Page 125 of Goose

ONE YEAR LATER

Just when I thought life couldn’t get any better, I said “Hold my beer and watch this.”

After Bambi and I got married, I kicked it into top gear to make the best life I could for my woman.

We met with a financial planner and lawyer to set up Bambi’s non-profit to help battered women called Hope Hearted. The club donated money and built a beautiful building to help.

It has the best security thanks to one of Joker’s guys and his security business. It has rooms for women and their children, a large kitchen, plenty of common spaces, and a conference room where the women can meet with legal teams and the police.

Bambi has even gone as far as setting up GED programs to come into the house so the women won’t have to leave. She has computers set up in one room for online college.

My woman has worked her ass off to provide for our little town. She is a selfless angel who blesses everybody with her presence.

She’s still trying to get Savannah to leave her abusive ex to no avail. But knowing her, she’ll keep trying until she saves that lost soul.

Bambi still oversees Studio Forty-Eight, but has let Luna really do all the day-to-day operations. The club is bringing in a ton of money thanks to those two. They’re kick ass business women.

The Devil’s Highwaymen are expanding. We have taken over the diner in town when the old owners retired and are working on adding on more. My brother, Viper, has some great ideas and is writing up a plan to show the club.

Today, I’m coming home from Church when I walk in the door to an eerie silence in our house. “Angel...?”

I can see fresh-baked cookies on the counter and grab one as I walk up the stairs to find my woman. The office door is open with papers strewn all over the desk.

I walk past and into our bedroom to find the bathroom door closed and the sound of crying. I drop the cookie on the floor and run to open the door.

In the middle of the bathroom floor, Bambi is curled up on the ground crying. I drop to my knees and wrap her in my arms.

“Bambi, what’s wrong? Are you hurt? Flashbacks?”

She shakes her head and looks up at me. In her hand, she holds a little white pregnancy test. Bambi hands it to me.

I look down at the little test and stare at the two pink lines.

“Does this mean... are you... are we...?”

Bambi nods. “A baby. There’s a baby in there.”

“Then why are you crying like this?”

She sniffs back more tears. “I’m scared. I lost our last baby. What if that happens this time?”

Wrapping her in my arms, I gently stroke her hair. “If it happens, I’ll be there to mourn with you and get through it together this time. But let’s not worry, okay? We’ll get you an appointment with the OBGYN and make sure everything looks good.”

“I love you, Goose.”

“I love you more than anything, Bambi.”

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THREE MONTHS HAVE GONEby and we are sitting in a room at the doctor’s office. Bambi has her shirt lifted as the new baby doctor rubs blue gel all over her small baby bump.

“Happy baby day, guys! Let’s see what’s going on in there.”

She takes a wand and presses down on Bambi’s belly. Bambi groans and I glare at the doctor.

“You’re hurting her.”

Bambi smiles and takes my hand in hers. “It’s okay. Just uncomfortable because I have to pee. Relax, crazy.”