We laid there, our limbs tangled. When sleep came, it was quiet with the slow sound of our steady breaths. Simple. I was starting to crave each simple moment with this man something fierce, realizing these simple moments kept me going. I wondered what I did before this.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Jolene
“I spent Sunday with the other mining families in the small green area across from the mercantile. The women in this country are strong to live by their husband’s side in this unforgiving land. It was a united band between us, knowing what we sacrifice to live this forest, to harvest from it”–From the diary of Maggie Brown, September 1891
We found ourselves back in the car, except this time we were no longer in the trees but in the fields. Amber waves of grain was an understatement when it came to this part of the state. Farmland could be seen for miles and the mountains were only blimps in the background, fading into the horizon.
Ty had mentioned he was going home for a few days and wanted me to come. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. I would not only be meeting his daughter for the first time, but his whole family, ex-wife and all. I was having to gear up for it.
“When was the last time you brought a girl home?”
“I never really brought Brooke home, but I guess that might be the last time.”
“What you’re saying is you’ve never had a girl meet your family.”
Ty shrugged. “It’s hard because it’s not just my family, it’s Annabelle, too. I didn’t want to bring anyone around that I didn’t think was going to stick.”
“Confession time,” I said bluntly.
Ty glanced over at me, grabbing my hand and bringing it to his lips. “Hit me with it.”
“What if I am terrible with Annabelle? And she hates me. Not only does she hate me, but so does everyone else and they think I shouldn’t be around your kid.”
Ty didn’t say anything for a moment and I panicked. “Jo . . .” he started. Oh God. He was going to say that I probably would be awful with Annabelle. What did I get myself into you? “I can tell you over and over again that you will be amazing with my daughter and she will love you. Because she will, but I think the only way you will believe it is after you spend some time with her, with us. Annabelle and I are a team and I promise you there is room for more.”
Ty was right. I wouldn’t believe a word he said until I had first hand experience, if I even made it that far before ruining it. It was crazy to think at the beginning of the summer, the idea of dating a man who had a child was so far fetched it was almost impossible to believe. Yet, here I was about to meet a little girl who was an important part of the man sitting next to me. This man made me reconsider all the reasons why it wouldn’t work. He made me think of the few reasons why it would work.
“You’ll be okay, Jo. You will wow all of my family, one way or another.” Ty winked at me. I didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing.
“Where are we staying again?”
“At the house. My dad still lives there and tries to keep up the land as best as he can. There are plenty of empty rooms since all the kids moved out.”
“Oh,” I said quietly.
“Oh?”
I nodded. “At least I’ll have my own room to escape too.”
“Do you think you’re going to be spending the night alone?”
“You did say there is plenty of empty rooms and you come from a conservative family. I assume that means separate rooms.” Since I really had no idea how this was all going to go done.
Hello unexplored territory, I am completely lost.
Ty chuckled as he turned off the long winding road and started down another road, equally as long but more farms less turns. “Jo, I came home at the age of eighteen with a pregnant girlfriend, who I married and then divorced because she was gay. I also co-parent with her and her girlfriend. Conservative doesn’t really apply to me anymore. My family understands. I think after my mom left and the shock wore off, we knew life wasn’t perfect. We almost loosened up a bit.”
“Will your dad care? Since he’s the one who lives there.”
“No, not at all. I think my dad played a part for many years to appease my mom. Hell, he was trying to appease the whole community. The downfall of small towns like this is the problem of everyone knowing your business. It gets old fast.”
Ty pulled into a dirt driveway and in front of me was what I could only describe as an old rambling farmhouse, red shutters included. There were also about ten cars in the driveway.
“Hmmm,” I said.
“What?” Ty put the truck in park.
“Why are all the cars Chevy?”
Ty gave me a small laugh and ran his hand through his hair. “Because in this country, we drive American cars. Or at least my family thinks so.”
Strange.
