Page 54 of Thunder

Rachel's breathing picks up as she looks at the papers again and steps forward, but Lorenzo holds them up and tuts, “Nah ah, I don’t think so, sister!” and her nostrils flare before she runs towards the back gate where her husband went, and Lorenzo chuckles.

“Seriously, Lorenzo, you’ve just forced her to give up her son!” Yasmin snaps, and Lorenzo sneers, “She wasn’t forced, she signed willingly you blind bitch. And you tried to fuck my own father and have been fucking the gardener for months. So why don’t you turn around and fuck off? Your bags are already packed, and the lawyer has proof of your infidelity, so you get nothing and I can finally live in my own home again!”

Yasmin gasps, but I ignore her as I gently take the papers from Lorenzo, who gives me a nod of approval, and I walk over to a shocked Scottie in her mama’s arms.

“What just happened?” she chokes when I stop before her, and I cup her cheek as I hold up the adoption papers and I state, “We just got ourselves a son, now it’s time to go home, to Wincher.”

Scottie’s tears fall as she gently takes the papers, and I press my lips against her head as her mama sobs from beside her, Lorenzo’s “Fuck, she really does love Sammie” just washing over us, and I close my eyes, silently promising to always give this woman whatever she wants, no matter what, because she deserves it.

Well, except leaving me, because she is fucking mine.

Chapter 19

Scottie

I blink, then blink again as I look at the paperwork clutched in my hand, mine and Bradley's names in bold, my sister’s and Kavan’s signatures clear as day. I watched them willingly sign the paperwork. My throat feels like its closing and my heart pounds, the last hour not clicking with me right now, my head all fuzzy.

Everyone has become a blur, their voices are all muffled like I’m underwater, only bits and pieces coming through.

Yasmin is crying and pleading with my brother not to leave her. Mama is quietly talking to Dad but keeping close to me. She has spent the whole evening next to me, and Bradley is on the phone, yet nothing is registering. All I can see is the adoption papers in my hand.

Sammie is legally mine. Bradley did what I thought about doing, only he got him legally signed over to us.

I blink, then blink again as I vaguely hear Mama hiss, “I cannot believe how blinded we were to Rachel’s manipulation. I cannot believe we treated Scottie the way we did, the way I did, our own daughter, and why, huh? God, poor Sammie, she signed away her own child believing I would take him in all to hurt her sister.”

I swallow the lump forming. Rachel signed the papers, believing Mama was going to have custody, showing everyone her true colors, and I…

I tremble slightly, my heart rate not coming down as I hear, “Yeah, Doc, the papers are all signed. I just need to have a real conversation with Scottie to convince her to leave Dr. Thomas before I can pack her stuff and come home. She’s in shock at the moment. I never gave her the heads up…”

Home? To Wincher?

Can I leave? I mean, I said I would go anywhere Bradley goes, and Doc mentioned I’ll always have a job in his ER.

Excitement fills me, excitement of a new start with Bradley and Sammie as well as nerves and then fear.

What if Rachel tries to get him back?

“Does she have to leave us?” I hear Mama choke and Dad sighs, “Yeah, she does and not in two weeks now that both Kavan and Rachel signed without a second thought,” and my mama sobs, “But I feel like I’ve only just opened my eyes and begun to have that relationship that I should have had…”

I blink again. Crap, right? Mama wanted us to have lunch a few times a week. She wants to earn my forgiveness and get to know me again, to learn about my passion.

I take a shaky breath as I look over the official paperwork Bradley handed me. With everything that has happened tonight, I never thought it would end with me having custody of Sammie, of having a fresh start dangled before me.

Everything feels like a dream and a nightmare all in one.

“Yeah, Doc, I’ll keep you informed but get Mama to get one of guest rooms ready for Sammie, he likes motorcycles,” I hear Bradley say, his voice closer before suddenly his warm hand is cupping my cheek, gently lifting my head, and I lock eyes with him.

“I thought you felt uncomfortable calling Kathleen your mama?” I ask in a whisper, the only thing I’m able to focus on right now, and Bradley smiles slightly as he rubs his thumb over my jaw.

“I do, I even think of her as Kathleen in my head, but she’s still the only mama I’ve ever known and I won’t disrespect her,” he says, then asks, “How are you doing, baby?”

“Confused,” I confess, “I didn’t think tonight would go this way.”

“Treasure, I told you that I won’t live without you and I meant it,” he says lowly, “You and Sammie, even though you didn’t want to believe it at first, you’re a package deal. A package I want, one I need,” he gently kisses my lips, “You two are my family and I need my family with me always, but I also can’t stay away from my club much longer. I had to do what I had to do without actually kidnapping a child,” he smirks, “As much as conjugal visits sounded fun, I’d prefer to have you in my arms always.”

Damn man.

“This is all a lot,” I choke as I grip his cut with one hand, keeping hold of the papers in my other, “But dammit Bradley, I love you so much, thank you for doing this, for making Sammie ours.”