Letting Go (A Mitchell Family Series)

by Unknown

  “If you don’t want Tyler to know than you have to let Colt go.”

  I shook my head. “No!” She held me tight and let me cry more. I knew my eyes were completely swollen, but I couldn’t help it. I thought I cried when Ty had the accident, but this was so much worse.

  Chapter 21

  Colt

  I sat in the hospital parking lot for over an hour, hoping Savanna would come running out. I had this idea in my head that she would realize she loved me and we could just drive off together. With me not telling her how I felt, she was free to jump right back into Ty’s arms. I punched the dashboard so hard, I busted my knuckles. The burn took away from the fact that I knew I lost the girl.

  I watched as she and my relatives came walking out of that hospital. They never even looked my way as they exited. I didn’t follow close behind them and when they turned to drop off Savanna, I kept going until I reached the farm. Sam greeted me, but I wasn’t in the mood to play catch with her. I walked straight into carriage house and looked around at what was meant for a perfect night. The candles were still on the table and dishes in the sink. Savanna’s little outfit was lyin’ on the bedroom floor. Her overnight bag was in the corner. I let my body fall back on the bed while I considered how the hell I was going to get out of this mess.

  I saw the headlights pulling up out front and knew that my uncle was not going to go to bed until things were settled. Sure enough, as I tossed Savanna’s clothes in her bag and threw them in the closet, my uncle came rushin’ in. “Colt, where are ya boy?”

  I walked out into the living room. “I’m here.”

  “Sit down Son. We need to talk.”

  I put my hand across my chest. “I think I’d rather stand.”

  “Suit yourself. I’m not going to beat around the bush here. I am not very pleased with you right now. We are family and that’s about all we got when we look at the big picture. Now this thing between you and Van is over. I don’t know how you got involved with that girl, but from what I have noticed, it seems to have been goin’ on for quite some time. I think it would be best if you left town. Now it will take me a few days to get ya a flight back home, so I would appreciate it if you would not contact her. My boy doesn’t need to ever find out about this. He has been through enough.”

  “You aren’t going to tell me who I can and can’t talk to!”

  “If you know what is best, you will walk away. There are other women out there. Go find your own. I don’t know what this girl has going for her, but obviously she gives herself out to anyone who is askin’”

  “Don’t you dare talk about her that way! She isn’t how you are sayin’. She’s nothing like that at all. Do you have any idea how many women your son bedded while they were together? You might not know, but I was the one he called to brag about it to. She doesn’t deserve that. Then after everything he did to her, you blamed her for his accident. That little bastard drank more whiskey than we both have in our whole lives. He shouldn’t have even had a license.”

  “Mind your words Son. You are talkin’ about my boy.”

  “Look, he is my blood and I don’t want him hurt, so I will walk away. You need to know one thing first. I love her. I just want her to be happy. If she wants to be with him, than I wish her the best. Now, if you will leave me be, I think I want to be alone.”

  My uncle shook his head and walked out the door. I picked up a candle stick and threw it across the room, puttin’ a large hole in the wall next to the bathroom. It was bad enough that Savanna chose Ty, but now I couldn’t even say goodbye. I dug through every cabinet in that carriage house lookin’ for somethin’ to drink. When I found nothin’, I headed out to the barn where Harvey had a room. I felt bad about waking him, but I pushed the man until he woke anyway. “Harvey, where is the whiskey?”

  He wiped his eyes before pointing to a small wooden cabinet in the corner. He shook his head and closed his eyes as I made my way to the cabinet, and grabbed the first bottle I found. It wasn’t whiskey, it was tequila. This particular brand was straight up from Mexico, worm and all. I opened the bottle and began drinkin’ it before I had even made it out of the barn. The slow burn made my eyes water, but I just kept hittin’ that bottle.

  In no time at all, I couldn’t feel my fingers. My body was numb and that’s just how I wanted it to be. I didn’t want to think about Savanna and how I would never be able to touch her again. Her pretty face would only be a memory to me from now on. My cousin would never let her go, and that is what she wanted all along. I never had a chance.

