The Mitchell Family Series BoxSet 1-4.5 (48 page)

Chapter 5

Colt

I had no idea I would find Savanna in the condition she was in. Her drunk ass was sprawled out on the bed while wearing her wedding dress, incoherent. When I finally did get her to wake up, she decided that she wanted to get all freaky on me. I mean, how was I supposed to tell her no, when she was flaunting it in front of me. I did well for a couple of minutes, but the alcohol had caused her to be way more adventurous then I was used to. Here lately, since we had been trying to get pregnant, we had sex all of the time. Sometimes it felt forced and I hated that, so when she started touching all over herself, it made me crazy.

I wanted to stay in bed with her all day and pretend that the fire never happened, but with a guest list of over two hundred people due to arrive in just three days, there was a lot of work that needed to be done. I had to figure out where we could move the site of the wedding to and how we could make it look remotely like the barn had. We still had two old barns from the original farm, but they were filled with old equipment and one was all the way out by my aunt’s house. I was going to have to hire someone to come in to help move all of the shit out of it to see if it was even stable enough to house all of those people.

My mother and Aunt Karen could take charge of the decorations and everything else we had to replace; while Conner, Ty and I did all that we could to make everything else work.

While Savanna slept off her liquor binge, Sam and I headed out to look around the ranch. There had to be a way to make all of this happen and give Savanna the wedding she deserved. I needed her to look back and think that our wedding was one of the most beautiful moments of her life.

I found Ty leaning over the kitchen counter talking to Miranda. Bella was running around the island as usual, swinging something in her hands.

“Hey guys.”

“Hey Cuz. So what’s the plan? What can we do to help?” Ty asked.

Bella came up and hugged my leg. I picked her up and realized she was holding a pickle. It had been chewed to hell and apparently dropped on the floor a few times. “Do you have a pickle?” I teased.

She shook her head ‘yes’. “Daddy, gib me.”

“He did? Well it looks like a good tastin’ pickle.”

Of course she pushed it up toward my mouth. “Bite.”

I sat her down before I could have a dirty pickle shoved in my mouth. She started running around like I disappeared into thin air.

I leaned over the opposite side of the kitchen island. “I was thinkin’ that we should look around the two old barns and figure out which one we could get cleaned out faster. I can hire some people to come haul out all the stuff while we run into town and get the new speaker wire and lighting. If we start on this today, we might be able to surprise Savanna and make it happen.”

“Count me in. I can do whatever you need.” Ty handed Bella a new pickle and took the old one. “Eat this one instead, baby.”

“Mommy, yook.” She held up the pickle to show Miranda.

“I see it. I bet it tastes good.” Miranda pretended to take a bite. I knew for a fact that she hated pickles. We used to hold her down and make her drink pickle juice

As Miranda bent down to give Bella attention, I watched Ty watching them intently.  He wasn’t looking at his wife because she was bent over; it was more like he was admiring her being a mother. He focused on them interacting, and seemed so content with himself.  I still couldn’t get over the way he loved them, but the longer I spent with them, it was obvious it was real.

He turned and noticed that I was watching him and smiled, letting out an air filled laugh. “Baby, I’m going to walk out with Colt. Be back in a sec.”

“K!”

Ty followed me outside and we hopped on the golf cart. “I still can’t get over it man.” I confessed.

“Well, it’s real. You all can think whatever you want. Nothing will change the way I feel about them. I have never in my life been more happy as when I’m with the two of them. When I go to work, I think about them all day. I can’t wait to get home at night and see them and tuck Izzy into bed.”

“She really seems to love you, but I guess she always did, even when she was a baby.”

We pulled up at the barn near my Aunt Karen’s house. The door had broken hinges and hung crooked. I sighed as we jumped off and started walking toward it.

“I can’t remember a time where I didn’t love Izzy. I don’t give a damn what the blood tests say, she is mine Colt. Being a dad is the most satisfying feeling. In fact, when she called me Daddy for the first time, I actually cried. There ain’t much to make me cry, but damn she gets to me like no other ever has.”

“Savanna and I are tryin’ to get pregnant. We’ve only been tryin’ for a couple of months. I can’t wait for it to happen.” We both pulled a side of the barn door and walked it open. Aside from the hayloft being full of old hay, and probably a few critters, the first floor wasn’t that bad. There was a bunch of metal pieces from the tractors, a few tires and even some old barrels. It wouldn’t take much time at all to get it cleaned out. Of course, it was very filthy. Twenty years of cobwebs and dirt filled every inch of the inside of the barn.

“So what do you think? You think we can make this work in three days?” Ty asked.

We started walking back out and closed the doors behind us. “Let’s go check out the other one.”

We hopped back on the golf cart and headed to the oldest barn on the property. In my honest opinion, it should have been torn down years ago. It was made from wooden planks and you could see through every single one. It used to be red, but now had cracked away to a peeled hue of brown. Ty and I approached the barn and I realized right away that it didn’t look promising. After opening the door, I realized there was no way in Hell we could use this barn. “This one’s a no-go!”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Ty laughed.

We shut the doors and climbed back on the golf cart. “Looks like we are cleaning out the other one. I’m goin’ to go back to the office and make some calls. I know a crew that can come in and gut the place. Do you mind findin’ Conner?”

“Nah, I will round him up and meet you back at the office. You mind if I let Miranda know what we’re doing? I just want to grab my phone so that if she needs me she can call.”

I started shaking my head. He knew I had my phone. He just wanted to see Miranda. “You’re obsessed!”

“Whatever dude! I prefer devoted. They are my girls. One day you will understand. Just wait until Van gets pregnant and you hold that baby for the first time. Then I will be calling you the pussy.”