“You ready?” He yanked open the door and hopped out. I followed and glanced up at the large two-story house. Images fluttered through my mind of a young Ty running around with his many siblings, hanging in trees and getting lost in the big red barn that was adjacent to the house. I saw the siblings bringing dates here before homecoming dances and prom, taking pictures with large smiles and pretty flower corsages. It was strange how vivid it all was, without even meeting these people. That statement became false quickly as people started to flood out of the door. Kids were running around and soon I was surrounded. There was a loud, “Daddy!” and I saw an adorable girl with white blonde hair run up to Ty. He sunk down to his knees and the girl launched herself into his arms. His arms wrapped around her as he kissed her on the top of her head. Their embrace was tender, the love between them evident. You could feel it in the air and see it plain as day. I stood there awkwardly. Two women walked up to me and watched them embrace. One was clearly Brooke, Annabelle’s mother, with her long blonde hair. She looked like the typical popular girl, with her perfect smile and bleach blonde hair. The girl standing next to her had shoulder length black hair with a beautiful half sleeve of tattoos on her left arm.
“Hi. I’m Brooke.” The blonde stuck out her hand and I shook it.
“Jolene,” I told her.
“I’ve heard a lot about you. Okay, that’s a lie but Ty did say you were coming and that’s more than we’ve gotten out of him in years. This is Avery.” I shook the dark haired girl’s hand.
“And this is my Annabelle.” Ty stood up and held the little girl’s hand in his own.
I leaned down to get on her level. My hands were sweaty and I really had no idea what to say. “Hi Annabelle. I’m Jolene, a friend of your dad. It’s nice to meet you.” If I pictured this child as a tiny adult it made this easier. Just had to remind myself to not drop the F-bomb or anything. That was bad for tiny adults.
“Hi Jo. My dad told me I could call you Jo.”
My heart skipped a beat.
“He did?”
She nodded with boundless energy. “Yeah and my mom said you’re actually dad’s lady friend. Momma Avery said if I’m really lucky I will have three moms and one dad soon, which would make one of the most loved people in the whole wide world. She also said three moms and one dad is much better than two dads and two moms.”
“Really, Brooke.” This came from Ty, who was now standing above me.
“Whoops,” Brooke said without feeling sorry about it one bit.
The banter continued above me, but I couldn’t take my eyes away from the little girl in front of me. She was so innocent in her gaze. Life hadn’t hurt her yet, hadn’t taken its toll. Her eyes were all Ty; the wonder inside them came from her dad. Her eyes were focused on mine and it was a strange feeling to see how easily she trusted me. It was written all over her face, she had no preconceived notions of who I was, only that I was her dad’s friend.
Ty swung up Annabelle and started to walk to the house, Avery and Brooke in tow. I followed when even more people came out of the house. Ty, still holding Annabelle, started to point and name each sibling “This is my eldest brother and sister, Evan and Daisy. It’s their birthday we’re celebrating. This is Regina, Scott, Sean, and the youngest Roxy.” I gave a small wave to the group, knowing I would never remember all of their names. There were pats on the backs and welcomes thrown at me and all I could do was give smiles and nod. The smile and nod method was saving me right now. As we made our way into the house, and eventually the kitchen, a large burly man was sitting at the table, holding a coffee mug and watching the children run around.
Ty sat down Annabelle, who ran off with one of her many cousins I assumed, and stood next to me. He took his hands and rested them on my shoulders, standing slightly behind me. “Dad, I want you to meet Jolene.” His dad took a few moments to glance between where his son was standing and where I was, the intimate stance between us. He finally lifted his coffee cup in greeting. “Welcome.”
I blinked. Strong and silent was the vibe I was getting from his dad. “Thank you for having me.” I watched his dad get up from the chair slowly, gripping the back of the chair next to him. It took a lot of effort for him to get up and he took his time. The hard life of a farmer who raised a family was painted over his demeanor. This man had lived a long hard life, though I had no doubt his children were the main reason why he kept going.
“I almost can’t believe my eyes. My Tyrell bringing home a girl? Amazing. I hope this isn’t the last time we see you.” His dad smiled at me and I knew I had gotten his approval.
I giggled at Ty’s full name, remembering how he had fibbed about it when we first meet. Ty’s dad hugged his son and then patted me on the shoulder as he said, “Excuse me, I’m going to attempt to chase my grandchildren around this farm.”
