Page 32 of Ronny

I take out my phone and call Maverick; he would recognize this woman and see if it’s actually Ronny’s biological aunt.

“You okay?” he asks me on the first ring because I never call him.

“No, one of my coworkers was sick and I took her case.” I let out a shaky breath. “The woman who answered the door had Ronny’s eyes, and I’m here because they suspected her of abuse and neglect. I think I’m holding Ronny’s cousin in my arms.”

He curses. “Give me the address and I will be there ASAP to see if it’s her.”

I text him the address once he hangs up and I walk out of the house to stand in the front yard to wait for him with the baby.

She doesn’t even bother to see if I’m going to take her child. Her eyes are just glued to the TV.

Twenty minutes later, I hear the bike before I see it, but he didn’t come alone. He brought Smiley and Lane with him also.

They look at the baby then toward the house. My heart is beating so fast. Maverick marches up the steps toward the house, and I bite my lip and follow close behind.

The woman stands up, expression confused when she sees Maverick. “You’re the people that adopted Ronny. You bought him,” she says, grinning. I swear you can see the dollar signs in her eyes.

“I will sell this one for fifty K. I got my tubes tied,” she adds in a rush of words. Rage hits me hard as I look at Lane and hand the baby off to him.

I’m not someone that resorts to violence, but I split the distance between us and punch her hard in the face. Her head whips back so hard, she falls back onto the couch.

“You stupid, pathetic bitch!” I scream at her, fisting my hands at my sides. I want to claw her face off, and I want to hurt her the way she has hurt them.

“Fuck yeah.” Lane laughs and Maverick joins in.

I turn around and look at them all. “I think I need to make a phone call, but one thing is for sure. I will not be letting her have that baby back.”

They all nod in agreement at that.

I step out onto the porch, letting out a deep breath so that I can gather my courage, because this is not a call I want to make.

I don’t want him to see his aunt, she has hurt him and now it’s going to be opening old wounds.

He answers almost instantly. “Hi, sweet girl.”

I close my eyes at his endearment, my heart breaking at the thought of upsetting him.

“Ronny, remember the case that my coworker gave me this morning?” I start, and run my hand over the top of my hair, nervous.

“Did someone hurt you?” he asks me, and I turn my hand over so I can look at my knuckles that are hurting.

“The case that I went to, Ronny, was your aunt. She had a daughter two weeks ago. You have a little cousin.” I just lay it all out to him, because how can you break news like that easily?

“Holy shit! Is she okay?” he asks, and I let the tears fall, sad for this little girl, and for Ronny who has seen the damage of this family firsthand.

“She seems to be, but do you want me to send her to foster care? Or find someone to take of her? I haven’t reported anything yet, so I’ll do whatever you want,” I tell him, and he lets out a deep breath.

It’s silent over the phone, I know he is thinking hard. Do I even want to be a mom? Yes, I do, more than anything. I have always wanted to be.

“You wanted to be a mom, right?” he asks, and I know what he is suggesting, I can practically feel him smiling to myself through the phone.

Maverick comes over to me. “Son, she called me here to make sure it is your biological aunt. We will take her, raise her, if you want us to do that?”

God, they are such good people, and I know they will do everything they can to take care of her. “Darlin’, you didn’t answer me,” Ronny tells me, and I look at Maverick who is grinning at me.

“Looks like we are going to be parents!”

Maverick has a look on his face like he knew that was going to be our choice all along.

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