The truth will set you free (Bitter Roots MC Book 1)

by Penny Anglene

  Getting her settled into her recliner, I ask her, “How’s your pain level?”

  “It’s okay. I don’t need anything right now.”

  Jenny walks in with a big tray full of food and sets it down on the stand.

  “I’ll be in Bossman’s room if you need anything,” Jenny tells us.

  I just raise my eyebrows when she informs me of that.

  “It’s not like that,” she sputters.

  I just nod and don’t bother to respond as she walks out. I get Samantha set up so she can eat, and I also grab me a little something to eat while I’m at it.

  We eat dinner and talk very little while we’re eating. She has a decent appetite now. I was worried about that after all she’s been through. She sits up for about an hour watching the news on television.

  “You doing okay?” I ask her.

  “Yeah, just a little tired. Can you help me to the bed? I think that I may rest for a while. Will you stay with me, or do you have something else to do?” she asks me.

  “I’ll lie down and hold you in my arms for a while,” I tell her. After settling her into bed, I take off my boots, then climbing up and into the bed, I pull her toward me, wrapping my arms around her. I lean in and kiss the temple of her head.

  “I want to marry you Samantha. I want you as my wife. I want to be able to come home every night with you waiting on me. I want kids. I want you. God, I love you so much and when the time is right, I am going to ask you to marry me,” I tell her in a gruffly whispered voice.

  “I can’t take anymore half-truths Brett. You got to know that. It will be all done with us. I’m not joking, and you have got to know this. I love you with everything I am,” she tells me gruffly.

  “You’re one my true love. I promise that there will be no more half-truths. No more lies, unless it’s a birthday gift or something of that nature. You have my word,” I tell her with feeling.

  We lie there talking softly as she drifts off to sleep. I need a shower and decide I’ll take one now while she rests.

  I just get in the shower and know I can’t get into that bed without poking her in the back with this hard on. I reach down pulling on my dick. I work it up and lean my head back, thinking of Samantha as I do this. It’s not long before I’m shooting my cum all over the shower wall. It feels like that’s the hardest I’ve come in a long time. She can work me up and not even be in the same room with me. I rinse myself off as well as the shower wall and get out, wrapping myself up with a towel. I brush my teeth and walk back into the bedroom while I finish drying off. I’m trying to be quiet, not wanting to disturb her sleep. I glance up at the bed and see Samantha staring at me. I smile as I slowly drop my towel. Watching her face, I see her swallow slowly and deeply. Her mouth going lax, I smile as I crawl into the bed with her.

  “I’ve missed you so much. You have no idea how much, sweetheart,” I tell her as I wrap my arms around her.

  “It felt like the sun had left my universe. I hated it,” she whispers.

  “From now on, we work this shit out. No more running away. We have to communicate with each other. No more pushing each other away. One of these days, I will tell you about my childhood. Just know I can’t live without you; you complete me,” I tell her slowly in a low tone, gazing into her eyes.

  She nods. “Just us. We’ll work things through, no walking away.”

  “I have things to do over the next week or two. Crane and Flipper will be around as well as Jenny and Hawk. I want someone around so if you need something, someone is here to help you with it. That way you’ll also have people to talk to while I’m busy. We are looking into your accident. There was some paint on your vehicle that wasn’t yours,” I tell her.

  “I need to get ahold of my insurance company about my car. Do you know where it’s at?” she asks me.

  “Yeah, it’s right next door at the body shop. That’s where I told them to bring it. I forgot to tell you, I called to tell them where it was. The claims adjuster will be here tomorrow. They told me to make sure you were around in case they had any questions.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate it. Do you all know what happened? Every time I try to remember, I get a real bad headache. The doctor told me to let it come naturally. I just can’t remember what happened that night. I have no idea of why I was even out. I had to work the next morning. I had a client coming in.”

  “I don’t know. We’re doing our best to figure it out. So far, we have no idea,” I tell her. I lean in and kiss the top of her head. “I have sure missed this. I love when you’re in my arms and my bed. It’s where you should always be.”

  “I love you, Brett. I never stopped.”

  “I love you too, honey. You’re my world. Don’t ever forget it.” I take a breath. “Close your eyes and let’s rest for a while.”

  She snuggles down, and I tighten my arms around her for a moment as I close my eyes.

  We sleep for about four hours and wake up hungry, so I get up and head toward the kitchen to make us a snack. I find some chips and PB and J. I make her one sandwich and me two. I grab some fruit for us to share. Grabbing water and soda I put it all on a tray and head toward the bedroom. I see Bossman getting up from the couch.

  “You alright, Bossman? Why are you out here?” I ask him.

  “We got into a disagreement and I just walked out. I came out here to cool off before I said something I’d have regretted,” he states.

  “You going to be okay? Anything I can do to help?” I ask.

  “I’ll be fine. We’ll get through this. I just need to calm myself and get it in my head to voice it properly. She says I’m an alpha asshole, but not like Capone. Whatever the fuck that means. She said she wouldn’t put up with another. What the fuck does she expect? I’m a man, she’s my woman. We take care of our women. She said she did it once but wouldn’t ever again. I don’t want her to. I don’t expect her to put up with my bullshit. I know I’m an alpha asshole, I will make sure she is loved and safe. I just want a fair shake without being categorized like that fucking asshole.”

