Book: Damaged and the Bulldog
Quotes of Book: Damaged and the Bulldog
I remained with Lark in the hospital room until Aaron arrived out of breath from running. "My muse," he said, taking her hand. Leaving them alone to prepare for the surgery, I walked into the waiting room. Cooper patted the chair next to him and I joined him. "She'll be okay," he said, sounding convincing. I didn't feel like talking, so I texted Dylan, Harlow, Mom, and Dad to let them know what was happening. Cooper spoke quietly on the phone with Farah who was on her way with Tawny. First, Dick and Maryann arrived then Raven not long afterwards with Bailey. "We were shopping when you called," Bailey announced as Raven hurried to Lark's room. Joining her brother, Bailey tapped her foot and stared at the door. "How long will it take?" "Patience," Cooper muttered then returned to talking with Farah. Bailey changed seats, so she was next to me. "Don't be scared. Pixies are powerful creatures." Smiling softly, I took Bailey's hand and waited. book-quotemusepixiesbabiesDylan lifted my chin so my lips could meet his. I kissed him hard, suddenly overwhelmed with emotion I'd held tight inside me. "Good things happen," I said, crying now. "Sometimes I forget that even when I have a blessing right in front of me." Dylan wrapped me tighter in his arms and smiled against my lips. "Me too, but I never lost faith in little Lark. If anyone could kick death in the ass, it would be her." I laughed at the thought of Lark versus the Grim Reaper. When my laughter drew the attention of the others, they laughed too, even without knowing why. All the tension faded as our fears turned to celebration. "Shit, I'm gonna get teary-eyed," Vaughn announced, looking at his phone. We all received the same message from Raven with pictures of the babies. "Which one's the girl?" Judd asked, squinting at Tawny's phone. "The one with the pink hat," his wife said. Everyone laughed again. "You can't see if they have curly hair," Cooper muttered. "Man, I hope at least one of them does. I'm never letting Aaron live that shit down." More laughter as everyone enjoyed the additional photos Raven sent. book-quotejudd-and-tawnyvaughndylan-and-winnieThe crew headed to Tequila Jodi's for a celebration. Raven and Vaughn arrived an hour after everyone. They made up for their tardiness by binge drinking a bottle of tequila. Well, Vaughn did. Raven binged on a pitcher of Diet Coke. "I might be binging for two!" she announced then sat down to look over the pictures of her niece and nephew. Harlow showed up with Toni. While her mom joined Jodi at a back table, Harlow made a beeline for Winnie. "Are you okay?" she asked, studying Winnie's face. "Yes. Are you?" Harlow rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean." Winnie glanced at me and I saw such peace in her eyes. When she looked back at Harlow, her smile brightened. "Lark and the babies are okay. Today is a good day." Hugging her sister, Winnie couldn't stop smiling. "Are you drunk?" Harlow asked. "I'm happy." Harlow studied her sister again and checked her hands for new bruises. "Do you plan to sleep at home tonight?" "No, I'm staying with Dylan." "Any bad memories about the baby?" "Only hopeful thoughts about the future." Harlow frowned at me then shrugged. "I can imagine you two making a decent looking kid. Your pretty eyes and hair and his… well shaped head. Yeah, it'll work." Running a hand over my head, I laughed. "My head shape is helluva sexy." Winnie's calm infected Harlow who laughed and ordered a soda. The sisters danced with Bailey and Sawyer to . I knew Winnie wasn't comfortable showing off in front of people. Whenever she got nervous, she glanced at me and relaxed. "Wedding bells," Nick said from beside me. "You didn't waste any time." "She calms the asshole in me and I calm the broken girl in her. What's there to wait for?" Giving me a grin, Nick shrugged. "When you know, you know. book-quotenickharlowlark-and-the-babiesAfter seeing Dylan with the redhead, I sunk deeper into a depression. Even working at Lark's house did nothing to distract me. I simply went through the motions. Fortunately, Lark was especially tired and slept most of the day, so she never noticed my bad mood. Harlow wasn't as oblivious as we washed dishes after dinner. "What's up, stinky pup?" I rolled my eyes at her nickname for me. "Nothing." "She doesn't want to deal with the leaves," Jace said from behind us. Our ten year old brother crossed his arms like Dad often did when suspicious. "See, she got spooked last night and bailed on raking the leaves. They ended up blowing around the yard and now she's trying to get out of raking them again." "That's not it." "Sure, it is," he said, his dark hair covering his narrowed eyes. "What else could it be?" Grumpy, I decided to punish him. "It's about a sexy guy." Jace's face twisted into horror. "Eww!" he cried, running out of the room. Harlow and I laughed at the sound of him telling on me to Mom. "In a few years, girls will be all he thinks about," I said, returning to the dishes. Harlow leaned her head against my shoulder. "Sexy guy, huh?" "Shouldn't you be getting ready for your fight?" Harlow glanced at the clock. "Yeah. When I get back, I want to hear about the sexy guy making you sigh so much." As my sister dressed to go, I finished the dishes and struggled to stop sighing. I was still grumpy when Dad got home. In this living room, he told Harlow to be careful. She said something and laughed. When Harlow started fighting at the Thunderdome, she called herself Joy and hid it from our parents. She didn't think they'd approve and she was right. Harlow and I were naïve to assume they wouldn't find out long before she told them the truth though. Dad might be a pastor, but he learned about the Lord in prison. As a member of the Reapers, Dad had eyes and ears all over Ellsberg. He likely knew Harlow was fighting before she threw her first punch. Entering the kitchen, Dad smiled at me. "Stop talking about cute boys around your brother. He has a sensitive gag reflex." I laughed as he got himself a beer and joined me at the sink. "Mom said we have leftovers. Mind warming them up for me?" Shaking my head, I filled a plate and set it in the microwave. "Are you okay?" Dad asked, frowning at me. "You look worn down." "I had a long day." "You sure that's it?" We watched each other and I remembered the first time he asked if I was okay. Five years earlier when I was brought to this house and met my new family. I didn't remember a lot from that day besides thinking these people were too good to be true. I figured they'd wait until Kirk was gone then hurt me. I couldn't remember when I knew Dad was a good man who loved me. Not like my real dad loved me. Tad felt the kind of love a person died to protect. I saw the love in his eyes as he waited for his food to finish warming. "I wish I was stronger." "So do I," he said softly. "Everyone does. They just don't admit it. That's what makes you so brave. You can admit your fears." Even thinking he was full of shit, I smiled. "Thanks, Dad." Taking his plate out of the microwave, he inhaled. "Mom makes the best meatloaf." "I made it." Grinning, Dad nudged me with his hip. "If you make this meatloaf for the boy you're hung up on, you'll own him." "I'll remember that. book-quoteharlowjacemeatloafTall, narrow, and grand, the first house was a Victorian. Once loved by a family, it ended up a college rental. Dylan took it from rundown and abused to grand again. "Could you see yourself living here?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind. "No," I said softly. "Good. Me either, but I'd have moved in tomorrow if you said yes." Squirming around to face him, I sighed. "You're so whipped." "I know, but only when it comes to you." "It's only fair since you own my heart and could destroy me if you wanted." "Could, but never will," he said, taking my hand. "Let's go look at the midcentury house." "What if I don't like that one either?" Dylan opened the car door and shrugged. "Plenty of houses in Ellsberg that need love. We'll find one and make it ours. book-quotemake-it-ours
