Page 71 of Goose
I start to cry when a strong pair of arms are wrapped around me. I look up to see Joker holding me.
“Mi sirenita.Don’t cry, okay? We’re gonna get these fuckers. Nobody else is going to get hurt.”
I sniffle then pull away from him. “I’ve laid low long enough. I know what I have to do...”
Goose pulls my face to his. “What are you talking about, babe?”
“I’ll just give them what they want...me. I can’t let anybody else get hurt who’s associated with me. You all have babies and-”
Goose picks me up and slams his lips over mine as his fingers run up through my hair. As he pulls back, he nips my bottom lip and gazes down at me.
“Enough of that bullshit, Bambi. You will not sacrifice yourself to protect me or anybody else. That’s my job. I will never let you get hurt ever again. You’re my fucking Old Lady until the day I die, you understand me?”
He turns to the rest of the Clubhouse as he holds me up in the air against his body.
“Bambi is my Old Lady. Stay the fuck away from her or I’ll chop your balls off and make you eat them.”
Goose slides me down against his body, then holds my face in his hands. “You will never have to fight these battles alone ever again.”
Striker pats him on the back and turns to me. “Even if you weren’t his Old Lady, I would never let you do such a dumb fucking thing. You’re family, Bambi.”
He whistles to get everybody to quiet down. “Church in half an hour. Get all your family here, now. I don’t want anybody else getting hurt.”
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THE MEN ARE ALL INChurch and I’m in the kitchen cooking up some food. We have quite a few families here and I need something to distract me.
Lilah is here too, but refuses to speak. She’s scrubbing the dishes as I cook. I look over to see her really going at one pot.
I walk over and grab the sponge out of her hand. “Babe, look at me.”
She looks up with tears in her eyes. “I’m a fucking terrible mother. I’ve got three beautiful babies at home and I’m sitting here mourning a baby I never even met.”
I wrap her into my arms as she cries even more. “It’s okay. You’re allowed to feel whatever is in your heart. You are a wonderful mother, Lilah. Those kids are lucky to have you.”
“No. I should be thankful I have three kids already. It’s selfish of me. There are other women out there who can’t have babies and here I am with three and crying about one I lost.”
“Lilah, it’s okay. You can do whatever you want, okay?”
She glares at me as she stalks away. “Enough, Bambi! I get you’re trying to be helpful, but you have no fucking clue what I’m going through.”
I sigh and lean against the counter. “Actually, I do.”
Lilah whips around, “What?”
Taking a deep breath, I tell her about what happened.
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JOKER FOUND ME ON THEbathroom floor, crying and rocking back and forth. He wrapped me in his arms and carried me out the backdoor.
He was silent as he drove me home and tucked me into bed. I never said a word, just let him take care of me. I wanted to reach out and call Goose, but I knew he didn’t want me.
Joker crawled into bed with me and wrapped his large arms around me as I cried. I couldn’t stop and was having a hard time breathing.
“Mi pequeño ciervo. You need to take a deep breath and try to breathe. Can you sit up and look at me, please?”
I nodded as Joker helped me sit against my headboard. I stared into dark eyes.
