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.