  I woke up with a bottle in my hand and a massive headache. It took me a few minutes to access what had happened the night before. When I finally was awake enough, I wished there was more tequila left in the bottle. I grabbed some shoes and decided the best thing to do was work. I had to keep my mind off of things until I could get a flight back home. I should have just called myself, but there were no taxis here and my uncle would have reported the truck stolen if I tried to take it.

  There was one field that still needed to be tilled and reseeded, so I took the tractor and started working. A few hours passed and the sun was really startin’ to get to me. My body was dehydrated from all the liquor and I could have passed out at any time. I noticed one of the farming trucks heading in my direction, so I turned off the tractor and waited to be yelled at again.

  My uncle stepped out of the truck and headed in my direction. In his hands were two large bottles of water. “I may be pissed at you, but you are my blood boy. Harvey told me about the tequila and when I heard you out here, I knew you were needin’ some of this.”

  I took the bottles and started downing them. The beads of sweat were now stingin’ my eyes, so I took some of the water and poured it over my face. “Thanks!”

  “We got a call this mornin’ about your cousin. He can come home next week. Your aunt is goin’ to throw one hell of a party and Tyler wants you there. Now, I know what I said last night, but for the sake of my son, I am willin’ to let you stay. I need your word that you will keep your hands off of his girl Colt. I appreciate everything you have done with the farm and I can’t say I don’t need the help. I know I was stern last night, but what you did wasn’t right. At any rate, there aint nothin’ we can do but move forward.”

  “I will stay as long as you need me.” Was all I could say.

  My uncle walked away and I started up the tractor. As much as I wanted to be able to see Savanna, it wasn’t going to happen. She had her boyfriend back and I was certain that there was no way she was going to give me the time of day. Besides, my uncle did need my help. My cousin couldn’t work and the farm was their only source of income. I needed to stay to get things goin’ for them.

  For the rest of the time here, I needed to focus on work instead of Savanna. She wasn’t mine and being around her would probably make her frustrated. She had other things to focus on now.

  Savanna

  I didn’t feel any better when I woke up. In fact my eyes looked like I had been in another fight. My mother brought me in a wet rag and I laid in the tub for over an hour tryin to relax. My cell phone was going crazy with texts from Brina and calls from Ty. Apparently, he was already back to his normal self. He and his mother had already been up early planning a celebration. Brina heard it from someone else and wanted to know why the hell she hadn’t heard it from me. I wanted to be able to vent to her, to tell her how I felt about Colt. I just couldn’t do it. The more people that knew, the more chance Ty had of finding out. I couldn’t put that strain on him. I hoped that Colt was feelin’ the same way.

  I started to call him several times, but hung up before the first ring. I didn’t know what to say. Last night in that elevator, I thought he was going to tell me that he loved me too, but he just said he would be there for me. Maybe he didn’t feel the same way that I did about him. It wasn’t like he ever said he loved me. In fact, more than one time he made it clear that we were good friends. Maybe imagining we were on the same page was just ano
ther fantasy of mine.

  After a few more calls from Ty, I got myself up and headed to the hospital. His mother was already there and greeted me with one of her nasty looks. I rolled my eyes and walked past her. Ty was sitting up and I noticed right away he wasn’t hooked up to anymore wires. He still had a blood pressure cuff around his arm, but everything else was off.

  “Hey babe. I been waiting all day to see that pretty face.” He said as he pulled me in for a kiss.

  “Sorry, I slept a little later than normal. You look great.” I said, trying to be cordial.

  He took my hand and played with it in his hands. “Did you hear about the party? I can’t wait to get out of here.”

  “I heard about it. Do you need me to do anything?” I asked directing the question to his mother.

  She smiled and pretended to be nice. “You have already done enough dear, don’t you think?”

  Bitch!

  “So when are you getting out of here?” I asked, while trying to ignore that mean woman across from us.

