Chapter 20 #2
“What happened?” I questioned him frantically.
He sighed into the phone. “Get to the clubhouse, Tech. I don’t think Jenny is going to make it through the night.”
Fuck.
The past four days had been a blur. Even though I knew Jenny’s time was coming to an end, it didn’t make things easier. My daughter's mother was gone. For the first few days, it was like Miracle could sense that Jenny was no longer here. She was extremely fussy, and it was hard to calm her down.
Angela came by to drop off a few things Jenny wanted us to have after her passing.
She left a teddy bear that smelled like her with a voice recording saying she loved Miracle.
Ever since we gave it to her, Miracle always wanted it with her.
People thought babies were oblivious to a lot of things, but I didn’t believe that.
Honestly, I thought babies were great judges of character.
Angela also ended up giving us three letters. One for me, Will, and Miracle. I still hadn’t opened mine, and neither had Will. There was so much going on, I didn’t want to add anything else to my plate.
Today was the day we were laying Jenny to rest. She didn’t want a service, just a small burial with her close friends and Angela’s family. Everything had been planned from the time she was diagnosed. So here we were, four days later, standing at her burial site.
We allowed a few of her friends, including Angela, to say a few words.
At first, I wasn’t going to speak, but the more I sat there, the more I felt compelled to speak my piece.
It was like I could feel Jenny’s presence.
When I stood and approached the podium, Angela’s eyes enlarged.
She moved out of the way and took a seat next to her father and mother.
I glanced around and saw the supportive smiles on my brothers’ faces. Even though no one had a personal relationship with Jenny, the entire club came to her burial in support of me. As I gazed at Will bouncing Miracle on his knee, a smile came over my face.
After a moment, I cleared my throat. “I didn’t have any plans on speaking today.
But as I sat here listening to everyone share memories of Jenny, I felt the need to say a few things.
I didn’t know Jenny too well until recently.
When she shared her story with me, I learned that she and I were one and the same.
We battled a traumatic childhood, fighting to be free from the shambles of our past.” I paused, taking a deep breath before I continued.
“When Jenny came to me about Miracle and her past, I was blown away. With everything she had endured in her past and present, she hadn’t allowed it to break her.
She fought to the very end. The way she put our daughter first to ensure she had a healthy upbringing means more to me than she’ll ever know.
” I place my hand on top of her casket. “I will protect our daughter with my life. She will be loved and cherished in a way we didn’t experience. ”
After plucking a rose from the standing spray, I laid it on top of her casket. “Rest easy, Jenny.”
As I walked away, a chilling breeze whizzed past my face. I paused for a moment, closing my eyes. It felt like that was Jenny letting me know she heard me. When I reopened my eyes, I saw Will and a few of the Ol’ Ladies wiping their tears while the brothers wore solemn expressions.
Once Jenny’s casket started lowering into the ground, everyone got in line to grab a rose from the stand we had near the burial site. Angela was the last to throw a rose into the plot. It was hard watching her as she broke in her father’s arms.
The moment was interrupted when I heard Angela's mother gasp. I turned to her and saw that her face was morphed in concern. I followed her gaze and saw an older woman with blonde hair approaching. She was showing way too much skin to be at a cemetery. The closer she got, the more I recognized her.
This was Jenny’s mother, Jocelyn. After everything Jenny told me, I did a full background check on her mother. I was prepared for when she came for me. I just didn’t think she would try anything before we fully buried Jenny.
“How dare you bury my child without telling me!” she shouted at Angela.
Angela opened her mouth to say something, but burst into tears again. Kenneth handed Angela over to her mother before facing Jocelyn. “It's what she wanted, Jocelyn.”
She reached back and slapped Kenneth. “Don’t you tell me what she wanted! She was my only child. I have a right to be here!” she hissed. “And where is my grandchild? She will be going with me today!”
Kenneth glared at her, not saying a word. Slowly, I stood to my feet, gaining her attention. She looked down at Miracle in Will’s lap, then back at me.
“She won't be going anywhere with you,” I said.
As soon as I said that, two men appeared out of nowhere, flanking both sides of her. They were well over six feet tall and muscular. I assumed these were Jocelyn's brothers that Jenny told me about. Her mother gave me a devious smile. “You sure about that?”
I chuckled, walking over to them. I didn’t even need to turn around once I heard all the shuffling behind me. I knew my brothers were on their feet, issuing a silent warning.
If you fucked with one of us, then you fucked with all of us.
I got a great deal of joy when I saw the cocky expressions drop from their faces. I folded my arms, leaning forward until I hovered over her. “I’m positive about that.”
I watched her face go from shock to fury in a matter of seconds. I knew she thought she was going to come here and leave with Miracle with ease.
“You can't do this! She is my grandchild!” she screamed.
“And she’s my daughter. I know exactly what you’re after, and you’re not going to get it. Now, Jenny didn’t want you here, so I’m going to ask you to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere! I will get her one way or another,” she threatened.
“Over your dead body,” I whispered so only Jocelyn and her brothers could hear me.
Fear swirled in their eyes. I stared at them fiercely so they could see I meant every word. I would kill them without blinking if they came for Miracle. My daughter was my entire world. Threatening to take her was a quick way to make me same day ship you to Jesus.
Eventually, one of the brothers tugged on her arm. “Come on, Jocelyn. Let’s just go.”
“But—”
“Now,” he cut her off.
She watched me with hateful eyes. “This isn’t over!” she spat before storming away.
I cracked the bones in my neck, feeling the urge to snap. I didn’t know if Jocelyn thought because she was Jenny’s mother that I wouldn’t harm her, but she was sadly mistaken. I wasn’t going to wait for her to come at me.
She was going to see me a lot sooner than she expected.