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“Oh?” I say, shocked.
“Jace brought my grandma and my sister here. With my past behind me and them being here, it made me realize that Bunny was who I was when I was trying to run from Brenna. I’m allowed to just be Brenna here.”
My heart clenches in my chest at her declaration. “I’m so happy for you, Brenna,” I say, testing out the name on my tongue.
She giggles, running her shoe against the carpet. “Thank you.”
“I don’t blame you,” I admit, following her foot movements.
“It isn’t your fault either, Pebbles. What he did to you–”
I cut her off and quickly say, “Was no one’s fault but his. I know that. I’m just not ready to fully give away blame for everything that led up to that. But it’s okay, I’m working on it in therapy.”
Brenna’s eyes jump to mine. “Pebbles, that's wonderful!”
“Thank you,” I whisper through a soft smile.
“I miss you.” She takes a few tentative steps closer to me.
I nod, more wetness spilling over my cheeks. “I miss you, too.”
“Can I help you open your studio?” Brenna reaches out to me, wiping my tears away with her knuckles. “Will you let me do that, please?”
“You don’t have to do that,” I shake my head.
“I’m not offering because I think I owe you something, Pebbles. I consider you and Lyric my best friends, the only friends I’ve ever really had to be honest. Please let me do this.”
I pull her into a hug and giggle over my tears as her braids smash against my face. “I would love help,” I whisper against her shoulder.
We’re still clutched in each other's arms a few minutes later when Trigger finds us.
My eyes catch his as he smiles warmly at our embrace.
“I hate to break this up, but Maggie and Bull are going to head back to the hospital to sit with Horse, and she really wanted to say bye.”
I pull away from Brenna, squeezing her hands one more time before turning towards Trigger.
“I better be the first to sign up for your first pole class too!” Brenna says behind me.
“That won’t be til after the babies are born! She isn’t getting on a pole while she’s pregnant!” Trigger says sternly.
When I turn to him with a raised eyebrow, his smile drops. “Fuck. We really should have waited to put the poles up until after they are born.”
Ghost’s laugh booms behind us as he calls out, “I told you, brother. You aren’t gonna be able to keep her off that. Pregnant or not.”
Trigger takes me by the hand, stopping in front of a solemn faced Maggie. She has her lips painted in a smile, but I’ve known her my entire life, and I can tell when her smile doesn’t reach her eyes.
She pulls me into her arms and I squeeze her tightly to me. “I love you, babygirl,” she says, kissing me on my forehead. “I am so proud of you, and I can’t wait to see you flourish in this place.”
Bull leans forward and kisses the top of my head while his mom still holds me in her warm arms. “Happy for you, kid.”
“Thanks, bologna,” I say, and Bull cracks up at the nickname I gave him when we were kids.
It wasn’t until I was a teenager that I learned the true meaning of Bull’s road name. Because he’s nine years older than me, he’s had the nickname sinceIwas nine. When I was a kid, he picked on me like a little kid sister. At the time, it seemed like the biggest insult to call him bologna– the nastiest sandwich meat in my opinion.
The joke was on me when I was eighteen and he was home on leave. I had to stop by the clubhouse to drop something off for my dad. Bull was butt ass naked walking out of a back bedroom and I screamed when I saw what was hanging between his legs. He laughed with a wink and said,“Now you know why they call me Bull, Carrot Top.”
It goes without saying that I threw my dad's jacket at him and ran out of there faster than the speed of light.
