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Steven also submitted a change of name deed. Our little girl lost that awful moniker and was now called Amelia Abigail Cutter. Jett had picked Abigail, and I’d chosen Amelia. Judge David signed off on the name change application and informed us to return in three months to complete the adoption papers. We were over the moon, and Steven had been back-slapped and kissed so many times he looked giddy.
I stood on the steps with Reid, who had an arm around my waist. Reid clutched me closer to him and squeezed me hard; I leaned into Reid with Amelia in my arms.
“I have a niece,” Reid said with a big grin at the little girl, who stared solemnly at him.
“Yeah, I have a daughter,” I whispered. Who’d have thought six months ago I’d be married to a biker and have a daughter? Jett came over with a massive grin on his face.
“Hog roast at the clubhouse. Are we ready?” Jett asked, taking Amelia from me. “Hello sweetie, I’m your Daddy. Can you say Daddy yet?” Jett demanded, dropping a kiss on her forehead. Amelia looked at him and sucked her thumb.
The child worker who had been looking after her while we were in court approached us.
“I have a few concerns about Ursula’s development,” she quietly said.
“Her name’s Amelia now,” Jett replied, “what concerns?” Jett tucked Amelia under his chin.
“Her speech is undeveloped, and she’s underweight. Amelia also seems withdrawn; I’d like to monitor her if neither of you mind. It appears from what I witnessed in court, the mother had little interaction of a positive kind with her, and it has stunted her development.” I watched as Jett’s arms tightened around his daughter.
“Amelia’s been traumatised,” Jett mumbled. The child worker nodded, her face serious.
“Very traumatised and very neglected. I don’t have a court order. I could apply for one, but I prefer to help without one if we can manage that? It would mean I can monitor her development and report to the court if you need me to.”
“It would be welcome. Any advice you can give us would be appreciated,” I said, looking with concern at Amelia. Amelia gazed back at me with serious little eyes, and I was suddenly aware that Amelia had experienced no fun in her short life. Amelia was just over two years old, and I wondered how often she’d laughed. The child support worker gave us her card and left. I looked at Jett at saw a terrible sadness in his eyes.
“Shit,” Jett whispered.
“We’ll make Amelia’s life fun and loving, and she’ll get everything she needs from both of us. Mornings Amelia can spend with you at the garage and afternoons with me in the shop, and that way, our daughter gets the best of both of us. We’ll cram her life full of goodness and beauty,” I told Jett. He crossed to me quickly and dragged me into his arms.
“Like that Sin, our daughter.”
I touched Amelia’s little face.
“Yeah, Jett, our daughter.”
Ace hollered from the road where he was waiting with his SUV to take us to the clubhouse. We meandered down the steps and climbed in. Both of us were suddenly aware of the commitment and responsibility we’d taken on but not intimidated by it.
Chapter Nine.
The following day after the hog roast, which had gone on until the early hours of the morning, I rose to check on Amelia. She slept in a cot in our room, and I was concerned that Amelia hadn’t once uttered a single sound during the night. As I approached, I saw Amelia’s eyes were open, and she stared, fascinated, at the mobile above her head. Tiny hands reached out as if Amelia wanted to grasp it.
“Morning, little angel. Are you hungry?” I asked, looking at the clock. The time was seven, and Jett remained sleeping in bed. Amelia looked at me and quickly shifted her gaze away.
“Hey, I see you,” I whispered gently.
Amelia’s eyes popped open again. I was worried as she’d hardly eaten a thing last night. I was determined that Amelia gain a healthy weight.
“Want banana pancakes?” I murmured, and Amelia’s solemn eyes, her father’s mirror images, grew wide. Okay, so Amelia understood me. Now I just needed to get her to respond. I bent down to pick her up, and my heart stuttered as Amelia flinched. For a second or two, I paused, unsure what to do, and then continued.
With a reassuring smile, I lifted Amelia up and hugged her. Reaching down, I grabbed the teddy bear Jett bought for her yesterday and quietly made my way to the kitchen. We’d bought a few toddler items intending to get the rest when we moved into the new house. The house was being decorated, and we’d decided it wouldn’t have been healthy to take Amelia there.
Together we’d purchased a cot and bedding for Amelia, a car seat, a pushchair, and a highchair to keep at what basically was now Reid’s home. Phoe and Drake held onto the items until yesterday, when they knew we were bringing Amelia back. Luckily, Phoe provided diapers and stuff, something we hadn’t thought of.
Not knowing how court would go, we’d only bought Amelia pyjamas and a few outfits. Today I was planning to take Amelia and get her hair cut into a far better style. It was apparent Dina had just shorn it off. I didn’t know if Jett preferred Amelia’s hair to grow, but I knew I did. I looked forward to brushing and plaiting it.
After Amelia’s haircut, I intended to go clothes shopping with her and then buy toys. Jett and I’d taken the week off work. We wanted to give Amelia quality time and ensure she felt safe. Both of us understood it would be a considerable change for Amelia, and I doubted Amelia had stability in her life. A father Amelia didn’t know existed and a new mom would probably upset our little girl.
Happily, I lifted Amelia into her chair and began mixing the pancake batter. Watching Amelia, I switched the hob on. I’d learnt to cook in England, and most of my cooking was the English style. I grabbed whipped cream and syrup out of the fridge and peeked at Amelia as I poured the mixture into my pancake pan. Beginning to cut a banana into small pieces, I heard a noise and saw Jett crouching by the highchair and smiling at Amelia.
“What’s Mommy doing, princess?” Jett whispered, and my heart leapt. Okay, it jumped for two reasons. My husband wore low-slung jeans and was barefoot and tousled-haired. Water pooled in my mouth, looking at him, forcing me to swallow hard. The second reason was because Jett called me Amelia’s mom! Amelia looked at me, confused.
