“I’d imagine so, Sterling. But I’m still not seeing the problem.”
“We could break up tomorrow—”
Billy huffed a laugh and waved me off. “You’d get a ring on your finger before Money did something that stupid.”
“But I’m not her mother. I might feel like it. I might take care of her like it, but one day she’s going to have questions. And no matter how much I love her, she’s going to be upset that her real mother isn’t here.” I had to blink several times because I could feel the tears start to well up.
She sat upright and looked surprised at my confession. “Is that honestly what you think?”
“Yes. I might not like my mother but I know her. I feel like I destiny swapped with some girl I didn’t even know.”
“You definitely didn’t do that. It takes a conniving bitch to step into someone else’s life and it always comes back to bite them. But what you need to understand is that she’s always going to see you as her mother. Be honest with her, but bonds have been formed, Sterling. She’s not going to love you any less.” Billy was staring at me sympathetically but she was speaking like she could understand where my doubts were coming from.
Shifting Ami again I didn’t want to be nosy but I had to ask, “How do you know?”
She smiled gently before she picked up her phone and hit a number. “From experience.”
I waited because I had a dozen questions. I’d met Billy’s mother and they favored each other far too much for her not to be biologically related. Maybe she was an aunt or some other relative. I thought about Yzabel and she was the spitting image of her mother so I know she wasn’t adopted.
“Yes, Willa?” Her mother’s heavily accented voice came through the line and there was dim noises in the background.
“Mama is Destiny close by?” My ears perked up because why would she be asking for Destiny?
Her daughter had the perfect mix of her parent’s features. Her hair was the same curly blonde as her father and her skin tone was similar to her mother’s. She had the most vividly colored violet eyes I’d ever seen on a human but she couldn’t have been talking about Destiny.
“You know your daughter wouldn’t be anywhere else but underfoot. Desi, mommy’s on the phone!”
I heard Destiny speaking about something to her grandmother before she got closer to the phone. After a little fumbling, her voice came over the phone. “Hi Mommy.”
Billy’s face lit up the way I was sure mine would whenever Ami started to speak. Even now when she reached for me I was sure I looked that way. Like everything right in my world was owed to her. I was thankful that the restaurant we were in had placed us in a back corner so that no one could overhear such a deeply personal conversation.
“Hello my love. One of Mommy’s friends has a problem and I want you to help me help her, okay?” Billy’s voice was softer but not a baby voice.
“Ohhh, like a big girl? I can do that!”
Her enthusiasm was contagious because I was ready to pick this little girl up for a playdate. Billy turned the phone around and Destiny waved at me as she grinned. “Hi Ms. Sterling! How is baby Ami? Is she coming to play with the twins soon?”
I glanced down at Ami who had looked around when she heard her name being called. “She’s almost old enough and then yes I’ll be more than happy to come and let her play.”
Destiny’s eyes lit up like she had an amazing idea. “Or you can come pick them up. They’ve started to get into my room and—”
“Destiny Grayson that is not why you’re on the phone!” Billy took the phone back and gave her a mama look that she’d better stop playing with her.
“Sorry, Mommy.” Her tone of voice let me know she really wanted them kids to stay out of her room and she wasn’t the least bit sorry.
“Do you remember when me and daddy talked to you about your other parents?” My breath stilled because she was being this open with me and I hated to feel like I’d forced her to bring up something that was painful for her. But the look on her face made it look as though this wasn’t some deep family secret. Especially if a five-year-old who was friendly with everyone like Destiny knew something.
“Yes ma’am. They had to go away to be safe.”
Billy nodded and the two tendrils she’d left out in the front of her face shook while the rest of her bun was still intact. “That’s right. How do you feel about them?”
“I love them because they made sure that I would have you.” My heart damn near stopped with how she was saying the words I would hope I would hear from Ami one day.
“Are you still okay with Mommy being your mommy?”
“Of course, silly, you’re always going to be my mommy no matter what. And Daddy is going to be my daddy. He says I can stay here in my room until I’m thirty-five.”
Billy laughed and I knew she was grateful for it because she’d started to tear up. “Absolutely not. But Ms. Sterling wanted to hear from someone who has two mommies how you felt about it.”
