The Mitchell Family Series BoxSet 1-4.5 (19 page)

He hesitated before answering. I felt his hands reach up and touch my cheek. For that moment, I didn’t make him stop. He brushed away my tears. “Because I couldn’t imagine you being with anyone else. I didn’t want anyone else to have you.”

“It’s not fair, Ty. What you did was wrong.”

“I know it. I just couldn’t share you. I wanted to only want you, Van. I swear I tried to be good. I just can’t do it.” He reached over and pulled me across the seat, into his chest. “I swear to you that I love you. I have only ever loved you, Van. I never would have divorced you. I would have given you all the kids you wanted. I would have given you everything.”

I shook my head and pulled away. “I believe you would have, but what I really wanted was to be the only one for you. That’s all I ever wanted.”

He looked away. “I know, babe. I know.”

I didn’t correct him. I felt his pain in his voice. He knew he screwed up. He knew I was never going to be his again. It was enough punishment. Me being with Colt was the constant reminder that would haunt him forever.

I reached over and played with his hair. “I forgive you, Ty, but only because I know you seeing me with Colt is torture. I feel bad for that, as stupid as it is. Every other woman would want revenge, but I can’t be like that. I just want to move forward.”

Before I could speak or move out of the way, Ty leaned over and kissed me. He grabbed the back of my head and held me there against his lips. There was no tongue or some kind of romantic attempts, it was just a kiss. When he pulled away, he looked right into my eyes. “Saying goodbye to you hurts me so much. I try to be tough, but you make me want to never cheat again. I am such a fucking idiot. I had to lose you to realize that you are all I want. I don’t want to see you with him.” He turned to look out the window and hit the side of my car with his fist. “Dammit!”

As much as I wanted to see Colt, I needed to be here for Ty. I couldn’t just ignore his feelings, even if he was a total asshole. “Are you okay?”

I reached over and grabbed his shoulder. He immediately pulled away. “Just don’t. My life is ruined. I can’t play football. I lost my license. I am being sued and I lost you. What the fuck do I have to live for?”

He started crying.

After I tried to grab him again, he got out of the car and leaned against it as he just let go. I gave him a couple minutes before I climbed out. He tried to wipe away the tears as I approached. I didn’t hesitate as I reached both of my arms around his and put my head against his chest. I didn’t say a word. There was nothing I could say. I couldn’t change anything for him and I wasn’t going to lie and give him false hope. We were over. He lost his ability and was in trouble with the law. He made those choices himself. I couldn’t fix him.

When he finally put his arms around me, I knew he was at least calming down. He kissed the top of my head. “I am never going to find someone as good as you. I fucked up so bad.”

I looked up at him. “There is someone out there for you, Ty. When you find her, you will know. You won’t want to imagine your life without her and you won’t ever want to be with anyone else.”

“I already felt that way, but I let her go,” he said sadly.

Our faces were about six inches apart. I could feel him breathing. His hands cupped the side of my face. I couldn’t look at him so I closed my eyes.

As I felt our noses come in contact, I refused to open my eyes and see him crying. “Ty, please don’t do this,” I whispered.

His lips brushed against mine. “One last kiss. Say goodbye to me, Van.”

I felt his hands running though my hair and knew at any moment he would pull my lips against his. “I love him. I can’t kiss you.”

He didn’t let go. He pressed his forehead on mine. “It was worth a try.”

When I opened my eyes, I saw the tears on his cheek. I took my fingers and wiped them off. His beautiful brown eyes and long eyelashes stared at me. “You have to let go of me.”

“I don’t want to let go,” he answered and pulled me closer to him.

“I mean you have to let go of me in general. I need to know you are going to be fine if I decide to move here.”

He rested his head on my shoulder. “What if I can’t let go? What if I refuse to?”

“Please, Ty. I need the chance to be happy. It isn’t like you will never see me again. The distance may repair our friendship.”

He pulled away from me, finally letting me take a step back. “Do you really want to still be my friend? I think I have proved that I am a piece of crap liar on several occasions.”

“I couldn’t bear not being your friend, Ty. We have been friends since elementary school. I can’t just let you go like that.” I grabbed his hand and got him to look at me again. “A part of me will always love you; it just isn’t how you want to be loved. I’m not trying to punish you. I just want you to know how I feel honestly.”

“I know.” Finally, his demeanor changed. “We better get back on the road if we want to make it by dinner time.”

Without saying another word about our conversation or embrace, we both got back in the car and started driving again.

I trusted that Ty knew exactly where we were driving, but as we pulled up to an extremely large ranch, I was a bit confused.

“Are we stopping here for directions or something?” I asked.

Ty just laughed and shook his head. “You don’t know do you?”

“Don’t know what?”

“Van, this is Colt’s parents place. From the look on your face I would say you had no idea.”

I looked around as I was driving up the paved lane. White fencing surrounded both sides that led up to a huge two-story white house. Behind the house were four giant silos, and five tremendous buildings. Cattle were in every pasture. In all the time that Ty and I had been together, he never mentioned this place or how much money they had.

