Chapter 31
CHAPTER
THIRTY-ONE
BamBam
Since the night that Livy became mine in every way, it’s as if whatever else was holding her back was completely released.
What’s made it even sweeter is the fact that she was contacted by Fucktard's attorney who informed her he was involved in a bad accident and was deceased. She was apparently the beneficiary on his life insurance policy, so the day we went to the attorney’s office for her to sign paperwork and receive the cashier’s check, I took her to where she used to live and helped her pack everything that belonged to him, then get it to his parents.
They were livid that she got everything, of course, but the will was ironclad.
She decided to donate the furniture, and Nerd convinced her to rent out the trailer for some passive income.
That way, she doesn’t have to jump into deciding what she wants to do with the can on wheels immediately.
Moving forward; all she’ll need to concern herself with is collecting the rent and hiring a maintenance company, other than that, she can stay with Theo and raise him without having to deal with the hair-pulling bullshit most landlords deal with.
Personally, I don’t give a fuck if she ever works outside of what she does for the club at the laundromat, but she’s got a creative side that I’d love to see her explore.
We’re not horribly far away, so if an issue arises with the tenant she rented to, I’ll send one of the prospects to take care of it for her. Based on how he’s been with both Livy and Theo, I suspect Mongrel will just volunteer for the job, even after he patches into the club.
It’s been a month now since we had the rodeo and I officially claimed her as mine, and as the holidays are right around the corner, she’s in full memory making mode for not only Theo, but for the two of us.
Her reasoning is she hasn’t had a reason to celebrate since her parents died, but now that we’re a couple, we need to go full out.
She’s been in the thick of things decorating the laundromat for the customers, while also helping Issy do the same at the clubhouse.
Hell, she and Issy have one of those damn Elf on the Shelf dolls that they bought, saying he’d show up at the clubhouse around Thanksgiving and for all of us to ‘be prepared’, whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean.
I guess we’ll find out because none of us have any experience with these types of things.
Whistling, I walk over to the site where I’m constructing our house; not that she knows I’m doing that just yet.
We split our time between her apartment and my suite at the clubhouse, but soon, I’ll clue her in on what I’m building for us.
“Looks good, Franklin,” I say, walking over to the job foreman.
He grins at me and replies, “Thank fuck the dust storms have calmed down a bit, especially since we’re well outside the rainy season, man. No moisture in the air makes it hard as hell to work outside. Finally got some good weather so we can try and get this done for you before the end of the year.”
“Doesn’t matter when it gets finished, as long as it’s done correctly,” I tell him as I walk up the steps to the front porch. It wraps around three quarters of the house, with the back having a screened in porch.
He follows me around as I take note of the things they’ve managed to accomplish since my last trip to check on the progress. “We’re waiting on the granite to arrive so we can get the cupboards and counters done,” he advises as we walk into the kitchen.
Since Livy loves to cook, even though I’m sure we’ll eat plenty of meals at the clubhouse, I spared no expense when it came to giving her a state-of-the-art kitchen, complete with a sub-zero freezer, a huge walk-in pantry, an island for her to make cookies, a six-burner gas stove, and a double oven.
I’ve also got an area set aside in the backyard for a garden because she mentioned how much she loved canning with her mom when she was alive.
Yeah, I’m a fucking sap, but I’ll deny it to anyone who dares to say it, using my fists, of course.
This life is a hard one and because of who we are and what we do, we don’t have a softer side, unless we’re fortunate enough to find a woman.
The way I found Livy. At first glance, she doesn’t make sense in this crazy lifestyle, yet the shit she went through has shown me that appearances don’t always tell the full story.
“Appreciate all the hard work,” I reply, my mind already thinking about when the house is finished and she’s moving around this space, cooking, taking care of Theo, and growing into the woman she was always meant to be.
“Well, as soon as we wrap up the kitchen, I’ll reach out,” Franklin says. “Although, I suspect you’ll be popping in before that.”
I chuckle before holding out my hand to shake his. “You can count on it.”
Walking into the laundromat, I see Marge talking to a customer while Buddy straightens the items on the small food pantry that Livy set up. “Hey, BamBam!” he calls out when he sees me. “We got some donations.”
“Good deal,” I reply as I start collecting the money from the machines.
As I work on that, Livy comes up with a rolling basket and says, “Figured this would keep you from breaking your back.”
