Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
M itch got up later than usual. Ruthie had twice woken him up with her crying. He didn’t mind. That’s what babies did. He remembered that much from Kyle’s infancy. The second time he’d heard her, he’d jumped out of bed and taken care of her himself, sending a groggy Kyle back to bed with hushed reassurances.
His heart went out to his son. No wonder the kid was worn out, doing all of that himself. Kyle had told him Addison flat-out refused to help, adamant she couldn’t afford to lose sleep and look less than her best for her followers.
What an ignorant, self-absorbed woman. Thinking her followers were more important than her child’s wellbeing.
As Mitch had fed Ruthie in the early morning hours, then changed her and walked the floor with her until she’d gone back to sleep, he had done a lot of thinking. About the future, mostly. Kyle’s and Ruthie’s, to be exact.
A new fear had settled over Mitch in those small hours. The fear that Addison would suddenly decide she wanted Ruthie back. That she would fight Kyle. They weren’t married. In some states, that gave Kyle a disadvantage when it came to parental rights.
Mothers generally got custody anyway, regardless of where they were.
He wanted to talk to Kyle about it as soon as possible. Because the next step was to secure sole custody. Getting a good attorney to handle that would be no problem. Mitch had already resolved that if Addison required a payoff to make custody happen, he would gladly write the check.
Gladly was a poor choice of word. Having to write a check to secure his granddaughter’s freedom would cause him to think less of Addison than he currently did, which would be no mean feat. But he’d do it. For Ruthie, he’d do anything. And that check would someday be proof, if necessary, of exactly what Addison had thought of her daughter.
He was angry about the whole situation. He knew that. He didn’t want that anger to cloud his judgment. But the need to protect Kyle and Ruthie had come over him like a storm, destroying all preconceived notions about what he might have done in a situation like this.
If Mama Bears were a thing, then so were Grandfather Bears. He would put every ounce of his vast resources into play if need be. Ruthie could not end up with the woman who hadn’t even wanted her.
Mitch got dressed for his run, his mind spinning with all that had to be done.
Maybe he should reach out to his attorney to see who he’d recommend in family law. Couldn’t hurt. He went out to start coffee, then walked to the windows. He could see light along the horizon line and the last few stars twinkling out.
Clear skies. He was glad for that. Glad that Harper and her family would have good traveling weather. He hoped that meeting went well. That something wonderful came out of it. Harper deserved that. All three women did.
Time to run. He’d have coffee when he got back. On his way out, he pushed open the door into the second guest room where Ruthie was asleep in her new crib. He stepped quietly to the side of it, put his hand on the rail, and looked in on her.
She was achingly beautiful.
Mitch smiled. I hope you can see her, Jeanie. I hope you see this precious creature. I’m going to do everything in my power to keep her safe, I promise you that.
He closed the door partway, then went down the steps and outside. There were no lights on in the guest house yet. No doubt Joyce and her sister had stayed up late, catching up. Good for them.
He walked to the end of the drive and started with a slow, easy jog to warm up. It was funny, really. He’d done everything possible to isolate himself from the world after Jeanie had died. He’d almost never left the house, relying on Joyce to keep things going.
To keep him alive.
He’d stayed away from people, barely communicating online. Becoming a hermit. Sinking further and further into grief as he dwelt in the past, living on memories.
How things had changed.
The day before, he’d taken four people and two dogs out on the boat. Yesterday, his son and granddaughter had suddenly arrived, along with Joyce’s sister. Today, there were three more people living on his property than there had been. He was contemplating adopting a dog to add to the mix. And it was the happiest he’d been since before Jeanie’s illness.
Life was wild.
He picked up his pace, feeling his internal temperature rise with the exertion. His only regret—and regret wasn’t really what he was feeling, more like a longing—was not being able to talk to Arlington and tell him thank you.
Thank you for leaving his house to Harper. Thank you for giving her a letter to deliver to Mitch, ensuring their paths would cross. Thank you for being a kind, quiet voice of reason and a stellar friend.
He missed Arlington. Even after death, the man had been an outstanding friend and guiding force in Mitch’s life.
He hoped he could be that kind of person for his son and granddaughter.
As he made the turn past the entrance gates, he realized he hadn’t put his earbuds in or brought his phone along. He laughed. Those earbuds had always been his insurance against anyone trying to talk to him or even say hi.
