Page 53 of Pooh

“I’m not sure, but when I walked outside this morning, all I could smell was roses. And Trudy said the delivery van was parked in his driveway for quite a while yesterday. That had to have set him back a few bucks,” Petey tells me, grinning from ear to ear. He’s so used to Axel’s shenanigans by now that he doesn’t even blink anymore. But he does keep bail money lying around just in case.

“Out of here, brother,” I say as I walk to my bike.

“Good luck, Pooh.”

When I arrive at New Horizons, I spot Craig playing with his remote control truck in the backyard with one of the women residents standing nearby. I nod to her as I open the gate and walk through. Craig’s head comes up, controller gets dropped, and he comes running. I bend down in time to catch him as he throws his body at me. I swing him way up in the air and plop him down on my shoulders, smiling at his giggles.

“Holy shit, Pooh! I can see the whole world from up here!” he states in awe.

“You could see even more on Gunner’s shoulders. He’s taller than me by a couple of inches,” I inform him.

“I think he’s a giant!”

“Who’s a giant?” asks Pippa as she steps outside.

“Gunner. He’s even taller than Pooh!”

I swing Craig back down to the ground and ruffle his hair. Not sure what it is, but he has something sticky in his hair. I’m not surprised by this considering he ruts in the mud like a pig. He grins up at me and takes off for his truck. I turn to Pippa and drink her in.

“Hey,” she says quietly.

“Hey, doll. Ready to go?” I ask. I want to touch her. Hug her and hold her against me, but now is not the time.

“Yeah, I am.”

“Where you going?” shouts Craig. The kid has good ears and that’s something we need to remember.

“We’re going to lunch,” Pippa answers.

“I like food. I eat. Can I come?” questions Craig.

“I’m sorry, honey, not this time. Pooh and I need to talk about something that’s for adults only. How about if I bring you back a treat from the restaurant instead?”

“Adult this. Adult that. Always adults. When I get grown up, I’m going to leave you behind and tell you it’s because I’m busy adulting. Chubs liked having me around. He said he did. He said I’m cool and I’m smart. So there! Go be adults. I’m gonna stay here and be busy being cool and smart,” Craig spits as he stomps into the house.

Pippa turns shocked, wide eyes up to mine. I bite back a smile, grab her hand and guide her to my bike. We mount and it feels great having her on the back again. She wraps her arms around me and I pat her knee before starting it up and pulling onto the street.

We’re sitting in a back corner booth in a deli I like, eating our lunch, while I’m explaining what happened with Peaches. Pippa is listening, not interrupting, and I think she believes me.

“So, you’re taking a shower and she just walks in, plops down on the bed naked, and expects sex? Seriously?” Pippa asks after I’m done talking.

“Several of them have gotten more aggressive since so many of the men have found women outside of the club. After Gunner’s speech the other night, I don’t think it will continue though. And Peaches and Joanie, along with a few others, are gone for good. And I had no idea that Joanie would be at Trigger’s house that night. I didn’t even know he hired her to clean for him.”

“I’m sorry, Pooh. I should have let you explain instead of getting all pissed off and storming out. You should know that Bailey never said a bad word about you. In fact, she said she might not have seen what she thought she was seeing. She trusts you and she kind of sung your praises.”

“I don’t blame Bailey in the least. I know what it must have looked like to her, but I swear, Peaches set that shit up to make it look that way.”

“I’m not sure I’m cut out for biker life, Pooh. That worries me a lot. I’m not the type to throw down on someone or put…”

“Yes, you are. You didn’t hesitate to throw down on the angry men that have come to New Horizons. You stood up to them with no hesitation whatsoever. You defend people who need someone to hide behind for a little while. You fight to make their lives better. That’s one of the reasons I’m attracted to you. You’re strong and you defend those that matter to you. That is the Devil’s way, babe. That’s what we do, what we stand for. We take care of our own families and help where we can for others who need it,” I tell her emphatically. She doesn’t see those traits in herself, it’s just the way she is, but I see them and they matter.

Pippa stares quietly at me for a moment and then reaches across the table for my hand. She brushes her thumb across my knuckles and even that simple gesture has me hardening.

“Thank you for saying that and for seeing that in me. Can we put this behind us and move forward with getting to know each other and spending time together? That’s what I’d like, Pooh.”

“Fuck yeah, babe.”

Upon dropping Pippa back off at New Horizons, I see Craig in the yard again, this time, playing with a Nerf ball. I can only imagine how lonely he must be since he’s the only kid staying there at the moment.

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