Chapter 19
Doc
I lean against the curved archway between the kitchen and living area and cross my arms over my chest as I watch Brit nurse our daughter, looking down at her with nothing but love, and my chest aches for so many different fucking reasons.
She hasn’t said much since we got home an hour ago.
Fuck, she barely said anything after I confessed my love for her.
Since she started doubting the person she used to be.
Now, she’s gone into a shell that I’ve somehow got to get her back out of, and fucking Millie demanding to speak to me before we left the hospital did not help.
Brittany smiles down at our daughter, and I swear it is a fucking sight to see, and I gotta tell yah, regret is a fucking bitch.
I missed everything. Brit growing Bailey, all the appointments, finding out we were having a girl, the birth, the first few nights, fucking everything.
And the fact I still would have gone through the wedding if she hadn’t gone missing, even if I had found out about Bailey.
Resentment towards the club builds inside me, boiling every day, resentment towards my dad.
Brit gently puts her breast away, one I want nothing more than to suck on myself. I watch as she gently cups our daughter's jaw and rubs her back like a natural.
I never thought I could love her any more than I already did, but watching her with our child, fuck, it pulls at my heartstrings, and the need to claim her is consuming. I know that wouldn’t be welcome just yet, and I mean yet.
Brit will wear my leather, I just have to give her time.
“I can feel you staring,” she says softly without looking at me, and I smile.
After she went quiet on me, I called Stone and got him to come back in my truck, then he drove my bike home while I drove with my girls, not wanting her to go into her own head, allowing her thoughts to run wild.
She wants to leave, I already knew it before Stone pre-warned me when he arrived to swap keys. Dallas has become a comfort for her, the Untamed like family after everything they did to help her but I just have to convince her not to leave me.
“You’re a pretty sight to see,” I admit honestly as I tilt my head.
She looks my way, our eyes instantly connecting, electric sparks flying between us before a ‘meow’ echoes, breaking our connection. I look near Brit’s bare feet as Angel moves in and out of her legs before jumping on the couch and curling up beside my girl as she gently burps our daughter.
Brit smiles softly at Angel, and I ask, “Do you remember her?”
“Kind of,” she admits before she frowns and as if something clicked, she asks, “Did I steal her?”
I laugh as I push off the wall and walk over to her, gently taking Bailey from her and placing her on my chest. I continue rubbing her back, and Brit watches me with awe and dare I say, longing? Love?
Fuck me, that is a look I always want from her, even if she doesn’t understand why she’s looking at me that way, why she’s feeling those feelings.
“You did,” I admit with a grin, and her eyes widen as I explain, “You’d overheard the owner threatening to feed her to his dog and decided to take her and hide her from Shadow.”
“Oh,” she whispers with shock.
Chuckling softly as I sway with our daughter, I confess, “It was the moment I knew you were mine, my badass little animal thief.”
Brittany’s cheeks redden adorably, a bashful smile breaks out just as a knock sounds, and I go to move, but my front door swings open, and my mother storms in, her ‘don’t mess with me’ face firmly in place.
I raise a brow as Brit's eyes widen, seeing a woman storm into our home and demand, “Give me my granddaughter,” as she stops next to me, her hands already taking Bailey.
“I’m sorry, son,” my dad breathes as he rushes in after her, cupping his junk. He chokes, “I tried to stop her, but she pulled on my nuts…”
I wince because ouch, and Mama snaps, “Two days I have waited to meet my granddaughter, respecting you and your girl, but no more. I want Bailey time!”
I lock eyes with Brit’s wide, shocked ones as Mama gushes, “Oh, baby, look, she has our son's eyes and she is so precious…”
Dad shakes his head, a grin in place while holding his nuts still, and I introduce, “Tinkerbell, meet my crazy ass mother, Deborah, but call her Debbie.”
Mama slaps the back of my head and scolds, “No swearing in front of my granddaughter!” and Brit giggles as I flinch, then mock glare at her, only causing her smile to widen and her whole face lights up.
Okay, Mama can hit me whenever she wants if that is the grin I get.
Mama addresses my girl, “It is so nice to finally meet you, Brittany, and I am so sorry for barging in like this. I just, I really wanted to meet you and hold my granddaughter.”
