The Patchwork Heart

Chapter 15

Finn only woke me up once that night, which was surprising. After I fed him I went back to my bed to see Mitchell sound asleep. I leaned on the door frame of my room and watched him for a few moments. He was different from Dex. I already knew that, but after we made love I realized something important; Dex and I had only had sex. He never made love to me, he never took his time with me, he was rough and dominating. Dex had been my first so I didn't think much about it. I thought that was just what sex was like. However, Mitchell was slow and tender, he took great care of me. It felt like I was precious and treasured. I thought about it, maybe that was the difference between a boy and a man.

Mitchell was twenty-two years old, he knew what he wanted and he knew what to do. When Dex and I had been together we were both young and green. It never occurred to Dex to go slow with me, he was always in a hurry to get to the finish line. To be fair, with time he might have become more gentle, there was no way to know.

I stopped myself from pondering and crossed the room back to my bed. I crawled in next to Mitchell. He felt me shift and rolled over in his sleep to wrap me up in his strong arms. He murmured my name in his sleep and nuzzled in behind my neck. I let out a soft sigh and closed my eyes, I listened to his soft breathing as I fell back to sleep.

Mitchell brought some things to my house over the following few days. He packed the drawer I gave him so full I had to clear a space in my closet for him too. His toothbrush was in my bathroom along with a bottle of his shampoo and a razor. By the time Christmas rolled around it was as though Mitchell lived there with us. I was happy about it to be honest. He was easy to be with, Finn loved him and I realized I did too.

Garrett and Jessica came home from university for the holidays. Jessica sent me a text message that she would like to have a visit with me while she was home. I told her to stop by sometime, Finn and I were usually home. I wasn't sure she would actually show up or not, but left the open invitation in her court. Garrett came to see me the day after he got back home. He wanted to see the finished house and he couldn't wait to see Finn. I asked him over for breakfast and he was at my front door by 8:15am.

"Welcome back Garrett!" I said as I pulled him into a hug. He returned my embrace and sighed, "My finals almost killed me. I'm serious, it was tough. I am so glad to be home."

I laughed, "Well I am making sausage and cheese omelette with peppers so I hope you are hungry." He laughed and stepped into my front entrance. Garrett took off his boots and rushed to the living room to find Finn on the floor playing with his toys. He sat down next to my son and they played together while I made breakfast.

"So tell me about university? How was it? How were finals? Fill me in?" I asked from the kitchen. Garrett laughed from the floor, "Well, engineering is tough. Really tough. About half of my class flunked out already and they won't be back after Christmas. My grades are alright though, but I worked my ass off to get them." I smiled at him and nodded.

As I folded the omelette I asked, "Have you seen much of Jess at school?" He cleared his throat, "A bit. We eat lunch together sometimes." I served our breakfast on the plates and pushed it to him. Garrett stood up and took it. We walked to the table and set them down. "Coffee?" I asked. He nodded.

"It's different there. So many people, and no one knows you so you can be whoever you want to be. It's kind of weird, I grew up in a small town being somebody and now I'm just another guy." Garrett told me as he ate. I chuckled, "Yeah I can imagine that would be humbling."

Garrett went to use the washroom after we ate. As I was cleaning up the dishes I heard him call to me. I walked down to the bathroom and stood in the hallway. He gestured to the extra toothbrush next to the sink, "Who's toothbrush is this?" I blushed slightly and smiled, "Mitchell's."

His eyes went wide, "Are you serious? You and Mitch? How long?" I rolled my eyes and walked away, "A few months." Garrett followed on my heels quickly. I picked up Finn and put him in his highchair. I put some cool oatmeal in front of him with cinnamon and brown sugar. As I spoon fed my son, Garrett smiled at me.

"I can't believe he finally made a move. I never thought he would get the nerve." he admitted. I chuckled, "So you knew Mitch liked me for a long time then?" Garrett laughed and nodded, "Yeah, so did Dex. He used to tease Mitch about you all the time. I think Mitchell liked you before Dex did actually."

I glanced at him, "That's funny. Well, we aren't exactly spreading it around that we are together but we aren't hiding it either. He's great with Finn." Garrett nodded, "He would be, that is his nephew after all. I bet it was tough for you to accept at first."

"Not really. Mitch has been there for us since Dex died. Even before I found out I was pregnant Mitch would come by and see me. It feels in some strange way that this is how it's supposed to be." I admitted. He nodded but said nothing. Garrett told me about some of his new friends. I was happy to see he was moving on with his life. He'd always been in Dex's shadow in our little town. It was good to see him coming into his own. We were all moving on in our own way. It was surreal to see who we became without Dex; he stayed the same, frozen in time.

"I'm happy for you, Bree. You deserve to be happy. I know Dex would want you to be happy too." he told me. I smiled as I felt my eyes prickle with tears. Sometimes it still hurt, and I felt guilty about Dex but I had to move forward with my life. I couldn't spend it sad and alone like some kind of martyr. Garrett wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. I leaned into his chest and breathed deeply. I knew he could sense my mixed emotions, somehow he always knew how to react in those moments.

After Garrett left, I took Finn with me to the general store. My parents were both busy with Christmas stock. I offered to help but they shooed me away, reminding me I was technically still on maternity leave. I picked up a few items for my house and left to head to the post office. It was a bustling place at that time of year. People were getting their packages from Amazon for the holidays. I picked up my mail and looked through it. The doorbell rang as someone entered the lobby of the post office. I didn't look up from my mail but I heard a small gasp. I looked up and saw two women I didn't know standing there with a small child. I didn't recognize them but they seemed to know me somehow. The older woman seemed to be the mother of the younger. The young woman looked to be around my age, she held the small child close to her chest. I offered them a smile but they rushed out the door before I could offer a greeting. I shrugged it off, some people in town still didn't know what to say to me since Dex had passed away. I chalked it up to that and moved on with my day. Little did I know there was more to that young girl's story then I was prepared to hear.