Damaged and the Bulldog

by Bijou Hunter

  “Good morning, Winona Todds.”

  “Good morning, beautiful Dylan.”

  He leaned forward and kissed me gently. “We better get cleaned up for lunch at the folks’ place.”

  “A quickie?” I asked, teasing his nipple. “Please?”

  Dylan grinned then rolled out of bed. “Nope. We promised we’d get there early. Besides, you and me don’t do quickies.”

  “We could try,” I offered as Dylan tugged me out of bed and into his arms.

  “Fine, but in the shower. We need to multitask this morning.”

  “Why are you so gung-ho about going to see my parents?”

  “Family meals weren’t something I enjoyed often,” he murmured against my neck. After slipping off my shirt, he picked me up and carried me into the bathroom. “I like knowing people are waiting for me. My presence isn’t an afterthought.”

  Smiling, I kissed his stubbled cheek. “You deserve to be appreciated.”

  Dylan checked the water then carried me under it. “You’re too damn tempting. At this rate, we’ll never get to your parents’ house.”

  Laughing, I loved how he didn’t refer to it as my house. I lived with him, even if most of my stuff remained in my old room. The reality of our new life together still shocked me.

  After a very enjoyable half hour in the shower, we dressed and walked down to his SUV. Even with the weather too cold for the Harley, I spotted Judd and Tawny riding theirs in the opposite direction as us. I loved how Tawny had her own Harley and tried to imagine myself on one. The vision ended with me crashing into a mailbox, so I figured I’d leave the Harley riding to Tawny and Harlow.

  My sister came out to the porch to meet us. I knew she missed having me around the house. We spent most of our time together and often shared a bed at night. I wondered what she did when the nightmares bothered her now.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, feeling guilty as I hugged her.

  “You should be,” she teased, clearly having no idea what I was talking about. “We’re all ashamed of you.”

  Rolling my eyes, I took Dylan’s hand and followed Harlow inside. Jace sat in the front of the TV. I knew he was grumpy based on the way he didn’t look at me. When I flopped next to him on the couch, he did smile.

  “You smell like a strip club,” he said, narrowing his eyes at me.

  “How would you know?”

  “I’m not telling you my secrets.”

  Shaking my head, I sighed loudly. “Why do you make me do this to you? It’s like you want to suffer.”

  Jace knew what was coming, but his escape came too late. I pinned him on the couch and tickled him. Despite his efforts to seem unfazed, he couldn’t withstand armpit tickling.

  While I tormented my laughing brother, Dad and Mom walked out from the kitchen.

  “He missed you,” Mom said as I finally let Jace up.

  Catching his breath, my brother leaned next to me on the couch.

  “I miss beating you at videogames.”

  “I miss you beating me too,” I said, kissing his head.

  Harlow flopped on the couch next to us and I smiled at the familiar comfort of my family. Dylan watched us with a slight grin. When he caught Tad and Toni’s gazes, his smile grew.

  Suspicious now, I glanced at Harlow who was busy gluing herself to me.

  “Are they up to something?” I whispered. “Am I going to be embarrassed?”

  “I don’t know. If you feel embarrassed, I’ll punch Dylan in the crotch and distract everyone.”

  Rolling my eyes at her threat, I studied Dylan who grinned at me.

  “What?” I asked, nervous now.

  “She’s on to you,” Dad said. “Better ask now before she gets squirrely.”

  “Squirrely,” Jace snorted. “She gets batty too.”

  Harlow laughed. “Winnie can do so many animal impressions.”

  Ignoring them, I stood up and walked to a still smiling Dylan. “What?”

  “What happened to patience?”

  Without thinking, I reached to pinch my hand. Dylan took both hands then knelt on one knee.

  “Don’t,” Harlow blurted, grabbing for me.

  Everyone frowned at her. A moment passed where she stared at me in horror. Suddenly, she shrugged.

  “I meant don’t stop. Go ahead, Dylan.”

  The mood in the room shifted back to anticipation. Our gaze focused on Dylan who smiled up at me.

  “I know it’s been a few weeks. I don’t care. I love you and you love me, right?”

