The Mitchell Family Series BoxSet 1-4.5 (39 page)

Chapter 23

Miranda

Dress shopping with three people that had major issues with my boyfriend was not my idea of a fun time. From the moment that Van picked me up, she began to give me the third degree about Ty. Apparently, she had been up all night so upset that I let myself get involved with such a ‘man whore’.

There were a couple times where I felt like slapping her out of her current conversation. As if that wasn’t bad enough, her friend Brina, who was a total bitch, talked trash about Ty the rest of the day. At one point I ducked into a bathroom and started crying.

They could say everything they wanted about Ty, but I didn’t know the guy they were talking about. My Ty wasn’t selfish. He never put himself before Bella and I. He wasn’t rude. He never looked at other girls. He didn’t keep secrets. He never lied about where he was.

They didn’t want to hear that he changed, or that maybe he just never found the right person to make him happy. All they wanted to do was convince me that I was making a horrible mistake.

I loved Ty. They weren’t going to change my mind. There had been something brewing between us for over a year and in that period of time we had become friends. We couldn’t hold back what we wanted any longer and I was so glad that we hadn’t. He treated my child like he was her father. He loved her, bought her things and took care of her. There was nothing that he wouldn’t do for that child.

To see them together, just reassured me how serious he was about being with us. All along he had known I had a child. He wasn’t trying to get into my pants. I had been with a lot of guys. My track record was worse than his. If anyone should be running, it should be him.

After spending the entire day listening to them and trying on a million dresses, she finally drove me home. I was so happy to walk in that door and see the two of them sleeping. Van came in behind me and just froze when she saw them. I felt like turning around and giving her the finger after the earful that I had gotten all day. She was a great friend, but Ty talk should have been off limits.

To be nice I had invited her to dinner. It was unlikely that she would actually stay, but I needed to make sure that my mother and especially my brother didn’t find out about my relationship. I was an adult, but they would make my life miserable anyway. My biggest fear would be them threatening to take Bella away from me, on account of me being an unfit parent.  My family was close, but they would do anything to prevent me from being with Ty.

When I walked over to grab Bella out of Ty’s arms, he woke startled and squeezed her tighter until he saw me.  He smiled and finally let go. I was glad she stayed asleep long enough for me to lay her down and return to the living room before they killed each other.

“How long have you been asleep?” I asked.

“What time is it?”

“Six.”

“Shit! Over an hour. I guess we were comfortable,” he admitted.

“Do you want me to order a pizza?” I asked.

He stood up and stretched, before leaning over and kissing me on the lips. “No, baby. I will make something.”

I caught Van rolling her eyes. “Do you want any help?”

Ty shrugged and kept walking toward the kitchen. I sat down on the chair next to her as Ty pulled out some bacon and started cooking it. “BLT’s good? I had a lot to eat last night and I am still feeling really full.”

It took everything I had not to laugh at his comment. I know what he meant and it wasn’t the food he was talking about. The comment was for me, but Van got it too.

“You’re sick!” She blurted out.

“You’re a prude,” he retorted.

She turned to face me. “How can you be in love with this guy?”

“He’s is perfect to me. How can I not?”

“Well you must give really good head to have him be so faithful and honest. That is all I can think of.” Van looked from me to Ty waiting for a response.

Ty leaned over the counter and looked directly at Van. “She gives the best head that I have ever had. In fact, last night on our way home from dinner, she gave me the best blow job in the history of blow jobs. You know what else she’s good at?”

He was taunting her now. I just sat there, speechless.

“I am afraid to ask,” she noted.

“Everything. Just close your eyes and think of the kinkiest shit possible and she’s good at it. She can also put her legs behind her head. It’s fucking awesome.”

I was laughing so hard that I was crying and Ty loved that he had finally shut her up. He winked at me again before attending to his food preparation.

A messy haired Bella came walking out into the living room looking around. “Ty?”

“I’m over here sweetie.”

My heart melted every time she would look for him. With one arm he scooped her up and accepted her booger faced kisses. She started to point toward Van when she got over her Ty obsession.

“Hey little girl. Can Aunt Van get a hug and kiss?”

Bella shook her head and hid in Ty’s chest. “No!”

Of course Ty had to rub it in. “Can Ty get a kiss?”

Without hesitation she puckered her lips and kissed Ty.

“You brainwashed her, dickhead,” Van said while laughing.

“I didn’t have to brainwash either of them. They love me all by themselves. And I love them too.”

Van looked around the place. I knew she had been here a million times. Even though I knew that they weren’t ever getting back together, it still made me jealous. I hated the reminder of who he had been with.

Ty finally finished making our plates and we all sat down and watched movies. I caught Van a few times just watching the three of us interacting with each other. She seemed especially interested in the attention that Ty gave to me and Bella. He was constantly stroking my arm or kissing my hand and head. Bella jumped all around on our laps and he welcomed her in as well.

When the movie finally ended Van said she had to go. We both stood up and walked her out to her car. Bella leaned down and finally gave her a kiss, making her smile a little more.

“I don’t know what to say about you guys. I mean, it’s clear that this isn’t about sex, but I just don’t get how the two of you have changed so much for each other.”

It didn’t matter what she thought. I wasn’t trying to be rude about it, but this was clearly between Ty and I.

“Are you going to tell Colt?” I asked.

“No. I told you before that I don’t want to get involved. If they ask I will tell them that you and Bella were here alone. You two can be the bearer of bad news. After my wedding of course.”

As Van climbed into her car, Ty slapped me on the ass. “Now let’s get inside and have hot sex all night long.”

