Page 39 of Sinful Skulls (Rebel Skull MC #9)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Elizabeth

M y daughter sits on the couch next to me as Brody and Jacob make us a midnight snack.

“Oh, god, you’re going to die at this one,” she says.

I laugh at the little girl with red lipstick all over herself and the stick figure she’s drawn on the wall beside her.

“My parents always joke that this was the moment I became an artist.” Her face slowly falls as she stares at a much younger version of herself covered in red.

“I think every child gets into their mother’s lipstick.” I nudge her arm, encouraging her to move on to the next photo.

“Yeah, you’re right.” She flips past it sadly. “Maybe we shouldn’t dwell on the past. Do you want to see the pictures of Brody and I?”

“I would love that.”

Her face becomes animated when she finds them in her phone. “This was the first time I was on his bike. Oh, and this is on the pier. Brody looks grumpy because a seagull had just stolen his corn dog. Remind me to never take food out of his hand,” she jokes.

It brings a smile to my face.

“Oh, look at this one.”

She’s beautiful in the picture, but even more so as she sits here, looking at her fiancé lovingly.

It hits me that Daisy is marrying Brody. Our Brody. I’m not sure how all this happened, but I’m happy for it.

When she yawns, I remember what a long day it’s been. “Why don’t you and Brody stay here tonight? I know you live close, but after today …” I pause, preparing myself for her rejection. “I would sleep better if we were under the same roof.”

“Oh, I haven’t even showered …”

“You can shower here,” I say a little too anxiously.

Her head tips to the side. “Yeah, I guess that would be nice. If Brody is okay with it.”

“If I’m okay with what?” he asks, carrying a tray of snacks and drinks and setting them on the coffee table.

“With us staying here tonight,” she tells him.

He scratches his nose. “Yeah, sure. Why not? It is getting a little late.”

“I’ll get you something to sleep in,” I tell her, jumping from the couch before either of them changes their mind.

“Okay, well, I’ll just shower quick and get it out of the way.”

Brody holds a slice of apple to her lips as she stands. She takes a bite. He waits for her to chew it, and then he feeds her the remaining piece. He kisses her cheek and hands her a bottle of water. “Drink.”

The shy little nod she gives him makes me pause. He taps her lightly on the butt as she walks away.

“He keeps me hydrated,” she jokes.

I look over her shoulder at him, and he winks at me.

Daisy stands behind me as I dig through my drawers to find my nicest set of sleep shorts for her.

“You hung the portrait I painted of you over your bed. It looks nice there.”

My heart is about to burst out of my chest because she’s here. “It’s important to me. It deserved a special place in my home.”

She walks around the room and stops in front of the dragonfly painting she did when she was just a child. I moved it to our bedroom before her last visit. The way she stares at it tells me she must remember painting it.

“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 human being, 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.”

“You don’t think either of us will need the room anymore?”

Jacob falls back on his pillow, staring at the ceiling.

“Today, when Daisy told me she wanted to break you out of there, I heard Billie Rose’s damn wind chimes from across the lake, and it reminded me of Bill.

When we were working on it, he told me it was temporary, and that one day I wouldn’t need it anymore.

I didn’t believe him, but here we are … I think that day is today. ”

I snuggle into his side. “Let’s do it.”

We spend another hour talking about all the ways we could remodel the house to make room for our family.

“I thought I’d be alone the rest of my life,” he says, kissing me.

“Me too,” I say blinking slowly, tired but happy that my daughter is sleeping under the same roof as me tonight.

Something I never thought would happen.