I was pleasantly surprised how easy that went over. I glanced back to Ty and saw his smile. I could do this, the whole family thing. Right? I was hoping that the rest of the weekend would be as smooth.
***
After Ty and I were alone in the old kitchen after a dinner of so much food I was surprised we weren’t feeding a small country, I turned and found myself into his arms.
“I see you’re still standing,” he said in my ear.
“Annabelle’s beautiful.” A statement I was sure Ty had heard before. The girl was polite and always had a smile on her face, a giggle so bright it warmed your heart.
“I know, she really is. The drawing you did of her was almost spot on.”
Stepping back from Ty, I saw his family pictures behind him, all the kids lined up and with their arms around each other. Such a large family and a concept I didn’t understand in the slightest. Even being here for a short time, I could tell the difference from the times I visited my dad. We conversed and ate quiet dinners and went our separate ways or both sat in the study, one reading and one maybe working. Ty’s family, though, was loud chaos. Kids were running everywhere and there were multiple conversations going on between the adults. It was actually very overwhelming, taking time to get used too. One of his siblings were constantly asking me questions only for someone to interrupt, or for a side tangent story to come from another. Ty made sure I was tucked into his side at all times and I was thankful for that. It had to be difficult with a five year old who hadn’t seen his dad in a long time. While I was on one side, Annabelle occupied the other. Rightfully so and I wasn’t jealous, though a small part of me was worried I would be. That same part knew how awful that sounded, to be jealous of a man and his daughter.
Now we were alone. Brooke and Avery were giving Annabelle a bath. That meant Ty and I were on story duty and tucking in the little blonde. I could hear the buzz of quiet, like I was missing the sound that overwhelmed me for hours.
“Story time, huh?” I said as I took my gaze from the pictures and put it back on the man in front of me.
“Yep. I’m sure she already has the book picked out. It’s her favorite time of the day. As much as Annabelle is full of energy, I’m always surprised she can sit and read as many books as does. I have no idea where she got it from.”
“She has a thirst for knowledge, for discovering things. I think she gets that from you.”
Ty cocked his head and ran his thumb over his soft lips. I wanted it to be me that was running my fingers over his lips, but then I remembered the little girl upstairs and squashed any dirty thoughts running through my mind. Not the time.
“You think so?” Ty asked me, bringing me out of lust filled haze.
“Yeah, I mean I don’t know Brooke very well, but it’s all you. You both get the same look in your eyes when you see something new.”
“Or maybe . . . we get the same look in our eyes when we see you. Because Jo, you have to know, I see you. I see beyond whatever wall you’re trying to put up.” He lowered his hand and instead ran it through my hair, gripping the back of my neck as he pulled me in closer. There was no stopping me when I leaned in and kissed him. He slipped his tongue into my mouth and I opened up to him, gripping his waist.
There was a cough behind us and I jumped away from Ty, feeling the heat in my face. It was like I was a teenager caught on a date.
Avery leaned against the doorway with her arms folded over her chest, but there was a smile on her face. “Brooke wanted me to come and get you and let you know that Annabelle is ready for story time.”
Ty and I headed upstairs. I was nervous. When we got into the room, Annabelle was holding a book and lying in the big guest bed. She held out the book and Ty went to grab it, but she snapped it back before he could grab it.
“No, dad, I’ve already heard you read books to me. I want Jo to read to me.”
I would say that my heart skipped a beat, but really it felt like it simply stopped and then picked up again once it got over the shock. I slowly reached out and took the book from her hands. I was expecting to be an observer in this part. To sit quietly next to Ty and Annabelle and watch them interact, see their relationship. I wasn’t planning on playing an active role in this scenario, at least not yet.
But . . . here was this little girl, the same eyes she shared with her father, those eyes were my downfall, and now I was holding a children’s book, not really knowing what to do.
My eyes were wide as I cautiously sat on the side of the bed and swung my legs up. Ty got on the other side and Annabelle was between us. I looked up to see Avery and Brooke had already left. The three of us were quiet as I held the book in my hands, not sure what to do.