Risking Fate (27 page)

I walked back to the table, and kneeled down in front of all of them. Tears poured out of my eyes and I felt Conner
’
s hand on my shoulder. “It’s goin’ to be alright. I’m goin’ to help you get her back Ty.”

“
What the fuck are you talkin
g
ab
out? Have you seen these pictures? She’s gone, Man. She’s never going to forgive me. I don’t even forgive myself.”  The pictures made me sick, just looking at them. The last one I looked at had Heather sitting on my face.

I cringed.

Conner looked at the pictures and started pointing at certain ones.  “Look at these, Ty. There isn’t one picture where you’re touching her with your own hands. She is doing everything, in fact look at this one.” He held one up and between my burning tears, I saw that my eyes were hazed over in the picture. “I bet you a million dollars you never even had sex with this bitch.”

I shook my head and started dialing Miranda’s number again. Of course it went to voicemail. I threw it up against the wall. “Even if we could prove that, Miranda will never
believe
me. I lied to her. I kept it from her. How the hell
did she even get these things?”

He grabbed my arm and made me look his way. “You need to calm down. I know my sister. She may be mad, hell she may even hate you right now, but she also loves you more than life itself. What you two have is somethin’ special. She can’t really think you’re this guy.” He held up the pictures.
“
You don’t even have time to be this guy.”

“I fucked it all up, all over papers to be Izzy’s real father.  God, Conner, what am I going to do without them? What am I going to do?”

After I put my phone back together, I called
Miranda’s
phone over and over, with no answer. I left her several messages, without really talking about what was going on. I hated that she was driving so far, being so pregnant. I wanted this to all be a nightmare, but it was a reality.

The only woman that I ever truly loved more that life itself, hated my guts. I’d broken her heart into a million pieces and she was never going to give me another chance.

I ran to the door, before I even realized what was happening. “Ty wait! Where are you goin’?”

I threw my keys down on the countertop . “Drive me to the airport, Conner. If I leave in the next hour, I can beat her there.”

“She’s not goin’ to want to talk to you.”

“I don’t care. She needs to know the truth, even if she doesn’t want me anymore, she needs to know that I never wanted it to happen. I would never have done that to her or to our family. She’s all I want, she’s all I’ll ever want.”

“I get it Ty, but right now, she’s a mess. Hell, she couldn’t even tell me what she was plannin’. Just give her a few days. She’ll miss you and want to talk. Come on Ty, she was willing to trust Tucker again, she’ll forgive you. I
will
help you.”

I shook my head and rubbed my hands over my face. “I can’t just stand here waiting. I have to see her. I have to be close to her. I need to see my wife.”

“Fine, I’ll take you. When things get worse, don’t say I didn’t tell you so. I know my sister and she needs time.”

“She needs to know that those pictures were not my doing. I threw up when that bitch tried to kiss me. Do you really think I’d let her put her fucking pussy in my face? You’re a fucking guy, and I know that you wouldn’t do that shit to someone you hated. I’ve done that to two people in my life and you know both of them. That is the picture that broke your sister’s heart. She needs to know it ain’t real.”

Conner threw his hands in the air and walked out of the house. I ran into my bedroom and grabbed a change of clothes before meeting him in his truck. For most of the drive, we said nothing. We both continued to call Miranda’s phone with no answer. Eventually, her voicemail was full and we couldn’t even leave a message.

“I need to call Van.”

Conner turned to look at me. “You really think you want to talk to her about this? Isn’t Heather the one who Van caught you with? You really think she’ll
believe
you?”

I slammed my hands on the dashboard. “God Dammit! I don’t know what to fucking do. I messed up so bad. This isn’t just about losing my wife, I’m losing my whole family. Heather knew this would happen. She did this shit on purpose to ruin my life.”

Conner pulled over the truck and put it in park. He held his hands up. “Just hear me out. I know the shit is crazy right now, but neither one of you are goin’ to do any good to each other by hashing this out tonight. Let her get to Kentucky and calm down. Call Colt and Van if you need to, but just wait this out, Ty. I got a plan that might just save your marriage. I need you to calm down and trust me. Can you do that?”

I
shook my head and stepped out of the truck. I just needed air. I was paying the ultimate price for what happened, but I didn’t care so much for myself as I cared for Miranda. If the roles were reversed, I w
ould want to
lay
down and die, h
ell
,
I wanted to do it, just imagining I could never be with my family again. They were my life and they were gone.

I climbed back in the truck and turned to Conner. “Just turn around. I don’t know what you have planned, but I will give you the night to figure it out. Even if I went to Kentucky,
there’s
nothing I could say to convince her to come back to me. I know she’s done. You can say she will forgive me, but she’ll never be able to trust me or look past it. I need to face the music. She’s gone. My family is broken because I’m the biggest fucking idiot on the planet.” I beat my head on the dash.

Conner got us back home, but refused to talk about his big plan. He handed me a bottle of whiskey and a glass, before getting a shower and heading out. I couldn’t get how he thought he could fix things. He didn’t even know Heather.

I drank half the bottle before I had the nerve to call Van. She was yet another person who would never look at me the same. Colt was going to be so disappointed. It was good that he’d threatened to kill me if I hurt Miranda. At least I wouldn’t have to feel this pain for very long.