Now, here he was, naked to the world.
Still smiling, he ran on, passing Lucas’s house. Mitch was looking forward to playing some racquetball with the man. Maybe it would even become a regular thing. It would be good for him, not just physically, but emotionally. Lucas was a different sort of man than Arlington, but Mitch enjoyed his company.
He also respected the way Lucas hustled, making himself into a brand with hard work and by deliberately putting himself into the public eye.
The exact thing Mitch had spent the better part of his career avoiding.
Was he wrong? Should he be more like Lucas in some ways? More accessible? Kyle was a great resource when it came to the younger generation. Maybe his son would have some opinions.
Worth a conversation. He slowed as he neared the house, then decreased to a walk as he reached the driveway, letting himself cool down.
Today would be a busy day. Most days were. But things had gotten bumped up a notch with Kyle and Ruthie’s arrival. It was the best kind of busy.
He went inside, poured a mug of coffee and took it into the bathroom with him to shower. When he came out dressed for the day, Kyle was in the kitchen fixing a bottle for Ruthie.
“Hey,” Mitch said. “I can feed her if you want to sleep some more.”
Kyle, a little bleary-eyed, shook his head. “Believe it or not, I feel pretty well-rested. Better than usual, anyway. But you can feed her if you want. She’ll need to be changed, too.”
“I can handle that.”
Kyle shot his dad a strange look, then went to get coffee. “Were you this involved when I was a baby?”
“No, and I regret it. Are you okay with me wanting to help?”
Kyle snorted. “I’ve had three months of no sleep. Not saying I regret taking care of Ruthie in any way , but if you think I’m going to complain about anyone helping me, think again.” He leaned on the counter and drank from the mug he’d filled, sighing after he swallowed.
Mitch set his cup on the counter. “I’ll go get her.”
Ruthie was awake, staring up at the sea life mobile that was one of the numerous things Mitch had purchased yesterday.
“Hello, there, beautiful. Are you ready for some breakfast? How about we change you first?” He picked her up and carried her to the bed, where they’d set up a temporary changing station. He was getting good at this and had it done quickly. Then he cradled her in his arms, kissing her gently on the forehead as he carried her out. “Look, there’s Daddy.”
Kyle’s eyes lit up. “Morning, Ruthie.” His tiredness seemed to vanish. He held his hands out. “Come here, princess.”
Mitch handed her over.
She made happy little noises as Kyle kissed her. “Did you change her?”
“I did,” Mitch said proudly.
Kyle looked at Ruthie. “You want Granddad to give you your breakfast?”
Her little arm stretched out, fingers flexing.
Kyle kissed her again as the bottle warmer beeped softly to say it was done. “All yours again. I’ll grab a shower while I have the chance.”
“Good morning, Ripleys.” Joyce’s voice called out from the stairs. She reached the top, smiling at them. “Isn’t this a pretty picture. I see our little angel is up already.”
Mitch took her from Kyle’s arms. “I’m about to feed her while Kyle showers.”
“Shall I start on breakfast then?”
Mitch laughed. “Aren’t you even going to tell us how your sister is?” He took the bottle from the warmer and gave it to Ruthie. She latched on, eager.
“Oh, she’s grand. She’s having a cup of tea on the balcony right now. Flight was perfect and she’s still talking about that limo you sent to pick her up.”
Ruthie grabbed his hand while she drank. Mitch watched her. “I’m glad she enjoyed it. And that she’s here. When are you going to bring her over and introduce us?”
Joyce went into the kitchen. “Whenever it’s convenient. I figured you’d both be just getting your day started and I didn’t want to interrupt time with Ruthie.”
“Why don’t you make a big breakfast, and we’ll all eat together. Her, too. Invite her over.”
Joyce peered at him. “Are you sure about that? Don’t you have…work to do?”
“Yes, but I have all day to do that. Come on. Text Beryl and ask her over. Kyle won’t mind. Neither will Ruthie.”
Joyce smiled. “All right. I will. I know she’d love to meet you.” She picked up her phone and sent the text. She glanced at Mitch again. “That’s done, then. What would you like for breakfast? Whatever you please.”
“Something simple. Scrambled eggs and sausage? Toast? Or some of those muffins would be great. Whatever you want to make.”
Joyce’s phone chimed. She glanced at it. “Beryl says thank you for the invitation and she’s on her way.”