Chapter Twenty-Two
Brynn
THE TRIP BACK to the Phantom Bastards clubhouse is something I don’t remember.
Kingston held me in his arms, and I buried my head in his chest.
My dad was in the backseat with us and every now and then he rubbed his hand up and down my back.
Even my grandpa reached back and held my hand for a little while.
I can just imagine if my uncle Ace was in the truck with us that he’d be reaching out to touch us in some way as well.
After everything, I didn’t have the energy to lift my head or do anything other than breathe in Kingston’s scent and rest in his arms.
Once again, I felt safe and as if nothing in the world outside the bubble we were in could hurt me.
Growing up, I had the same feeling to a certain extent.
My family always made sure I was safe and kept most everything going on away from me.
That’s how Kingston always makes me feel.
The only difference is that the man I’ve fallen in love with has kept me in the loop every single step of the way. As soon as he found out something about Jerome, what he was doing, or where he was, Kingston told me and made sure he gave me his time and comfort afterwards.
When I walked in the clubhouse in Pine View, the female members of my family swarmed me and held me tight in their arms.
My mom and grandma were openly crying and I could tell my aunt, sister, and cousin had been crying and were now trying to be strong as they were there for the others.
Hope patiently waited her turn to pull me into her arms and hold me for a minute before releasing me.
Maddox came over to me for the first time and pulled me into his arms, telling me he missed me and was happy to have me back.
He also apologized to me for everything he’d done over the years.
There were tears in my brother’s eyes as he looked at me when I pulled back.
Kingston took me back in his arms once again.
I cried in their arms and couldn’t stop.
My dad, uncle, and grandpa took their women in their arms and held them as they cried.
Kingston told everyone in the common room he was taking me upstairs.
That I needed to take a shower before he got me something to eat so I could sleep.
No one argued with him as he left them all standing on the first floor of the clubhouse and took me up to his room.
Jinx followed us and unlocked the door of our room before handing over Kingston’s keys and leaving us alone.
From there, my man took me straight into the bathroom and turned on the shower after sitting me on the counter by the sink.
After adjusting the temperature of the water, Kingston turned and started to undress me from the borrowed clothes from one of the women of the Wild Kings MC.
He got me in the shower and helped me cover my head with a shower cap so my hair and the wound that’s still bandaged doesn’t get wet per doctor’s orders.
Then he carefully and slowly washed my body with the body wash and loofah from the house I once considered my sanctuary.
When I tried to return the favor to Kingston, he refused to let me wash him.
Instead, he kept me under the spray of the hot water as he washed his hair and then conditioned it before moving on to his body.
After he rinsed off, Kingston held me in the hot water as it rained down over us and I cried.
I hate crying but today I can’t seem to stop the tears.
Kingston didn’t say a single word to me as he let me get out all of my tears and get warm.
I’ve been trembling since I was taken to the Wild King’s clubhouse.
That’s why I didn’t want to take a shower that was offered to me.
Knowing how frozen I was, I knew I’d stay in the shower as long as possible and run out the hot water of a club I knew nothing about.
He whispered words of love and comfort to me as we just stood together.
Kingston dried me off before dressing me in one of his tee-shirts and a pair of panties.
He put me in bed and covered me up before telling me he was going to get me something to eat.
I told him about needing bland food that was soft to eat because of the nausea.
Before he can even leave the room, a knock sounded on the door.
He opened it to find my mom there with a bowl of soup, crackers, and a glass of juice.
It was all sitting on a tray.
Kingston backed up and let my mom in my room to place the tray over my lap and sits next to me in the bed before helping me eat.
It’s been a long time since she fed me and took care of me this way.
Kingston made small talk with my mom while sitting next to us in the bed and not leaving my side.
Once I was done eating, my mom left and Kingston locked the door behind her.
He climbed back in bed with me and held me close as we laid together.
Neither one of us talked as dark filled the room around us.
I silently cried in his arms until sleep claimed me.
I was surrounded by Kingston and my dreams were filled with thoughts of Kingston and building our lives together.
W hen I woke up this morning, Kingston was still sleeping in bed with me.
For the longest time, I did nothing but look at him and take in his peaceful face with his hair all over the place.
The weight of the world wasn’t resting on his shoulders.
Tears filled my eyes knowing this is the first time since I entered his life that he’s been this relaxed.
“Kitten, what’s wrong? Why are you cryin’?”
Kingston asks me, his voice full of sleep as he rolls over and pulls me into his arms once again.
“I was just watching you sleep and thinking about how peaceful you looked.
That since I entered your life, it’s been one drama after another and I don’t want to do that shit to you.
I want you to have peace in your life and not worrying about what’s going on with me,”
I tell him honestly as a tear falls off my face and lands on his chest.
“Kitten, I’m not lettin’ you go.