Smirking, I lean down and kiss her, relishing in the way she leans into me. “Appreciate it, sweetheart. Need to keep my strength up,” I tease as I watch her face pinken. “What are you doing the rest of the day?” I ask. “Wanna play hooky with me once I’m done here?”
“I’ll go anywhere with you, BamBam.”
“Good to know. Let me wrap this shit up and we’ll take off, okay?” I question.
“Okay, I’ll go get Theo sorted out,” she replies.
Since we’re going to the tattoo shop so Abyss can add ink to my body and it’s within walking distance of the laundromat, I tell her, “We may want to bring his carrier or something. We’re going to be busy for a few hours.”
“I’ll watch him,” Marge states. “Don’t have much else going on tonight anyhow.”
“Thanks, Marge,” Livy says.
Thank fuck Marge offered because I think Abyss would stroke out if I risked his license by bringing the little man inside. Since it’s one of our lucrative ventures, I won’t take that chance, and I honestly forgot about that little caveat.
“You’re welcome, Livy,” Marge replies. “I need to start looking around for somewhere to live since I don’t have much longer at Hope House, so if you hear of anything, BamBam, can you let me know?”
The woman, for her unapproachable exterior, has wormed her way into my life because of how she has taken my ol’ lady under her wing.
Because of that, I pull her to the side and quickly advise her that as soon as the house is done, she’s got an apartment upstairs that’s hers if she wants it.
Livy, thankfully, isn’t paying a bit of attention to us since Theo decided to let her know he was hungry.
Marge may choose to remain single the rest of her life, but as long as I’ve got breath in my body, she’ll be part of our family and by extension, part of the Kings’ family.
“You ever thought about getting a tattoo?” I ask Livy as I hang up my cut before slipping my shirt off then straddling Abyss’s chair.
“I saw one that I like that I’ve been thinking about,” she admits. “It says, ‘from pain came strength’ and the purple ribbon that denotes domestic violence is underneath it.”
“I like that,” Abyss says as he comes into the room. “Let me sketch something out and see if it’s what you’re looking for,” he suggests before he slips on his gloves.
Once we’re both satisfied with the placement of the transfer he had ready, he starts working while I let his and Livy’s voices lull me into a light doze.
I’m brought back to awareness when I feel the cool wipe he uses and he says, “You’re all done, brother.
Let me get this wrapped up for you so y’all can go. ”
“Appreciate it, VP,” I reply.
He smirks while applying the tattoo cream he uses before putting the cover over it and states, “I’m sure I don’t have to remind you how to take care of it, do I?”
Glancing down at my body where a myriad of tattoos cover my skin, I raise my brow at him. “Really? Considering you’ve done the majority of the work, I think I’m good.”
“How are you going to put that ointment on your tattoo when it’s on your back?” Livy asks as I slip my shirt back on then slide my cut over my shoulders.
“He’s gonna let you do it for him, darlin’,” Abyss teases.
Already finished with this conversation, I head to the front to pay and come to a standstill when I see the tiny sprite behind the desk. “You’re new,” I say as I hand her my card.
“Just started this week,” she replies, running my card through the reader before she hands it back to me along with the receipt.
“I see you’re classing up the place, Abyss,” I shout, referring to the woman whose name I don’t know.
“Shelly’s from up north a ways,” Abyss replies, walking toward where I’m standing. “Her uncle taught her how to tattoo and she’ll be in her own chair soon.”
I catch her face pinkening and realize there might be more to the story, but until my brother decides to share, I won’t probe.
“Hi, Shelly, I’m Livy,” my ol’ lady says, holding out her hand.
“Nice to meet you,” Shelly replies. I see a tattoo on her wrist of a semicolon and glance at Abyss, my gaze questioning.
He slowly shakes his head at me, so I decide not to push the issue. “Need to bring her out to the clubhouse for the barbecue this weekend, brother,” I say.
“I don’t want to impose,” Shelly protests.
“No, you really should come!” Livy exclaims. “It’s out at the Triple R ranch and they’ve got horses and everything. Plus, you’ll get to meet my little boy, Theo.”
Sorrow covers Shelly’s face before it becomes a blank mask as she nods. “I’d like that,” she quietly says.
“We’ll leave you to it, Abyss. Pleasure to meet you, Shelly,” I state. Looking down at Livy, I ask, “Do you think we should bring food back for Marge?”
“She’s already texted and asked if we would,” Livy replies, giggling.
“Then that’s what we’ll do.”