Folding Hearts (Mitchell Family #2)(44)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Way to scare off our company,” I joked.

“She was being a prude. How much bullshit did she give you today?” He asked.

I shrugged. He really didn’t need to know, it would only hurt his feelings. “You know how they talk. I didn’t listen to them.”

“I think I need a lot of kisses for reassurance. No actually, I think I need some naked time.”

Bella started jumping in between us. We separated and started chasing her around the room. “The naked time will have to wait until after someone goes to sleep.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Well we can chalk that promise up and stick it in the jar of IOU’s. Ty was nice enough to give Bella a bath while I cleaned up the rest of the house. It wasn’t really that messy so I finished in less than ten minutes. I laid on the couch just listening to the two of them playing in the bathroom. He better have put towels down because with the amount of splashing that was going on, we might have a flood. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being carried to the bed.

Just like every Sunday, we woke up and started getting ready for church. Ty was in a really good mood, considering he didn’t get his naked time. He woke me up with kisses and coffee before getting Bella dressed in a new outfit he insisted on buying her. She was wearing a little sailor dress and little matching shoes with anchors on the toes. He got her two matching bows for either side of her hair and made his best attempts to style it himself.

“Hey baby, what do you think? Did I do good?”

“Aww, she looks so cute.” She did too.

“I was thinking we should all get sailor suits and wear them next Sunday,” he said sarcastically.

I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to apply eye liner and busted into a laughing fit. The eye liner smudged all over my eye lid. “There is no way I am doing that.”

“Oh come on, it will be fun.”

“It sounds like a terrible eighties picture.” I was now removing my makeup to start over again. He didn’t understand that I wanted to look my best for him all the time. I never wanted to give him a reason to look anywhere else.

“Why are you putting that stuff on your face? You look beautiful without it.” Ty came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“You’re just tryin’ to get me to hurry up.” Although, his statement gave me butterflies.

“I fed Izzy and we are ready when you are.”

“Okay. Be out in a second.”

When I walked into the living room, Ty and Bella were sitting in front of the T.V. They were watching some little baby show where giant animals were dancing around. Bella was dancing all around to the music, while Ty recorded her on one of our phones.

A little girl came on the screen next with a man that was reading to her. It was clearly her dad and he was tucking her in for bed. The little girl snuggled up to her daddy telling him that she loved him. Bella just stood there staring at the television. I kept watching her realizing how close she was getting to turning two. We still had a few months, but time was flying by. She was paying more attention to things, like she was to this particular show.

She freaked out when Ty came up and turned the show off. “No Ty!”

“I’m sorry Iz, we have to go to bye bye.”

She looked at him curiously. “Bye bye?”

“Yep, your mommy is finally done her primping.” I stuck my nose up at him.

We finally got packed in the car and were on our way to church. Things got super quiet in the car for some reason or another and out of the back seat I heard my daughter saying something that made my stomach drop. “Daddy. Daddy. Daddy.”

Three times right in a row.

I thought Ty was going to roll us into a ditch. He looked from me to the rear view mirror. “Did she just?”

I held my hand over my mouth. “Yeah.”

“Do you think she knows what it means?”

I looked back at Bella who still kept repeating it. “Daddy. Daddy.” This time she was pointing. Right at Ty.

I knew he saw her in that mirror. I was speechless as I watched his shocked face. We were pulling up at church but just sat in the car instead of jumping right out. Ty turned around and looked at Bella, sitting in her car seat, pointing at him. “Daddy.”

I had no idea how she could pick that up from watching a show, but she knew exactly what it meant and she thought Ty was her daddy. There was no denying it. Ty reached back and touched Bella’s foot. Tears rolled down his eyes. I didn’t know how to react. I was still in shock from hearing it myself. If I ever wondered if he was serious about being with both of us, his actions were giving me the answer.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He laid his head against the seat to the car and wiped his eyes. “She called me Daddy.”

“Daddy.” Of course she said it again.

“She thinks you are.” I rubbed his arm while he just kept looking at her.

“I love her so much.”

“She loves you too Ty. You know she does. Even as a tiny baby she loved you. Remember how you would sing to her through video chats?”

He laughed. “You weren’t supposed to be listening.”

I smirked. “She was an infant. I couldn’t leave her alone. It was sweet.”

“I want to be her daddy.” My heart dropped out of my stomach. Now I was the one crying. I had applied my make-up twice and it was now running down my face.

“Really?”

“Isn’t it obvious Miranda? I want it more than anything. I want her to always be able to count on me, no matter what happens.” He ran his fingers over my tears and wiped them from my cheeks.

I opened my mouth to say something , but someone started knocking on the window. It was Van and her mother. “You guys going to get out of the car? I want to sit with you.”

I looked to Ty. “What if Bella says it in front of her?”

“She already hates me, so I really don’t give a shit. It’s between us, not her.” He climbed out of the car and immediately reached for Bella, while I straightened my face, again.

Bella was in rare form in church and even Ty’s parents couldn’t occupy her. They were sitting in the pew in front of us and she kept wanting to climb back and forth, disrupting everyone around us. Thank goodness we were in church so people were more forgiving. Van and her mother sat next to us and Ty made it a point to never let go of my hand during service. Even as we stood to sing, he would wrap one arm around my waist. I could feel their eyes on us. As we got seated in between songs, the room got quiet. Bella was in front of us climbing on the pew. Then she held out her arms to Ty and said it, in front of the whole congregation. “Daddy.”