“They own all of this?” I asked while driving up the long lane.

Just as I said it, I noticed the large sign stating it was the “Mitchell Ranch”.

“Before you get your panties in a bunch, you need to realize that Colt doesn’t care about the money. He went to college and got his business degree. I think he does the finances for quite a few farms if I’m not mistaken. This is all his dad’s. Colt has always been independent. I don’t think he was deliberately keeping it from you; I just think he doesn’t want to be known for it.”

“He said he built a cabin on the property somewhere. Can we see it from here?” I asked.

Ty started laughing. “Van, they own like five thousand acres. You have to drive to his place.”

I felt like I didn’t know Colt at all. It probably wasn’t the big deal I was making it out to be, but I felt like this was something he should have told me. Obviously, asking me to move here, I would have found out.

After telling me where to go, we pulled up at the front of the house. Ty hobbled out of the car and I followed behind him.

Chapter 32

Colt

When I got the call about my father, I knew I had to get the first flight out. Through the years, my father and I had grown closer. As a kid, I didn’t have a lot of respect for the man. He let the money and his success dictate our lives.

I never cared about the money. I never wanted new cars from him, or to be sent to elite schools. I hated that my friends knew me as the rich guy, so when I went to college, I tried to reinvent myself and be independent. My father had a fit. He said I was ashamed of the dynasty he had created for our family. He didn’t understand I wanted different things for my future.

It never occurred to me that something could happen to him. We had such animosity between us that I couldn’t stay away and not let him know how much he meant to me. Money or not, he was my father and I loved him. He may be hard around the edges, but he was the only one I had.

Savanna and I hadn’t left things on good terms. I wanted to keep calling her, but she wasn’t returning my calls as it was. I needed to talk to her, to tell her that I would wait for her as long as it took. Being at the hospital didn’t make it any easier. I couldn’t have my phone in the room and it killed me not to go outside and check for messages.

My dad wasn’t doing well. I didn’t get the exact details of the fall, but apparently he was on a ladder out in one of the barns when something caused the ladder to fall. He had ruptured his spleen. Now, I didn’t know too much about that part of the body, but my mother said it was serious and that he could die.

He had been in surgery since I arrived and all I could do was stay by my mother’s side and support her. She had loved my father since she was a teenager. I had been an accidental pregnancy that created a twenty-five year marriage. I don’t think either of my parents regretted being together. They still held hands and wanted to always be around each other. My mother was a wreck.  Finally, I contacted their primary care doctor and he prescribed something to help with her nerves. She was reluctant to take it, but he assured her she would still feel normal with no crazy side effects.

Being that he was labeled as critical, we weren’t able to be in the room with him. I asked my mother if she wanted to go home and rest, but she insisted that she wouldn’t leave. After being up with Ty the night before and rushing around trying to get here, I was exhausted. I couldn’t leave the hospital, especially not knowing if I would ever see my father again.

My father could afford the best doctors and, for one of the first times, I was glad he had the money. A specialist was already on their way, but time was of the essence. He obviously had internal bleeding and they were doing their best to get it contained and stopped.

I took a short bathroom break and when I came back, the doctor was standing over my mother. She was shaking her head and scrunching up her face as her eyes filled with tears.

I sat back down next to her and reached my arm around her, as the doctor nodded and walked away. “What is it?”

“It’s not good, Colton. It’s not good at all,” she said as she put her head into my chest.

My father always told me that men don’t cry. I could feel the tears filling my eyes and tried to fight them. My mother needed me to be strong. I wasn’t sure if I was hurting for myself as much as I was hurting for her. The idea of her being without him was unbearable. He was in his early forties, not some old man. They had so much life left to live. How fair was it that it could be cut short?

“What did they say?” I finally asked.

She shook her head. “They are having trouble getting the bleeding to stop.”

“How long did it take for someone to find him in that barn?” I asked.

“I don’t know, honey. He was in the office on the phone and came rushing out saying that he had to go help Conner since Earl is out with his wife. She’s having a baby you know. Anyway, Conner came in yelling that your father had fallen. We called for an ambulance, but when they asked Conner about it, he said he hadn’t seen your father for at least an hour. He found him just lying there.”

“Hell, that ain’t good,” I admitted. I squeezed her hand. “He’s a stubborn man. He’ll fight.”

She looked over to me and tried to smile, but it wasn’t necessary. “I hope you are right. I can’t imagine losing him.”

I had to look away from my mother. She was trying her damndest to be positive, but right now we had no guarantee. My father could die any second and there was nothing that either of us could do.

“I am so glad you are here, Colton.”

“Mom, there is no other place I would rather be. He and I may not see eye to eye, but I do love him. I just wish I could have told him that,” I confessed.

“He knows. You are both so much alike. You may not see it, but I do,” she said as she stroked my cheek.

I tried to give her a smile. “Yeah, maybe.”

“Did Conner go back to the ranch after he dropped you here?” she asked.

Conner was my cousin and since his father died years ago, my mother had taken in her sister and her kids. Conner worked his ass off for my father. He may not have the Mitchell last name, but my father treated him as if he was a son.

