Chapter 14 #2
I turned to Will, shaking my head. “No, you will not. The only thing I will keep from you is club business. Nothing more, nothing less.” I turned back to Axel. “What’s going on?”
Axel rubbed the back of his neck. “Jenny is at the gate. She said it’s important that she talks to you.”
The air left my lungs. I hadn’t seen Jenny since the night I slept with her.
She had been coming to the clubhouse for years to party, but after that night, she disappeared.
I didn’t care one way or the other. I was just glad she didn’t turn into one of those clingy, delusional chicks.
I was already under enough stress losing Will.
I didn’t need Jenny coming around to make things worse.
Still, I was curious to see why she was here after all these months.
After some of the crazy shit the brothers had endured with their past flings, I needed to see where her head was at. I already had one threat against Will. I didn’t need two.
I faced Will and saw a different swirl of emotions. Confusion, curiosity, but most of all, he looked worried. I didn’t know if he thought a part of me still wanted Jenny, but that wasn’t the case at all. Not to sound like an asshole, but I didn’t want Jenny the night I had her.
“Are you okay with this?” I questioned him.
He nodded quickly. “Yes. It’s been a long time since that night. Whatever brought her here must be important.”
“Send her back, Axel.”
“Alright, brother.” Axel made his way down the stairs of the porch as I shut the front door.
Will and I took seats on the sofa in the living room. About five minutes later, another knock sounded on the door. Will jumped, and I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. I kissed him until I felt the tension leave his body. Once he was relaxed, I got up and opened the front door.
As soon as my eyes landed on Jenny, they widened. She was all skin and bones. She had a scarf tied around her head, which no longer had hair, and she was extremely pale. An older man was standing next to her, holding on to her. Jenny offered me a timid smile.
“Hi, Tech.”
“Hey. Uhhh, come on in.”
I held the door open, and the man beside Jenny helped guide her inside. I watched as her legs trembled with each step she took. Will's mouth hung open. He was just as shocked as I was.
Jenny and the man sat on the sofa on the other side of us.
“I’m sure you guessed from my appearance that I’m sick. I was recently diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer.”
I was at a loss for words. Like I said, Jenny had been coming to the clubhouse for years.
She was a cool chick. She never caused issues when she was here.
She just loved to party. As bad as I felt, I still wondered what that had to do with me.
We were never close. We only spoke here and there during parties.
The night I hooked up with her was the first time.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Jenny. I’m not trying to sound uncaring, but what does that have to do with me?”
She turned to the man beside her, and he gave her an encouraging nod. “I don’t know how else to say this, so I’m just going to rip it off like a Band-Aid.” She paused and took a deep breath. “We have a three-month-old daughter.”
The fuck!
That was not on the bingo card for me. I didn’t know what I expected her to say, but it sure as fuck wasn’t this. I barely remembered that night, so I can’t be sure I used protection. I got tested after that night, so I knew I was clean.
I didn’t know how long I sat here frozen like a statue, but Will shook my arm, snapping me out of it. “Say something.”
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. Then I started doing the math in my head. I’d never forget how long Will had cut me off. It was a little over nine months. If Jenny had a three-month-old daughter, it sure as shit wasn’t mine.
“Jenny, if your daughter is three months old, it’s impossible for her to be mine.”
“It is possible since she was born three months premature.”
Once more, I was speechless. That solved that mystery, but it still didn’t prove the baby was mine.
If she was, I would certainly step up and take care of my child.
Will and I always talked about adopting one day.
I wanted those things with him. I just didn’t think I would end up fathering a baby with a woman I barely knew.
Will rubbed my back as I squeezed his hand. I no longer had any resistance about him touching my back. Every time he touched my scars, I felt like he was healing another piece inside me. He accepted everything that came with my past and present. Flaws and all.
“Babe, you have to say something.”