You’re mine and I don’t give a fuck what drama you bring into my life.
I will always be there for you and help you in whatever way you need from me.
If that’s us lockin’ ourselves in this room or the house when we get it furnished, that’s what we’ll do.
I’ll always protect you no matter what’s goin’ on in our lives and you will always know I have your back,”
Kingston promises me as he presses a kiss to the top of my head carefully.
“I just don’t want you to regret being with me.
Promise me right now that if you ever get tired of being with me, you’ll end our relationship and send me on my way.
The last thing I want to do is have you hate me,”
I plead with him, pushing myself up and looking down at him.
“Not gonna make that promise, Kitten.
I will never want to end our relationship.
Knew it the first time I saw you in the bookstore and I’m not gonna change my mind about us for any reason,”
he states, his voice warm and gentle as he pulls me down and presses his lips against mine.
“Let’s get in the shower so you can get down to the common room.
Your mom and other family members want to spend the day with you.
I’m gonna spend the day with your dad, uncle, grandpa, brother, and cousins.”
“Okay.”
As I wash my body, I still don’t feel clean after being with Jerome in that shack.
I don’t know if I’ll ever be clean again.
“What’s wrong, Brynn?”
Kingston asks me as I continue to scrub my skin raw.
“I’m not clean, Kingston.
He’s tainted everything about me.
My home.
Clothes.
Me.
I’ll never be clean again.
I have to wash my body so I’m clean for you,”
I cry out, my voice breaking on a sob.
“Kitten.
You’re clean.
Jerome might have tainted things when he broke into your sanctuary, but you’re clean.
To me, you’ll always be clean,”
he tells me, his voice washing over me as he pulls me into his arms and removing the loofah from my hands.
“Baby, I don’t see you any different than I did before you were taken by Jerome.”
Kingston finishes washing my body and helps me rinse off before getting me out of the shower and drying me off.
We go in the room and both of us dress for the day.
I’m wearing another one of his shirts with a pair of leggings.
Together, we leave the room and make our way down to the common room.
My mom and grandma are sitting at a table and watch us walk down the stairs.
Kingston walks me over to the table and gives me a kiss before heading to the bar where my male family members are sitting, waiting for him.
They soon leave the common room as my mom and grandma look at me.
“How are you feeling today?”
my mom asks me as footsteps walk closer to us.
Looking up, my sister walks to our table from the kitchen with a plate of food in her hands.
She sets it down in front of me as Taylor sets a glass of juice next to the plate.
It’s a plate of scrambled eggs, toast, and sausage.
The glass is full of orange juice.
“We know you need to eat and have soft food.
I wasn’t sure if you could eat the sausage, but I know you love it,”
Zoey tells me, a soft smile on her face.
“Thank you,”
I respond, picking up my fork and beginning to eat my food before answering my mom.
“I’m doing as good as I can right now.
I just had a breakdown in the shower with Kingston.
He held me and promised me the thoughts in my head aren’t how he feels or views me now.”
“How do you feel?”
my grandma asks me as Taylor and Zoey take a seat at the table with us.
“I feel tainted and dirty.
Like I’ll never be clean again.
I tried to scrub my body until I was raw and Kingston stopped me,”
I answer them honestly while keeping my eyes down on the plate in front of me.
“Baby, you’re not dirty,”
my mom says, tears in her eyes when I look up to find her getting out of her seat and coming over to me.
My mom pulls me into her arms and holds me close.
Zoey and my grandma join her holding me.
They all try to reassure me with words of affection that I’m not dirty and Kingston’s right.
Taylor grabs us Kleenex from somewhere and hands them out when my family pull back and I can start eating once again before my food gets cold.
“We’re not gonna talk about what happened to you today.
Instead, we’re gonna have a spa day here in the clubhouse.
Zoey went out and bought everything we’ll need for the day.
Hope is going to join us as well,”
my mom informs me as she takes a sip of her coffee.
“That sounds good,”
I tell them, not really wanting to do anything but go back to bed where I can sleep and forget about Jerome and everything he’s done to me over the years.
I ’ve spent the entire day with my family in the common room of the clubhouse.
They’ve all pampered me from head to toe.
Especially Zoey.
She’s waited on me hand and foot while apologizing repeatedly for her treatment of me over the years.
While she didn’t go into details about what she’s said and done to me, I didn’t want her to.
The last thing I want right now is to relive that part of my life.
I just want to move forward and start to build a relationship with my sister.
The only part of my body they didn’t touch was my head.
Doc, a woman named Dr.
Tallman, said too much time had passed and she couldn’t put stitches in the wound Jerome gave me when he hit me before stuffing me in the trunk of his car.
So, she cleaned it out really well and then bandaged me up.
She doesn’t want me to remove the bandages for at least a few days.
Kingston let me know that she’s going to send everything here to Dr.
