Risking Fate (Mitchell Family #4)(36)
Author: Jennifer Foor

My eyes got really big as Ty looked up at me. I mouthed the words ‘sorry’, but he was already rubbing his face with frustration.

Look, Miranda sent you that text. She knows you were lying at the shop and took it upon herself to use my phone. Listen Heather, this is really important. It isn’t about who I’m married to, or what happened in our past. This is for my child.

She isn’t even yours Ty.

She is. Don’t ever say she isn’t. He stood up and started pacing.

I’m sorry, but we can’t help you. Have a nice life Ty.

Ty looked at his phone and threw it across the room. It shattered into pieces. He crouched down and put his hands over his head. I kneeled down beside him, but he pushed me away when I reached out. “Don’t!”

“Ty, I’m sorry, I….”

He stood up and walked toward his phone. “You pissed her off and she won’t give me the papers. Do you have any idea what that one text message has done? God, how could you be so careless? Don’t you care about what is at stake here?”

I followed behind him, picking up more phone pieces. “Of course I do. Ty please..”

“Now my f**king phone is broke. I don’t even know her number. I had to call around for it before. God Dammit! How could you f**king do that?”

I stood there and watched him having a fit in front of me. He was pacing around and shaking his head. Conner and Bella walked in the door and Ty went walking out. Conner saw the look in my eyes and motioned with his head for me to go after him.

I followed after him, meeting him at the edge of the barn. He punched his fist right through it, then held his injured hand and fell to the ground.

I sat down beside him, never looking directly at him. When he refused to speak to me, I reached out to check his hand. “Don’t Miranda.”

Oh God, what have I done?

“Shut up and let me see it.” I looked at his hand carefully. He could still bend it around, so it wasn’t broken, but it was pretty banged up. While I had a good hold of something that was causing him pain, I knew I could get a full sentence in. “I’m sorry, Ty. Tell me what to do to make it right.”

He shook his head. “I don’t know what you can do. She’s f**king pissed and I have run out of things to say to her. I don’t blame you for calling her a whore. She is a whore, but you could have waited until we had the papers and then called her every nasty name in the book. Now, I don’t know what to do. We need those papers.”

I don’t know why I said it. “What if you went to her house. What if you apologized?”

“She won’t care. She only cares about herself.”

“You have to try. Do you want me to go?” It was a stupid idea.

“Hell no! She hates you. It’s best if I go alone.”

“Tell her we got into it and you walked out on me for what I did. Lie to her Ty. Make her think you’re mad at me. She wants you to be mad at me. She wants you to want her.” I could feel the vomit rising in my throat, but I knew it was the truth. Heather wanted Ty and if I wanted to make this right, this had to be the plan.

What am I saying?

“I can’t do that, Baby. I don’t want her.”

I don’t want you to want her!

I shook my head and started to cry. “I messed this up. I ruined our only chance. I need you to try Ty. Say whatever you have to.” I started to really cry, just imagining what I was about to say. “Kiss her if you have to.”

“I can’t.” He grabbed my hand with his good one and squeezed it. I felt his lips kissing me on my head. “I can’t do that.”

I cupped his face with my hands. “Do what you have to do Ty. Just don’t sleep with her. I can’t get past that, no matter what it’s for. I can’t picture that in my head forever. It would kill me.” I turned over and started gagging I was crying so badly. Ty rushed closer to me and pulled my hair back.

“Shh, calm down. I’m not going anywhere.” Once I finished, I looked up and saw that he was crying. “I don’t want to touch her. I hate her. How can you ask me to hurt you to save Izzy? How could you make me choose?”

I kissed his hands. “You have to.” I took a couple deep breaths “It’s for our family.”

He stood up and pulled me with him. I felt his hands on my belly. “Please don’t doubt my love for you. I live and breathe for you and our children. I’m nothing without you. As much as I want this paternity test, I can’t risk you. I can’t do it, Miranda. Please don’t make me choose you or Iz.”

I wrapped my arms around him. “I’m choosing for you.” I was sobbing so hard that he was literally pulling me against him to calm my shaking. “I can’t be responsible for losing our only chance. You need to save our baby from that awful woman. Please.” He needed to go before I grabbed him and held on for dear life. I didn’t want him going anywhere near her, but I had ruined our one shot. This was going to go to court without that paper. Ty would resent me forever. It wasn’t about the money or even about Heather, this was about our family.

“I need you to get your brother. I’ll be back before you know it, I promise.” He kissed me and left his lips on my head. “I hate this. I hate all of this.”

“I do too. I’m so sorry, Ty.”

I dried my eyes enough to walk in the house. Conner was sitting on the couch and I didn’t notice Bella anywhere. “Ty needs you.”

He stood up and walked toward the door. “You alright?”

I nodded my head. “Yeah, we aren’t fightin’. Just somethin’ that needs to be done.”

Conner shook his head and walked outside. I stood at the door watching them. The last thing I saw was Conner punching Ty straight in the face.

Chapter 14

Ty

I thought about explaining things to Conner, giving him a reason to beat the shit out of me. Maybe it was wrong for bringing Heather back into our lives, but it was my only way to save my baby from a horrible woman and a broken heart. I’d give my own life to protect her, even my own happiness.

Conner came walking out toward me. I was in the exact place where Colt and I had tried to fight for Van. It brought back memories of my father coming and breaking us up. Conner must have seen the remorseful look in my eyes, because he stopped dead in his tracks and cocked his head.

“What’s goin’ on Bro?”

Just say it!

“I need you to hit me.”