Before I could say anything, Jenny opened her mouth. “I know this is hard to believe. I don’t have the best reputation. I don’t mind doing a DNA test. Actually, I prefer it. You’re going to need the documentation.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I’ll tell you in a moment, but first I need to know that you want her. I don’t have much time left, and I want to know that my daughter is going to be taken care of.”
I sat forward, looking her in the eyes so she could see the honesty of my words. “If she is mine, I want her. I would never turn my back on my child.”
“Can we see her?” Will asked. He didn’t seem upset at all.
Jenny nodded, pulled her phone out, and started typing.
I was a little baffled. I was so stuck in a state of shock that I didn’t even think about how this news was affecting him. Now that I was paying attention, I didn’t understand how he was so calm about this.
Will noticed my expression and shook his head with a laugh. “What did I just tell you? Nothing from our past is affecting our future. Especially not an innocent baby. I’m behind you with whatever you decide.”
I closed my eyes as so many emotions swept over me.
I couldn’t keep up. Will was too good for me.
I didn’t know what I did to deserve him.
Will brought his forehead to mine, caressing the side of my face.
We were so focused on each other, we didn’t notice the man beside Jenny get up until he opened the front door.
A woman with short, chestnut-brown hair walked in holding a car seat. She looked apprehensive as she set it down on the coffee table in front of us. It had a pink blanket thrown over it, shielding the baby.
“This is my best friend, Angela, and her father, Kenneth. They’ve been helping me get my affairs in order.” She looked up at Angela and gave her a nod. Angela pulled the blanket down, revealing the baby. “And this is your daughter, Miracle.”
As soon as my eyes landed on her, I knew she was mine. She had my entire face down to my bright blue eyes. As if she knew who I was, her little eyes connected with mine, and she smiled. I was having a hard time breathing. I couldn’t believe this was happening.
“Oh my God,” Will whispered beside me. His hand was over his mouth as he stared at the baby.
“Can… Can I hold her?” I asked Jenny.
“Of course.”
Angela took the straps off Miracle, carefully pulling her from the car seat. As she placed her in my arms, Will was beside me giving instructions on how to hold her.
“You really know what you’re doing,” Jenny noted with a bit of surprise.
Will chuckled. “I’m a nanny, so I have lots of experience dealing with babies.”
Jenny gave Will a warm smile. “Well, that’s good.” She paused, looking between Will and me. “I don’t mean to overstep, but are you two together?”
I frowned instantly. Although there wasn’t any hostility or judgment in her tone, I didn’t know where this line of questioning was headed. “We are. Is that a problem?”
Jenny's eyes widened. She shook her head rapidly. “Not at all. I’m actually relieved you won’t be doing this alone. It will look a lot better to the judge.”
“Judge? What are you talking about, Jenny? You’ve been speaking in code since you've been here. The only clear thing is that Miracle is my daughter.”
Jenny opened her mouth and began coughing violently.
She pulled a napkin from her pocket, covering her mouth.
Kenneth rubbed her back as Angela grabbed a bottle of water from her purse.
She took the lid off and held it out to Jenny.
Once Jenny was done coughing, she pulled the napkin away, which was now covered in blood.
Jenny grabbed the bottle to take a sip, but her hands shook uncontrollably.
Angela took the bottle and held it to Jenny's lips as she took a few sips.
Will and I watched with concern. I couldn’t believe that in one day, I found out I had a daughter, and her mother was dying. I knew firsthand how it felt to grow up without a mother.
It took a few minutes before Jenny was well enough to speak again.
“As I told you, I was recently diagnosed with stage-four cancer. I planned on raising Miracle alone. I know that wasn’t my decision alone to make, but I didn’t want to risk you rejecting our daughter.
After my diagnosis, I went to a lawyer to see if I could leave custody of Miracle with Angela.
I do not, under any circumstances, want my daughter in my mother’s care.
The lawyer explained that since my mother would be next of kin, she would have a greater chance of winning custody against Angela.
