into the room with us, closing the door so I could explain my quick reaction. “Somebody came to see Aunt Amy and we don’t want him knowing we are all back here. Can you two be quiet for a couple more minutes?”

They both shook their heads and stood there with us, just listening.

The front door closed and a few seconds later, Conner’s door opened. Amy was standing there with tears in her eyes. It didn’t take a genius for me to get that they needed to talk, so I grabbed the kids and we vacated the room promptly.

I found Miranda sitting on our bed. The boys were starting to get fussy and I think she just needed a second to herself. I grabbed Jake and Jax and put them on the bed with me and Miranda. They were rolling around, making noises with their mouths. “Why didn’t she go?”