Folding Hearts (Mitchell Family #2)
Author: Jennifer Foor

Chapter 1

Tyler

Losing my girl to my cousin was bad enough, but sticking around while they tried to figure things out was probably the worst decision I could have made.

My uncle had just passed away and my cousin Colt wasn’t taking it well. His girlfriend, my ex Van, had come all the way to Kentucky, courtesy of me, to support him in his time of need. Colt wasn’t the type of guy to talk about his feelings. He would rather shut everyone out and drink himself numb. So, besides the fact that I came along with Van to navigate, now I was being her shoulder to cry on while she made the decision to stick by him or not.

If I could have changed the past, I would have. I lost her because I couldn’t keep my dick in my pants. They were actually the exact words Van had used on the night I found out she was leaving me for Colt.

Last year I had been in an accident that left me in a coma for seven and a half months. During that time, Savanna had been abused by my ignorant friends and non-understanding parents. She stuck by my side, mostly because they made her feel like my accident was her fault. Unfortunately, my cousin Colt came to town, to help my parents get through a desperate summer of farming, and through the time they spent together, ended up falling in love with each other.

I probably deserved it, but my own cousin being the reason was pretty f**ked up. I knew that she had been involved with someone while I was in the hospital, she had admitted that, but after her being so secretive, I started noticing things. They claimed that they tried to stay away from each other once I woke up, but obviously it didn’t happen. I caught them the night after I asked her to marry me.

She only said yes because I put her on the spot. It was like a kick in the gut. When I say that I caught them, I really mean it literally. I left them alone at a bar and watched as they pawed all over each other on the dance floor. After a short amount of time, and some skin on skin touching, they took their little private party to my father’s truck outside and f**ked.

I don’t know why I waited and let them finish. Maybe it was because I wanted a good reason to f**king kill Colt. He knew how long she had been mine. He saw her say yes to me the night before. I had just got out of the f**king hospital for Christ sakes. I just stood there leaning against a nearby dumpster as the windows of that truck began to fog up. I saw a hand pressing against the glass and watched as the truck rocked back and forth. I was even close enough that I could hear their panting. Even though I was watching it all unfold, I was in shock. Van wasn’t the cheating kind, in fact neither of them were. I hoped that it was a bad dream? An effect of the pain medication I was taking, mixed with the alcohol? Maybe I deserve this for everyone I had slept with behind her back?

They were all of the questions that I was asking myself while I watched my heart breaking before my eyes. Sure, I had been a shitty boyfriend, but this was f**ked up.

Five years of being together was over. The truth came out that night. Once she found out about my cheating in our relationship, I knew I didn’t have a chance in getting her back. She had already made her choice. I wasn’t sure about it that night, but she later confessed it to me, after I calmed down of course.

My cousin Colt was like a brother to me. We spent every summer together when we were kids. He couldn’t help falling in love with Van. Anyone that didn’t would be a fool. She was perfect in every way.

It hurt like Hell.

I may not have been faithful, but damn, I didn’t expect my own cousin to take the only girl I ever cared about away from me.

I made the decision to forgive them, against my better judgment of course. I even went as far as to help Van get to Kentucky. She needed a friend and for some reason I wasn’t ready to just let her go. Maybe I am weird like that, but I needed to be around them. I wasn’t okay leaving things unsettled.

I spent most of the time that first week with Van. Colt was busy at the hospital and then later making funeral arrangements, so Van and I just hung out a lot. Miranda was with us most of the time, not that I minded. She was fun to be around and it also made Van more comfortable being around me. I had made several attempts at getting kisses and trying to talk her out of being with my cousin. I knew all along it wouldn’t work, but damn I would miss those lips.

While Van and Colt struggled to work things out on what was in store for their future, I was left to hang out with a very pregnant Miranda more and more. She was Colt’s cousin, but not mine. Their mother’s were sisters, which meant we had no blood relation, although for years we had considered ourselves family. I visited a lot of times in the past when she was around. Her and Conner, her brother, had moved to the ranch when their father passed away around ten years ago. I wasn’t exactly sure what their mother did, but it had something to do with the cattle. The last time I had visited she was on a business trip looking to acquire some new steers.

When Van and I had originally arrived at Colt’s ranch, I acted like I didn’t know her to get a rise out of Van. She overreacted, even more than I could have imagined, and almost left without an explanation from Colt. For the few minutes it lasted, I had to laugh. Of course, I was the only person there that thought it was a damn bit funny at all.

A few days later, right before my uncle’s funeral, Miranda went into labor. Van and I got her into the car and rushed to get her to a hospital in time. Regrettably, we didn’t make it. Miranda delivered a little girl in the backseat of Van’s car. I don’t know how Van and I managed it, but we were able to get her through it. Miranda and her little baby girl were later taken to the hospital by ambulance, where it was determined that both were healthy.

Being there for that birth was the most scary, disgusting, and perfect thing I had ever witnessed. Parts were so f**king gross, I had to close my eyes, but when that little baby belted her first cries, something happened inside of me. It took everything I had not to burst into tears too. My heart started to race and I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.

When the ambulance started to pull away with both Miranda and the baby, that she later named Isabelle, I found myself running after them. I don’t know what made me do it, in fact I think about it all the time. That little girl was so fragile and perfect, it was silly, but I felt like she needed someone there with her.

I stuck around the hospital that night, at least until the father decided to show his face, then I made a beeline to the outside of the room. His name was Tucker Chase and he was nothing to be proud of. Miranda introduced me as her cousin, which I was totally fine with. I wasn’t there as some kind of love interest, or replacement boyfriend.