Isabella (The Mitchell/Healy Family #2)(49)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Yes. I do. I love her very much.” Admitting that out loud made my heart beat faster. It was a word we’d never talked about. Still, I knew how I felt. There was no question about it.

He reached his hand across the table. When I shook it he started talking again. “You have my blessing, but just know that if you hurt her in anyway, I’m going to hurt you. That means if you f**k her in the ass, I’m going to f**k you in the ass. Understand?”

I raised my brow and looked at him as if he were crazy. “Come again?”

He laughed to himself and wiped his face, as if he was tired. “That sounded pretty g*y didn’t it? Shit. You know what I meant, right?”

I laughed and shook my head. “I sure do hope you don’t want to f**k me in my ass, sir.”

“It’s not sir. Ty’s fine. Definitely don’t ever call me dad. I don’t give a shit if you do marry my daughter someday. I’m not having someone your age calling me dad. I draw the line there.”

He waved the waitress for another beer. I sipped at my tea and watched her bring him his drink. “When I first lost my girls I drank too much. I said things to my father, and got myself into situations that I wasn’t proud of. Once I got my shit together I promised I’d never drink again.”

“My daughter might drive you to drink. She’s a spitfire, who sometimes makes it her life mission to annoy the hell out of people. She thinks she’s always right, and you can’t tell her anything and expect that she’ll follow directions. Trust me, I’m married to her twin. I just agree and call it a day. It’s not worth the effort.”

“I hear ya on that. You’re daughter can be difficult. She’s pretty fickle. It’s hard to handle, but I’m getting the hang of it.”

He pointed his beer in my direction. “I think we’re going to get along just fine, Rusty. Your secret is safe with me. If you want to tell the family, it’s up to you. I’m sure when the time is right you’ll be able to talk about it more.”

Lunch with Isabella’s father had given me hope that everything was finally going to be okay. I had his blessing, and knew that he’d support my relationship with his daughter. I hated that we were lying about the paternity of the baby, but completely understood why she didn’t want anyone knowing the truth. The only thing I was still worried about was her changing her mind. The indecisive woman that had my heart could change her mind at any time, and the longer we were together, the harder it would be to handle.

I had to pray that I was the right guy in her eyes, because hope was all I had left.

Chapter 30

Isabella

I feel like I’d waited forever to see my baby for the first time. Due to my crappy insurance, my first sonogram wasn’t until I was twenty weeks along. I’d literally waited months for this day to come.

With the company of my parents and Rusty, we watched the screen for the first sign of life.

And there it was, curled up comfortably waiting to be attended to. The tool maneuvered over my belly, only stopping when the technician was plugging in data. Then came the moment we were all waiting for. I’d heard it’s heartbeat each month after my first appointment. As exciting as it was, nothing could compare to seeing my real baby on that screen, with ten fingers and ten toes.

“Did you want to know the sex?”

I gave her a nod and watched as she focused in on one area.

“It’s a girl. Congratulations.”

In that moment my heart skipped a couple beats. Growing inside of me was a beautiful little girl, who I knew was going to be absolutely perfect. My parents, who stood behind Rusty held each other and kept watching, but as my eyes scanned the room I saw something I never expected.

Rusty had tears in his eyes. In that instant all of my excitement was put to the side when I realized what he was going through. It’s when it finally occurred to me that he needed her as much as I needed him.

At times my feelings for Rusty were still confusing, albeit this wasn’t one of those times. In this moment I felt more connected to him than I’d ever been before. I could see both pain and excitement. I could feel his love radiating through me as our fingers intertwined. This beautiful man had found his hope again, and it meant everything to him.

Our relationship hadn’t started out good. We bickered more than we appreciated. There were times when I truly thought he was a criminal, a creepy stalker, preying on the right moment to cause harm to me. I felt bad for that now, knowing the real man under that tough façade. He couldn’t hide himself from me anymore. That man I thought I knew was just a distant memory. The man who was peering deeply into my eyes was beautiful. He may have been broken, but I could see life shining in those grey eyes.

For both my parent’s sake, and my own, I smiled at him, while squeezing his hand tighter. “We’re havin’ a little girl, Rusty.”

He nodded and used his free hand to wipe his eyes. “I know, Iz.”

As soon as he said my name I looked at my father. He’d been the only person in my life to call me that, and I feared how it would make him feel. Instead of sensing hurt, I saw happiness. He was smiling from ear to ear, winking at me, letting me know that I’d done good.

It was the happiest moment of my life. I couldn’t remember ever feeling so complete, so loved. All of those months feeling like the world was out to get me had suddenly gone away. They no longer mattered, because I’d finally realized what I’d gained.

Stability.

Companionship.

Faith.

They were all things that I just assumed were a lost cause for me. Now I’d been presented with this miracle, and I was finally able to grasp just what it meant for my future.

I’d fought so hard to deny my feelings for Rusty, on account of my own selfish reasons. In some ways I’d used him, and I didn’t know how I could have been so inconsiderate. It was obvious that he was crazy about me, and I had a choice to make. I could be with him, raise my child with him, and be happy, or I could dwell on the past.

It was unfortunate that Tate was in a bad way. When I’d sent that late night message to his ex I didn’t know it would make him want to end his life. All I wanted was for him to learn a much needed lesson. He couldn’t string on two women and make promises that he couldn’t keep. Though I felt guilty, his actions had gotten him where he was.

The truth was that I didn’t want him being a part of my child’s life. I didn’t want to have to see and deal with him. We lived in two different states, and clearly I wasn’t about to give up what I had in Kentucky; a good job, and man who wanted to be with only me. I just couldn’t justify that telling him would benefit anyone.