Page 67 of Defended By Bam
“I didn’t mean it like that,” Pinkie blurted out.
Smiling, I said, “I know. But getting knocked up by an abusive cop didn’t make me judgy. If anything, it made me more empathetic. And also explains a lot about girls wanting bad boys.”
“Amen to that,” Glenda said.
Pinkie still wasn’t relaxed or smiling, so I reached over and grabbed her hand. “Hey, I know you didn’t mean anything. And I’m good now. Because of you, Glenda, Bama, all of you. And I suppose I may be a little vanilla, but vanilla is sweet, right?”
“It sure is,” she said, squeezing my hand.
“Speaking of Bama, I wonder how much longer he’ll be? She has school tomorrow. We usually can transport her without waking her but every once in a while, she’ll get wide open when we get home.”
“My guess is, we got to go to Thunder Beach for the club business that has now taken over. Hopefully it’ll settle soon. They don’t usually get held up more than a few days at a time,” Pinkie said before standing. “I’m taking another dip. I gotta cover the kitchen for the next four days, so no more lazy pool days.”
“Yeah, we gotta get back to the grind tomorrow, too,” I said, wiping my hands on a paper towel, then tossing it on the nearly empty plate.
“You don’t even have to work here. What grind?” Glenda joked.
“Let me pretend to be one of the girls. I love Bama, but I learned from the last one not to let a man become my whole identity. Which is hard when I can’t be out of his sight unless I’m here.”
“He just worries about you. It’s sweet. These guys are different. They won’t hurt us, but they’d kill for us. And it’s best to not have to kill anyone. So, protective it is.”
“Yeah. I get it. It’s only been a few months since the old me was wiped away. But it would be nice to be able to hop in the truck and run out for ice cream or something.” I didn’t have full freedom to move as I pleased with Marshall. The only reason he let me leave the house with her was, so he didn’t have to listen to her play and talk but he always knew where we were and when we’d be home. Even though Bama had different motives for keeping us within reach, it still was hard. Most of this new life was freeing, but that part was annoying.
“He’d go get you ice cream if you wanted it,” she said. She wiped her hands and slurped the last of her drink.
“What if I wanted ice cream right now? He’s busy.”
“Girl, you’re reaching. I’ll take you to get ice cream if you want. And give it time. Like you said, it’s only been a few months. Better safe than sorry.”
“You’re right. He’s nothing like Marshall. And he’s never actually said no to anything. Did you know he helped pack our stuff for the trip, and packed it all when we were leaving?” I asked, still in awe.
“He can be gruff at times, but he’s obsessed with you. He’s a gentleman on the inside, at least for the right lady. And that’s you. Which is why you’re his Ol' Lady.”
“That still sounds so crazy to me. I couldn’t even get the last one to notice he wasn’t on her birth certificate. Then Bama just decides he wants everyone to know I’m with him.”
“Eat it up. A lot of these girls here are desperate for a property patch.”
“What about you?” I asked.
“I had one.”
I sat up off my chair. “You did? With…”
“Reggie. Yeah.”
“Glenda,” I whispered.
She waved me off. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”
“Is that why Leigh gets under your skin?” I asked.
“No.”
After silence for a few beats, I tried to change the subject without changing it. “Hey, I’ve noticed his patch says Leigh. Like l-e-i-g-h. I’ve only ever seen that spelling for girls.”
She cackled. I nervously laughed, unsure if she was actually laughing or about to snap. Finally she said, “It’s short for Ashleigh, which, spelled that way, is usually a man’s name. But Leigh sounds more manly, I guess. Or maybe he didn’t want his patch too long. Who knows?”
“His name is Ashleigh?”
