I peek inside of Ronny’s bedroom to check on him. He’s still fast asleep. I walk into the kitchen and get busy making pancakes and bacon.
I hear the bedroom upstairs open while Maverick is flipping the pancakes.
We look up and Ronny walks down the stairs looking really unsure. “Good morning, honey, how did you sleep?” I ask.
He relaxes a little. “I slept good.” He looks unsure of what to do. I place banana slices on his plate with his pancakes and bacon.
“You both go on. I’ll bring everything to the table.” Maverick kisses me on the cheek and walks to the refrigerator.
“Come on, honey.”
Ronny follows me. I place his plate in front of him. “Did you make this?” he asks, picking up a fork. I smile, “I did.” I run my hand down the back of his head. I just want to scoop him up and hold him. I know it won’t take away everything that has happened to him.
“Do you have a favorite food?” I ask.
He shrugs. “I always wanted to make cupcakes from scratch.” He blushes and takes a bite of his bacon.
“We can make some cupcakes together. Would you like that?” I offer.
His eyes widen before he gives me a sheepish small, “With sprinkles?”
I giggle. “Like we can make cupcakes without it.”
He laughs with me, the world slowly falling from his little shoulders. Maverick walks from the kitchen, carrying our plates along with our drinks on a tray.
He sits down beside me. I reach under the table and put my hand on his leg.
He gives me a look but I ignore it, taking a bite of my food. He continues to stare. I just move my hand farther up his leg, stopping right before.
His hand closes around mine, stopping me,. I pull my hand loose, ignoring him and the fact I was being naughty.
I feel his eyes on me, my face growing hotter by the second in disbelief that I actually did that under the freaking breakfast table.
“Ronny, want to go get cleaned up? We will be up to bandage your back,” Maverick tells Ronny.
He runs upstairs and I slowly peek over at Maverick, who stands up, moving behind me.
His hand wraps around my neck, pulling me back until I’m looking up at him. “Wait until tonight, sweetheart. I wonder what your actions will get you.” He kisses me roughly, letting me know he’s in control.
I grin against his lips, kissing him back just as hard.
The front door is thrown open and I jump in shock, my heart pounding in my chest.
Maverick whips around, facing the intruder. “What the fuck are you doing?” he roars.
I fall off of the chair, hitting my mouth on the side of the table. I don’t even feel it as I scoot under the table in pure panic.
I’m scared out of my mind. I can’t see anything. I can’t breathe.
I can’t move.
Maverick
One of the newer prospects barges inside my house without fucking permission, holding stuff from the center that belongs to Ronny.
I glare at him, ready to fuck him up, when I hear a strange sound. I turn around to see Bell under the table with blood pouring from her mouth.
I fucking stop breathing. I push the table out of the way and bend down to lift her off the ground, carrying her into the kitchen and onto the island.
“Baby, breathe for me,” I plead when I notice her lips are turning blue. “Darlin’, please breathe for me” I cup her face, grabbing a towel and holding it up to her mouth.
Her eyes finally meet mine. “Yes, baby, look at me. Please breathe for me,” I plead with her, begging her with my eyes.
Her eyes roll back into her head and she falls forward. I catch her.
My eyes connect with the prospect who is standing there. Rage. That’s the only way I can describe how I’m feeling. It’s so fucking deep and pure. It’s all I feel.
“I’m going to fucking kill you.” I don’t even recognize my own voice.
He drops Ronny’s stuff onto the floor and runs out of the house. “Maverick, are you in the kitchen?” I hear Ronny ask.
FUCK.
He walks into the kitchen, taking in the scene in horror. “Did you hit her?” he accuses me.
I shake my head no. “She fell off of her chair. She had a panic attack. Do you ever get so scared sometimes you feel like you’re going to pass out?” I ask.
He nods. “I got so scared yesterday, I did this,” he admits, fucking shattering me.
“One of the prospects in my club scared her when he walked inside the house.”
Ronny’s face sets to anger. “He shouldn’t have done that.”
He climbs up onto the counter with Bell, taking her hand. “We will take care of her so she doesn’t get scared anymore.”
This kid.
I close my eyes. He is so wise beyond his years it’s scary. Bell starts to move in my arms. “Baby, can you talk to me?” I ask.
She lifts her head, and I push her hair out of her face. She looks at me and then at Ronny, then at her hands in horror. They’re covered in her own blood.
“I am so sorry,” she cries.
“Baby, I need to check your mouth to see where you’re bleeding.” She nods and opens her mouth. I pull her lip down and I see that her tooth went through her bottom lip slightly.
“I think we need to get you stitched up,” I admit, hating this shit so bad.
She looks defeated. “Don’t do this shit to yourself, baby. You will not feel bad for getting scared. Don’t do that.” Fucking kills me that she’s getting torn up over it.
She looks at Ronny, closing her eyes. “Bell, I get scared too. You hold my hand and it makes me feel better, so I hold yours.”
Her eyes fill with tears over his words. “I’m not scared anymore, You helped me, sweetheart.”
He gives her the most beautifully heartbreaking smile I have ever seen. She pulls him over to her, hugging him. “I love you, honey.”
I watch as her words hit him. It hits him so deep that he can’t say a word, he just hugs her back.
I feel the ground shift under my feet as I look at her and him. It hits me. I love her. I love him too.
It came out of nowhere, but it feels right in my fucking soul.
I have found my place in life. It’s right here, right now.
With them.
Bell
I am so embarrassed that I went into the worst panic attack that I have ever had. I was just so startled and scared that I went into full protection mode of myself.
Then when I came to, the terrified look on Maverick’s face was haunting as sweet Ronny sat next to me holding my hand.
I’m in the emergency room. I just got a numbing shot before I get a few stitches in my lip.
Ronny is at Chrystal’s house. He knows her and he likes playing with her daughter who is at the center all of the time.
We’ll then go pick him up so we can take him to go shopping. Maverick is sitting in the chair beside me.
He’s in overprotective mode right now. He has to be touching me at all times.
I’m not going to say a word. I remember the scared look on his face when I finally came to.
I lean back onto the bed, closing my eyes. He puts his hand on my shoulder, shaking me slightly. “Bell,” he says in a slight panic.