Page 41 of Defended By Bam
“I think you’re what’s best for us, Bama.”
My chest swelled and my foot laid on the gas. I was ready to get home. Sadie was cute and I loved that she was so comfortable with me, but I was ready to be snuggling with her mommy.
Chapter 22
Brooklyn
Sadie was out cold when we pulled up to Bama’s house. It was a long day, but I couldn’t remember the last time we’d had so much fun. Even the trips she and I took before, I was always a little on edge wondering what kind of mood Marshall would be in.
But over the last couple of weeks, that constant state of tension slowly dissolved. When I looked in the mirror, I noticed a difference in my posture and shoulders. I used to pop Ibuprofen like candy, but lately I hadn’t needed any.
Bama had been home most of the time the past week. He did step outside for a few phone calls but always told me who it was, usually Hammer or Rogers. He took Sadie and I to a big boxstore and he let us pick out anything we wanted, including new outfits and shoes for Sadie. I grabbed some sandals to alternate my flip flops. Sadie grabbed some bubbles, slime supplies, and coloring books with crayons. And we planned meals together, although I gathered he was very much a meat and potatoes kind of guy by his choices.
I’d woken up one day to Bama, Ollie, and Butterbean assembling a massive playset in the backyard. Glenda swung by for a while, too, and we supervised the men working while Sadie practically vibrated out of her skin in excitement.
He took us to the edge of his property that had a small floating boat dock. We all squished onto a four-wheeler with a cooler and fishing poles, and he brought a shotgun in case any hogs or gators happened to come around. Admittedly, I did get a little tense on the ride down and back, at least until we knew we had no unwanted wildlife guests. But I was glad he warned us and was prepared. I wouldn’t be going down there without him. We didn’t catch any fish that day, but it was still fun.
I was in my own little slice of heaven and I could hardly believe it. My door opened, and he helped me down, then he carefully pulled Sadie from the cab and shut the door. He put our bag down by the door then headed to the room she and I had been sharing.
When he went to lay her down, she groaned. “I need to pee,” she murmured.
He turned, his nervous grin hysterical. I reached my hand out. “Come on, we need to get you changed anyway.”
“Sorry I woke her up,” he said as I reached into the dresser and grabbed her clothes.
“It’s better this way. She needs to tinkle before bed. I’ll get her back to sleep in no time.”
Sadie had already relieved herself, so I helped her take a quick shower to get all the sand and salt water off, get dressed, andwatched her brush her teeth before taking her back towards the room, but she veered to the kitchen. I reached for her but stopped when I realized she was going to tell Bama goodnight. He squatted down and wrapped her up, her tiny arms barely going over his shoulders.
My breath hitched at the sight. The fact that his eyes closed and he grinned made it even better.
“Today was the best day ever, Bama,” Sadie told him.
“It was a blast. We’ll have to go again before it cools off. You sleep good.”
They broke apart, and she shuffled to me, grabbing my hand and tugging me down the hall. Picking her up, I gave her a big hug and she squeezed me back. “Love you, Mommy.”
“I love you, sweet girl. Sleep well,” I told her as I lay her on the bed.
Once she was tucked in, I grabbed a change of clothes. I was sticky and had sand in places it didn’t belong, so I wanted to take a quick shower, too.
“Hey, I’m gonna hop in the shower and get this sand out of my hair,” I said as I rummaged through the bag. I’d left my phone in there all day and when we got in the truck it was too hot to turn on. I’d been checking daily for updates about my tests.
“I’m making a little snack. You ladies wore me out.”
“Ha! I’m exhausted. I’ll have a bite when I’m done.”
As I pushed the bathroom door closed, I checked the phone, and there was a message. Relief washed over me as I listened to Dr. Hanes tell me everything was negative and reminded me to let him know if I needed anything at all.
A grin spread over my face. I turned on the water and undressed, waiting for the water to warm up. Staring at myself in the mirror, I inspected. Most of my bruises were gone, and my lip had healed up all but a tiny little spot where the cut was. I was a little pink from the sun, but not too bad. We applied sunblockseveral times throughout the day. Bama grew up not far from where I was living and he told us the sun was hotter down here. Now I understood what he meant. Luckily, Sadie only had a slight touch of pink that would likely be gone by the time she woke up.
Standing in the shower, lathering my hair twice, I thought about how I would approach this. We’d had some amazing makeout sessions, and a little dry-humping. I hadn’t pushed for more since I was waiting for the results and what Dr. Hanes told me was probably good advice. I’d had some damage done by Marshall and needed to heal.
But I’d been ready. And now with the news I was all clear, I would have to initiate it. Bama was being respectful of me and knew what I had been through. He told me he wanted me but would wait for me to be ready. I was going to have to tell him I was.
My stomach fluttered at the thought. I’d never outright told a man I wanted to have sex. And in the last few years, I hadn’t even wanted to. There was a time I wanted Marshall, but I could hardly remember it. And it wasn’t like this. What a dumb girl I had been.But I’m a woman now.
Finishing up my shower and brushing my teeth, I threw my cotton shorts and tank on, not bothering with panties. I wouldn’t need them long.