  “The doctors still have to run some tests. He estimated about a week. So far everything seems okay. I have some metal in my leg and my physical therapy is going to suck, but I’d rather be in a wheelchair than in this place.”

  His mother grabbed his arm. “The wheelchair is temporary Tyler. Don’t get yourself upset about it.”

  Ty chuckled. “Mom, I’m not! Look, I know it has been hard for all of you. I can’t imagine what you went through, but you need to understand that I don’t remember any of it. To me, the accident just happened. As far as I am concerned, the past seven months never existed.” He looked over to me and kissed my hand. “Well, except for the part that got my girl to come back to me. That part is all that matters.”

  I was pretty sure his mother wanted me dead. She tried to hide her hate for me, the best she could, but I was sure she was boiling inside.

  For the next few hours I managed to sit with her and Ty and compile a list of everything we needed for his going home party. She seemed to calm down and actually treated me like a normal human being. It killed me that I used to be a big part of their family and now I was this person she hated the most in her life.

  It was weird being with Ty. He acted like everything between us was perfect. I knew it was because he hadn’t had seven months to deal with things like I had. He didn’t know I wanted to end my life or that I had to be hospitalized for my depression. He didn’t know how his friends had treated me and especially how his family had treated me.

  In fact, Ty had no idea what I had gone through at all. He never even asked.

  After hours of being in the same room, his mother decided she was heading out. I finally had time alone with Ty. I decided to be nice and walk her to the elevator. The doctors said to try not to stress Ty, so we were both putting on our best poker faces. Once we got to the elevator she turned to me.

  “One day my son will see you for what you really are.” She said rudely.

  “I never cheated on your son. In fact when the accident happened, I caught him with someone else. You can believe what you want, but you are wrong about me. I never once thought about another guy the entire time Ty and I were together. Do you have any idea what I have been through?”

  She held up her hand and shook her head. “Don’t you dare talk to me about my son. He would never cheat on a lady. How dare you, you little hussy!”

  She climbed into the elevator and said nothing as the doors closed between us.

  I huffed and puffed until I got back to the room. Ty’s smile immediately changed my mood. He held his arms up and I climbed up next to him in his bed. Being in his arms wasn’t hard. It was just as I had always remembered.

  “Did you miss me?” Ty asked while holding me tight.

  I sat up and looked at him. “I did miss you.” I knew the last thing he remembered was me walking in on him with someone else, but he refused to bring it up. It was like his past mistakes had been erased. Now, I wasn’t trying to be an insensitive bitch, because he did just wake up from being in a coma, but he couldn’t get away with it forever.

  I stayed with Ty until visiting hours were over. He was sad to see me leave, and being with him had kept my mind off of Colt, but the long drive home brought everything back.

  When I got to my house I couldn’t take it anymore. I locked myself in my room and dialed Colt’s number. It rang and went to voicemail. I tried again, getting the same result. Finally, I sent a text..

  I think we need to talk –S

  Ten minutes passed and not a single word. Then finally my phone vibrated.

  Nothin to say – C

  They were not the three words I wanted to hear. I felt my heart tearing apart.

  Colt didn’t love me. He had kept his promise that he wouldn’t get that attached to me.

  Chapter 22

  Colt

  I didn’t need to hear Savanna tellin’ me that we were over. I just assume not to talk to her at all. She had already broken my heart. I didn’t need to hear it out of her mouth.

  For the next week I did nothing but work during the day. At night, Sam and I would venture out in the woods, or hang out in the barn with the horses. On several occasions, Harvey and I would stay up late drinkin’ and playin’ poker.

  As long as I kept myself busy enough, I was able to avoid thinking about Savanna. With my cousin’s return home fast approaching, my aunt and uncle stayed focused on him. They no longer threatened me or even paid attention to what I was doing. Staying out of their way was becoming a habit.

  The day before Ty came home, my uncle came over and asked me to help set up the large tents in the yard. Harvey and I got right on it. At first they were a real pain in the ass, but once we figured them out, we got them all up in no time.

