Page 6 of Pumpkin
At eighteen, he’d joined the military and had always lived in the living quarters, or whatever on-base housing was where he was stationed. After the military, he’d come to Mount Grove and moved into the clubhouse. In all his adult life, he’d never owned a home.
He didn’t need Steel or anyone else to tell him that he owned one now.
As daunting and exciting as that concept was, it did bring up the question of money again. Pumpkin lived comfortably as a single man and now as a single father. But his coffers certainly weren’t overflowing. Medical bills, a college fund, a new bike, and now a house…? Things were going to start adding up quickly.
Hearing the door open behind him, Pumpkin turned to see Frankie letting herself out. She turned and easily removed SJ from his seat. Pumpkin reached for his own door handle. His legs were very stiff after the long ride, and he wondered if he would be able to even walk to his new house. After being pelted with pumpkins at the rehab facility, Pumpkin had been forced back into his wheelchair by three of his brothers before Bear had pushed him out the front door and to thewaiting SUV. And while his pride wasn’t too happy about that, his legs were thankful.
Darrin got out of the car and grabbed Pumpkin’s walker from the trunk before Pumpkin could protest. As much as Pumpkin hated using the aids, he also knew that he needed them now to get better faster. It would do neither him nor SJ any good if he hurt himself more now and made his recovery longer.
Steel approached him, walking up the driveway. The others Pumpkin saw started to disperse to their own homes.
“No party?” he asked his President. Pumpkin wasn’t sure how he felt about that. The VDMC was always up for a party, but even with as tired as he was, Pumpkin felt a little let down by the fact that there was no Welcome Home party for him.
“Not today,” Steel told him gently. “We didn’t know how the ride would be for you and didn’t want to put too much on you at once. I convinced them to give you a week or so to get reacclimatized. Knowing the ol’ ladies, though, it’ll probably be sooner.”
Frankie rounded the back of the SUV with SJ. His son was now making “ma-ma-ma” sounds, which gave Pumpkin a weird feeling. He didn’t want SJ thinking of Frankie as his mother, even though that was essentially the role she’d taken on in his absence.
Needing to not think about that right now, Pumpkin turned to Steel. “We need to have a serious talk. Please tell me that the club did not buy me a house.”
“The club did not buy you a house,” Steel said with a straight face. “However, the club members did. This is your Congrats on Not Dying present from all of us to you.”
Pumpkin’s eyebrows rose. “The fuck?!”
Steel looked to Frankie. “I’ve got him. Can you take SJ inside please?”
Frankie nodded silently. She ducked her head, holding SJ tighter against her chest as if seeking comfort from him, and practically ran inside the house.
Pumpkin’s eyes followed her as she pulled a key out and unlocked his house in a way that gave away her familiarity with the place. Thenhe narrowed his eyes on Steel. “You’ve ‘got’ me?” Steel just stared at him, not giving an inch. Pumpkin sighed, leaning heavily on his walker. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”
“Because you had enough on your plate.”
Pumpkin was torn between swallowing his pride and accepting this gift or sticking to his guns and refusing. He’d been hit while on his motorcycle. There was nothing heroic or worthy of praise. It wasn’t like he’d killed the Night King.
But it wasn’t like he could return a house. He was pretty sure they didn’t make gift receipts that big.
Gritting his teeth, Pumpkin growled. “Fine. I’ll keep the fucking house.”
“Good, because the ol’ ladies spent a long time getting it ready for you and I’d have to put you back in the hospital if you’d hurt Jenna’s feelings by trying to refuse it.” Steel reached into the inner pocket of his cut. “Here’s your key.”
Pumpkin’s eyes narrowed when he saw the fucking pumpkin keychain. “Really? I nearly die and you guys couldn’t let the pumpkin thing go? Just once?”
“Never,” Steel assured him, though it sounded more like a threat.
Noise from the back of the SUV drew Pumpkin’s attention to Darrin, who was collecting all of his equipment and suitcase.
“Was the ramp really necessary?” Pumpkin grumbled.
“I’m not going to dignify that with a response,” Steel said. “Darrin is going to get your things inside. He’s yours for the night, in case you need anything. I’ve already assigned him to your couch. Frankie lives here too. She and SJ moved in almost two months ago, as soon as the house was finished. We thought you’d want SJ to have his home and be in his new nursery.”
That was…sweet, but there was still something off about it all. Pumpkin was feeling very displaced, and he didn’t like it. But his gratitude for Frankie and the club taking care of his son outweighed his anxiety.
“Thank you. I’m sure he loves it.”
As Darrin walked towards the house, Steel lowered his voice. “There’s one more thing that you and I need to discuss. I know you’ve been worried about your finances. When you joined the club, you signed the paperwork that made me your medical and financial power of attorney, should you need it. Days after your accident, a lawyer came to Pirate looking to settle. He negotiated not only a settlement for himself, but also for Jumper’s ruined wedding and you. I accepted on your behalf.”
Pumpkin blinked. He hadn’t considered a settlement or a lawsuit or anything in that regard as far as getting his medical expenses paid. It had been close to two months after his accident that he even knew the full extent of what had happened on that bridge. The club and his doctors hadn’t wanted to stress him out or cause him grief.
“How much?” Getting a couple thousand would certainly help, but again, decisions were made without his knowledge about his life. He didn’t want to be babied or pitied.
