26. Chapter 25
Scottie
“How in the fuck did she not attack him when he admitted to Doc having a sedative?” I hear Axel, confusion lacing his tone ask. I slowly sit up, my head pounding at the movement, making me wince, and I try to take little breaths, hoping I don’t vomit.
“She can barely move without her head spinning,” Dr. Thomas replies bluntly.
“But what about screaming at him?” my brother adds, and my lips twitch as Dr. Thomas grunts, “Same still applies idiots.”
“Yeah, but come on, any other woman, like Annalise for example, or fuck, I don’t know, maybe Cassie from the Huntsmen, they would have had his balls.
Yet Scottie, she agrees without hassle, without making it harder, I, fuck, I don’t like it, it’s weird,” Axel grunts and I bite back a chuckle, but Dr. Thomas and my brother openly laugh.
Guess Axel is used to crazy old ladies. The Untamed bunch are a little crazy and I heard all about the Huntsmen and the Devil’s old ladies, about how strong headed they are.
“I knew it was coming,” I murmur, causing the men to look my way, and Lo quickly rushes over to me and helps me stand.
I grip his arm as a dizzy spell hits me and I take a few breaths because, somehow, I don’t think Lorenzo would be happy with me puking on him, though it would be funny.
The dead body flashes before me, and I squeeze my eyes tightly while I wait for the dizziness to fade. The flashbacks suffocating me a little bit with each one, like I’m back inside that small tin box.
“Still think you should have at least snapped at him,” Axel grunts and I slowly look at him, raising a brow at his pout.
“You’ve spent too much time with crazy old ladies,” I sass, and the man grins wide, not disputing my words.
“Tell me that you’re alright, Scottie,” Lo whispers, and I squeeze his arm.
“I feel sick, and I’m lightheaded, but I’m okay,” I say, and he looks over me, not believing me.
Still, I push, “I’m not lying, I am okay, probably traumatized and will have nightmares for years to come and will most likely despise tight spaces.
Otherwise, yeah, I’m okay and Bradley is the reason, he’s always my reason.
Which is why I’m willingly going to walk towards him and let him put his ring on my finger.
That and I also don’t want an even bigger headache with the sedative. ”
Dr. Thomas snorts while my brother nods, still looking at me with concern, while Axel mutters, “I wish the other old ladies learned from you,” and my lips twitch.
“You love Annalise just the way she is,” I whisper, and the bid bad biker melts just as the door opens and I lock eyes with my mama.
“I brought you my old wedding dress. I hope that is okay,” she chokes, and both Dr. Thomas and Axel give me a smile, Axel saying, “We’ll meet you outside. darling, but if you want to make him sweat…”
I grin at his parting words before walking out of the room I’m apparently going to be staying in tonight because my house has been stripped.
Bradley mentioned the club bought it and will rent it to families in need. I have to admit, I melted at that because I loved that house. I made it a home, so the fact Bradley understood my love for it and had the Untamed buy it to help people in need makes me love him even more.
That is the thing with my soon-to-be husband, while he makes decisions without my okay because he refuses to live without me and to choose between me and his club, he does something like that to help sweeten the blow.
“Where’s Rachel?” Lo asks curtly, and Mama sniffles.
“Searching for a way to try and dismiss the papers she signed giving your sister full custody of Sammie. It is legally binding, and your dad recorded her willingly signing it, showing her only concern was to make sure her own sister couldn’t be near the boy,” Mama says as she gently lays the dress on the bed, then cups my cheek and looks me over with concern.
“She doesn’t even want Sammie,” Lo grunts and Mama rasps, “No, she doesn’t, she just doesn’t want her sister to have him,” not once looking away from me, her eyes taking in the bump on my head.
“Why does she hate me so much?” I ask quietly, and she sniffles.
“Because I basically put her against you without meaning to,” Mama admits, and I furrow my brows but wince at the sharp shooting pain.
“I-I don’t understand,” I choke, and Lo quickly rubs my forehead for me and scolds, “Be more careful with your facial expressions!”
Mama looks between us and her bottom lip wobbles at the love and care my brother is showing for me, then takes a deep breath.
“From an early age, you had shown that healing was your passion. I knew you wouldn’t follow in my footsteps, so to assure your sister would, I pushed her to not be like Scottie.
Those are the words I’d say, along with don’t disappoint me like Scottie, be better than Scottie, and I-I, I’m so sorry, sweetheart.
” Mama whispers, and I swallow the lump forming.
Wow, all because I wanted to be a doctor, something that most parents would be proud of.
“But that doesn’t explain the extreme hate she has,” I rasp, confusion still filling me.
Lo sighs and explains, “It does if that is all she heard, fuck, even I heard it a few times, but I just blocked it out until Mama stopped saying that shit to me. I’m guessing Rachel heard it several times a fucking day,” he looks at her, “You royally fucked her up Mama, and it isn’t okay that you pushed Scottie out all because she didn’t follow in your footsteps.
Fuck, in my eyes, she went further than you, than all of us and because Rachel made claims, we all believed her.