  “I love you so much.”

  “I’m not stupid. I know we’ll have problems. We run into issues. When we do, we’ll work them out. We’ll figure them out because we belong together. You believe that, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” I whispered, staring into his beautiful dark eyes.

  “Winona Todds, you are perfection and I refuse to live without you. Will you marry me?”

  My legs turning to jelly, I knelt down too.

  “Yes,” I whispered, afraid he was about to change his mind. Maybe it was a trick. All these awful things rushed through my mind. I wasn’t good enough for Dylan. He was going to leave me one day. I didn’t deserve to be happy when I was so weak.

  “You love me,” he whispered, pressing his forehead against mine. “You want me to be happy.”

  “Yes,” I said, tears rolling down my cheeks.

  “You’re what I need to survive.”

  “I’m not really strong yet.”

  “I love you now. I don’t want to wait. Do you want to wait for me?”

  Shaking my head, I looked at my smiling parents then back at Dylan.

  “We’re in love and planning to live together. We need to make our relationship official, so your daddy won’t kick my ass.”

  Even laughing, I asked, “You want this?”

  “I can give up everything else in my life, but never you. Married or not, you belong with me.”

  I exhaled uneasily then smiled. “Yes, I will marry you.”

  Dylan pulled me into an embrace while Mom and Dad clapped. I heard Harlow and Jace clapping too, but they were less enthusiastic. Like me, my siblings were wary of change.

  Even wanting to glue myself to Dylan and never leave his side, I joined Harlow on the back porch. We sat on the bench and I watched a squirrel race across the yard and disappear in a tree. Next to me, Harlow shivered under a blanket and stared at nothing.

  “Why did you say don’t?” I asked finally.

  “I think it’s too soon.”

  “We’re living together. Marriage makes sense.”

  “I know, but it’s too soon.”

  Fighting tears, I needed Harlow to be happy for me. “I love him. He makes me feel better than I have before and I crave that feeling.”

  “We didn’t make you happy?”

  Her jaw clenching, Harlow refused to look at me even as I rested my head on her shoulder.

  “I didn’t grow up with a sister like you did. When you came to live here, I was jealous for a day or two. I worried you’d get all the attention and be a better daughter. You were so beautiful too and I imagined people would ignore me when they could be close to you instead.”

  “Idiot,” Harlow said, smirking. “You took care of me.”

  “I wanted you to like me. Beckett ignored me because I was twitchy around him. I wanted you to be my friend, so I sucked up to you.”

  Harlow laughed. “That’s not how it happened.”

  “Yes, it was. I was so desperate for you to like me. I nearly peed myself when you looked at other girls and I thought you might like them more.”

  Turning to me, Harlow wrapped the blanket around us both. “You’re a good sister.”

  “It’s why you don’t want me to leave.”

  Harlow’s smile faded. “What happens when I have bad dreams? You have Dylan to cuddle with, but I’m alone.”

  “There’s always Jace.”

  Harlow rolled her eyes. “Can you imagine me
crawling into his bed at night? He’d think he was under attack and punch me.”

  “Yeah, he’s pretty grumpy about people in his bed.”

  Harlow exhaled hard. “It’s bullshit. I got you and Dylan together, but I’m the one suffering because you’re together. What the fuck?”

  “You’re selfless. A martyr really.”

  Harlow’s smile returned. “I’m scared about what I’ll do without you nearby.”

  “I’m scared too. I love Dylan, but my family kept me sane all these years. I miss you even though I see you every day.”

  “I don’t blame you. I am pretty addictive.”

  “Crazy addictive.”

  Sharing a smile, we returned to an uneasy silence. Life with Dylan was a dream, but the reality of it still scared me.

  “I’m not buying a bike. I decided to use the fighting money to take martial arts classes and get stronger. Dad said I can ride Beckett’s Harley until he’s out of prison.”

  “You’re such a badass,” I whispered, giving her a soft smile. “We’re so different, but you’ll always be my best friend.”

  “No man will change that.”

