She shook her head and continued to laugh. “It doesn’t matter.”
“You can’t do that then not tell me why. Spill.”
“No, you will think I am a whore. I ain’t sayin’ nothin’.”
“Fine. Just so you know, I never told anyone that. Not even Van.” I put my glass in the sink and drank from the whiskey bottle. Van was going to find out the truth and hate me more now. I knew how close she was with Miranda.
“Don’t do that.” She said grabbing the bottle away from me.
“Hey, give it back.” I tried to grab the bottle but somehow got my arm caught up around her waist. When our faces almost touched, we froze.
She was so close. I could still smell her sweet perfume. Her eyes were a mess and all of the makeup had run down her cheeks. “I should probably call it a night,” She said as she handed me back the bottle and walked out of the kitchen.
I had no idea why she wouldn’t tell me what was so funny. I wanted to know. Without thinking, I followed behind her, hoping she would explain. She must not have heard me coming, because she was already starting to pull off her tank top when I walked into her room. When the door creaked she spun around and I just stood there.
Her hands naturally covered up the lace of her bra. “Ty? Get out of here? What the Hell?”
I turned around as quickly as possible. “Sorry, I came up to talk to you. I don’t see what the big deal is. I have seen my share of breasts.” None of them looked at good as that though.
“You can turn around now pervert.”
I spun around to see she had changed into a long t-shirt. I sighed in relief. “I wasn’t being a pervert. I was trying to be a friend.”
“You really should just go into your own room now Ty. Right now I hate every man on the planet. I wouldn’t be good company.” She confessed.
“Miranda I don’t think you understand my intentions. I was there for Izzy’s birth.”
“Bella.” She interrupted.
“Izzy is my name for her. Just let me finish.” I smiled at her disappointment. “I watched her being born. Something that day made me fall in love with that little girl. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I always want to keep her safe. If Tucker did something to her mother, then I want to know about it. I know you think you need him in your life, but that bastard doesn’t deserve either of you.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my asshole cousin?” She joked.
Sometimes I hated that she thought of me as her family. This day had been one of those times. “Stop making fun of me. Can’t I be nice? I was never mean to Van. Even she will tell you that.”
“Sorry. It is keeping me from losin’ it again. He said he never wanted her and that I should have got an abortion.”
Before she could say anymore I lost it. “HE SAID WHAT?” I yelled. “Tell me where I can find his little ass. I will fucking kill him.”
“Ty, please just leave it alone. I told him to stay away from us.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “If I see him, I will hurt him.”
“I don’t want the family to know Ty. Please keep this between us. They can’t know.”
“Are you afraid of him?”
She shrugged. “I am not afraid of him right now, but if you or my brother go after him, there is no tellin’ what he will do. I can’t worry about that. I need to keep my focus on Bella. Please promise me.”
I shook my head. “Fine. If I hear about him hurting you, it’s on.”
“Thank you for carin’. Sometimes I feel like I can’t talk to anyone about him. I know you hate him too, but at least you made me feel better. Safe even.”
I walked out of her room and gave her a high wave as I walked away. One day I would find that fucker and kick the shit out of him. It would be on my bucket list.
Chapter 7
Miranda
Even after I told Ty I was fine, I still cried myself to sleep. I kept replaying the night in my head. I saw Tucker’s lips and tongue kissing that girl over and over. I wanted to throw up. He told me he loved me. He said we would be a family. How could he take it all back? How could he not love Bella?
That was the part that upset me the most. She was the most perfect little baby. How could someone not love her? For goodness sakes, Ty was infatuated with her. He video chatted with a baby because he was so crazy about her. Sometimes he would tell me to put the computer next to the crib while I got a shower or had to get changed. They would play peek-a-boo. He would keep her occupied through the screen of a laptop and her own father wanted nothing to do with her. When Tucker was with her, he would play on his phone while she cried or crawled at his feet.
I should have known he was no good, but I wanted to believe he would change. I had been so stupid, so infatuated with the idea of us being a family.
The next morning I woke to sounds coming from Bella’s bedroom. After the shocking revelations the night before and the lack of sleep, it didn’t register that it could be Ty. I entered the doorway and froze as I saw him bent over the changing table, singing to Bella, while changing her diaper.
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…you make me happy, when skies are gray…..
I folded my arms across my chest and smiled from cheek to cheek. It was the cutest thing I had ever seen.“Again, I have to ask…who are you and what have you done with my cousin?”
He picked up Bella and turned to face me. His grin was huge. Bella grabbed a chunk of his shabby hair and got his attention. “Ouch, gentle Iz!”
I couldn’t help but giggle at the two of them. I was so thankful that she was too young to see what I was going through and Ty being here was a godsend. Had I come home last night and been alone, it would have been horrible.
“I like your hair in the morning. The eighties look really appeals to you.” Ty joked.
“Give me my child smart ass,” I said while reaching out for her. I hadn’t even considered that I looked terrible.
I have no idea why she did it, but instead of reaching out for me like she always did, she put her head down on his chest. “Ah, you see. She wants to be with her uncle Ty.”
