Letting Go (Mitchell Family #1)(45)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I smiled and tried to just keep eating and ignoring the obvious time bomb that was ready to blow up in my face.

I insisted on doing the dishes, while all of the men went into the living room. Ty’s mother came into the kitchen with more dirty looks. I turned to her with dripping hands. “Can we please talk?” I asked.

“What do you have to say Van?”

“You are wrong about me. I have loved your son since I was a child. I have done everything to make him happy and when he was partying too much I broke up with him to try to make him stop. What happened to him was horrible, but I never cheated on him. I swear to you.”

She shook her head and folded her hands across her stomach. “You forget that I caught you more than once.” She whispered.

“We didn’t plan that. It just happened. I am so sorry. I can’t take you hating me like this. Please!”

She shook her head. “Do you know why I am so angry with you now Van? It isn’t about the accident. My son explained what happened. I know what he did that night.” She leaned over the counter, like it was hard to talk about. “Never in all the years that you have been with my son, have I ever seen you look at him the way you look at my nephew. It’s not just you either. He looks at you the same way. Now I love Colt, but my son is the most important thing in my life. He is going to figure it out. How long do you think you can hide it? How long before he catches you together? Do you know what it will do him?”

I put my head down. “I’m trying. I don’t know how to tell him. Either way it will crush him.”

She got closer to me, but I was no longer afraid she was going to hurt me. “I said things I shouldn’t have to you, but I was just so damn angry. I see that this is hard. I wish I could tell you to stop seeing Colt, but you are both adults, and I can tell that it is never going to happen. He is a good man. He is honest. Figure out a way to tell him the truth, before you both rip out his heart. He has been through too much already. He looks up to Colt, idolizes him even. This will crush him.”

She scrunched up her face and walked away before I could respond. I refused to cry. Instead I finished the dishes in silence and made my way to the bathroom to get ready to go out. We decided on going straight to the bar since we already had dinner. I grabbed a short jean skirt and a shirt that buttoned up that I could tie around my waist. I was going to wear flip flops, but my boots were better to dance in. I straightened my hair and applied makeup to my face. I hadn’t done it in months and my tan was darker than the cover up, so I only did my eyes. When I stood back and looked at myself I realized Colt had never seen my hair like this. I unbuttoned the top three buttons and let my cle**age hang just out of the top.

I looked down at my ring and felt myself getting upset. I should have said no. Things would have been over with. Now they were harder.

When I walked out into the living room, the guys stopped talking. They stared at me with their mouths open. “Do I look bad?” I asked knowing damn well I didn’t.

Ty started whistling, while Colt kept his reaction to himself. I watched Ty throw a pillow at his cousin. “Dude, get your own.” He said.

They exchanged a laugh, and I couldn’t help but feel awful. Colt said nothing after that comment.

We got Ty situated with his crutches and headed out toward the pickup. I climbed in first and felt Ty reaching his hand up my skirt when I crawled in the seat. I could see Colt clinching his jaw when it happened. His knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel. I pushed his leg with mine for him to calm down.

The bar was packed, but we found a table in the corner. We got Ty situated and then went to the bar to get drinks. While waiting for the waitress, Colt didn’t waste any time telling me how jealous he was. “I didn’t like watching him touch you.”

“I know.”

“You look beautiful. Meet me tonight. I can’t be with you all night like this and not be able to touch you Savanna.” He grabbed a beer and took a drink. “I can’t stop picturing you naked.”

I pushed him before grabbing two more beers and heading back to the table where Ty sat. “One for you and one for me.” I announced, handing him a beer.

Ty didn’t waste any time waving down some of his friends. Within minutes of us being there, our table was surrounded by people. After a half hour, I got up to go to the bathroom and when I came back my seat was occupied by no other than that bitch Heather. She smiled as I approached, but Ty knew how pissed I was about it. Heather on the other hand refused to take a hint. I grabbed Colt by the arm and pulled him out to the dance floor.

I never turned around to see if Ty was watching. He had given me enough reason to go out and have a good time. Colt responded right away and we started dancing together, trying to keep a good distance so we wouldn’t be too obvious. The truth was that I wanted to grind my ass right into him, until he couldn’t take it anymore. After three songs, we walked up to the bar to order two beers. I looked back and watched Ty doing shots with all of his friends, including the blonde bitch. I changed our order to shots and Colt cocked his eyebrow. “Not a good idea Savanna. I can’t get drunk around you and you can’t get drunk around me. It is fuel to the fire.”

Before he could protest anymore I grabbed the shot and downed it. “Fuck it!”

He looked down at the shot and then back at me. I shrugged my shoulders and grabbed his shot, sucking it down before he could respond.

“Savanna.” Colt said when I signaled for two more shots.

“Do the shots and then come dance with me. Your cousin is over there groping all over the girl. He isn’t even paying attention to us.”

“Are you mad about it?” He asked.

“Colt, please shut up and dance with me.”

A slow song came on and everyone started gathering up someone to be their partner. I looked toward Ty out of habit and saw him gesturing Colt and I to go ahead. I didn’t waste any time reaching up and touching his strong arms. We started swaying to Luke Bryan singing “Do I”. I couldn’t stop looking into Colt’s eyes even when he looked the other way and warned me to stop.

His hands were around me. He did manage to touch the exposed skin on my waist. Slowly he moved his fingers as we swayed around to the song. In my ear I heard him singing the song. I wanted to melt.

His deep southern voice sang “Do I turn you on at all when I kiss you baby? Does the sight of me wanting you drive you crazy? Do I have your love? Am I still enough?……..Baby do I?”