  When we stood up to join the others for lunch, I took Harlow’s hand. “If you’re ever feeling bad and think it’ll be a tough night, we’ll have extra rooms at the house. You’re always welcome to stay.”

  Harlow pulled me into a tight hug and I returned her affection. Life was changing quickly and we could only struggle to keep up. Understanding Harlow’s fears about me and Dylan, I knew our relationship appeared on fast forward. Despite everyone’s concerns, God blessed me with a chance at love. Dylan and I belonged together and nothing rational mattered.

  Chapter Thirty Four ~ Dylan

  Thanksgiving was a big day in the Todds’s household. They started the day with a large breakfast at the church. After a service, they served dinner to those less fortunate in town. Finally, the family shared a dinner at home. Toni put us in charge of this last part.

  In my family, we normally went out to dinner for Thanksgiving. My mom didn’t like cooking. None of my stepmoms wanted to cook either. Dad wasn’t the kind of man to treat holidays as a special occasion, so this Thanksgiving was like my first.

  Walking through the grocery store, I pushed one cart while Harlow pushed a second. Winnie held a list of necessary supplies to make the turkey dinner with all the fixings. Jace stayed close to Harlow as we filed the carts.

  “Are you going to grow out your hair?” Winnie asked, shifting closer as we passed a crowd of college kids fighting over what beer brand to buy.

  “I don’t know. What do you think I should do?”

  Winnie smiled at me, but she was in a quiet mood from the noise around us. Harlow was happy to pick up the slack.

  “I say keep it shaved. Makes you look tough and you really need the help.”

  Narrowing my eyes at her, I tried not to smile. Harlow laughed at Winnie’s angry expression. I knew they were messing with each other, so I looked to Jace for his opinion.

  The kid stared at me with dark eyes and shrugged. “I say let it grow longer. It’ll help keep your fat head warm.”

  The girls laughed while I ruffled up Jace’s thick black hair. “You’d know about keeping fat heads warm, wouldn’t you, kid?”

  Jace gave me a great smile. He was warming up to me and I realized I wanted his approval. Broken like Winnie, Jace needed people to push past his walls and embrace him.

  We were all teasing him about his wild hair when my phone rang. I saw the call was from my mom and considered ignoring it. All the family time with the Todds had likely made me soft because I decided to give Mom a break.

  “Hey,” I said while Winnie and Harlow talked ham and turkey.

  “Hay is for horses, Dylan,” Mom replied like clockwork.

  Rolling my eyes, I wished I hadn’t answered. “What’s up?”

  Mom sighed, desperately wishing to tell me the sky was up. Instead, she got to the point of the call.

  “Will you be visiting for Christmas?” I’d like you to meet my future husband, Sal.”

  Glancing at Winnie, I considered telling Mom my big news. I imagined what she would say and how her dismissive words would make me feel. Fuck it. She didn’t need to know my personal shit.

  “I have plans for the holiday.”

  “Oh,” Mom said in a snippy voice. “With your father because I thought you two weren’t getting along?”

  “No, not with him. I’m spending the holidays with my girlfriend’s family.”

  “Oh, who is she?”

  I studied Winnie. She’d lost interest in the meat section and was now watching me. I imagined her in the same room as my judgmental mother. How long before mom would bitch about Winnie’s posture or some other stupid little thing? I even imagined Mom making a snide comment about Winnie pinching her hands or flinching at nothing.

  “Mom, I’m in the middle of shopping. You have a great Thanksgiving and I’ll talk to you soon.”

  After she muttered something like goodbye, I hung up and returned to Winnie’s side. She stared at me nervously even after I wrapped my arms around her. Life would never be easy for Winnie, but my job was to make her feel as safe as possible. Whether beating down a loud college idiot or keeping my mom states away, I’d do whatever necessary to protect what was mine.

  Chapter Thirty Five ~ Winnie

  Lark began suffering from Braxton Hicks contractions when she reached the six month point. They were merely practice for the real deal. If she rested on a different side or elevated her feet, the contractions ended. Just after Thanksgiving, they began at eleven in the morning and didn’t stop no matter what position she tried.

