Isabella (The Mitchell/Healy Family #2)(59)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“How about we go talk about this outside?”

This wasn’t going to be good.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me outside, where we walked further to a large red barn. Inside it was finished off, for entertainment purposes. She sat down on a couch and I plopped down beside her. “I still can’t believe you came all of the way here. Did somethin’ bad happen in Indiana?”

“No.” I was antsy. “Everything is fine. Iz, I just came all this way to be with you. You’re scaring the shit out of me. What’s going on? Did you tell Tate about the baby to spite me?”

“Absolutely not. I didn’t tell Tate nothin’. We ran into each other in a store. It wasn’t difficult for him to assume I was pregnant. I look like one of the cattle in the pastures. In fact, if I dressed in black and white you wouldn’t even be able to tell us apart.”

“Don’t say that. You’re beautiful.”

“I don’t feel beautiful.”

My heart couldn’t take much more. I silently prayed that this was all a nightmare; that I wasn’t about to lose two people that I loved for the second time in my life. “I promise that you are. So then what happened?” I couldn’t let her change the subject, not when our future was riding on what had transpired.

She shrugged and looked down. I felt like she was trying to find the words to break my heart with as little pain as possible. She didn’t know I was already breaking apart inside.

“Then his wife walked up to us.”

My eyes shot up to meet hers. “His wife? I’m confused.”

“Let me help you out with that,” she offered. “Tate isn’t the depressed soul he was a couple of months ago. It seems that he and Jenn have gotten back together. The main reason being that she’s pregnant with his child.”

In a matter of seconds everything had changed. “He’s having two children at the same time?”

She shook her head. “No, Rusty. He’s having one child.” She grabbed my hand and put it on her belly. “This little girl is yours.”

I can’t say that hearing that didn’t get me choked up. I wanted nothing more than to be a father to the child she was carrying. I’d made it my life’s mission to make it work. Just when I thought that all hope was lost, she was sitting across from me reassuring me that it was really going to happen. “So, he doesn’t know?”

Iz shook her head. “No. I lied about my due date so he couldn’t even inquire. Tate has a wife and a child on the way. Finding out the truth would just ruin his life again. Jenn would never be able to look past it. Besides, our daughter deserves to grow up in a stable environment, with two parents that love each other. Don’t you think?”

I ran my fingers through her wavy blonde hair. “Yeah. I do.”

“My parents know the truth now, Rusty. They’ve promised not to tell the rest of the family.”

“Are they pissed at me?”

“No. contrary to what you might have thought, my dad now considers you his hero. It’s no secret that he’s not my biological father, but he’d never admit that to anyone else. The moment I told him what you were willin’ to do for us, he was sold on you bein’ a part of my life.”

I pulled her against my chest and held her there as I spoke. “I was afraid I’d lost you. I can’t imagine spending a single day without you, Iz. That’s why I had to drive out here to find you. Indiana holds my past, and I get that you wanted me to have some kind of closure, but the truth is that I let go of it a long time ago, before you and I were even a thought. I explained to my parents that my future was in Kentucky, and I was staying there. While driving here I thought about what was best for our daughter. I’m going to see about getting back into the medical field. I’m sure there’s plenty of livestock that needs to be attended to. The Mitchell ranch alone pays the current vet a ton of money each year. I think if I got my license current, I’d be able to offer your family a more cost efficient plan than they’re paying. Maybe we could even open an animal hospital locally. With your business degree and my medical expertise, we could have our own family business. It’s going to take some time to see it all through, but don’t you think it will -.”

She cut me off before I could finish. Her lips pressed against mine, and I was lost in the moment. Not only had I not lost Isabella, but I’d somehow gained the respect of her father. It was a win-win situation for both of us.

We sat there on that couch for the longest time.

Her parents were waiting when we headed back to the house. The look on their faces let me know immediately that they approved of me stepping up. Her dad approached me first. He held out his hand. “I may have a man crush on your right now.”

“I’m going to pretend that’s not as weird as it sounds,” we both laughed as we shook. “I appreciate the gesture all the same. For a second I thought she was kicking me to the curb.”

“We wouldn’t have let her do that.” He patted me on the back. “We’d just kick her to the curb and adopt you.” He winked at his daughter when he said it.

From that moment I knew that everything was going to work out.

That night after everyone else was asleep, Isabella snuck us out to the old barn. Instead of taking us into the party area, she lead us back to a private quarters. A small cot was folded up on one side, and a couch was on the other. She pushed me backwards until I was forced to sit down on the sofa. She then climbed on top of me and leaned in to kiss me. Her belly pressed on my chest, but it didn’t offend me. I knew that inside of her was something beautiful; something that was going to change our lives forever. Our fingers intertwined on both hands. The peaceful quiet of being in the closed barn reminded me that we were totally alone. She rocked her body back and forth, letting me know what she wanted from me. I pulled away from her lips, letting mine linger there still so close. “I love you.”

“I know, Rusty. I’m going to thank God every day for bringin’ you into my life.”

“I should be the one thanking him. Just when I was ready to give up I found you.”

“Are you goin’ to make love to me, or sit here givin’ me more reasons to be crazy bout you?” She pulled her hands away from mine and ran them up my chest. “I’ll accept both, but prefer to have you naked.”

I picked her up and laid her down on the couch, so that I was hovering over her body. My hand coursed over her belly as I leaned down to kiss it gently. “My girl,” I whispered. Then I stood up and lifted my shirt over my head. “I think I’m going to do both, Iz.” I began removing my jeans. “I’m going to give you reasons to want me, while I’m making sweet love to you.”