Blinding Trust (Mitchell Family, #7)(11)

She nodded and leaned her head on my shoulder. “I hope you’re right.”

“It’s just a visit. How much harm can he do in one night?”

She turned around and looked right at me. “I’m scared. Noah is such an influential soul. I don’t want him tainted by this guy. I know it’s wrong to judge people, but this guy is just horrible. He lives his life different than we do. I just can’t fathom our son wanting to grow up and be like that. I know you think it’s going to be okay. I’m just worried about him.”

I stood up and started massaging her shoulders. I got that it was different for her. She always kept Noah close because he wasn’t her blood. I don’t get why she always feared losing him when the kid loved her so much. “Stop overreacting, Savanna. Everything will be fine. Let’s just appease this guy and let him see Noah. No harm done.”

She stood up and hugged me. “I hope you’re right.”

I rubbed the small of her back. “We’ve dealt with much worse, darlin’.”

I left Savanna in the kitchen and headed out to find Noah. He was feeding the horses when I found him in the barn. “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey, Buddy. You need any help?”

He put the bucket that he was holding down and wiped off his hands. “Nope. Sam’s helping me just fine.”

I laughed when I looked down at my old dog. She was turning twelve and for a lab that was old. Most days she laid around on her bed until the kids got home. She’d run after them for a few hours and then sleep for the rest of the night. The only help she was offering Noah was companionship. He did love that dog though.

“Do you think my new uncle rides horses? Does he have kids?”

“Noah, to be honest with you, I don’t know much about your uncle. I haven’t seen him since he was your age. When he comes over tonight, it will be like I’m just meetin’ him too. How about we wait and ask him all of those questions?”

I put my arm around my son and we walked back to the house. I could only hope that no matter how exciting Zeke seemed, Noah would see him for what he really was.





Chapter 5


Savanna


I had to take a Xanax thirty minutes before Zeke and his wife showed up. Noah kept asking when they were arriving about every five minutes, making me on edge. At one point he came in the kitchen and whispered to me if he could download just one of the guys songs. I was reluctant to tell him no, but only because I didn’t want there to be any animosity between him and I before his uncle showed up.

When I heard the car pulling up out front, I had already opened a bottle of wine and filled a glass for myself.

The more I continued to try to be positive, the more I feared the worst possible outcome.

Voices filled the living room and I knew they had arrived. I washed my hands and took a deep breath before heading out to greet them. Unlike his normal self, Noah was hiding behind his father as the couple entered. The dog was going crazy, so Noah took her by the collar and locked her in the office. It was weird, because Sam loved people. However, she did not like them.

I smiled when I caught eyes with his wife. Unlike her husband, she was able to make herself look more presentable without seeming emo. Her blonde hair had streaks of black through it, but it wasn’t anything that Miranda hadn’t done to her own hair. She had her nose pierced and a tattoo on her wrist, but wearing long sleeves had hidden all of the rest of her skin. I reached my hand out to her. “I’m Savanna.”

“Hi, I’m Piper. Thanks for having us over. Zeke has been talking about this for a while now.”

I put on a fake smile, trying to ignore the lump in my throat. “Noah is very excited,”

He had come back into the room as I said it. I put my hands on his shoulders and waited for Zeke to talk.

He reached his hand out for Noah. “What’s up, little man?”

“You’re my uncle?”

Zeke laughed. “Yeah, I am. Your mother was my sister.”

It was another punch in the face for me. I know it was selfish. I had no right to claim him as my own, but I did it anyway.

“I don’t remember her.” He didn’t seem sad; just making the statement out loud.

Zeke looked at me and then back to Noah. I guess he was trying to be respectful and I did appreciate it. “I can tell you stories about your mother, if you’d like. She was real special to me.”

Piper seemed like she felt out of place. She kept looking around at the walls and pictures in the house. I walked over to where she stood. “So, I’m trying to get this recipe right with all these organic foods. Do you think maybe you could help me in the kitchen for a minute? I will just die if it tastes like dirt.”

She smiled and followed me into the kitchen. “I like your house. It’s so cozy. None of our houses look anything like this.”

I wasn’t sure how to take that. Was she saying that our house was crap, or was she missing living a normal life. “So, what do they look like?”

Her eyes got real big. “Don’t you watch Cribs on MTV?”

“No. I haven’t watched that channel since I was in college. Once I met Colt, I just lost interest. It’s not exactly the kind of thing to watch with little kids around.”

I handed her a spoon and let her taste one of the items I had made. She blew on it before putting it near her lips. “Wow. You did great. Zeke will love this.”