Page 56 of Pooh

“Hell yeah! Let’s go!” shouts Craig.

“Craig! No swearing! We’ve told you a thousand times not to use those words,” Tammy says, exasperatedly.

“Give it up, Tammy. I am who I is,” he answers determinedly. They both have their hands on their hips at this point and a stare down is in play. My money is on Craig. Us guys are all grinning, waiting to see how this plays out.

“When you start school, you won’t be allowed to use those words. It’s best to quit using them now so you don’t slip up later and get into trouble,” Tammy informs him.

“I don’t want to go to school. I want to go with Bella and have Chubs be my teacher. He’s cool and he won’t care if I say swears. And he’s smart and he always has snacks. That’s the kind of school I need.”

Tammy loses the stare down when she throws her hands in the air and stomps off. As soon as she turns away, Craig grins big, knowing he won that round.

-*- -*- -*- -*-

Craig is busy playing in his blanket fort in the living room and the adults are sitting at the kitchen table sipping coffee. While I’m in the house with the women and Craig, Trigger has decided to take up residence in Tammy’s driveway. He’s sitting on his bike, arms crossed. Scowl present on his face.

“Is he planning on sitting out there all night?” Tammy asks.

“He said he is not leaving your safety up to me,” I answer her.

“That’s ridiculous! He should trust you more than that.”

“He trusts me, Tammy. But he cares about you and takes your safety seriously.”

“It was so good between us,” she replies wistfully.

“Talk with him, Mama. He’s used to living a certain lifestyle and just needs time to adjust. And so do we. We both reacted badly. And you said yourself that no man has ever treated you so good. Not even your husband. Give Trigger a second chance. We all deserve one of those,” pleads Pippa, quietly.

“And what happens if he’s not willing to compromise or he wants to continue his old lifestyle and just keep me on the side?” Tammy asks, worriedly.

“Then you dump his sorry ass and move on. But if you don’t try, you might miss out on the best thing that’s ever happened to you,” Pippa says. “And if he’s not willing to give up his club sluts, I’ll help you hide his body.”

At that comment, Tammy grins.

“You like him, Pips?” Tammy questions.

“Yeah, I do. I like him for you and I like him for us. And I know this sounds odd, considering what happened, but I trust him. He doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to jerk you around. I think he says what he means and he stands behind his word. He’s a man’s man and I don’t think he’s going to play boys’ games with you. He saw something he wanted and he went for it. Yeah, he made a mistake but he has apologized. Give him a chance, Tammy.”

“Pippa’s right. I’ve known Trigger for several years now and I’ve never known him to go back on his word. He’s honest and loyal as fuck. You could do far worse than having him in your life. He’s worth giving a second chance to.”

“I’m going to talk with him. I hope you two are right because I liked where we were headed,” Tammy says as she gets to her feet and heads for the front door.

As soon as the door shuts behind Tammy, Pippa turns to me.

“If he fucks her over, I’m stabbing him in the eye.”

I grin at the little spitfire. I like that she is willing to go balls-out for someone she loves.

“What about us? We okay?” I ask.

Pippa’s response is to lean over the table, place her hand on the back of my neck, and pull our faces close enough to plant a hot kiss on me. Yeah, this is how it should be. I respond and things heat up quickly.

“You guys are gross!” Craig interrupts.

We pull apart, laughing at him. Pippa says, “Someday a girl is going to lay a kiss on you and you will like it.”

“Ewww! That will never happen! I’d rather kiss Gee!” he declares as he turns around and stomps back to the living room.

Craig, Pippa and I all slept in sleeping bags inside his fort. He slept between us, and for some reason, it just felt right. We laughed and enjoyed each others’ company. The bond between him and Pippa is glaringly obvious. I hope things work out and she gets to keep him because it will kill her if she has to give him up. When morning comes, I find him cuddled up to Pippa and I am on my side with an arm tossed over both of them.

---