Craven so he can continue my care and make sure that nothing happens with my head injury.
“Mom, when are you guys going back home?”
I ask, not wanting my family to leave Pine View even when I know they have to return to Brighton Hills for their club, businesses, and lives.
“I’m not sure, Sweetheart.
I’m sure your dad and grandpa will make a decision about that when they figure it out.
It all depends on Vault and what he wants too.
This is his territory and club,”
my mom answers me, wrapping her arm around my shoulders and pulling me into the side of her body.
Before I can respond, the main door of the clubhouse opens and in walks an older man with a file in his hand.
He sees us all scattered around a few tables my mom and grandma put together and heads in our direction.
“Hello everyone.
I’m Dr.
Craven and I’m here to talk to Brynn about the information I just received from Dr. Tallman,”
he says, a smile on his face as he looks around the table.
“I’m Brynn,”
I answer, standing from my seat but not moving from the table.
“It’s nice to meet you, Brynn.
Would you like to go somewhere else to talk in private?”
he asks me, still not losing the smile on his face which puts me completely at ease.
“No.
This is my family and I’m going to share everything with them anyway.
I’m tired still and don’t want to leave anything important out.
Plus they’ll be able to help me talk to Kingston when he comes back from whatever he’s doing,”
I answer him, taking my seat once more.
“I’m here, Kitten.
Doc called me on the way here.
Not gonna let you hear any of this news on your own,”
he says, lifting me from my seat and taking it before placing me in his lap and wrapping his strong arms around me.
“Thank you,”
I whisper to Kingston as I settle against his body and look up to Dr. Craven.
“Dr.
Tallman put a rush on the results of your blood work.
She has access to a lab and made sure yours was moved to the front of the line so you could get the results back sooner.
It’s what she does for any patient that’s been kidnapped and attacked,”
Dr.
Craven informs me, his voice soft and gentle as he removes a piece of paper.
“The results of your STD testin’ all came back negative.
Her notes indicate that no sexual assault took place.
It’s been noted that you were stripped down to your panties and bra based on what you told her.
She’s ruled out that you’ve been raped and I’m not sure if she told you that before you left Cedar Bay.
The other test she had performed is a pregnancy test.
Based on the results, you are pregnant.
You’re in the very early stages of the pregnancy and it could be contributin’ to the nausea that you’ve been feelin’.”
For several minutes, the common room is so silent you could hear a pin drop.
When I lift my head up to look at Kingston, I find him looking down at me with a smile on his lips.
He leans down and presses a gentle kiss against my lips.
“You’re gonna give me a baby,”
he whispers as everyone starts to talk at once.
I barely hear the words of my family members as Kingston and I continue to stare at one another.
Fear fills me with the thought of something happening to the baby from Jerome’s attack.
I can’t be happy in this moment with Kingston because my thoughts are consumed with fear.
“Kingston, what if something happened to our baby when Jerome had me?”
I ask him, my voice breaking and cracking as I continue to look at him.
“Kitten, we’ll deal with anythin’ that happens.
Doc, what are the chances this attack will have a lastin’ impact on the pregnancy?”
Kingston asks Dr.
Craven as he holds me tighter against him and all talking around us stops immediately.
“I don’t believe it will have any impact at all on the pregnancy.
You don’t seem to have any wounds to your abdomen.
You’ll need to find an obstetrician in Pine View and explain the situation to them.
They can perform an ultrasound to give you peace of mind and make sure nothin’ is wrong with the baby,”
Dr.
Craven answers Kingston as more people enter the common room.
“We’ll get right on that.
Hope, can you send me the information of the doctor you used?”
Kingston asks his cousin as my dad comes up behind us to find out what’s going on.
“What’s wrong, Baby Girl?”
he asks, looking down at me over Kingston’s shoulder.
I immediately burst into tears at his words and Kingston stands from the chair with me in his arms.
He hands me over to my dad who holds me in his strong, protective embrace.
I hear Kingston letting the rest of my family know what Dr.
Craven has just told us.
The entire time, my dad holds me like I’m a little girl who just scraped her knee after falling off her bike for the first time.
He whispers words of comfort and assurance to me the entire time as my grandpa comes up and runs his hand up and down my back.
I know it’s my grandpa because he leans down to whisper that he loves me and they’ll get us through whatever happens moving forward with the baby.
My dad hands me back to Kingston who takes me up to our room.
He tucks me into bed before sliding in next to me.
Even though I really didn’t do anything, I’m exhausted and know Dr.
Craven will be back once his office closes for the day to check the wound on my head and make sure I’m not getting any kind of infection on any of the injuries I have.
He just didn’t want to delay me getting the information because he knows how hard it is to wait for the results of blood work and finding out if something is wrong with a patient after an attack.
I let sleep claim me as I sink into the dreams of Kingston and a baby of our own.