Chapter 10 #4
Since SJ’s birth had been unconventional at best, Keys had submitted the paperwork for a home birth.
He’d worked his magic so only Pumpkin was named on the birth certificate and no mother was listed.
They didn’t want to chance anyone from Cheryl’s family discovering SJ and asking questions or demanding custody.
It might be cruel to deny SJ his maternal family, but it was crucial there were no questions about Cheryl’s death that could lead back to the club.
Once Pumpkin had a ring on Dosia’s finger, he’d ask Keys to add Dosia to SJ’s birth certificate too. Unless a DNA test was taken, the world would believe him to be Dosia’s biological son.
The best part was that Dosia already treated SJ like he was hers.
She always included him and had even baby-proofed her grandparents’ house for him.
Marmot and Solstice, as they insisted Pumpkin call them, even referred to themselves as ‘Grandpa’ and ‘Grandma’ in regard to SJ too.
Pumpkin had also met Dosia’s brother, Ambrose.
But the one family member he hadn’t seen again was Calliope, who really was Dosia’s aunt.
Dosia didn’t like to talk about it, but he understood the two had had a falling out after Calliope had purposefully brought JJ to the bookstore so Pumpkin would discover her existence.
He told Dosia he wasn’t getting in the middle of the argument, though he was there if she wanted to talk about it or vent .
Figuring out the Pagan lifestyle and references took some getting used to. Beyond the various holidays, there were certain rituals and daily practices he was learning. Solstice had even read Pumpkin’s tarot.
Apparently some big changes were coming his way. There sure as fuck better be, including a ring and his house getting two new occupants.
“You okay, man?”
Pumpkin was halfway up the stairs to the Chapel. He’d paused to answer a text from Dosia, who was working at her bookstore. He was doing better with stairs and no longer felt like he had the lungs of a chain-smoker by the time he got to the top.
Turning over his shoulder, he saw Ghost heading up the stairs too. “Yeah, I’m good.”
Ghost got to a step below him and paused, as if waiting on Pumpkin.
Pumpkin stared back at him. “What?”
Ghost shrugged. “Was just going to walk with you.”
Pumpkin raised a doubtful eyebrow. Ghost was going to walk ‘with him’ up the ten more stairs and to the conference room the club had refurbished into their Chapel eight years ago? It seemed so absurd that his hackles rose. “I’m not going to fall. I was just stopping to answer a message.”
Ghost nodded. “Didn’t think you were going to. You’re looking steadier every day. Not that I see you much. You’re always going off somewhere, and it’s never to my bar.”
“Life of a single parent doesn’t leave much drinking time.” Also the idea of going to the bar like he used to made him shudder. There was only one woman who would ever touch his dick again, and she was currently giving him the worst case of blue balls he’d ever had in his life.
Ghost snorted. “Really? You’re not going to tell me who she is?”
Pumpkin’s back stiffened. “Who who is?”
“Whatever girl you keep sneaking off to see,” Ghost prompted. “There’s a bet going around that she’s one of the nurses from your rehab center. Some of us even tried to bribe Darrin into telling us, but I gotta hand it to the prospect. He didn’t crack under pressure.”
Really? Pumpkin was going to have to thank Darrin somehow. He’d underestimated the prospect. “There’s no girl,” Pumpkin lied with a straight face. “Just been really busy getting reacclimated to being home.”
Ghost didn’t look like he believed him, and frankly, Pumpkin didn’t give a shit.
He loved spending time with Dosia, just them and their kids.
As soon as he introduced her to the club, the other ol’ ladies were going to pull her attention.
Not to mention the club kids. As much as Pumpkin wanted JJ and Dosia to move in with him, he was also very content having them all to himself a little bit longer.
“If you say so, man.” Ghost was still waiting next to him.
“I will hit you with my cane if you don’t move your ass,” Pumpkin snarled. He lifted it in his left hand for good measure.
Ghost chuckled, completely unperturbed. “Whatever you say, Grandpa.” Ghost went up a couple more steps and then stopped. He turned around, crossed his arms over his chest, and waited. Out of Pumpkin’s striking range.
“Fuck you,” Pumpkin snapped. He took hold of the railing again with his right hand, balanced his cane with his left, and then continued up the stairs.
Ghost watched him carefully, moving backwards up a step each time Pumpkin advanced.
