Loving Her (Mitchell Family #9)(27)

“I hope you’re right, Van. It would be nice if this all went away. I haven’t seen Ty act like this since he was tryin’ to get those papers. I mean, I know how much he loves her, but that man has risked his life, broken laws, and even put our marriage on the line to give her the perfect life. There’s nothing he wouldn’t do for her. I wish that was easy to explain to a curious eleven year old.”

“Hopefully, one day, when the time is right, he’ll be able to tell her everything he’d done. When that day comes, I can’t see her hating him. She should love him more for everything he’s done to protect her.”

“Let’s pray that’s what happens.”

I sat there with my cousin, watching Bella standing there with Ty. I couldn’t, for the life of me, picture them not being close. I had to pray that Van was right. Hopefully, going home would make this entire nightmare disappear.





Chapter 15


Tyler


Later that night, Colt pulled me aside. I knew what he was going to talk about, but as my family, I found it important to hear him out.

“Ty, I get that you’re upset about Bella. I can’t imagine what it’s like for you or even Savanna to love a child that you weren’t a part of makin’. When I see her with Noah, I know that there ain’t anything she wouldn’t give to have Noah be her real son. In her heart, he already is. I think that’s why she understands you so much. The two of you have opened your lives up for two children that neither of you had to do. Of course, Savanna and I were married when Noah came into our lives, but you and Miranda weren’t anything. I think we all knew that from the day she was born you had some kind of attachment to her. Helpin’ bring a child into this world will do that to you, but you stepped up. You didn’t just want to be some uncle that visited from afar. When Bella was born, you turned into a man. No matter what happens from here on out, nothin’ can change the bond you have. I’m sayin’ this because I’ve seen my son doubt his feelin’s for Savanna. It took him a little while to see it, but when he did, he knew he’d been wrong to push her away. Savanna is the best thing that could have happened to that boy. He needed a mother, and she stepped in at a moment in her life when things were horrible for her. Ty, you have that bond with Bella. You know it in your heart. If she does uncover the secret, it may take her a while to get over it, but I promise you, she will.”

We stood there staring at each other as I tried to ponder on what to say. “We’ve brought her up to understand that lying is bad. How do you think she’s going to feel when she realizes that our whole relationship is built on one?”

“Hopefully, she will get why you did it. Look Ty, if you peel away the layers of the secret, it was all out of love. You weren’t bein’ selfish when you signed up to be her daddy.”

“I still remember the day she said it. We were sitting in a car waiting to go into church. Van was there visiting and I couldn’t believe it. I don’t care what medical tests say. I’m her father.”

He put his hand on my shoulder. “That you are, cuz. Keep tellin’ yourself that, no matter what happens. You’re goin’ to be alright. No matter what, she’s a part of this family and so are you. You will never be alone.”

“You probably think I’m being a *.”

“Hell no! Tyler, you’re a lot braver than you give yourself credit for. I don’t know if I could have done what you did. People assume I’m this all around great guy, but I couldn’t have claimed a child that wasn’t mine. I’m selfish that way. If Savanna had a child with someone else, especially if it was yours, I’d never be able to see past it not being mine. I wanted my own kids.”

“You would have adopted.”

“That’s different. That child wouldn’t have belonged to Savanna and some other guy. When you look into Bella’s eyes, what do you see looking back at you?”

I thought about his question for a moment. “At first look, I see her mother. She looks exactly like her.”

“You know what I mean, Ty.”

Colt was right. From early on, especially when they first came to stay with me, I’d felt it and seen it for myself. I wasn’t just signing up to be her dad. There was this bond between us, like she’d picked me out herself. She was the one who called me daddy and it was her love all along that made me fall in love. “I see myself. When I look into her eyes, I see my daughter.”

He put his hand on my shoulder and looked right into my eyes. “That ain’t ever goin’ to change.”

Colt left me standing there, thinking about a lot of things, not that I hadn’t already had a bunch on my mind. Maybe I needed him to remind me of the big picture.

We finally headed in the house to say goodbye to all the grandparents and Lucy. Miranda and I had decided to get an early start on the drive home and it was easier to say goodbye now, instead of having to drive to each person’s house.

Karen, my mother-in-law, hugged me tightly. She whispered in my ear when she spoke so that nobody else could hear. “I don’t care what anyone says. You’re the best father that I could ever want for my grandchildren. I know I gave you a hard time, at first, but let’s be honest, you weren’t exactly in the best of ways. You’ve got nothing to worry about, Tyler. There’s no way you will ever lose that little girl. When everyone else in the world doubted your intentions, that baby knew you were the one. She’s always known. None of us could ever have the bond that you share with her.”