I looked at Ty shocked. “There is no way she wants you over me. You haven’t even seen her that much.”
He rocked her around in his close grip. “I was the second person she ever laid eyes on. She won’t forget me. She loves me.”
I groaned and rolled my eyes. “I can’t believe you changed her diaper.”
“She was wet. I didn’t want her to get a rash on her little hiney,” He said in a baby voice.
Feeling defeated, I told Ty I would meet him downstairs after I got changed. When I made it into my room and caught a glance of myself in the mirror, I wanted to scream. I had black mascara smudges in lines down my face. My hair was a giant matted mess and my eyes were blood shot from crying.
I grabbed some clothes and ran into the bathroom to grab a quick shower. It amazed me that I could shower and get ready in seven minutes flat, since having a child. When the beads of water started trickling down my body it felt so refreshing. I leaned back against the shower and tried not to think about anything going on in my life.
I didn’t know whether to be more mad at myself or Tucker. I had been such a freaking fool to not consider that everyone in my family had been right about him from the beginning. I should have done things so differently. I let my love for him blind the truth about the kind of person he really was.
After an extra ten minutes, I climbed out of the shower feeling determined that things were going to change for Bella and I. She was my life now and I would do everything I could so that she would have a good life as well.
I threw on a pair of yoga pants and a sweat jacket and headed downstairs. Ty was leaning against the kitchen counter while Lucy was sitting in front of the high chair feeding Bella. “You guys didn’t have to do that. Go on about your day. We can manage from here.”
We heard the front door shut and all of us turned to see my brother walking in
to the room. “The douche bag just pulled in. I told him he couldn’t come inside, but he is insistin’ on seein’ you Miranda.”
“I have nothin’ to say to him.”
Before I could give Ty a warning look, he threw me a wink. I appreciated that he wasn’t going to tell Conner. My brother hated Tucker and his temper would get the best of him.
Conner grabbed an orange off of the counter and started walking out of the kitchen. “I’d be happy to tell him that.”
I followed him to the front door and noticed that Ty had caught up to him. “Conner wait up. I want to hear what this dumb ass has to say.”
Great now I had the two of them to worry about.
They walked out the front door and headed in the direction of the driveway. I spotted Tucker’s car and him leaning against it. My heart started pounding when I saw what was in his hand.
A baseball bat.
I went running out of the house trying to reach my brother and Ty before Tucker had any opportunity to hurt them. “Guys wait!”
They turned around to see me running toward them, but doing that caused Tucker to have the upper hand. He started walking toward them pointing his bat. “Your little bitch sister keyed my car last night. I want her to fuckin’ pay for what she done to it.”
Ty stood in front of me, sheltering me from being able to see Tucker.
“Don’t you dare threaten my sister you common freak!” Conner shouted.
“Fuck you Conner. I ain’t scared of you. Walk a little closer and I will prove it.” Tucker threatened.
“STOP IT!” I screamed. “Just go wait inside while I talk to him.”
Conner and Ty just stood there staring at me like I had three heads.
“Just go. I don’t need you both gettin’ into my business any more than you already are. I can handle this myself.”
“I ain’t leavin’ you out here alone with this scum bag,” Conner said, not budging from his stance.
I looked over to Ty. “Please help me here.”
“I’m not okay with this asshole being around you with that bat,” He admitted.
I grabbed them both by the arm and pulled them in the direction of the front door. “Seriously you two, get a grip please. I can handle him. Go wait inside before things get ugly.” I said in a whisper.
They carried on about it, but finally went inside. I could feel them staring from inside of the house as I walked back in the direction of Tucker and his car.
I stood about a foot away from him and tried to really study his body language. He was pissed. “I know you keyed my car you bitch.”
“I am not sayin’ whether I did it, but you probably did deserve it.” I stared him right in the eye.
He scrunched up his face and walked toward me. “Let me tell you somethin’. There ain’t no way I am leavin’ here without getting paid for the damage you did to my car. Go inside and get your damn aunt’s checkbook.”
“I am not givin’ you shit! Do you know how much it costs to raise a baby?”
“GIVE ME THE MONEY DAMMIT!” His eyes got big and I actually felt scared.
“Back away from me before my brother comes out here and beats the shit out of you,” I threatened.
I took a step back trying to keep a good distance from him. His hand clenched the bat and he kept hitting it against his boot, to remind me that he had it.
“I ain’t scared of your brother, or that punk ass cousin of yours.”
“So you just came here for the money? What about apologizin’ for what you did? I will never forgive you Tucker.”
He looked down to the ground and started laughing. “You catchin’ me was the best thing that could have happened. She and I are together now.” He waited a moment to let his hurtful words sink in. “You should have never had that kid Miranda. I told you it wasn’t goin’ to work, but you just couldn’t get it through that thick head of yours. Look, I don’t have time for this. Just go get me my money so we can just be done.”
I was fuming. He called my daughter that kid. “You will not get a penny from my family. Get the hell off of my property before I call the police and tell them where to find you,” I threatened.
“You want to play it like that? Okay. You will pay for this you little whore.” He started to climb into his car and I backed away.