While the phone started ringing and I waited for her to pick up, I looked around the walls at all of the pictures of my happy life.
My wife was the most beautiful woman, but it hurt to look at her, knowing the pain she was feeling. I needed her so much. I wished she could know that she was my everything.

Hello?

Van, it’s me.

Hey, what’s up?

From the tone of her voice, I knew she hadn’t heard from Miranda yet.

I think there’s something you need to know.

Is this where you tell me that you’re madly in love with me and we should run off to an island together?
Oh God, she assumed I was home with Miranda and playing a joke on her.

No, this is serious.

Is Miranda okay? Is she in labor?

No, just stop talking for a minute. This is hard for me to put into words. I don’t know how to say this without having you hate me too.

What are you talking about Ty?

She left me, Van. She took Izzy and all of their things and she left me.

You are kidding right? Let me talk to her. You guys aren’t funny.

This isn’t a joke. I came home from work to a note and empty dresser drawers. She’s probably on her way to you guys as we speak.

Why would she leave you? What did you do, Ty?

For the next ten minutes I explained how I asked for Heather’s help in getting the paternity test altered. I told her how Heather caused us problems. She cut me off before I could explain the night I ruined my life.

Why would you call that bitch? You know she only wants one thing, Ty. She’s only ever wanted you

I know, Van. You don’t have to remind me. I was desperate. I know it was a mistake and when Miranda found out she was pissed. She sent Heather a text that set all of this into motion. Heather got pissed and said we could forget about our money and the papers. So, Miranda got this bright idea that I should go over to her house and pretend she left me. We just wanted her to feel sorry for me and get the damn papers, I swear. I was there for a short amount of time and she kept questioning my intentions. When
she
tried to touch
me
, I got sick. I came back to a cup full of liquor and the next thing I knew, I was waking up naked next to her. Van, before you say anything. I swear to you and to
God that
I never went there to cheat on Miranda. I don’t remember doing anything, but saying no.

Then tell me how you woke up naked Ty? Do you expect me to
believe
this?
I could tell she was already piss
ed at me. I sounded like a fool
trying to convince her I was a victim. She would never
believe
me.

She drugged me, Van. The last thing I remember was feeling dizzy and waking up somewhere else. I swear I am telling you the truth. You can ask Conner. He helped me that night and
convinced
me to never talk about it again.
I’ve been living with the guilt for months and it was killing me inside. So yesterday, I drove to Heather’s to make one last plea for the paternity papers. When I rejected her for the second time and she admitted to drugg
ing me, I lost it. I went off on
her. I walked out of there and hoped her house would blow up with her in it. That’s the fucking truth.

So you went home and told your wife the truth? Is that why she left?

No, I went home and decided I could never hurt her like that. I never
would
have cheated, and I never will. She’s my life and I don’t want to live without her, not for a second.
My eyes started to burn as I looked over at the pictures that remained in my living room.
Heather must have
been pissed. She must have come to the house sometime this morning to confront Miranda.

Oh my God! She told her in person?

More like showed her. S
he took all of these pictures of the two of us. I don’t
remember
doing any of it, you have to listen to me. I’m telling you the
truth
. I love my girls so much. I’d never
do
anything to lose them.

Please don’t cry, Ty. It makes it hard for me to be angry with you, when I hear you in so much pain.

She won’t return my calls. I went to school to get Iz and she was gone. Miranda took all of their clothes. She isn’t coming back. I lost them, Van. Please tell me what to do. How am I supposed to live without them? I can’t do this, not for even one day. I’m so fucking lost right now. I need to hear her voice. I need to see her beautiful face and hold her in my arms.

Is Conner with you?

He went out. He said he had some crazy ass plan to help me, whatever that means.
My crying was more apparent considering I could barely get my words out.

When Miranda get’s here I will keep her safe and calm her down. I can’t promise that I can get her to talk to you Ty. You know how she feels about cheating. It’s going to take her a while before she can deal with it.

She’s never going to forgive me. I deserve all of this, for cheating on you, and for lying to my wife. I made my life this way. I never should a have let myself feel so happy. Nothing lasts forever.

Miranda loves you, Ty. No matter how angry and hurt she is, I know she loves you. Listen, I will text you and let you know she’s here safe. If she say’s it’s okay, I will have Bella call you. I can’t promise she will be reasonable, but I will try my best.

Does this mean you believe me?

Heather is an ignorant bitch who has only wanted one guy since high school. I think she’s capable of doing everything you said. As far as the cheating, well, I know you never got bent out of shape like you are now over me and I know how much you obsess over your wife. There’s no way I could
believe
that you would be willing to lose that.

I just lost it
. Of all the people in the world, Van was the last person that I ever thought would be on my side. She’d forgiven me and I needed that so much. I wasn’t that person anymore and I needed my wife to know that.
I wasn’t going to give up. I couldn’t.

Thank you, Van. It means so much right now.

I’ll call you soon. Please stay home tonight. Don’
t do anything stupid. We
love you, Ty.

Love you
guys too
.

I hung up the phone and tried Miranda one more time, hoping to just hear her voice.

Chapter 19

Miranda

Why is it that when your life is at a breaking point, every freaking song on the radio relates to it. If I heard one more sad song
,
I was going to rip the radio out of the dash and toss it out on the road.