We both laughed. “Is that how you felt with Bella? Did you always feel like you were her father, cause that’s kind of weird.”

“Nah, it wasn’t like that. I mean, I felt like she was special and I needed to be near her. I can’t explain it. I guess the bond was there, even if I hadn’t realized it. That day changed my life.
She
changed my life.”

I watched Ty again as he talked about Bella. It was like he was under some kind of spell. There was no doubt that everything he was saying was true. Anyone could see he was smitten. It was just so strange to see him like that. For so long he was only worried about one thing. I don’t have a clue what Miranda did to him, but the old Ty was gone. “You can add whipped,” I joked.

“Don’t hit me dude, but if you experienced the things that I have with Miranda, you wouldn’t look at or even think of another woman. That woman does things to me that I have never experienced.”

I guess Ty sensed me clenching my jaw. He held up his hand. “I don’t mean sexual, well not completely. She just, well she just gets me. We are a team. Marrying her was the best decision I ever made.”

I shook my head. “Enough about it. Your making me sick. I adore Savanna and I already know what you mean when you say you don’t want to be with anyone else. I get it. It’s just strange seein’ this come of out your mouth. I never thought this would happen to either of you. I’m happy for you. No matter how much I joke, we are family and nothin’ will change that. Just keep lovin’ em, Ty. You need each other and it’s important. I hope you never forget how you feel right now.”

He patted me on the shoulder. “Awww, your being such a good cousin. Does Van know how sappy you can be?” Ty asked sarcastically.

“You’re a dick. I was bein’ serious. Go check in with the wife and make sure you ask for her permission to do manly things.”

“I’m only helping you if I can wear pink panties,” Ty mocked.

I gave him the finger as I pulled away from the house and headed toward my office. The old sarcastic Ty was still in there, but he had also become a romantic, which was convoluted and just plain strange. If he acted that way around Conner, we would never hear the end of it.

Savanna was lying on the couch when I got there. She was curled up under a blanket and smiled as I walked in the door. “Hey, babe.”

“Hey, yourself. You feelin’ any better?”

She shrugged. “My head is pounding, but aside from that I’m okay. I cleaned up the picture mess. Sorry about that.”

I leaned down and kissed her forehead. “No worries, I knew you would figure out a way to redecorate.”

We both laughed. “Shut up! I never said that I wanted to.”

“Savanna, our bedroom went from being brown to purple. I hardly think I had anything to do with that,” I teased.

She pulled me down onto the couch. Our mouths banged into each other and I could feel her laughing against my body. She wrapped her arms around my neck. “You know you love it.”

She kissed my upper lip and held her mouth there. I pulled away and kissed her nose. “I love you, I know that.”

“Should we cancel the wedding?”

I buried my head into her neck and kissed up to her ear. “Nope.” I whispered.

“Where are we going to put all of those people?” She asked.

I sat up and slid off the couch, positioning myself in front of her. “I will take care of everything. Just go about the plans like nothin’ ever happened.”

She gave me a funny look and raised one eyebrow. “You’re not going to tell me what you’re up to?”

“Nope!”

“I hate that word. It so, so short.”

“No is shorter.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Never mind. Are you home for good?”

I stood up and held my hand out for her. “I need to do some work in the office. You want to eat somethin’ for lunch before I get started? I can make us somethin’,” I offered.

She grabbed my hand and stood up. “I will make it for you, babe. You know I love spending time with you.”

We held  hands and walked into the kitchen. Savanna led the way and I appreciated the view of her backside. She knew how much I loved her ass. I think I talked about it more than the normal person would.

My woman made me grilled cheese. She wasn’t the best cook in the world, but she could make a damn good grilled cheese, of course she burned the first one, because I sat her on the countertop and started getting frisky with her. It wasn’t until we smelled it burning that we realized how long we were preoccupied with each other.

After lunch I headed into the office to start making calls about getting some help. I managed to find a crew that could start as early as the next day. According to the crew chief, it would only take them half the day to get it all cleaned out. Feeling satisfied that we would have two full days to get everything decorated the best we could; I sat back and made a list of everything we would need in town.

After about a half hour, I heard the door opening and voices filling the house. I walked out and found Miranda, Ty and Conner standing in the living room with Savanna. “What’s up man?” Conner asked.

I gave him a quick nod. “Everything’s a go. You guys ready to head out?”

Miranda and Savanna looked at me for an explanation. “Where you going, babe?”

“We need to run into town to get some top secret wedding supplies. You need anything while we’re gone?” I asked.

“Since I have no idea what you are doing or even where you are going, I will say ‘no’,” she laughed.

I walked over and kissed her goodbye, while Ty grabbed Miranda and pulled her in for something that lasted entirely too long for anyone else in the room to feel comfortable. As Conner and I stood there clearing our voices, they continued to have their tongues down each other’s throats. “Get a fuckin’ room,” Conner said while shaking his head.

Ty pulled away from Miranda, but went back in for one more peck. “We just came from our room if you must know. Miranda was showing me some new moves, “ he said.

“Do ya'll seriously have to talk about sex all of the time. Damn, it gets old,” Conner said as he walked out the door.

“He must not be getting any. Van you need to get Brina to get right on that. As long as he stays satisfied, he doesn’t want to beat my ass so much,” Ty joked. He slapped Miranda on her ass and kissed her cheek. “Be back later, baby. We can start where we left off, I promise.”

She giggled and watched him leave. I let out a laugh. “Unbelievable!”

I caught up to the guys, who were standing by one of the ranch trucks.

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!”  They said together.

“Damn, I never get it!” Ty announced as Conner jumped in the front seat.