Brit smiles and admits, “That’s okay,” and I soften, seeing she fucking means it.
“Hey son, while your mama is getting the cuddles I wanted, can we talk for a moment?” my dad suddenly asks, and I look at him, his eyes full of guilt.
Instantly, I know this has to be about the senator and his leech-like daughter.
They’ve tried calling me several times since learning I was back in town but I’ve ignored every single one while ensuring the boys had at least three prospects each on them.
“Whatever you have to say, Dad, you can say it in front of Brittany. I won’t keep shit from her anymore,” I state, and Mama smacks my head again. I scowl as my tinkerbell again giggles. “Shouldn’t you be standing up for me right now?” I ask as a joke, and she grins.
I shake my head and lock eyes with Dad, I raise a brow, and he sighs as he puts his hands on his hips and admits, “Jacob has reset the wedding date for the end of the month.”
Anger, so much fucking anger fills me as I point at my father and snap, “I’m not marrying her, and if it means shoving my fucking president patch at your feet, then fine, take your fucking club back, I’m done being pressured by you!”
Dad's eyes widen, and he quickly puts his hands up in surrender as Brit quickly stands and wraps an arm around my back, putting her other hand on my chest, and begins to draw soothing circles to tame my anger and I look at her.
Her brows are furrowed, and I quickly wrap my arm around her shoulders as we lock eyes.
“I used to do this…” She murmurs, a hint of pain showing in her eyes, and I move my hand into the back of her hair, gently rubbing her scalp.
Fuck she’s just had another flashback.
Every time I was pissed, agitated, or ready for murder, her soothing circles always soothed me.
“I’ve never seen anyone settle his anger like that before,” my mama whispers, “Normally it’s the ER that soothes it.”
“How’s your head, Tinkerbell?” I ask, my pulse finally settling with her touch, the need to kill my own father diminishing.
“Okay,” she whispers but the flinch she gives says otherwise, and I gently pull her head to my chest, and she instantly settles against me.
I don’t stop rubbing my hand against her head as I lock eyes with my dad and I repeat, “I am not marrying her.”
“I know,” he says, “I wouldn’t ask you to.”
“Because of Bailey?” Brit asks not looking at him, and Dad looks at her softly and admits, “No, because of you.”
“But it didn’t stop you before,” she whispers, confusion lacing her tone.
Dad sighs and confesses, “I didn’t know about you and my son, sweetheart.
Shadow wanted you away from the club. Your mama refused to allow you to have contact with any brother other than Thunder.
I had no idea my son had fallen for you.
If I had, I never would have threatened his patch the way I did. I’m so sorry, son.”
I look away, my eyes going to Bailey.
I could never imagine forcing her to marry someone she didn’t want to, all for the club, yet he forced me, fuck, I nearly walked down the aisle.
“Look, we need a plan,” my dad says, “Dirty is still digging, but something needs to happen sooner rather than later because if he finds out about Bailey…”
His words trail off, and Brit tightens her grip on my shirt, sensing the danger to our daughter, but before I can reply to my dad, to explain we have a plan in place, Shadow walks in without knocking, Kathleen right behind him with a fierce, determined look.
Fuck’s sake.
I kiss Brit’s head and move to stop her parents knowing she isn’t ready, just as Kathleen cries, “My baby!” and I look at Brittany. Her eyes are looking between her mama and dad with confusion.
“Do I know you?” she asks, and Kathleen cries loudly while Shadow looks down.
Great.
“You, I’m your mama,” Kathleen cries and moves towards Brit, but I quickly stand in her way at the look that crosses my girl's face.
She wants to run.
“Move out of my way, Doc!” Kathleen demands, “I’m taking my daughter and granddaughter home!
” she points at me, “This is all your fault, why she doesn’t know me, why she doesn’t remember, her attack, it is all your fault,” she shoves me but I don’t move and she screams, “I could have lost my daughter because of you!”
Bailey cries at the sudden loud noise, and my jaw ticks.
She’s Shadow’s wife, I try to remind myself, but the urge to strangle her is fucking high for making my daughter cry.
