Page 72 of Thunder

Fuck.

Chapter 27

Scottie

“I cannot believe you and Thunder got married yesterday, and no one even knew that he had met someone,” Rose chuckles, a woman who is absolutely beautiful inside and out.

She took to Sammie instantly, and her little girl Lilly is literally hanging off my nephew, who has the biggest smile on his face.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this relaxed before.

“What can I say, he’s very convincing,” I say as I look his way to see him watching Sammie with a smile lacing his lips, his sister and brother-in-law standing by him, along with several brothers whose names I can’t really remember just yet.

“He threatened to sedate you, didn’t he?” Rose deadpans, and I grin her way, making her laugh and say, “That man, I swear.”

“He makes me feel whole,” I admit, causing her to soften. “Even when I’m pissed at him, I still know he’s my person, so it wasn’t even a hard decision. Uprooting my life, marrying him, giving him my heart- he’s worth it.”

“I’m looking forward to working with you,” Rose says softly, “And I’m really looking forward to the friendship with Sammie and Lilly, who is already obsessed with the boy,” and I smile bashfully.

“Thank you for accepting us,” I whisper, and she squeezes my hand before she looks at where her three-year-old little girl is literally still hanging off my nephew, and she smiles as Stone laughs at them.

“Thank you for making Thunder happy,” she replies, and I grin as I lock eyes with my husband, who grins back. “Or maybe I should be thanking Thunder for making you happy,” she mutters, and I look back at her, a smile wide.

“Tank, you are not having her on your team, she’s going to be on mine!” I hear growled, and I look towards the bar to see Tank and Doc squaring up against each other while Rose sighs, confusing me, and I frown as I look her way.

“I’ve seen your credentials, and I saw this battle coming,” Rose says, and everything becomes clear, and I bite my bottom lip as Tank snaps, “You can’t just demand to have her without anyone else seeing her portfolio. She’ll be the best resident in the hospital!”

“And that is why she’s on my team!” Doc grits and I notice Bradley’s shoulders shaking with silent laughter.

“Why don’t we ask Scottie who she wants to be with?!” Tank snaps and my eyes widen in shock because seriously?

“Scottie, do you think you have a minute for us to speak?” I hear to my right, and I look and lock eyes with Kathleen.

She looks hopeful, and I say, “If it means getting me out of choosing who I work with, then sure.”

Kathleen's lips tilt, and she chuckles, “We can go to the yard,” and I quickly move that way, causing Rose to giggle, just as Doc snaps, “Scottie, get over here, we need to discuss something!”

“Uh oh,” Kathleen mutters, and I turn while continuing to walk backwards and say, “Sorry, I uh, I’ve got to go speak to my mother-in-law…”

The brothers laugh at my blatant need to escape while Bradley frowns, his eyes going between his mama and me. I blow him a kiss, so he knows we’re good before I rush outside, just hearing Tank growl, “See, now look what you did, all because you were greedy!” and booming laughter follows while I sigh in relief.

“You know, I can’t thank you enough for bringing Bradley home,” Kathleen begins as we both take a seat on the patio steps and look out to the evening sky, feeling pretty relaxed. Honestly, it isn’t just Sammie that is happy, heck, even Felix is more relaxed here.

Sammie snuck him out of the car with Brittany’s help, and the cat was currently curled up on the pool table when I last looked.

“He would have still come home,” I try to reassure her, and she sighs.

“A part of me thought he wouldn’t, because of me, because of how disconnected I was with him,” she whispers, “I-I knew he was born in club life, I knew his birth mama who passed wanted his father’s patch. I knew my having an affair with his father caused my deceased husband’s murder,” she looks my way, “I loved Bradley like he was my own, I still do, but I was petrified that I was going to lose him, that he’d be killed like my husband.”

“You distanced yourself from him to protect yourself,” I confirm, and she sniffles as a few tears fall and shame etches her hurt features.

The woman is full of hurt, heartbreak and guilt, and her kids have suffered because of it. I’ve learnt something from my own parents, second chances aren’t that bad.

“And I lost him in the process to the point I wasn’t invited to his wedding, not even on facetime,” she rasps, “My daughter doesn’t trust me anymore, she’s distanced herself because I wouldn’t allow her to live her life, too scared I’d lose her as well. So, while I pushed one child away, I pulled the other one so tight to the point of suffocation.”

“Sometimes, parents project their fears onto their children,” I say with experience, “My own parents, well, they basically disowned me until recently all because I didn’t follow their footsteps. They were scared I’d fail in life if I didn’t do what they wanted. Despite my choice in career being a hard one and rewarding one, they refused to see it until they couldn’t hide from the truth of what they did, with how they treated me,” I look at Kathleen just as she wipes away her tears that keep falling. I whisper, “Parents make mistakes, ones they can’t take back, but time heals. Bradley loves you like you’re his mama, and while I don’t know if he intentionally meant to hurt you for the hurt you caused, he does love you, Kathleen. Just give him time to learn to forgive.”

“But I ruined his childhood,” she chokes, and I wince knowing I can’t refute her words, and honestly I don’t really know what to say to her. She made him feel unwanted and unloved so yeah that is ruining his childhood but…