Folding Hearts (Mitchell Family #2)(59)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I whispered to Izzy. “Can you stand up for a second? Daddy will buy you fries.”

Yes, I had to bribe her…It was necessary.

“I know everyone is here to see me and Miranda promise ourselves to each other again, but I think there is someone else who is just as important.” I let Izzy down, got on my knees and grabbed both of her hands into mine. She was swinging her body back and forth, giving me a huge smile. Tears were rolling down my eyes so fast that I couldn’t even see. I could hear Miranda sniffling and knew she was a wreck. I closed my eyes and took some deep breaths again. “Isabella Mitchell, I promise to love you and cherish you. I will protect you and never ever leave you. I promise to be the best Daddy that any little girl has ever had.” I could barely speak. “Daddy loves you so much Izzy. Can I have a kiss?”

She leaned in and kissed me. I hugged her close to my body until I felt like I could stand up and face Miranda. I held on to one of Izzy’s hands and grabbed Miranda’s as I came to face her. She was crying so hard that I had to pull her against my chest. The poor reverend was just standing back behind us. Finally, when it was obvious she couldn’t calm down he took over.

“I now repronounce you Mr. and Mrs. and little Miss Mitchell. Whenever they are ready, they can kiss.”

I started laughing and looked out at our family. I don’t think there was a dry eye in the room. Including Brina, which I didn’t invite, but Miranda insisted on being nice.

I turned to Miranda who was still a big ole mess. “Can I please have my kiss now?”

Her lips met mine immediately. Every time we pulled away we just kept coming back for one more kiss. “I love you so much baby.”

“I love you too.”

Colt put his hand on my shoulder and then pulled me into a hug. Surprisingly, Izzy got down and started running around. Everyone came up to us at once and there was just a huge crowd of our family standing around us.

My aunt had some restaurant drop off a shit load of food for all of us, so we just all stood around hanging out. It was actually pretty cool that we were all sort of already family. There were no introductions needed. Colt got us some music going and everyone seemed so happy.

Izzy clung to my leg and I was walking while dragging her around. She didn’t understand that daddy had metal in his leg. It was nothing that some Tylenol and a few beers couldn’t fix.

I was so happy to see my parents there. Miranda pulled us over toward them and when Izzy saw my mom, she went running. “I can’t believe you guys are here.”

“Miranda wanted to surprise you,” my father answered.

I turned to look at my wife who had a big smile across her face. “Surprise!”

She kissed me and never stopped smiling. I know because I could feel her teeth touching my lips. “You are f**king perfect,” I whispered in her ear.

“So are you.”

It was funny. I think we gave everyone hugs and kisses while still holding each other’s hands. I couldn’t let go of her.

Van came running toward us. “Picture time! We need pictures.”

For the next thirty minutes Van had Brina taking every possible wedding pose known in the history of wedding poses. I could tell that she had studied the magazines until they fell apart in her hands.

Soon after the pictures, I started to realize that mine and Miranda’s night was turning into a dress rehearsal for Van. She was running around, ordering us to cut cakes and open cards and finally dance.

When the music started and I had Miranda in my arms, I stopped letting Van and her little bossy self bother me. I was captivated by the most spectacular sight in the entire world. I stroked her cheek. “You are the most beautiful thing that I have ever seen in my life.”

She giggled. “I bet you tell that to all of your wives.”

“I hate to break this to you but you are the only one.”I reached down and kissed Miranda softly on the lips and talked while I continued to kiss her. “There. Will. Never. Be. Anyone.But.You.”

“What you said to Bella was the single most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my entire life. I don’t know how you got through it. It was so perfect Ty. I don’t know where I would be if you weren’t in the car that day. I have wondered that every single day since she was born.”

I ran my hands up and down her back, finally leaving them on each of her ass cheeks. I pulled her closer into my embraced as we swayed around to the music. Other people were dancing, but Miranda and I were in our own little bubble. “I can’t even imagine my life without you both. Fate has to be real Miranda. I wasn’t even supposed to be in Kentucky. I will never forget being in the back of that car, holding you on my lap and watching Izzy taking her first breath. From the moment I saw her, I fell in love. I remember chasing after the ambulance. I felt like I had to be there with you.”

“Aren’t you glad you were?”

“It was one of the happiest days of my life. I think about it every time I look at her. When she lays with me I look at her skin and her little fingers and how fragile she was when she first came home from the hospital. I remember the first time she smiled at me. It was so awesome.”

Miranda started laughing. “I think I know when your most favorite memory was.”

I chuckled. “Yeah. The day she called me daddy. My heart just melted hearing that. It still does. Miranda, I don’t care how many children we have, she will always be blood to me. Nothing will ever change that. She is mine in every single way. If you find some rich man and end up leaving me, I will still never stop being her father. I would rather die than live without either of you, but I couldn’t bear to not be her daddy.”

“How could I ever find anyone else that makes me fall in love with them every single day like you do?”

I looked around at everyone having a good time. It was basically just a party with everyone dressed up. “Did you ever in a million years think this would be happening to us?”

“No.” She laughed.

“Do you regret rushing into it all? I think that is what everyone is so mad about. They think that people like you and I can’t be tamed.”

“I don’t regret anything Ty. I feel like we were always supposed to be together. My daddy would have been proud of the man I love. As far as everyone else, well, screw what they think.”

Her smile did things to me. I couldn’t help but slowly press my lips to hers again. Her tongue brushed against my lips and as I pulled away I saw that look in her eyes. I pulled her back into another kiss and this time I found her tongue and stroked it against mine. I closed my eyes and imagined we were back at home and alone.