Folding Hearts (Mitchell Family #2)(53)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“There is no way I will let my granddaughter be raised by my own nephew.”

“Jesus Mom, we aren’t even related. Besides, you don’t have a choice in the matter.”

She put her hand on her face and started to cry. “How could you both do this?”

“Can you please think about my happiness for one second? Don’t you want your only daughter to be happy? Why can’t you just try to be happy for me? I love him Mom and he loves us. He has taken complete responsibility for Bella and loves her like she is his own flesh and blood. I couldn’t ask for a better father for her.”

“He is not her father. What are you going to do when her real father comes into the picture?”

I walked over and put my arm around my mother. “He isn’t going to. He has no claim to her anyway. I never added his name to the birth certificate like everyone thought. There is no father listed. That’s why it was so easy for Ty and I to petition to have her name changed.” Oops. I probably shouldn’t have said that.

“You didn’t? This isn’t happening.”

Ty got down on his knees and looked at my mom. “I’ve done everything right. I have a good job and we have a our own house. My dad and I are putting an addition on it right now to give Bella her own bedroom and playroom. Miranda and Bella are on my health insurance plan and I make plenty to support us. I would do anything for them. They are my whole world. I swear to you that I am telling you the truth.”

My mother just stopped arguing. I don’t know why and I didn’t care. “Looks like you have covered all of your bases. You have to understand if I need time to be able to accept this. I didn’t send my daughter away for her safety thinking she would run off and get married. It’s a bit too much, that’s all.”

“Am I safe enough to put my pants on now?” Ty asked with a smile.

My mother nodded.

We watched Ty carry his clothes and go into the bathroom. Of course Bella followed behind him and he turned around and picked her up. My mother just watched them. She said nothing for at least five minutes. We could hear Ty talking to Bella in the bathroom. He was teaching her how to brush her teeth and they were singing some dumb song they heard on one of her shows she loved.

“He is all she talked about last night. I honestly thought it was just a phase she was going through. She really seems to love him doesn’t she?”

I let out a little cackle. “Sometimes I think she loves him more than she loves me. She really is his world Mom. It was impossible to not fall in love with him. Just spend an hour with them and you will see what I see.”

“It’s just so sudden.”

“We have been getting to know each other for almost two years and even before that we knew each other as family. If you think of it that way it isn’t really too fast. I’ve known Ty my whole life practically. Isn’t it better that he isn’t some stranger?”

“Are you saying that you were involved before you moved?” She looked concerned about that.

“No. Ty and I never even kissed until I moved. He has never done anything but be a gentleman around me. He makes me feel safe. He always has.”

She put her hand on my leg just as Ty and Bella walked out of the bathroom. Bella came running over toward us. “Mommy, Daddy bwush.”

She was trying to tell us that she brushed her teeth, not that daddy was a bush.

When my mother finally stood up and held her arms out for both of us, neither me or Ty hesitated. She had both of our faces close to hers, let out a sigh and smiled. “If I didn’t love you both I would ring your necks right now. Tyler Mitchell, you know better than to wed my daughter without asking. Her daddy would have hunted you down for that.”

“I know. Sorry, I just couldn’t take the chance of losing them,” he admitted.

While I ran into the bathroom to change, I heard my mother continue to talk to Ty.

“I can’t promise you that everyone is going to be as calm as I am Ty.”

“I know.”

“My son is not going to be happy for the two of you. He talked about coming to get Miranda the moment she pulled out of the driveway. When he finds out that he was right about the two of you, I won’t be able to control him.”

“Aunt Karen it’s fine. I can handle it. I wouldn’t expect anything less from him.”

“You have to stop calling me Aunt Karen. It is very inappropriate.”

“Okay Mom.”

“I can feel the gray hairs filling my scalp.”

After brushing my teeth I ran back out to my room. My mother was right, my brother was not going to be thrilled. Colt needed to get his ass to this house pronto.

“Is Colt here yet?” I gave Ty a warm smile, reminding him that I loved him.

“Everyone is downstairs but the two of you. Of course I had no idea that you were in here together.”

“Maybe Ty should just wait to come down. If they don’t know we were together then they don’t have to find out yet. I don’t want anyone to have black eyes for the wedding photos. Van would kill us.”

Ty laughed and shook his head. “Go ahead down. I will wait ten minutes and join you.”

In front of my mother, he smacked my ass as I was walking out of the door. I turned around and gave him a laugh before following behind her.

She was right. Everyone was in the kitchen. Lucy had made a huge breakfast and food was all over the island. Everyone said hello and then got back to their previous conversations, not even paying a bit of attention to me. I shrugged and happily made myself a plate. Bella was walking around with a piece of sausage in her hand. She liked to run around the kitchen island because it never ended. So, with her sausage held up high, she was running around screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone stopped talking because they couldn’t hear each other through her screaming. That is when Ty decided to walk in the room. Bella’s screams stopped but only for her to go running toward Ty. “Daddy! Daddy!”

He picked up Bella and turned beet red. My brother dropped his fork and stood up straight. Ty held Bella with one arm and held his hand up for Conner to stop coming at him. Of course on his hand was his damn wedding band. To make things ten times worse, I jumped in between them waving my hands in the air at my brother. He reached over and grabbed my arm, staring at what was on my own finger. The room got silent. There were a few gasps, most likely from my aunt and Lucy, but everyone mainly just stared at me, Ty and Bella.