Page 6 of Stone

“What did Lois tell you about the adoption,” Kennedy asked gently.

“Not much.” Sophie’s eyes glazed over as she thought back. “She used to tell me about Hambleton and how unforgiving the town was. That was why she moved away when I was born; she didn’t want the stigma of adoption touching me.”

An uneasy feeling weighed down my stomach. “Hambleton’s always been snobby about single moms. A lot of the population came from Salt Lake City, so there are religious undertones throughout the town, but I’ve never heard anyone bad mouth adoption. If anythin’, the Jesus nuts think adopting a kid’s a godly thing to do.”

Sophie paled slightly. “Why would my mom lie about that?”

It went quiet briefly while we all thought.

“We should look at your adoption papers, Soph,” Kennedy suggested. “We’ll contact the agency that handled your case and see if we can access your records. Sometimes, the women who give their babies up leave contact details in case the kids ever want to get in touch. Maybe Elise did.”

Sophie worried her lip with her teeth. “That’s just it. I can’t find any adoption papers. When Mom died and I sold her house, I turned the place upside down. I also made inquiries when I first moved to Hambleton, but nothing came up.”

The uneasy feeling in my gut turned into a painful stab of nausea as Elise’s pain-filled voice echoed through my mind.

I’ve looked for her for more than thirty years... Where is she, John? I need to see her.

My heart plummeted, my throat thickening with emotion as everything fell into place.

I was so dazed I didn’t notice my eyes filling with moisture as I stood and cupped my hand around Sophie’s neck, looking into the eyes I knew in my gut were made by me. “She called you Constance.”

Soph’s brow furrowed questioningly. “Constance?”

My eyes flicked between hers. “It was my ma’s name.” I watched closely as awareness fell over her face.

“Oh,” she whispered, her gaze bright with shock. “I need to tell Danny.”

“Hey,” I prompted, forcing her focus back on me. “Before you go, I want you to know I’ve never been happier about anything in my life. I don’t know how it happened, Sophie, and I know we’ve got a lot to talk about, but I gotta say, my heart’s fuckin’ singin’ with joy.”

Her tear-filled eyes bored into mine. “I need to know what happened.”

“I’ll talk to her,” I acquiesced. “We’ll get to the bottom of it.”

Kit appeared behind Sophie and rested a hand on her shoulder. “Come on. Me and Kitten will take you to the bar. Atlas will be worried.” His stare lifted to mine. “Will you be okay?”

“Yeah,” I assured him. “Gonna go sit with Elise. Hopefully, she’ll be able to talk.”

“Don’t stress her out,” Sophie ordered. “She’s had a traumatic experience, and she needs to rest.”

My lips twitched at the authority in her tone. “Relax. I’ll go easy.”

Soph nodded and turned toward the bar, flanked by Kennedy and Kit, who slid his arm across her shoulders as they headed up the corridor.

Smiling softly, I watched her go, suddenly noticing how much she reminded me of my mom. It was unbelievable how I’d missed all the similarities over the time I’d known her. However, it was no secret how I’d always felt a kinship with her.

The instant we discovered Elise was her mom, I knew she was my daughter. Maybe a tiny part of my subconscious even knew before. I’d missed so much, but I was also over the moon.

When we were together, Elise and I talked about our kids for hours, picking names and talking about how we’d parent them. I’d always felt like we’d thrown away something beautiful after we parted ways. It was plain to see that we had missed out, but Sophie existed, so we also hadn’t.

With trembling fingers, I pushed the door open, took a breath, and walked inside. My heart began to thud in anticipation of the looming conversation, my stare going straight to the figure lying on the bed.

Elise lay motionless, her chest rising and falling with her steadied breaths. Her pallor was almost as white as the sheets, marred only by the dried tracks of tears that had carved their way down her cheeks. She seemed so fragile, the spirit that once upon a time oozed from every pore now gone, leaving behind a vulnerable woman.

Taking the same chair I’d sat in for the past three days, I relaxed, cracking my neck from side to side. A hand rested on each arm, my gaze remaining on Elise.

“Is she mine?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer in my soul.

“Yes,” she croaked, eyes still closed. “She’s ours.”

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