Loving Her (Mitchell Family #9)(58)
All of the sudden the voice on the phone changed, and I realized that Colt must have put our call on speaker. “We’ll keep her. She can come stay with us. One week with Colt and she’ll be begging to go home.”
“No offense, but that’s what I was thinking, too. Her biggest problem is how spoiled she is. I’ve turned her into a brat and now I’m paying for it. Listen, this is temporary. I’m not asking you to raise my child. I need her to stay there for one month. Come Thanksgiving, she’s back with us, whether she wants to be or not. Plenty of kids hate their step-parents.”
“You’re not her step-parent, and don’t you ever let me hear that again.” I could hear that Van was mad. It comforted me to know that the family all considered me Izzy’s real father.
“Right now I’m nothing to her. She can’t hate me anymore than she already does. Plus, she’s still pissed at Miranda.”
Colt was back on the line. “We’ll do this for you, under one condition. You drive her to us. Spend a good five hours in the car with her alone. Remind her over and over what she means to you. Tell her how much losing her hurts you. Don’t hold back. She needs to know that the pain she’s feelin’ is exactly what you’re feelin’.”
“We’ll have to make some calls to the school, to see if we can either get her work or transfer her temporarily. Plus I have to run this by my wife, and I’m not real sure how that’s going to go.”
“Call us when you know something, cuz. We’re here.”
“Thanks, Colt. It means more than you know. I’ll talk to you soon.”
We hung up and I stayed out on the balcony. It was freezing, but I was too upset to care. I felt like sending Izzy to Kentucky was like giving up on her. This whole plan could blow up in my face, and I’d be left in the same situation. Still, I knew that Iz felt safe with Colt and Van and that they’d keep her in line. She’d have Noah, which could turn out to be a big mistake, but I was willing to do anything to get back into my daughter’s good graces. Nothing had felt the same for me since that moment when she found out the truth.
I only went back inside when I was calmed down enough. If Miranda saw me so upset she’d want answers, and I needed to prepare myself more to be able to tell her what I wanted to happen.
I found her sleeping as I entered. She looked so peaceful, and I almost didn’t want to wake her to tell her something that I knew she’d be upset about.
She stirred when I sat down on the bed, and I knew it was now or never. “Baby, I need to talk to you. I made a decision, and maybe I should have talked to you first, but I’m out of options.”
She looked confused as she rubbed her face and turned on her side to give me her full attention. “What’s wrong?”
“I talked to Colt. He’s agreed to let Izzy come stay with them for a month.”
I could almost see her overreacting, even before it started to happen. “You what? How could you make that kind of decision without me? I’m her mother, Ty. Don’t you think we should have discussed a decision like that? I can’t believe you did this.” She sat up more and pointed at me. “You need to call him back and tell him never mind. It ain’t happenin’. She’s not movin’ to Kentucky.”
I stood up and paced around the room, unable to let this option go. “Miranda, think about it. She’s suffering, and so are we. It’s not forever. I asked them to keep her for four weeks. I get that it’s a long time, but what other choices do we have? We’re losing her. I’m losing her. It’s killing me and you know it. Please. I’m begging you here. Please let me try to save our family.”
She got up on her knees and put her hands on her hips. “You think that movin’ her out is goin’ to help?”
“Right now she thinks that she’s in control. She’s purposely trying to hurt me, because I hurt her. I get it, and if I could take it back or make things better, I’d do whatever it took. We’ve tried being nice and even taking away her favorite things. Nothing has changed and you know it. Even Colt agreed that if we send her away she’ll realize what she’s giving up. I’m not doing it because I don’t want her around. I’m doing it because I want my daughter back.” I could feel myself starting to get emotional, and it was stupid to hide my feelings from someone that could read me the way she could. “Miranda, I don’t have to tell you how much I love Iz. She’s my sunshine. Without her in my life, I feel like I can’t breathe. This silence between us is killing me. I can’t take knowing she’s in the next room resenting everything I’ve ever done for her. I hate all of this. Can you honestly tell me that we have any other options?”
She shrugged and looked down, and I looked away to wipe my eyes.
“Have you considered that this plan of yours won’t work? Ty, I can see how hurt you are, and I’m hurt too. I want Bella back as much as you do. I just don’t want to get my hopes up and have this not work. I don’t want to count on it, because I know how much it hurts when it doesn’t go the right way.”
I climbed on the bed and put my hands on her knees. “Baby, I won’t stop trying until things get back to the way they were before. I can’t let myself.”
Miranda pulled away and lay back down. She flipped over and hugged her pillow. Sobs followed, and I knew she needed time to think. I don’t think she was angry at my plan. She was just hurt that I’d arranged it without her.