“I’m fine,” Pumpkin growled at his club brother.
“If you think I’m standing here because I think you’re lying, you’re mistaken.”
Pumpkin’s eyes narrowed. “Then why are you here?” Pumpkin had specifically come early to the Church meeting so his brothers wouldn’t see his progress up the stairs.
After last week’s meeting when he’d finally convinced Steel to take it upstairs and Pumpkin had slowly ascended while everyone was waiting up top for him, he had left his house almost an hour before the meeting started so that experience was never repeated.
He should have waited to answer Dosia’s message, but fuck him, because his brain was like a teenage boy’s and he got too fucking excited whenever she messaged him to wait to reply.
“I’m heading up to Church,” Ghost said simply. “Same as you.”
Pumpkin finally made it to the landing. Maybe it was the bachelor auction coming up the next day or the fact that he had to move his PT appointment to that afternoon, which cut into Dosia’s and his alone time before JJ got out of school, but the fact that Ghost hadn’t just walked past him after making some snide comment about Pumpkin being a “slow poke” had finally pushed Pumpkin over the edge.
He got right up into Ghost’s face. “I have had it! All of you treat me like glass, like I’m about to fall on my ass or break something else!
I’m alive ! I survived! I am working my ass off every single fucking day to get stronger but none of you are seeing that.
Treating me like I lost my fucking mind in that accident. ”
Ghost didn’t back down, didn’t even seem pissed at Pumpkin’s shouting. “We are not.”
“I ordered a fucking George Clooney manscaping kit and none of you said a damn thing! I’ll admit, it was fun at first, fucking with you guys. And whoever picked out that god-awful color that is now on my house needs to remove it. Preferably sooner than later.”
“That’s the color you said you wanted,” Ghost told him, a note of confusion in his voice.
“I was fucking with you!” Pumpkin repeated, his voice rising. “Did you guys honestly think I was that interested in emus and whatever else I fucking signed up for?”
Ghost stared at him for a moment. “We were trying to give you time?—”
Pumpkin let out a groan. “I don’t need time.
What I need is to know what it is going to take to get you guys to treat me like normal again!
None of you act like you have any confidence in me anymore.
Tiptoeing around me like you think I’m going to burst into tears any second.
I’m not some pussy that’s going to crack at the first sign of hardship.
” He pounded on his chest. “I’m a fucking Marine! ”
“Then get your ass in the Chapel, Marine!” Steel’s voice boomed throughout the entire clubhouse .
Pumpkin nearly jumped, having not heard Steel or some of the others enter the clubhouse. After twenty years in the Marines, most of them in command, Steel had the classic Military Yell down to a science.
Pumpkin and Ghost shared an amused glance. Even years after leaving the military—the Marines for Pumpkin and the SEALs for Ghost—it was a natural instinct to listen to that Yell.
As they entered the Chapel, Ghost nudged Pumpkin’s shoulder with his own. “Welcome back, brother. And if you want your house re-painted, do it yourself.”
Normally, the officers met Friday mornings for their executive Church meeting and then the entire club met on Saturday mornings with the Sunday club run the following day.
Since the club runs were out for the winter, the club occasionally met for Sunday lunches, either at the clubhouse or out at a restaurant, but they always kept their Church schedule the same regardless of the time of year.
However, with the Fall Festival the next morning, this week’s Saturday Church meeting had been moved to Friday afternoon following the officers’ standard meeting.
Everyone was present. Unless you were sick or dying, Steel’s words, you got your ass to Church.
After Jumper and Demo read their reports, Steel brought the meeting to order.
“I’m aware some of you are none too thrilled about tomorrow’s bachelor auction.
Tough shit. Jenna has worked far too hard on this event to deal with your whining.
Suck it up, put a goddamn smile on your face, and for the love of all that is holy, act like you want to be there.
If I hear one complaint leave your fucking lips and it makes it to Jenna’s ears, I will staple your lips together. Is that clear?”
Pumpkin wasn’t the only one who swallowed hard at Steel’s words.
The man didn’t threaten just for the sake of threatening.
It wasn’t his way, nor did he rule through intimidation.
But there was one button that was never to be pushed with Steel, and that was Jenna.
The man would do anything for his woman, and the fact that she was sick now only increased Steel’s need to ensure everything in Jenna’s life was perfect.