Wanting More (Mitchell Family #5)(60)
Author: Jennifer Foor

For the longest time, Amy laid on my bed crying. I’d just rescued her from being stuck on the side of the road in the freezing cold and she was telling me that she couldn’t stay. She had to know that wasn’t going to fly with me. “What do you mean, you can’t stay?”

“I can’t put your family in danger, Conner. I can’t do that to them and to you. He’s going to come and I’m going to have to leave with him.”

I shook my head and put my hands over my face. “I can’t keep doin’ this, Amy. One minute I think you’re stayin’ with me and the next you’re just givin’ me a reason why you’re runnin’ back to him. My family is all here and I want you to be a part of it, but I can’t do that when you won’t let me.”

“Conner, it isn’t what you’re thinking. I swear I don’t love him. You have to know that. I just don’t want anyone getting hurt.”

I grabbed her hands and looked into her saddened eyes. “You’re hurtin’ me.”

I was tired from working all day and the thought of her leaving just really pissed me off. “You do what you gotta do.” I got ready to take back my statement, but my sister came knocking on my door and came right in. “What now?”

My sister gave me a dirty look. “I just thought y’all would want to know Rick is here.”

I looked over to Amy and then back to my sister. “I’ve had about enough of this shit.”

Amy got in front of me. I could tell she felt uncomfortable around Miranda. “Please don’t do this.”

“I’m not goin’ to stand here and let this keep happenin’.” I didn’t give a shit about what my sister was thinking.

Amy kept at it though. “It’s not like you think. Just stop it. He doesn’t know you are back. He thinks you moved back to Kentucky.”

“Conner, you need to calm down. I don’t know what’s goin’ on here, but that man is at our door and he’s waitin’ for his wife.” My sister pushed me away from the door.

Ty came walking in and I wasn’t worried about beating my way through him either. “He needs to know what it’s like to have a fist thrown at his face.”

Without asking his wife, Ty walked closer to Amy. “Amy, I don’t care if you stay here for Christmas, hell, I don’t even care if there is something really happening between you and Conner, but right now your husband is at our door and he ain’t going to leave until you talk to him. Now, I will stand beside you the whole time if that’s what you want, but if you want to remain friends with Conner, or whatever else you are to each other, then I suggest he stays put in this room and keeps his mouth shut.” I was going to punch him for giving me that look.

For some reason when Ty grabbed my sister’s hand, they looked at each other and smiled and she changed her attitude. “I’ll stay back here with my brother. You two go do what you need to do. Amy, if you want to stay, you know you’re welcome. You don’t have to go back with him.”

Amy put her head down and started to cry. “I wish it were that easy. Conner, you know I can’t stay. You know why I have to go.”

“You’d pick that over your own safety?” I couldn’t believe this was happening. What was she thinking?

“I have to. I’m so sorry you guys. I have to go with him.” I went to follow her out of the room, to beg her to stay with me. I didn’t care about his threats to my family. We could handle them together. They would all understand.

Ty walked in front of me and pushed me back again. I gave him a desperate look. “Ty, you don’t understand. She doesn’t want to go with him.”

When he pushed me down to sit on my bed, I knew it was going to be a fight I didn’t want to start. “She ain’t goin’ to leave him. He has somethin’ on her and she can’t afford to leave. I told her she has friends that would help her, but she’s adamant, man. I can’t just sit back here and know that he’s goin’ to be layin’ his hands on her, forcin’ himself on her again.” I couldn’t tell them the whole truth, so I made it sound like it was something other than our relationship.

Ty was watching me like I was going to run past him and go after Amy. I was considering it.

“You have to let her make the choice. Look, dude, I know she’s your friend and I know you care about her, but she’s a grown woman. If she wants to leave with him, you have to let her.”

When I heard him putting on a pathetic show to try to get Amy to leave with him, I thought about grabbing my damn shotgun and chasing him off our property. I didn’t know what he had on Amy, if it was even something at all, but she needed to know that I was there for her, no matter what.

“This is bullshit!”

Noah and Bella came walking down the hall and Ty grabbed them right away. “Somebody came to see Aunt Amy and we don’t want him knowing we are all back here. Can you two be quiet for a couple more minutes?”

They both shook their heads and stood there with us, being good for once.

I heard the front door close and put my head down. She had gone with him and I didn’t think I could take it anymore. The weather was terrible and she was putting herself in even worse danger.

My bedroom door creaked open and Amy was standing there with tears in her eyes. Ty patted me on the shoulder and left us to be alone.

Amy sat down beside me and looked at the floor.

“You stayed?” I was so relieved.

“I have to tell you something and you might just tell me that you don’t want to be with me anymore.”

Oh God. All I could think was that she was still sleeping with Rick and he threatened to tell me. I tried so hard to think it could be anything else, but I couldn’t think of a single thing that she would have to hide from me, unless she was sleeping with him.

“Before I tell you, I need you to promise not to freak out. I wanted to tell you when it happened, but I was so scared how you would handle it. I just love you so much and I can’t deal with thinking I could lose you over this.”

I cleared my throat and spoke quietly. “How bad is it?”

“It depends on how you take it. I guess it could be a deal breaker.” She started to cry and I knew it was bad news.

I’d heard of people having affairs only to realize that they just wanted to stay in their marriage. For the life of me, I couldn’t believe she would want to be with an abuser and a liar over me. It made no sense. “Do you want to be with him?”