Addison (The Mitchell/Healy Family #6)(59)

“You don’t know do you?”

He looked from me to Cole.

“Know what?” I inquired.

“About Bella. I guess you were too young when it happened. You wouldn’t have remembered her wanting to come live with us when she found out the truth.”

I was lost. “Noah, what are you talking about?”

“Bella and Cole are related. Their cousins.”

“What?” I felt like I was going to throw up. “I don’t understand. She’s a Mitchell. Uncle Ty is her father.”

Noah smiled and shook his head. “I don’t know how they did it. I don’t even want to know, but her birth father was Tucker Chase. He’s not on the certificate. She showed it to me herself. She didn’t find out until she was around ten or eleven. Our parents were going to take the secret to the grave.”

“You’re telling me one of your cousins is related to me?” Cole seemed confused. “We’re not related though,” he asked as he pointed to me.

“Not at all. You just share the same cousins. Bella’s mom is our aunt by blood. Her biological father is your uncle by blood. She connects us.”

“This doesn’t make any sense. Dad said a Chase would never set foot on the ranch. He said they weren’t welcome, yet he knew about Bella all this time. Is that what you’re telling me?”

Noah nodded. “Like I said. It’s a secret. No one knows about this.” Noah knew because he and Bella weren’t only cousins but the best of friends. For a short time she’d lived on the ranch, and that’s where she met her husband. “If you ask Bella who her father is it’s Uncle Ty. You both need to understand that. She doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on anything. He raised her and loved her as his own. He put himself on her birth certificate for that reason. I’m not trying to stir up problems, but I thought you might like to know. When she gets here I’ll let her explain it. She’s not coming to Kentucky to visit with me though, Addy. She’s coming to meet Cole. She thinks she can help you two, and I believe with her on your side you’ve got a good chance at changing our old man’s mind. He’s stubborn, but he loves Bella. He always has.”

I hugged my brother again, this time because I couldn’t contain my excitement. There was hope for Cole and I. My dad couldn’t discriminate once this was brought to his attention. He couldn’t love her without accepting Cole. It wasn’t fair.

My brother stayed for a while getting to know Cole. They talked about cars and tattoos and really hit it off. When he left I walked him and Jordan outside. “Thanks for this, Noah.”



“You’re my little sister. I told you a long time ago it was my job to protect you. To be honest, I didn’t know Dad had forced you to leave. I thought you did it on your own.”

“He gave me a choice. Cole or Him.”

“Wow. Well Bella is the one you need to thank. It’s been so long I didn’t even consider it would help. It’s not like she advertises it. She said Uncle Ty is sensitive about it, so it’s always been something they kept to themselves.”

“Dad owes Cole an apology, Noah. He doesn’t even know him. Growing up he taught us to be fair, yet he’s been nothing but terrible since the day they met, granted he found us half-naked in Gram’s house, but that’s beside the point.”

“Keep my name out of it. I’m the person who has to work with him every day.”

I kissed them both again. “I love you, Noah. Thanks for taking care of me.”

“Just remember, I’m cool with Cole unless he hurts you. Then he’ll see what this boy is capable of.”

I laughed as my brother started backing out of the driveway. “Bye brother.”

“See ya sister.”

When I walked back inside I never would have thought I’d see Cole the way he was. His hands were up to his face and he looked like he was crying. “Are you okay?”

“All my life I wished for a better upbringing. I wanted to know what it was like to be raised by a family who loved me unconditionally. Now I find out I have a cousin who was protected from what I went through. It’s a little too much to take. I might actually have a blood relative who cares about me. I’ve never had that, Addison. Not ever.”

I felt so sorry for him. This poor man had gone through his whole life without the love from family. He didn’t know what it was like to connect to a parent, sibling, or in his case, cousin. Isabella wasn’t just our way back into my dad’s good graces, she was the connection Cole had always yearned to have. It was bittersweet.





Chapter 23


Cole


It took a while for me to come to grips with what I’d learned from Addison’s brother. We sat on the couch in shock, both of us not knowing what exactly it would mean for our future. At first I didn’t understand how it fit together, how we were both related to her cousin, but not each other. She explained it for me a second time to put my mind at ease.

“Do you really think this will help?” I was at the point where I didn’t care either way. If her parents wouldn’t accept me with their daughter it was their loss. I loved Addison, and we were happy together. It hadn’t been easy for her though. She cried a lot, and when I’d ask what was wrong she’d say it was nothing; that she missed them. Since I’d never had those kind of feelings I couldn’t sympathize with her. Instead I offered my support and hoped it would be enough to keep her with me.