Page 103 of Sinful Skulls
“Is this … is this one of mine?”
“Yes. It was hanging on my parent’s refrigerator for years. I took it from them before I went looking for you.”
“Are they good people?” she asks, looking at me over her shoulder.
I step up beside her. “They are. Um, it’s a long story, but everyone in my past life kind of hates me. They thought I was helping a bad man in our community, but I was really just trying to keep everyone from finding out about me and my teacher.” I can’t bring myself to call him her father.
“Maybe now that he’s gone, you could talk to them and explain.”
The thought makes me nauseous.
She gives me a kind smile. “I understand. I had a hard time calling my parents after I found out about the adoption. It was just a suggestion. If you ever decide you want to talk to them, I’d be happy to be there with you. You know, for moral support.” She turns back to the painting. “I was obsessed with watercolor paints when I was little.”
I stare at her. She’s just found out that I’m her birth mother, and she’s already here in my home, helping me. I’m pretty sure it should be the other way around. Daisy is an incredible humanbeing, and I’ll never be able to thank her parents enough for raising her to be such a strong woman.
“I’ve loved you from the moment I found out I was pregnant,” I whisper.
She turns around, her arms falling to her sides. Her gaze runs over my face. “Henry had a portrait of you …” Her voice cracks. “It didn’t show your face, but somehow I could feel your desperation to flee. The fear I felt while looking at it was stifling. I can’t imagine how it was sitting for it.”
Daisy moves to my bed and sits down.
“I’m not sure what my biological father put you through,” she continues. “I thought I was drawn to the dark, but I didn’t know what dark was until I stared true evil in the face.”
I sit down and wrap my arm around her. We stare into each other’s tear-filled eyes for a moment, but then she smiles. “You were bad ass today.” She begins to giggle.
It makes me chuckle too, but not because I agree. I was terrified. I’m just in awe of how resilient my daughter is. “Only when it comes to protecting what’s mine. Otherwise, I’m a straight up weenie.”
Her fingers wrap around the necklace at her neck.
“It’s the dragonfly,” I say, surprised she’s wearing it.
She lifts it for me to have a better look. “It is. Rachel gave it to me. She said I needed it more than her granddaughter right now. She also told me not to waste time. Coming from someone who is running out of it, how could I not listen?”
“I never thought I’d get any time with you, but I’m so glad it’s working out that way. I do love you, Daisy.”
Her head tips to the side, and her eyes light like she’s just solved a mystery. “You named me, didn’t you?”
I nod.
“Why Daisy?”
“Because the daisy represents new beginnings. Your life was a fresh start.” I drop my gaze to my hands in my lap. “It just couldn’t be with me.”
She hugs me from the side. “Maybe it was a fresh start for both of us. It just took a little longer for you to catch up to me. The universe works in mysterious ways.”
I wipe my eyes, understanding why Brody has chosen my daughter. She’s a kind soul just like him. “Come on. Let’s get you in the shower. You need to get some sleep.”
After her shower, we eat the snack the men provided and then we all head to bed. I hover by the door as Daisy and Brody turn down the bedding. “If you need anything, please just wake us. We won’t mind.”
Jacob wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me away. “Goodnight you two,” he says.
Their laughter follows us as he drags me down the hallway.
When we’re in our own bed, he kisses my forehead and tugs me close. “I was thinking. We should turn the room in the basement into another guest room. I mean, what if both of our girls want to spend the night at the same time?”
I run my hand over his handsome face. “There’s no windows in that room. What if there’s a fire? It’s not safe.”
He laughs. “Do you doubt my abilities woman? I’ll dig one out.”
