Page 98 of Pooh

“Craig! Holy shit, kid, don’t move and don’t make another sound. This thing’s a skunk and it has the capabilities to wipe out this entire room. Please, little man, go get Ava. Okay?” Axel begs in a nervous whisper.

“Okay, I can do that,” Craig says at the same time as he picks up Bart and walks off. Axel doesn’t move for a few seconds before he leaps off the couch and his wild eyes land on us.

After staring at us for a moment in silence, Axel very calmly states, “I don’t even know which of you to kill first.”

“Love you, babe,” Bailey states and then ruins the sentiment when she loses it and starts laughing, loudly.

That sets the rest of us off while Axel stands in silence, glaring at our group. He finally turns his attention to Craig and Bart sitting in a recliner and drops his chin to his chest for a moment before raising them back to Craig.

“Your new pet, Craig? Really? You chose a skunk? Who the fuck chooses a skunk for a pet?” Axel shouts.

“Ava chose a pig, I chose a skunk, and Bailey chose you. A pet’s a pet.” Craig shoots back with a grin.

“I’m a man! I’m not a pet! Neither is a skunk! Learn the difference!”

“Toe-mate-toe, tah-mah-toe,” Craig responds.

“I’m just a joke to all of you, aren’t I?” Axel shouts to the room. “You fuckers. I’m going home now to change my boxers. Bailey, laugh now sweetheart, but you will not be laughing later on when I’m saying no and denying you of all my goodies!”

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Bart settles into his new home without a hitch. I have to admit that he is kind of the perfect pet. He’s quiet, clean and uses the litter box without a problem. I never knew skunks were such cuddly little guys. He loves to curl up with any of us but Craig is a clear favorite. They sleep together and play together along with Mac and Gee. Loki still keeps a fair distance between him and Bart. Some of the guys are still nervous about him, but most have come around.

I’m in the garage working on my bike when I hear Pippa’s voice and it’s loud. Concerned, I walk around to the backside of the house to see Craig, on the deck, taking a piss off of it and Pippa near the door.

“What the hell, Craig? We have a bathroom not thirty steps away! Why did you walk outside to pee?”

Craig takes a moment to finish before pulling up his pants and then turning to Pippa.

“Axel pisses outside all the time. I asked him why and he said all men do. That’s how our dicks get bigger. The sun does it. Like it does with plants.” After casually educating Pippa on that subject, Craig strolls back inside.

Pippa’s eyes swing my direction when I chuckle and she just tosses up her hands in defeat.

“Why, for the love of God, did you choose the plot next to Axel to build on?”

“Because I’m entertaining as hell,” Axel hollers over to us.

Both our heads look his direction to find him standing on his deck pissing over the railing. I probably should have looked at the other plots before deciding on this one.

Pippa

Life is good. Craig is thriving and Pooh and I are stronger than ever as a couple. Tammy and Trigger have set the date for their wedding and it’s going to just be them and us at the courthouse with a huge blowout at the clubhouse afterwards. Ava, with the help from the rest of us, is doing the food and she’ll also make their wedding cake.

New Horizons is better than ever too. With the club members’ help, it’s been nearly completely renovated and we can now help more women and children in need. Lucy is the best volunteer ever and spends a lot of time there which means Chubs does as well. He’s a huge favorite of every woman that comes and goes from New Horizons. He, probably without realizing it, shows them a side of men that most of them didn’t know existed. He’s calm, jovial, loving towards Lucy and always willing to escort the women to court or wherever they feel scared about going to. He’s that security blanket they need until their confidence is restored. I’ve had more than a few tell me they will be looking for Chubs’ traits in any man they date from now on. He has set a very high standard for men and doesn’t even know he’s done that.

Colder weather has set in and Pooh and I are getting fewer opportunities to ride the bike. Since my car is kind of small and Pooh doesn’t think it’s safe enough for me and Craig, he’s insisted we buy an SUV. We did that yesterday and I love my new ride. It’s bigger, safer, has four-wheel drive, and for Craig, the built in DVD players in the backseat is it’s best option.

Bailey is huge now and due in a few weeks. Everyone is concerned about how Axel is going to be when she goes into labor, because of how things went when Ava did, but Axel is as calm and confident as he can be. He tells us constantly that he’s got this. Bailey rolls her eyes and has quietly made backup plans just in case Axel loses his mind and his shit when the time comes. For some reason, I believe Axel does have this and will be great when it’s time.

We’re all gathered at the clubhouse today for Bailey’s baby shower. All the club kids and pets are here. Loki is sitting in the farthest corner from Bart that he can find. Mia and Zoe are walking now and they keep Ava and Gunner on their toes. Bella is awesome with them and Craig. And Craig has taken on a big brother type role with the twins. They clearly adore him, and Bart, and toddle to him whenever they can. Craig has taken to calling Bella his big sister and the twins his little sisters. Nobody seems to mind in the least that Craig has claimed everyone as a member of his family. In fact, most have encouraged him to.

The men are a part of the shower today. Axel insisted, because he did “all of the work” to get Bailey pregnant, the party should include him too. We conceded and placed his ass in a throne type chair to match Bailey’s. His grin couldn’t be bigger. While he’s a goofball to the extreme, his love for Bailey knows no bounds. It’s clear as day what he thinks of her and I know, without a doubt, just how much he’s going to love being a dad. Their baby is going to know nothing but love and security.

While playing the baby shower games, Axel kicked everyone’s ass in how fast he diapered the doll. Even Gunner was stunned. Vex’s doll’s diaper ended up only wrapped around one leg and promptly fell off. It was when Vex was explaining how he didn’t dress things, he only undressed them, when Rex crouched down beside my chair. Looking at his face, I knew something bad was about to happen.

“I need you and Pooh to step outside with me.”

Instantly my legs were shaking, but I stood and followed Pooh and Rex out the door. Coming to a stop, I lean into Pooh and wrap my arms around his waist and wait for whatever is about to ruin our happiness. I feel movement behind us and glance back to see Gunner, Trigger and Tammy there. At our backs, right where they will always be, no matter what.

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