Page 15 of Babe

“He’s not a toy you get to just keep,” Arlo sneered.

“And he’s not a fucking doll you can just force to do whatever,” Gunner retorted, his voice hard and unforgiving. “He’s a fucking human being capable of making his own choices. If he’s grown enough to be involved in this shit you’ve got going on at home, then he’s grown enough to decide if he wants to be involved. Clear?”

No one said anything. I held my breath, but a moment later, Gunner emerged at the top of the stairs, his eyes immediately landing on me. I held out a hand for him, and without a word, he slid into bed beside me, wrapping me up in his arms.

“You won’t let them take me, right?” I asked quietly. “You promised.”

“No, sweet boy, they won’t take you.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “But it sounds like you’re needed at home.” He cupped my cheek, peering down at me with those pretty blue eyes. They were a couple of shades lighter than mine. “What if I came with you?”

I frowned. “But you have a home here. I can’t take you from that.”

Gunner chuckled. “You’re so precious, baby.” My cheeks heated. “You’re not taking me from anything. I’ll still keep my cabin. We can come here whenever you want. This will still be our home. I promise.” I relaxed at his words. “But I want to be where you are because you’re my home, Ace.”

“Really?” I whispered, stroking my fingers over his chest, wishing he didn’t have a fucking shirt on so I could feel his skin beneath my fingertips.

“Really, baby boy. I promise.”

We sat in silence for a moment, listening to my brothers talk quietly downstairs. Cameron had found the coffee and was banging around the kitchen, more than likely trying to find mugs. I loved Cameron, but he was a douchebag. And he didn’t understand boundaries to save his life. Who the hell just barged into someone’s home and made all that racket and went snooping through their cabinets? Normal people asked.

“Why did you move all the way up here?” I asked.

“When I got discharged from the military, I was struggling to cope in regular society,” Gunner softly explained, his fingers stroking up and down my spine. I melted into him. “I’d seen a lot of shit. Horrible shit. And I just needed time away to heal. So, I bought this place. Learned to live off the land. And over time, I forced myself to grow accustomed to being back in civilization. Now, I just like the peacefulness of being up here.”

“I like it, too,” I quietly told him. After a small moment, I asked, “What happened while you were in the military?”

Gunner sighed. “What happens to almost every infantry soldier in the military, baby. We killed a lot of people who didn’t deserve it because the government gave the orders to.” His muscles tensed beneath me before he drew in a deep breath and slowly released it, forcing his muscles to relax as he did so.

“Oh.” I’d seen enough news articles and TikTok videos to know what he was talking about. “I’m sorry, Gunner.”

He cuddled me close. “I’m okay now,” he assured me. “And I’m even better now that I found you.” He squeezed me to him, and I slipped my knee between his thighs, plastering our bodies together. He hummed. “Why don’t you take a nap? Today has been pretty eventful already.”

I nodded. “Stay with me?”

Gunner nodded. “Yes, sweet boy. I’ll stay. I swear it this time.”

I cuddled into him, knowing he would hold true to his word. Especially after the way he’d reacted when I’d emerged downstairs and had thrown a fit over him breaking his promise. He’d looked shattered that he’d hurt me so much. It seemed petty to be upset over something so little, but after being abandoned time and time again, the smallest broken promises cut deep.

“I’m sorry for being a brat this morning,” I mumbled, sleep already tugging at me. It was so easy to fall asleep with him holding me.

“You were hurt,” Gunner said gently. He cupped the back of my head, his touch extra tender over the lump on my skull. “Just know, Papa is never going anywhere,” he promised me. “And I won’t ever break another promise to you.”

I smiled and pressed a kiss to his chest before I allowed sleep to fully claim me, my Papa’s warm, strong arms banded tight around me.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Gunner

The clubhouse was a large building that almost looked like a warehouse. It was very nondescript and plain. The lot was covered in gravel that crunched under the tires of my truck as I followed Ace, who was driving the SUV he’d taken into the mountains. His brothers were ahead of us, and by the time I got out of the truck, my boots thumping onto the gravel, they were already heading inside.

Ace strode over to me, his blue eyes peering up at me through dark lashes. “Are you sure about this, Papa?”

I chuckled and leaned back against my truck, spreading my legs a bit to pull him as close to me as possible. I palmed his lower back, leaning down to softly kiss him. “I’ll get used to it,” I promised him. “I want to be wherever you are and this—” I glanced around us, “is what you call home.” I smiled at him. “And you are my home, remember?”

He blew out a soft breath and nodded. “I know, but it can be loud sometimes. There are a lot of people living here. And Blu and Grey are really… loud during sex.” He winced. I bit back a snort of amusement.

“As if you’re not loud?” I teased.

His eyes brightened, the blue shining so damn prettily, it took my breath away. “Oh, my God,” he breathed. “I can totally get back at everyone now for all the hell they’ve been putting me through in the middle of the night.”

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