Risking Fate (Mitchell Family #4)(69)
Author: Jennifer Foor

I sat on the edge of my couch and took a deep breath. “You’re right.”

Van leaned on the other side of me. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“I hope so.”

I couldn’t help but notice Conner standing in the corner of the room. He was holding one of the boys and talking to Amy. He threw me a nod before giving her all of his attention. I could tell right away that they weren’t just friends. It was a good thing Miranda had gone to bed.

Chapter 26

Miranda

After spending so much time in the hospital, I couldn’t wait to get home. It was nice of my family to want to do something for us, but after the long ride and having to stop to breast feed the boys, I was exhausted.

Even with all the people in the house, it felt good to be home, in my bed. Ty had been so great to me since everything happened and I found myself depending on him even more with the boys. His boss had been great about him taking off, not that Ty even needed that job anymore. With the farm picking up cattle and the chicken houses doing well, we were really making a good living. I knew Ty was thinking about quitting, but he didn’t have the heart to leave his boss high and dry without a mechanic.

My welcome party went on without me and when I finally woke up to feed the boys, only Colt, Van and the kids were still at our house. Christian was starting to pull herself up on things and Van was on the floor behind her making sure she didn’t fall back and hurt herself. I loved that the kids were going to be close enough in age to play together like Noah and Bella. When I didn’t see them or Ty and the boys, I walked toward the back of the house to look for them.

Bella and Noah were playing with one of her pop up tents. He was the farmer dad and she was cooking him his dinner. His plate was full of plastic fries, plastic peas and an actual plastic can of tuna. He pretended to eat the little food, while she did the dishes. When they saw me laughing in the doorway they got mad and chased me out of the room. I couldn’t run, so just turning around was good enough for them to leave me be.

Ty was in the nursery with the boys. A little music player was turned up to block out the sound from the other rooms and he didn’t hear me come into the doorway. He had both of them on his lap and was rocking them in the chair. He held them like footballs on both arms.

I was going to go in and join him until I heard him start talking. He was looking down at each of them not paying any attention to who might be standing in the doorway. “You two really gave Mommy a hard time coming into this world. I hope that means you’re going to be tough, cause life isn’t always how we’d like it to be. Now, I can promise you that I will always be there for you for anything. You and your sister make every single day worth living. I love you guys so much.”

For the past week we had been putting a blue hat on Jax and a red one on Jake. Jax was sound asleep, but Jake was wide eyed, looking around while Ty kept talking. “You know, daddy wasn’t always the best guy. I didn’t always think with the right head, if you know what I mean.” He paused for a second and laughed at himself. “I guess you don’t know yet. One day I will teach you not to make the same mistakes that I made. Never think with your dick and always tell the truth. That is how you should always live your life.”

I put my hand over my mouth and tried to hold in my laughter. Ty was being serious and I was laughing at him, but the next thing he said stopped my laughter immediately.

“The hardest part is that she didn’t believe me. I told her the truth and she believed someone else instead. I’m never going to give up on her, but it’s so hard knowing she doubts me.”

I ducked away from the door and kept my hand over my mouth.

I could hear Ty sniffling as he continued to talk. “Daddy is trying so hard and if it wasn’t for you two, I think she would have left me by now. Knowing that hurts me so much. I promise I will keep trying. I won’t give up until I have her back completely. I promise.”

As the tears fell down my face, I ran into my bedroom. I was suddenly so confused. Did he know I was standing there? If he didn’t know then why would he be talking like that? Why would he say that he was telling the truth?

Oh God, what if he was telling the truth?

Even if I believed him, there were still the pictures, which meant if she did drug him, they still could have done all those things. It should have made me feel better because Ty really didn’t want to be with her, but it felt the same to me.

Seeing my husband eating another woman out was not something I would want any wife to see.

Van came in the room a little later with Christian. Noah had been calling her Chrissy and it seemed to be catching on. She was so cute with her one big dimple and her mouth full of teeth. I remember when Bella was that size and she was also so much fun to be around.

“You okay in here?”

I pulled my knees up to my chest as far as I could get them without being uncomfortable. “Yeah, I’m just really tired.”

“I saw you in the hallway earlier. You were crying and I didn’t want to interfere. I thought maybe you and Ty were fighting, but he said you were still sleeping.”

“Van, can I ask you something and get your honest opinion?”

She held onto her daughter’s hands as she tried to stand on my bed. “Of course.”

“Do you think Ty would cheat on me?”

“If you’re talking about the Heather thing you should know he told me. The answer is no. He hates Heather. There is no way he would do that. Besides, he is obsessed with you. He called me crying the night of your accident. I just knew he was telling me the truth.”

“You didn’t see the pictures. I know it happened.”

Van shook her head but paid close attention to her daughter. “I didn’t see the pictures.”

I don’t know what came over me, but I became so defensive that I went out into the living room and started searching for the pictures. I knew that Ty had been with me since the day I left him, so they had to still be somewhere in the house. Then it hit me. If Ty hadn’t put away the pictures, then my brother was the one to find them and put them away.

Van must have seen the look on my face. “What?”

“I think Conner knows what Ty did.”

Van started laughing. “Do you really think if your brother saw those pictures Ty would still be able to stand?”

“Hell no. Ty had to put them up.”

“Put what up?” I turned around to see my husband standing in the doorway with Jake. “Someone is hungry for a big melon.”