as he shook my hand and pulled me in for a hug. It didn’t matter if the entirety of both clubs called him Pop, he would always be Uncle Tommy to me.
“Appreciate it. Means the world to me that you two are here,” I said.
“We’re happy to help. Though your Aunt Dolores wasn’t too thrilled about not being able to come meet the alleged newest addition to the Black family with us,” Uncle Tommy said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t be expecting any special Christmas cookies from her this year.”
I grinned. “Oh, I’m already planning on using all of Blue’s cuteness to get cookies every chance I can.”
Uncle Tommy laughed, “Based on those cute little cheeks alone, I’d say that’s a good plan.”
“What do you think I should do first?” I asked.
“You need to get a court-ordered paternity test as soon as possible. A friend of mine, Judge Hinkley, will be in his chambers in about an hour. If you’d like, I can stop by and get that order for you. Also, I think we should talk to him about granting you emergency guardianship until the paternity results come back or the mother is located. On that note, have a couple of the Old Ladies on standby to get the clubhouse ready to bring a baby home if Hinkley gives you custody. There’s no doubt that social services will be involved in this case.”
He paused for a moment and held my gaze. “Now, I personally don’t give a shit, but it’s not my opinion that matters. The state considers recreational marijuana use illegal, and it’s better that I know now if passing a drug test is going to be an issue for you.”
I snorted. “You could’ve just asked me if I smoked weed.”
“I don’t care if you smoke it, eat it, or vape it. What I want to know is if you can pass a drug test,” he snapped.
“Yes, I can. Piss, blood, or hair,” I said proudly.
Uncle Tommy grinned and clapped his hands together. “That’s what I wanted to hear! All right, you stay here and keep doing what you’re doing while Phoenix and I go see Judge Hinkley. You want us to pick you up some lunch while we’re out?”
“Yeah, that probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” I said. “Any kind of sandwich or burger from wherever you go will be fine. And a cookie.” I typically wasn’t a picky eater, but I wasn’t concerned with what they brought me back for lunch because I wasn’t sure I could eat anything. The knots that had been in my stomach since Blue was placed in my arms continued to tighten as the hours passed.
Hundreds of various outcomes played through my mind, from Heidi and I sharing custody of our daughter, to Blue being given to her real set of parents—which was neither me nor Heidi. But the one that I kept going back to was me raising Blue as a single father. What was Sloane going to think?
Fuck! I needed to call Sloane and tell her what was going on. Reaching for my phone, I stifled a curse when I remembered it didn’t work. Copper said he’d bring me one of the burners from the clubhouse to use when he came back by the hospital, so it’d have to wait until later.
My thoughts were interrupted when two nurses entered the room to collect cheek swabs from me and Blue for the paternity test. I didn’t doubt that Uncle Tommy would be able to get the order for the test, but I was surprised at how fast it was executed. And I hoped he was having as much luck with the order for guardianship.
By the time Phoenix and Uncle Tommy returned, my hopes for good news had significantly dwindled, but I tried to stay positive. With a somewhat forced smile on my face, I said, “I already know you got the order for the paternity test. They came by to collect our samples over two hours ago. Thank you, Uncle Tommy.”
“You’re welcome. Sorry it took us so long to get back with your food. You’re probably starving by now,” he said and handed me a paper bag and a drink.
“I appreciate it,” I said and placed the bag to the side. “But I don’t feel like I could eat anything right now.”
Phoenix snorted. “Yeah, I know exactly what you’re talking about. The part that’s making you want to puke will go away once you get the results. Well, it did