for the jewelry box and opened it, gasping at what I saw. While the few bracelets, earrings, and rings stored inside were breathtaking, it was the contents of a small velvet bag that had me shouting with glee and promptly slapping my hand over my mouth hoping that Tiernan didn’t hear me.
Inside the dark green, drawstring pouch was a tooth. A whole, intact molar. It was creepy as fuck but also incredibly lucky because it was filled with testable DNA. Or so I hoped. I needed to do a little research to be sure. But that wouldn’t be a problem. What concerned me was figuring out who the tooth belonged to.
When I finished with the box, I turned to the photo albums to see what treasures they held inside. Once again, I was amazed as I turned page after page of nothing but photos of Heidi and Paige spanning what had to be at least five years, if not more, of their lives.
“Hot damn!” I breathed when my eyes landed on a picture of Paige in bed with a compress held to her cheek and gauze hanging out of her mouth. Finally! I had something to go on.
12
After we were discharged from the hospital, I planned on taking Blue to the clubhouse and figuring things out from there. However, Leigh had other plans. When my parents died, Copper inherited our grandparents’ house, and I inherited our parents’ house, which was less than a mile from Leigh's home. “What are you doing?” I asked suspiciously.
“Hush, and don't ruin the surprise,” she playfully scolded from the front seat.
When she pulled into the driveway, she didn't say a word until she was opening the car door to help me with Blue. “I know you’re planning on taking her home to the clubhouse, but the Old Ladies and I have a surprise to show you first.”
With that, I followed her inside to find my parents’ house—my home—partially redecorated.
“Anything we replaced or removed from the house is in storage at the clubhouse. I didn't want to accidentally do away with something you wanted to keep. Same thing with the paint. We have colors picked out, but I wanted to get your approval on that.” She held up one finger to hold my response at Bay. “But first, the big surprise.”
She led me down the hallway to what used to be the office. “Copper said we should use this room. If that's not okay, everything can be put back the way it was.” She nervously opened the door to reveal a perfect nursery for a newborn baby girl.
“It’s perfect,” I managed to say, struggling with the emotions clogging my throat. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” she said and wrapped her arm around my waist. “I’m not overly emotional, and neither are you. Let’s leave it at that, okay?”
I squeezed her shoulder and took a few moments before I cleared my throat and agreed with her. “Deal.”
She spent the next few hours showing me where everything was and helping us get settled. Of course, Copper and Layla arrived less than half an hour after we did, and the rest of the club and Old Ladies trickled in to visit throughout the day.
Leigh stayed until Blue went down for the night. Before she left, I turned to her and admitted the truth. “I’m terrified for you to leave. I don’t know what I’m doing, Leigh. What if I mess up?”
She pulled me into her arms just like a mother would, even though I’d outgrown her years ago. “You’ll be just fine. I’m right down the road, and you can call me if you need me. Don’t forget, you were raised by a wonderful mother. If you’re ever unsure of what to do, think about Goldie and how she would’ve handled the situation. We all make mistakes. All you can do is love your child and do what you think’s best for them. The rest will work itself out. Now, go get some sleep while she’s sleeping, because that’s the only sleep you’re gonna get for a few months.”
“You’re supposed to leave on a positive note,” I grumbled.
“Your mother would be more than proud of the man you’ve become. Now go in there and keep making her proud.”
“That’s what I needed to hear,” I confessed and dropped a kiss on the top of her head before reluctantly letting her go.
Fuck me. I was completely alone with my daughter for the first time, and I wanted to run out the front door