“Kathleen!” Shadow snaps, but I ignore him and growl, “My girls are not going anywhere with you. They are staying with me, where they belong!”
Kathleen's face reddens before she lifts her hand, and before I can move out of her way, she slaps me across the face, the noise echoing with my daughter's cries, my mama trying to soothe her.
“Fuck,” Shadow mutters, seeing the error his wife has just made, but before he can pull her back, my tinkerbell is suddenly before me, shoving her mama away from me making the woman stumble backwards in shock.
She threatens, “You touch him one more time and you will regret it!”
Damn…
My mouth parts as my eyes widen while Shadow's jaw drops, and my dad mutters, “Fuck me, she really is his one going against her own mama...”
Brit looks at me with a frown, her eyes going to my cheek before she gently cups my jaw and rubs it with concern.
“I’m alright, Tinkerbell,” I whisper as I place my hand over hers, needing to keep her touch.
“I don’t care, she had no right touching you when I am the one who has made it perfectly clear that I want nothing to do with them right now. That I want to focus on Bailey and you, that is my priority, not a woman who apparently pushed all her fears onto me,” she replies firmly.
Kathleen chokes, “How dare you, I-I,” she looks at me, “You, you did this, you brainwashed my daughter!”
“Fuck’s sake, Kathleen, she has amnesia!” Shadow snaps.
Kathleen's nostrils flare as I wrap my arm around my girl's waist, not wanting to lose her body warmth, the shock that she just shoved her mama and threatened her for me slowly running through me. And let’s not forget the fact that my cock has hardened at her reaction to me being hurt.
“Fine,” Kathleen snaps, seeing Brit won’t be changing her mind and will indeed hurt her if she steps near me.
My girl might be small but she is fucking mighty.
Looking at Bailey, Kathleen states, “I’m taking my granddaughter, I won’t have her put in harm's way in this club like my daughter was!”
I tense, a growl working its way up my throat.
“Take one step and I will hurt you,” my mama threatens as my dad stands just in front of them, his arms crossed while Shadow sighs, dropping his head knowing she’s just fucked even worse and won’t be allowed on club property.
“You are a hypocrite,” Brit suddenly says, gaining everyone’s attention. “You claim this club is harmful, yet you married a brother.”
“I have nothing to do with the club, and your father had agreed to keep you separate as well,” Kathleen says, her nose up in the air like a stuck up bitch, being called a hypocrite clearly getting underneath her skin.
Brit shakes her head and scoffs, “So what, you’re forcing him to hide half of who he is?
Who his son is? His family?” Brit looks at Kathleen with disgust and admits, “I don’t want anything to do with you lady and if you think you are taking one step near my daughter you have got another thing coming. Now get out and don’t come back!”
Kathleen's eyes tear up, and a big part of me feels sorry for her. She wants to keep her daughter safe, but unfortunately, she’s gone about it the wrong way.
“I told you not to do this, that she wasn’t ready, Kath,” Shadow growls, “Let's go.” He looks at me and apologizes, “I’m sorry, pres.”
I nod once before he looks at my girl with longing as he grabs his wife’s arm and drags her out, her pleas echoing. Brit turns in my embrace, placing her face into my chest, and I hold her tightly against me as our daughter's soft sniffles can be heard.
“Well,” Mama says, gaining our attention, “I’d say we look like a normal couple compared to them, Brian.”
Dad grins as he wraps his arms around her and presses his lips against hers, and I roll my eyes.
How in the fuck can they look like a normal couple when they fuck other people?
I shake my head, to each their own and all that, and I cup the back of my girl's head and murmur, “Are you alright?”
She shakes her head and admits, “I had a flashback, I was around six and all I wanted to do was play outside with the other kids, but Mama said no, that it was too dangerous.” She looks up at me, “How much did I miss out on all because of her fears? And why did I allow it?”
My heart aches for her because, according to Shadow, she missed out on a lot and focused solely on school. She loved her mama fiercely, but I suppose losing her memory was a way to see the other side of her mama —the controlling side.
I cup the back of her head and press my lips against her forehead while silently promising to never let her live in fear, to always protect her.
Even if it means getting hurt myself.