“Thank you.” She pulls away. “The absolute nerve. I knew this was going to happen.” She points at my chest. “Remember how I said they were going to make this baby my responsibility? That’s why I set those boundaries, not that they care about boundaries, but I saw this coming from a million miles away. From the moment Devin slithered back into town, I knew he was looking for a way to dump that child on someone else. Which is a shame, because she doesn’t deserve that.”
Her last sentence is all I need to hear. There’s a chance.
“She doesn’t deserve that. She’s an innocent baby.”
“She sure is,” Mom agrees.
“My parents will have to deal with the consequences for once.” She raises both hands and takes a step back. “They gonna learn today.”
“I have a suggestion.” I take her hand and pull the seat out for her. “Please hear me out.” She looks up, crosses her arms, and narrows her eyes at me. “I’m on your side. Always.”
“Okay,” is all she says, but she doesn’t sound convinced.
“I want the best for Ruby, too. The best for her is not with your parents.” She stands abruptly, but I wrap my hand around her wrist. “I understand your resentment of your brother. I do, but she’s a baby.”
“I don’t hear a suggestion, and it better notbe—”
“We can adopt her,” I say quickly. She closes her eyes and shakes her head in disbelief. She lays her hands on the table, and I take them.
"I told you not to get attached," she reminds me.
"Sweetheart, by the time you told me that, it was already too late."
She sighs in exasperation.
“You have a beautiful heart, Daxton. It’s what I love about you the most, but sometimes, you can be such a dummy.”
My mom lets out a half-laugh, half-cough. Shocked by my wife’s words, my head rolls back.
“Why am I a dummy?”
“How the hell can we adopt a baby when her loser father is alive and healthy?”
“He can sign away his rights. We’ll get a lawyer to work it out. She will be ours.”
Chapter 67
Dax
She puts her hands to her temples and rubs. Once her hands are down, I take them both in mine.
“You’re unbelievable, Daxton.”
I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult, so I wait to hear more.
“We can’t do it. She’s going to grow up and be all messed up in the head when she finds out the truth. And she’ll know because Devin will tell her. That will send her right to the stripper pole, and I won’t be responsible for that.”
I almost want to cheer at her response. Mom gets closer and rests a gentle hand on Cori’s shoulder.
“We’re not going to lie to her. We’ll find a child therapist who specializes in adoption to help us tell her.” She looks down and shakes her head, but doesn’t offer a rebuttal.
“But Devin and my parents—”
“Sweetheart, this is not about Devin or your parents.” My mom’s nurturing voice fills the office. She sits, and I drop Cori’shands and let Mom take both. Mom’s always had a soothing way about her, so I step back and let her help. “This is about a little girl who needs a loving home.”
“But I don’t have any maternal instinct. I—”
“You do. Your first concern was Ruby’s well-being. You don’t want to lie to her. You want her to grow up to be healthy and happy. That’s what maternal instinct is. It's about protecting that child at all costs, and that was your first impulse.”