He said the best way to ensure my mother didn’t get Miracle was if her father took her or we both signed over our rights to Angela. ”
I was ready to respond, but Miracle reached up, tugging at my beard.
When I looked down, she was still grinning at me.
I grabbed her tiny hand, bringing it to my lips.
There was no way anyone was getting my daughter other than me.
Besides Will, I had never felt this level of protectiveness for anyone else.
Anyone who thought they would take her from me would have to kill me.
“I want to make a few things clear. I want my daughter. I’ll do whatever I have to make that happen.
The club has a damn good attorney who can help with whatever we’ll need to make sure Miracle stays with me.
But first, I need you to tell me exactly what I’m dealing with concerning your mother, Jenny. ”
“She’s a terrible woman, Tech. For as long as I can remember, she never had a maternal bone in her body.
She was my father’s mistress. He died when I was six.
Once his checks stopped rolling in, she no longer cared about me.
By the time I was thirteen, I was taking care of myself.
She had so many different men in and out of our home.
One of them ended up snatching my innocence at sixteen.
I turned to drugs to cope. Before I knew it, I was a mini version of her—smoking, drinking, and partying to numb the pain. ”
She paused as her tears began to flow. “Then I got pregnant. Miracle changed me. I knew I didn’t want to be to her what my mother was to me.
So, I went into rehab and got my life together.
Four months into my pregnancy, my mother had started reaching out to me.
I hadn’t talked to her in years. She was relentless for months.
After my six-month checkup, I was leaving when my uncles cornered me in the parking garage, trying to force me into their vehicle.
I tried to resist, and they ended up slamming me into a car nearby.
I started bleeding, and they panicked, leaving me in the parking garage.
“Luckily, a nurse heard me screaming and helped me inside. I ended up having an emergency C-section. The doctor told me her survival rate would be low because it was so early on. That’s why I named her Miracle.
” She dried her eyes with a bright smile as she watched me with Miracle.
“Anyway, it wasn’t until after I went to the lawyer to make sure my mother didn’t get custody that I realized why she was reaching out.
Apparently, my father had left me a trust fund of five hundred thousand dollars that I am supposed to receive when I turn twenty-five. ”
I dragged my palm down my face. I had so much on my plate already.
I didn’t have time to battle a money-hungry grandparent.
I didn’t know if Jenny would care or not, but I would kill her mother before I let her raise my daughter.
She failed Jenny in so many ways. I refused to let Miracle suffer from the same circumstances.
“We need to go talk to the club’s lawyer, Michael. He’ll be able to get everything done for us. How soon are you available to meet me at his office?”
“The sooner we get this done, the better. I’m getting worse by the day, and I don’t know how much time I have left.
My twenty-fifth birthday is in two weeks.
All of my trust will pass down to Miracle.
You can bet your bottom dollar my mother will be gunning for her the second I take my last breath. ”
“I know we don’t really know each other, but I need you to understand, Miracle will be safe.
Nothing and no one will take her from me.
In the meantime, while we’re getting all the paperwork together, where are you two staying?
You basically just told me your uncles tried to kidnap you for this money. ”
Jenny looked between Kenneth and Angela before answering.
“I’ve been staying with Angela and her parents.
I was hoping once we got everything straight with the lawyers, you could take Miracle.
My doctor recommended that I get hospice care.
Once I know Miracle is safe, I can check into a center that I found. ”
I hated that Jenny wouldn’t be a part of our daughter’s life. She would have made a damn good mother. She was dying from cancer, clearly in pain, and her main focus was to ensure the safety of our daughter. And for that, she earned my loyalty.
I leaned over to whisper in Will’s ear. “Would you be okay with her staying at the clubhouse in the infirmary?”
“Absolutely. I was going to suggest it, if you didn’t.”
My heart swelled, knowing I truly had a partner in life. Through all our ups and downs, he still loved me unconditionally and supported me. Even though our storm just got a little rockier, I knew he would be behind me every step of the way.