  After carrying at least one hundred chairs that some person from church had delivered, I was beat. I started to head back to the carriage house when I saw Savanna pulling in the driveway. I stopped walking and just watched her car as it drove past me. In the passenger side was Ty, giving me a friendly wave. Savanna never looked my way, it was one thing that I couldn’t help but notice.

  Realizin’ I couldn’t be rude, I headed in the direction of the car. Savanna got out and froze when she saw me approaching. I turned my hat forward and gave her a nod. It was all she was going to get without me losing it and tellin’ her my real feelin’s.

  Savanna focused her attention on getting Ty’s wheelchair out of the back of the car. I took it out of her hands and got it unfolded, before helping to get my cousin out of the car.

  “I thought you weren’t coming home until tomorrow.” I stated while getting him in the chair.

  “The doc said I was fine to leave. Said my body had enough time recuperating.” Ty explained.

  Pushing Ty across the dirt driveway was difficult even for me, so I insisted Savanna not do it. My aunt met us at the door and once we got him inside, I was shocked by what I saw. Savanna stood in the living room frozen as she looked around noticing all of her pictures had been put back out. It was like my aunt was erasing all of the months she had emotionally damaged the girl.

  I don’t know which one of us was more pissed, but shockingly, Savanna put on a smile and gave Ty all of her attention, like nothing had happened. Knowin’ that I couldn’t take much more, I saw myself out, without anyone even noticing.

  I needed to avoid seeing Savanna, so I took Sam and headed into the woods. We played fetch until my arms felt like jello. When it started to get dark, I headed back to the carriage house and locked the door behind me.

  About an hour later I heard a knock at the door. I was surprised to find Savanna standin’ there looking at me. “Sorry to bother you. I was wondering if I could just get my bag.”

  “Stay right there. I will get it for you.” I left her standin’ in the doorway. I was positive my uncle or someone was standin’ around watchin’ us and I didn’t want to give them any reason to doubt what I was doin’. Savanna was looking down at the
ground when I got back to the door.

  “Here you go. I packed everything up, even your things in the bathroom.” I stated.

  She looked up at me. “Colt…I.”

  I held my hand up. “Don’t Savanna. There is nothin’ left to say.”

  I could barely speak. For the first time in my life I wanted to curl up and cry like a damn baby. I couldn’t keep seeing her. I needed to leave town.

  I closed the door without sayin’ another word, but watched through the window as she got in her car and drove away. After the party, I would tell my uncle that I had to go. Hopefully, he would understand why.

  Savanna

  How could he be so cold to me after everything we had been through. He knew how hard all of this had been. I know he saw those pictures missing before, he had to notice the difference. I saw his face when we got in that house.

  I didn’t understand why he wasn’t even being my friend. Was he just feeling sorry for me the whole time we had been together? Was it all a lie?

  I was really getting tired of crying, but I couldn’t really help it. Once again, my mother sat up with me, holding me until I finally fell asleep.

  Ty had insisted that my parents attend his welcome home party, so I decided to just ride with them. We got there a half hour early, but a bunch of people were already there, including some of the girls that had been involved in the fight with me. I felt my anxiety growing as we approached Ty. The girls had already started giving me dirty looks. One of them bent over and whispered in Ty’s ear before walking away. I couldn’t help but notice where his eyes went as she walked away from him. Some things never change.

  As I went to turn to give my attention back to Ty, something caught my attention. Colt stood where the blonde was walking. He was wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed off his muscular arms and that mustang tattoo he had hidden at the top of his arm. I knew that the back of it revealed the large one he had on his back. It wasn’t Colts gorgeous body that I really noticed. It was the fact that he saw what Ty was looking at, and he knew that I caught it too. When our eyes met, I got butterflies in my stomach. I wanted to walk toward him, but just as I started to, I heard my name being called. Ty was wheeling toward me as I turned around. He had a fresh smile on his face and pulled me onto his lap.