Beau
“Excuse me for one minute, please.” Birdie cleared her throat and got up from the couch, but my hand caught her wrist.
“Don’t go,” I pleaded. She was running away, and I selfishly needed her help.
“I’m just going to grab my phone, I’ll only be gone a minute. I’m not going anywhere.”
I released her, nodding before my eyes went back to the baby in my arms. She really was so cute. My heart instantly broke for her.
“Her mom passed away?” I whispered.
“Yes.” Ms. Slater looked down at the baby…at my daughter.
“Did she live in Austin? After all this time?” My mind couldn’t wrap around her not reaching out to let me know. To say something. Anything.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t Rosa look for me? Why didn’t she tell me about the baby?”
Ms. Slater cleared her throat, an apologetic smile lifting her face.
“I don’t have those answers for you, Beau.
I’m very sorry that we simply don’t know.
What I do know is Rosa was on her own. She didn’t have any family in the area, or any blood relatives nearby that we could track down.
When we were able to obtain a copy of Juniper’s birth certificate, it felt like a miracle to see your name listed there.
I do need to ask, though, are you capable and willing to take in your daughter? ”
My vision grew blurry as I looked at the sweet girl in my arms. She was sleepy, but fighting it.
And although her eyelids were drooping, she just kept staring at my face.
Something in my chest pulled, an ache snapping deep inside.
She yawned, her little fist coming up to rub at her mouth.
I slipped my hand up her back and gently started patting.
Beckett had been the same way around this age, and I was the best at getting him to sleep out of all the uncles.
Birdie came back down the stairs, holding Beckett’s travel playpen that we now used whenever my brother Colt and his wife, Violet, came over with their son, Connor. Holy shit. Connor and Juniper were only a few weeks apart in age.
I watched as my best friend set the bag down, wincing as she bent over.
“Birdie, I’ll do that.”
“You have precious cargo in your hands, Cowboy. Let me.”
I nodded, unsure of how to fix this fucking mess.
“I don’t have…I don’t have everything she’ll need here. I’m not a dad. I mean, I wasn't fifteen minutes ago. But I’ll get whatever she needs. I’ll take care of her. I want her here. She belongs here, with me.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.” Ms. Slater shifted the bag at her feet. “I see you have somewhere safe for her to sleep tonight, which is a great first step. I’ve also brought along some of the things she’ll need tonight.”
“Where was she before this? Who was watching out for her these last few days?” I asked.
“Juniper was with a foster family, she was in very good hands,” Ms. Slater assured me.
I nodded, my eyes burning. She was with strangers for days.
She was with a stranger now.
Maybe she could sense my unease. Maybe she was just really tired.
But her head laid down on my shoulder, her warm breath slowly brushing against my skin, and that was it.
This sweet little girl that I had no idea even existed fifteen minutes ago now was the most precious thing I’d ever been in charge of keeping safe.
“Birdie?”
Her hand rested over mine on the baby’s back for a moment. “You’re a natural. You’ve got this.”
Ms. Slater shifted in her seat, her eyes narrowing on me. “With this being a surprise, you are obviously well within your rights to request a test to establish paternity.”
I nodded. “What would happen to Juniper while we waited for those results?”
“She would go to another foster family.”
“No.” I tightened my hold on the baby, now asleep in my arms. “I want her to stay. I’m her dad, it says so right on her birth certificate. I can do this.”
“Where are her things?” Birdie asked. “Did she get to keep her toys? Her clothes? What about something that smells like her mom?”
Ms. Slater gave Birdie a tight smile, but her eyes filled with sadness.
“Unfortunately, not. The foster family was kind enough to send along some things for Juniper, but Ms. Monaco’s estate is now being handled by the state. Since Juniper was at daycare at the time of her mother’s death, we transported her directly into temporary custody with her foster family.”
“Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry, sweetheart.
” Birdie’s hand dusted over Juniper’s head.
“We’ll get whatever she needs. But please, if you can, put in a request for something, anything, of her mother’s to be saved for her.
She’ll want it one day. Even if it’s just a shirt.
Especially if it’s a picture we can show her of them together. ”
“I’ll do my best,” Ms. Slater said, nodding. She reached down to her briefcase and pulled out a stack of paperwork. “Beau, would you mind handing the baby to your friend so we can go over the required paperwork?”
I didn’t even have to say a word to her; Birdie could probably see the fear written all over my face. She swooped in, like I knew she would.
“I’m happy to take her. We’ll need to inventory the diaper bag, too. If there’s anything not in there that we’ll need to get through the night, I can drive out and get it.”
I tried to argue. She’d had a bad day at work. She was fucking hurt and pretending like that wasn’t a big deal. And she was exhausted. There was no way I was sending her out for things my daughter—God, I really had a daughter—needed. “Bird—”
“Nope. Hand that sweet girl over to me. Sign the paperwork so we can get her settled here. It’s going to be okay, you have each other now.”
I gently moved Juniper into Birdie’s arms, waiting for…well, for Juniper to cry. But she didn’t. She just looked up at Birdie with her big blue eyes as Birdie rocked her gently back and forth, whispering to her.
“What about her mother?” I asked, my hand running over my face.
“I’m sorry?” Two lines formed between Ms. Slater’s brows as she tipped her head in confusion.
“Is someone taking care of her final arrangements?”
“Oh.” Understanding sparked in her eyes. “No. Right now, she’s in Austin, unclaimed. In these situations, the state will normally look to the estate to cover the cost of burial. If that doesn’t exist, they will use funds from the state to cover the cost of cremation.”
“Beau…” My name was a plea, and I didn’t even need to look at Birdie to know what she was thinking.
“I’ll cover the costs. I don’t know what needs to happen so I can be the person to receive her ashes, but our daughter shouldn’t have to grow up not knowing where her mother’s remains are.”
Ms. Slater nodded. “You’ll need to speak with the Travis County Coroner’s Office tomorrow morning. They’ll have further information for you.”
“Okay. I’ll do that.” I nodded, blowing out a slow breath. “I’m ready to sign those papers.”