She rolled her eyes and rolled up her window. I think she actually floored it when she pulled away from us.

“Way to scare off our company,” I joked.

“She was being a prude. How much bullshit did she give you today?” He asked.

I shrugged. He really didn’t need to know, it would only hurt his feelings. “You know how they talk. I didn’t listen to them.”

“I think I need a lot of kisses for reassurance. No actually, I think I need some naked time.”

Bella started jumping in between us. We separated and started chasing her around the room. “The naked time will have to wait until after someone goes to sleep.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Well we can chalk that promise up and stick it in the jar of IOU’s. Ty was nice enough to give Bella a bath while I cleaned up the rest of the house. It wasn’t really that messy so I finished in less than ten minutes. I laid on the couch just listening to the two of them playing in the bathroom. He better have put towels down because with the amount of splashing that was going on, we might have a flood. I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, I was being carried to the bed.

Just like every Sunday, we woke up and started getting ready for church. Ty was in a really good mood, considering he didn’t get his naked time. He woke me up with kisses and coffee before getting Bella dressed in a new outfit he insisted on buying her. She was wearing a little sailor dress and little matching shoes with anchors on the toes. He got her two matching bows for either side of her hair and made his best attempts to style it himself.

“Hey, baby, what do you think? Did I do good?”

“Aww, she looks so cute.” She did too.

“I was thinking we should all get sailor suits and wear them next Sunday,” he said sarcastically.

I was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, trying to apply eye liner and busted into a laughing fit. The eye liner smudged all over my eye lid. “There is no way I am doing that.”

“Oh come on, it will be fun.”

“It sounds like a terrible eighties picture.” I was now removing my makeup to start over again. He didn’t understand that I wanted to look my best for him all the time. I never wanted to give him a reason to look anywhere else.

“Why are you putting that stuff on your face? You look beautiful without it.” Ty came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“You’re just tryin’ to get me to hurry up.” Although, his statement gave me butterflies.

“I fed Izzy and we are ready when you are.”

“Okay. Be out in a second.”

When I walked into the living room, Ty and Bella were sitting in front of the T.V. They were watching some little baby show where giant animals were dancing around. Bella was dancing all around to the music, while Ty recorded her on one of our phones.

A little girl came on the screen next with a man that was reading to her. It was clearly her dad and he was tucking her in for bed. The little girl snuggled up to her daddy telling him that she loved him. Bella just stood there staring at the television.  I kept watching her realizing how close she was getting to turning two. We still had a few months, but time was flying by.  She was paying more attention to things, like she was to this particular show.

She freaked out when Ty came up and turned the show off. “No Ty!”

“I’m sorry Iz, we have to go to bye bye.”

She looked at him curiously. “Bye bye?”

“Yep, your mommy is finally done her primping.” I stuck my nose up at him.

We finally got packed in the car and were on our way to church. Things got super quiet in the car for some reason or another and out of the back seat I heard my daughter saying something that made my stomach drop. “Daddy. Daddy. Daddy.”

Three times right in a row.

I thought Ty was going to roll us into a ditch. He looked from me to the rear view mirror. “Did she just?”

I held my hand over my mouth. “Yeah.”

“Do you think she knows what it means?”

I looked back at Bella who still kept repeating it. “Daddy. Daddy.” This time she was pointing. Right at Ty.

I knew he saw her in that mirror. I was speechless as I watched his shocked face. We were pulling up at church but just sat in the car instead of jumping right out. Ty turned around and looked at Bella, sitting in her car seat, pointing at him. “Daddy.”

I had no idea how she could pick that up from watching a show, but she knew exactly what it meant and she thought Ty was her daddy. There was no denying it. Ty reached back and touched Bella’s foot. Tears rolled down his eyes. I didn’t know how to react. I was still in shock from hearing it myself. If I ever wondered if he was serious about being with both of us, his actions were giving me the answer.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

He laid his head against the seat to the car and wiped his eyes. “She called me Daddy.”

“Daddy.” Of course she said it again.

“She thinks you are.” I rubbed his arm while he just kept looking at her.

“I love her so much.”

“She loves you too Ty. You know she does. Even as a tiny baby she loved you. Remember how you would sing to her through video chats?”

He laughed. “You weren’t supposed to be listening.”

I smirked. “She was an infant. I couldn’t leave her alone. It was sweet.”

“I want to be her daddy.” My heart dropped out of my stomach. Now I was the one crying. I had applied my make-up twice and it was now running down my face.

“Really?”

“Isn’t it obvious Miranda? I want it more than anything. I want her to always be able to count on me, no matter what happens.” He ran his fingers over my tears and wiped them from my cheeks.

I opened my mouth to say something, but someone started knocking on the window. It was Van and her mother. “You guys going to get out of the car? I want to sit with you.”

I looked to Ty. “What if Bella says it in front of her?”

“She already hates me, so I really don’t give a shit. It’s between us, not her.” He climbed out of the car and immediately reached for Bella, while I straightened my face, again.

Bella was in rare form in church and even Ty’s parents couldn’t occupy her. They were sitting in the pew in front of us and she kept wanting to climb back and forth, disrupting everyone around us. Thank goodness we were in church so people were more forgiving. Van and her mother sat next to us and Ty made it a point to never let go of my hand during service. Even as we stood to sing, he would wrap one arm around my waist. I could feel their eyes on us. As we got seated in between songs, the room got quiet. Bella was in front of us climbing on the pew. Then she held out her arms to Ty and said it, in front of the whole congregation. “Daddy.”