“I brought Sam home. I didn’t know what was goin’ to happen. He took her back to the ranch and said he would be back to get us whenever we needed him to. Is Aunt Karen coming?”

She shook her head. “She said she would be here after she was done with a prayer tree for your father. I need all the prayers I can get.” She immediately changed the subject. “How is Tyler? I feel so bad that we didn’t come out for his party. You know things are so hectic this time of year. We were sponsoring that festival in town this past weekend and had to be there, otherwise you know we would have come.”

“It’s fine. They understand. Ty is back to his normal self, minus the fact that he’s out of shape and has a bum leg. He walks with a gimp for now.”

“Is that pretty girlfriend of his taking good care of him?”

I pulled my arm back from around her neck and looked down. For the first time I felt like I was going to be a disappointment for the news I was about to give her. “They aren’t together anymore.”

That wasn’t enough for my mom. “What do you mean? They have been together forever.”

“They broke up before the accident. She was just being a good person, sticking by his side until he woke up.”

“I had no idea. I mean, your aunt seemed to have issues with her, but she’s funny about her son. So do you think they will get back together?”

I chuckled and looked to my feet. “I doubt it. She has someone new in her life now.” I couldn’t look her in the eye. Beads of sweat were forming on my head.

“That town is so small. Does Tyler know the new guy?”

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Mom, he has known the guy since he was born.”

She gave me a weird look.

“It’s me.”

She put her hands on her face as if it would wipe away what I just said. When she looked at me with her new face, her eyes were huge with shock. “How could you do that, Colton? You know better.”

“Mom, it’s so complicated. Ty had been cheating on the girl for years. He used to call me and brag about it. She never had a clue. After the accident, the whole town disowned her. Some people even jumped her and beat her up, calling her a murderer. I happened to be there to witness it. She was alone and injured and I just wanted to take care of her. I wanted to keep her safe for Ty.”

I rubbed my hands into my head. “We couldn’t help it. I couldn’t stop myself. I tried at first. It just happened.”

“Does your cousin know? You have to excuse me for being confused. I heard they got engaged at his party.”

I let out an air-filled laugh. “Yeah well, we had trouble telling Ty our secret. He cornered her into that proposal and she couldn’t embarrass him in front of everyone in town. It doesn’t really matter because he caught us the next night together.”

“I am guessing that’s where the black eyes came from?”

I had forgotten all about them. She hadn’t even mentioned them. With everything going on with my father, she probably hadn’t even noticed. “Yep! It was the first of a few fights between us.”

“What does your aunt and uncle think of this? They must be furious!”

“Not really. They wanted Ty away from Savanna. I guess I did them a favor,” I replied.

“You are talking like you are serious about this girl. Forgive me for saying this, but do you think she’s after the money?”

I turned and looked at my mother. She could see in my eyes that she really hit a nerve. “She doesn’t even know about the money. It’s the only lie I ever told her. That money isn’t mine, it’s yours. I took Dad’s offer when I built the house, but I don’t need his money. I do fine on my own. As far as Savanna goes, she’s the best person I have ever known. She deserves to be happy.”

She rubbed my arm. “Are you in love with this girl, Colton? This is all so sudden. Forgive me for being cautious.”

“Yes, I love her. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. She’s the one. I know it every time I look at her.”

“If you are sure about this than you are going to have to bring her home for us to get to know her. I can’t have my son marrying someone I don’t know,” she claimed.

“That might be hard. She just told me she couldn’t come home with me. I asked her to move here with me this fall. She won’t leave school. She’s on a scholarship and can’t afford school herself. In fact, right now she can’t afford anything, since she quit her job to be with me more.”

She turned her body toward me. “Listen here. You are worth it. If she loves you the way you love her, it will work out. Maybe you could wait for her to finish school. I know it will be hard, but it isn’t long when you are talking about forever.”

As soon as the words came out of my mother’s mouth, she realized what she was implying. She and my father may not have that forever anymore. Life was short and you never knew when your time was up.

“Thanks, Mom. I promise that you will love her as much as I do.” I grabbed her hand again. “Let’s get Dad home and I will figure out how to drag her here.” I gave my mom a wink. She needed to smile even if it was only for a second.

Before my mother could reply, my Aunt Karen came walkin’ in. “Colt,” she said as she bent over and hugged me. Conner stood behind his mother and gave me a nod.

“I am so glad you made it home safe.” She looked over to my mother. “Any news?”

I watched my mother telling my aunt everything she knew.

Finally, a doctor came out from behind the double doors of the waiting room. “Right now he’s stable. He isn’t out of the woods yet, but we got the bleeding to stop.”

I felt Conner’s arm grab my shoulder and we all seemed relieved.

Once the doctor explained everything to my mother, he suggested we go home and get some rest. My mother refused to go home.

“You should go home and rest, Colt. Karen and I will stay here in case he wakes up. I will call you,” she said.

I couldn’t argue. I was exhausted. After hugging them both, Conner and I headed out. I needed to get home and charge my phone so that I could call Savanna.

When I finally made it home, I got the surprise of my life.