Letting Go (Mitchell Family #1)(65)
Author: Jennifer Foor

“Where are you going? Where is Colt?”

“He went flying out of here. What happened Van?”

I held my hand over my mouth. “I don’t understand. I must have made him angry. I was just trying to be supportive.” I confessed.

“What did you say?”

“All I said was that his father loved him. I wanted him to be okay.”

Ty shook his head. “They didn’t exactly see eye to eye.” He came over and touched my shoulder. “Listen, this is going to take him time to deal with it. It was all so sudden. I guess he figured he would have plenty of opportunities to settle things with his father. The accident just screwed things all up and now he won’t ever have the chance again. Just give him time babe.”

The sound of a car motor caught our attention. I went straight for the window, looking out to see what my heart already told me. Colt’s mustang was pulling out of the garage and headed away from the cabin.

I shook my head in disbelief and started to cry. Within seconds, Ty was at my side pulling me into his strong arms. “Just give him time.” He whispered in my hair.

I didn’t hug Ty back, it wasn’t meant to be a romantic gesture at all. He was being the friend that I needed him to be. I appreciated it so much, considering we were so far from home and he was all I had.

Ty stayed up with me for hours while I sat on the couch waiting for Colt to return. I was so worried he went to a bar or was driving around upset. I wanted to think that he was somewhere on the ranch, but I didn’t even know where to start looking.

Without much to go on, and Colt not answering his phone, I decided to go upstairs to sleep. Ty had been sleeping in the guest room that had an actual bed in it and Miranda had the other room, so my only choice was to sleep in Colt’s room or the couch. Either way I would hear him coming inside and be able to talk to him when he did.

I climbed into Colt’s bed, the same one I had been sleeping in for the last few days. It smelled of him and I couldn’t help but climb into the middle and surround myself with his pillows and blankets. I was so worried about him, but part of me was upset with him too. He really hurt me by walking away. I wasn’t here to hurt him, in fact I just wanted to help him get through this terrible tragedy.

It took me a few more hours to finally fall asleep. For a long while I stared at the ceiling and listened to all of the outside critters making weird sounds from the woods behind the cabin. After several more crying fits I eventually succumbed to sleep.

The bright sunlight coming in the window woke me up early. I got up and went to the bathroom, but while I was brushing my teeth, I heard the front door opening and closing. My heart started beating faster as I made my way to the bedroom door, but once I got the door open, I could hear Ty and Colt talking. I didn’t intend to eavesdrop, until I heard Ty defending me. While I listened, I sat myself on the first step and leaned against the railing. They were actually in the kitchen and the sound of their voices amplified from the tile floor.

“I don’t give a shit Colt. You can’t treat her like that.” Ty argued.

“Don’t come into my house and tell me what to do.” Colt defended.

“I have every right to do that when you are acting like this. Look, I am sorry about your dad. He was my uncle and I will miss him.”

“Don’t talk about my father Ty.”

“Are you willing to lose her Colt? Because as far as I am concerned, it is only a matter of time.”

“She aint goin’ to leave me.”

“You stubborn son of a bitch! I hurt her, but you are killing her. Do you really think it is easy for me to stand here rooting for the two you? Do you have any idea how much easier it would be to take her home and do whatever I could to get her back myself?”

“I need time. I can’t deal with her right now. I can’t deal with anyone.” Colt admitted.

“She dropped everything to come here to be with you. Grow a set of balls and take care of your girlfriend before she changes her mind.”

“If she can’t give me my space then maybe she should just go home. I told you that I can’t deal with it right now.”

I stood up on the steps and started walking downstairs toward the kitchen. I didn’t know what I was going to say, but I couldn’t just listen to them. Every word out of his mouth was hurtful to me.

“I talked to my parents last night. They are on their way here. After the funeral, I am leaving with them. If you don’t want Savanna than you need to let her go. She deserves someone that would do anything for her. I think she thought you were that guy.”

“For Christ sakes Ty. I can’t deal with this shit anymore. My father just died. I need to be there for my mother. If y’all can’t understand that then get the hell out of my house!”

Colt’s last words cut through me just as I walked into the entryway of the kitchen. Ty was leaning against the counter, while Colt was sitting at the table with his hands in his hair. He heard my footsteps and looked up at me. I couldn’t hide the pain in my eyes, but the person that looked back at me was broken. His eyes were sunken in from not sleeping. The hair on his face was thick and disheveled. His hair was a giant mess. Colt looked so awful.

“Savanna?” He asked when he saw me standing there.

I went to say something, but nothing would come out. Instead I turned and headed out the front door. When I got to the porch, I just kept running. I was bare footed and in a t-shirt that came down to my knees, but it was a warm summer morning and I wasn’t worried about someone seeing me. After running for at least ten minutes, I ended up halfway between the cabin and the ranch. A field of soy beans was to my right. I stepped off the dirt road and sat down on the ground between the beans and the road.

I felt like coming here was a mistake. Colt was different and this side of him scared me. Losing his father was making him be someone that I didn’t know. I was so sure that Colt was my future, but as of this moment, he wanted nothing to do with me. It hurt me so much. I didn’t regret choosing him. I loved the man he was, even in this horrible time in his life. However, if he couldn’t let me in then why should I bother trying? I needed to know without a doubt that he was going to be there for me. He also needed to know that I would never give up on him, well unless that is what he really wanted me to do.

I heard someone calling my name in the distance and got myself walking back to the cabin. It was disappointing when I discovered that it had been Ty worried about me and not Colt. When I reached the porch, I looked around to see if he was even outside, but never spotted him.