  After a short period of denial, Lark knew a trip to the hospital was necessary. First, I called 911 since she was high risk and giving birth in the car wasn’t happening. Next, I contacted Aaron who was golfing with his dad and Cooper. Finally, I got hold of Raven.

  “I’m scared out of my fucking mind,” Lark said as we waited for the ambulance.

  “If it’s for real, they’ll give you an epidural and you won’t feel the pain of the contractions. Then they’ll prep you for the surgery. It won’t take long for them to get the babies out then you can see Phoebe and Leo. Oh, and Aaron will be with you during the C-section.”

  “Do you remember that from your baby?”

  “No. I looked it up on the internet.”

  Lark smiled. “It’ll be okay. It’s a good hospital and they know how to take care of preemies. My doctor has experience with them too. It’s okay.”

  Rubbing her feet, I tried to stay calm so she would remain calm too.

  “By this evening, you’ll know if the babies have curly hair like Aaron did.”

  Lark’s eyes lit up. “I’m going to see my babies. I know I might not be able to hold them if they’re in those incubators, but I can touch them and see them.”

  The paramedics carried Lark to the ambulance on a stretcher. She looked embarrassed to have the attention, but I teased her about being a queen carried around by hunky slaves. The paramedics like that too.

  Sitting up front, I peeked back at Lark whose cheeks were red like when her blood pressure spiked. I heard the paramedics with her say they were already prepping at the hospital for an emergency C-section. It wouldn’t be long, he promised.

  I remained with Lark in the hospital room until Aaron arrived out of breath from running.

  “My muse,” he said, taking her hand.

  Leaving them alone to prepare for the surgery, I walked into the waiting room. Cooper patted the chair next to him and I joined him.

  “She’ll be okay,” he said, sounding convincing.

  I didn’t feel like talking, so I texted Dylan, Harlow, Mom, and Dad to let them know what was happening. Cooper spoke quietly on the phone with Farah who was on her way with Tawny.

  First, Dick and Maryann arrived then Raven not long afterwards with Bailey.

  “We were shopping when you c
alled,” Bailey announced as Raven hurried to Lark’s room.

  Joining her brother, Bailey tapped her foot and stared at the door.

  “How long will it take?”

  “Patience,” Cooper muttered then returned to talking with Farah.

  Bailey changed seats, so she was next to me. “Don’t be scared. Pixies are powerful creatures.”

  Smiling softly, I took Bailey’s hand and waited. Others arrived. The Smith sisters arrived, followed by Vaughn, Judd, and Tucker then Maddy after she dropped off Scarlet with the Johanssons. Finally, Dylan and Nick walked into the waiting room.

  Diving for Dylan’s arms, I focused on his heartbeat, rather than the hospital noises around us.

  “It’ll be okay,” he whispered.

  Even nodding, I had a bad feeling that happy words wouldn’t fix.

  The door to the room opened and Raven emerged followed by Aaron who followed a nurse down the hall. A gurney with little Lark exited next. I heard her tell Raven everyone would be okay. Raven said the same thing back to her. Once Lark was around the corner, Raven yanked Vaughn out of the waiting room and away from prying eyes. I know she didn’t like for people to see her cry.

  The next hour felt like ten. Sitting with a Kindle each, Bailey and Nick worked on reading assignments. Maddy and Tucker watched something on his phone. Tawny and Judd walked the halls then sat outside in the courtyard with Vaughn and Raven. I didn’t know what to say or do, so I stared at the floor. Dylan watched the news on the overhead TV. Cooper consoled a crying Farah.

  “Ignore me,” Farah said when Dylan glanced at her. “I cry easily and the hormones aren’t helping either.”

  Dylan nodded then returned to watching TV. All the while, he held my hand snugly in his.

  The moment Aaron appeared, we all prepared for good news. The babies were here. Lark was fine. Congratulations all around.

  Instead, the clearly freaked out Aaron walked to his parents.

  “Something went wrong,” he said, his voice uneven. “After the babies were out, the machine tracking Lark’s heart rate made alarm noises. The doctor said she was bleeding too much and I needed to get out so they could work.”