We all missed the jealousy in her eyes because Scottie was brave enough to fall off your plans for us. ”
“She did go further than me and I am so goddamn proud of her,” Mama quickly says and she looks my way, “I messed up, I really did, I know this, and I just hope that you can forgive me, that when you move, you’ll keep in contact because the woman I’ve begun to get to know, she’s amazing.”
I twitch my nose hoping to stop the stinging in my eyes as I look at the wedding dress my sister refused to wear for her wedding.
“I’m trying,” I admit, and she nods before kissing my cheek, then whispers, “Let's see if this dress fits, that’s uh, um, you know, if you want to wear it,” not pushing anymore on the subject, knowing I just need a little bit of time.
Her eyes race between mine with hope, and even though she doesn’t deserve it, I nod, causing a few of her tears to fall before she quickly grabs the dress and Lo sighs, “I’m not leaving the room, but I will turn around,” making me smile slightly.
He may have been distant growing up, especially since he thought I broke his guitar, but he’s trying to make amends now, and I’m grateful for that.
“Okay,” I whisper before I look at the off-white sweetheart neckline princess-style dress and butterflies swim as everything hits me at once. My life in the past five months smacks me hard in the head, so hard, I feel like Kavan is knocking me out again and I squeeze my eyes tight for a moment.
I fell in love.
He got custody of the child my sister never wanted.
My ex-boyfriend turned brother-in-law wanted to kill me, he wanted me to suffer because I refused to return to him after he created a family with my sister while we were still together.
I open my eyes and look at the dress again. I’m about to get married while concussed.
Damn.
***
Bradley gently runs his fingers along my wet arms three hours later, and I tilt my head up and press my nose into his throat, my body settling despite the throbbing in my head that pain killers can’t seem to budge.
“I do.”
Married, we actually got married with Doc officiating, the whole of the Untamed present, along with my parents, brother and Bradley’s sister on FaceTime.
She was there as a phone being held up by her dad who looked ready to cry when his son repeated his vows to me.
He also added to always keep me on my toes, something that the brothers found hilarious while I threatened to ensure Felix sleeps with us making him pale and the women cheer.
It was intimate. Mama’s dress fit perfectly, flowers covered the floor in the yard that led up to an arch, and Sammie walked me down the little makeshift aisle with my dad.
Not once did I have the jitters, like marrying him then and there was the wrong thing to do.
Nope, it felt right, perfect, even with the concussion and now, with Sammie spending tonight with my parents and brother – who apparently is dating someone from the office despite his divorce not being finalized yet.
Meanwhile, I’m in a tub with my husband who is behind me, his arms wrapped around me.
Everything feels perfect, except for one little detail.
Apparently, we can’t consummate our marriage, something I am not agreeing with.
I’m a doctor, I’ll know if I push my body too far, and whether Bradley is aware or not, we will be having sex.
“How are you feeling, baby?” Bradley asks as he brings the washcloth up and begins to wipe my body. I close my eyes, keeping my nose against his skin, trying to ignore the flashes of the dead body I was trapped with and the suffocating feeling I felt, trying to ignore the way Dr. Thomas fell.
“I keep seeing the person I was trapped with,” I whisper, then admit, “I looked into him,” Bradley tenses but I continue, “Malvin Norb, a twenty-five-year-old convicted rapist who was on the run, shot down by his victim’s husband.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, and I add, “he was also a grunt man for a gang called the Pillars.”
“That gang is gone, my club wiped them out, but I guess there were a few stragglers,” he sighs as he presses his mouth against my head. “I’ll let Doc know so he can look more into it. Treasure, you shouldn’t have looked into him because that gives you more trauma…”
“I know,” I whisper, “but I just, I had to find out, and I know Kavan put me in that slot on purpose, he wanted me to suffer because I let you claim me.”
“I should have made him pay longer,” Bradley grunts and my lips twitch as I slowly move forward.
Then, ever so gently and not so water gets everywhere but so my head doesn’t explode, I turn around causing him to grip my hips with concern.
Even though he’s probably trying to ignore it, his hard cock stands at attention between us, I gently grab it causing him to groan, “Treasure, fuck, you know we –”
His words cut off as I lower myself down on his hard cock, bottoming out, and he grips my hips hard, most likely leaving bruises that I’ll treasure.
I gently cup his face as I push my wet body against his and our eyes lock, his looking tortured, and I whisper, “Dr. Thomas gave me a new prescription, we’re safe. ”
I know that isn’t what he’s worried about, and by the tick in his jaw, he’s pissed I’m doing this, but I, dammit, I want him.
“You have a concussion,” he grits, and I choke. “And I need you, Bradley,” I place my forehead against his, “I need you, please,” and he squeezes his eyes tightly.
“Fine,” he grunts as he slowly lifts me, then brings me down, causing the water to spill over the sides, “but if you show any signs of discomfort or pain, we’re stopping, and we are not going fast!”
My lips twitch, and I confirm, “You going to make love to me, Mr. Hill?”
“Too damn right, Mrs. Hill,” he replies before gently pressing his lips against mine and I melt into him.
As our tongues touch, he guides me with his hands, keeping to a pace that won’t cause me any discomfort.
Even though my head hurts, and I’m still experiencing flashbacks and dizzy spells, I melt into my husband even further, feeling so goddam happy that he came into my life, bringing the chaos along with him.