While hanging his head out of the window he spit at my feet. “You were never more than an easy fuck. Tell your family that what comes next is all your fault. See you soon bitch.”
I watched him drive past me and then heard a loud crashing. He had taken the bat and smashed the passenger mirror on Ty’s parked Jeep. I heard the guys come running out toward me.
“What the hell? He busted out my mirror dude,” Ty said to Conner.
“You need to call the police Miranda. Get a restrainin’ order before he does worse. We can’t afford to have him messin’ with this ranch. You should have never been with a guy like that in the first place. We warned you this would happen. How could you be so irresponsible?” My brother’s words were like daggers. I should have known better.
“Where is Bella?” I asked in a panic.
“She is with Lucy. Are you okay? Did he threaten you?” Ty asked while grabbing my arm.
I just pulled away from him and shook my head while I ran into the house without answering. Tucker’s words hurt me. How could I have been so blind? They were together now?
By the time that my brother and Ty came back into the house, I had already heard enough Spanish from Lucy to sing the LaBamba forty times. She only did that when she got really mad, so I knew she had had enough of my boyfriend drama. What everyone didn’t realize was that behind the anger, I was devastated. I opened my heart to this guy whether he was a bad person or not, I still loved him, or I thought I did.
Van and Colt came walking in the door about ten minutes later. I could hear the loud voices coming from the foyer as Ty and Conner explained everything that had just happened. Because Tucker threatened the ranch, Colt was going all hog shit over it. I took Bella and carried her up to my room. I just wanted to be alone with my baby. She was all that I needed in my life. I couldn’t regret her for a second.
Chapter 8
Ty
I had a hard time sleeping with Miranda crying down the hall. I don’t think she even realized how loud she was being. A part of me felt so bad for her. My friends used to joke about girls with kids, claiming they were a no no. In light of my new found affection for Izzy, there was no way I would ever feel the same about that statement. Miranda was smoking hot and she was a great mother. It wasn’t her fault that her pansy ass boyfriend couldn’t act right.
I loved that little girl so much, in fact when I heard her cooing this morning, I couldn’t help but go into her room and play. I hadn’t expected that Miranda would come in looking like death, but at least she knew that Izzy had a clean diaper and a smile on her face.
I thought about how my friends would chew me a new ass for being such a sap about that little girl, but I didn’t give a shit. Every time I looked into that little girls eyes I knew that she was special.
After the douche bag came and busted up my mirror, Conner demanded that Miranda tell him what was really going on. Since Colt and Van had showed up, I suggested that we go into the other room and give them some alone time. Colt wanted to hear about the drama, but Miranda seemed to genuinely be upset about the whole ordeal.
Once we got into the family room, Van pulled me to the side and gave me her accusing eye.
“Don’t I get a hug?” I said grabbing her and pulling her into my chest. Colt rolled his eyes.
“We thought you were getting in yesterday. I tried to call you all night.” She said.
“I did get here last night. I uh, well I got caught up with Izzy and after Miranda went out we fell asleep on the couch together. When I woke up I saw all the missed calls.”
“Wait. Who did you sleep with?” Colt asked accusingly.
“Izzy. Miranda went out to see that dickhe
ad,” I explained.
“You babysat?” Van asked with a smile on her face.
“Lucy was here too, although I told her to leave us alone and that I was fine. Obviously I was.” There was no need to say I wasn’t capable of taking care of her. She was easy to watch.
“What has happened to you?” Van joked.
I shrugged my shoulders. “What can I say? The kid likes me.”
“I don’t think that is what Savanna means. I think she is sayin’ that you are not the type of guy to play with kids and be so caring. It’s kind of disturbin’,” Colt admitted.
“Screw you guys. It doesn’t matter what any of you think. I love that kid and she loves her uncle Ty too.”
Colt changed the subject immediately once he sensed my anger. “What’s up with Tucker now? Man I am tellin’ ya, that guy is trouble. He has been caught stealin’ and I think the police came lookin’ for him last week. He has Miranda brainwashed. That girl needs to stay away from him.”
“He seems like a real douche,” I added.
Colt gave me a funny look then let out a cackle.
“What?” I asked.
“I just think that is funny comin’ from you.” He held up his hand. “No offense.”
He really just called me a douche!
“None taken. Look, I know I am not the best boyfriend, but my family has always been important,” I argued. “That little bitch is nothing like me. Tell him Van.”
She sat beside me on the edge of the couch and patted my back. “Calm down. We know you aren’t like him. I think Colt is just worried you might want to …I don’t know…hook up with Miranda.”
I looked from Colt to Van and shook my head. “Is that what you both think? You think I came here to screw around with Miranda? Are you fucking kidding me right now? We are just friends.”
I put my head down and shook my head again. I didn’t want to talk to either of them about this anymore. I hadn’t come here to sleep with Miranda. I wanted to see Van and Colt and of course Izzy. “Miranda and I are just friends. We are practically family. Nothing is ever going to happen between the two of us. I can promise you that.” Not like I had never thought about it before, but it couldn’t happen anyway. Damn I was thinking about it again…..
Folding Hearts Page 4