  “You’ll get it worked out. I heard your two girls are coming in. I can’t believe you have two older daughters; you’re gonna have your hands full with the men. They will be heartbreakers.”

  “Yes, they’ll be in this Friday night for a couple of nights. I miss them. They help to ground me.” He chuckles.

  “If you say so, Boss.” I laugh. “I need to get this down to the room. She woke up hungry. I’m going to feed her.”

  “Have a good night. Get some sleep. You’re going to have a busy couple of days. The guys said they would meet up with you in the morning,” he tells me.

  “Fuck, man, I fell asleep with her and forgot all about it. I’ll set my alarm and make sure I’m up in the morning,” I tell him.

  “Night, Dog,” he tells me.

  “Night,” I reply.

  I get back to the room and open the door to see she isn’t in the bed. I stop, look and walk to the bathroom.

  “I was really careful. I had help though. Jenny came over to check on me. She heard you leave. While you were gone, I decided I needed to go to the bathroom,” she tells me.

  “Okay, but I still worry. Now I don’t have to spank you for disobeying me.”

  “Oh, please spank me. You know how much that turns me on.” She laughs.

  “Honey, not right now. You still need to heal all the way up before we get going with all that rough stuff. Let me help you back into bed, then we can snack a little.” After helping her clean up and into bed, we sit up, eating and talking about mundane things, laughing at a lot of it. When we finish, I hand her a washcloth to clean up and I crawl back into bed with her. We’re holding each other as she asks me about my family. I grimace.

  “How much did you hear earlier while I was talking about my childhood?” I ask her.

  “I heard about the flower children. Sorry I fell asleep on you. I really want to know,” she tells me.

  “It wasn’t the best up
bringing. My parents views changed after a while. I think they were on some hard-core drugs. I made sure my sister was taken care of before I split. I won’t ever put any child through that type of upbringing,” I tell her.

  “I’m sorry. Sounds like your childhood was just as bad as mine,” she says.

  “Can we talk about it tomorrow? I’m tired and have an early meeting. It’s going to take a while to explain my family. We’ll find time and I can fill you in more. We’re not close. I had seen her some until she got married. She had wonderful foster parents who allowed me to come and see her when I could. I haven’t heard from her in about four years.”

  “We can. I would love to hear about it. I hope one of these days, she makes contact with you again,” she says.

  “Cuddle down and let’s sleep,” I tell her as I reach over and turn the television and lights off. I lay back down, running my hands down her stomach and feel it quiver. “No more tonight. I wore you out earlier and I don’t want you to hurt,” I tell her. I lean in and kiss her neck where it meets the underside of her jaw. I take a deep breath and remember the smell from my dreams. “You smell the same,” I whisper. “Night, honey.”

  “Night, Brett. Love you, baby,” she whispers back.

  We settle in and drift off almost immediately. I wake later to her screaming and tossing in the bed.

  “Wake up, honey. It’s just a bad dream. It’ll be okay. It’s over. I won’t let nothing else happen to you,” I tell her in a soft voice. She settles down and drifts back off to sleep. I hear the door open and look over to see Jenny and Bossman standing there.

  “She had a bad dream. She didn’t even fully wake up. She fell back to sleep,” I tell them softly.

  “Okay, Dog. I’m across the hall if you need me,” Jenny states.

  “Night, Dog. We’ll figure out what’s going on,” Bossman states. They back out the door, shutting it quietly.

  I roll over again and tuck my lady tighter in my arms. I need to get to the bottom of this. I refuse to let her suffer. I need to check out some counseling for her. As I think this, I yawn and close my eyes, drifting into a soft slumber.

  Chapter Ten

  Samantha…

  Dog had to go away for a few days. I miss him. I think it had something to do with my accident. I’m now sitting in the bar area at a table eating lunch. Only four of us are here at the moment, but they sure have kept me entertained. Glancing over at Flipper, I raise my eyebrow as he speaks to me.

  “I’m waiting, little girl. You going to run away with me and marry me?” he asks me again for the umpteenth time.

  “Dog is gonna kick your butt ol’ man. You need to watch yourself,” Crane tells him.

  “He ain’t gonna kick shit. He’s too fucking slow that one. See, this here little girl, I’ve had in my sights for some time now. She likes men that will take care of her. Show her she’s first in life.” He guffaws.

  Jenny starts laughing as well as Crane. I stop eating, then look at them all and bust out laughing.

  “I’m flattered, really I am, but Brett is all I can handle at the time being. If that ever changes, I’ll be sure to let you know. Honestly, I’m a one-man woman,” I say, trying not to choke on my laughter.

  “When you get tired of his slow ass shit, little girl, you come find daddy here. I’ll take care of you,” he spouts.

  “Ew… that’s just gross, Flipper. I don’t need no sugar daddy to take care of me. I ain’t ever had one, don’t need to start that shit now.”

  “Well, shit, looks like I need to up my game then. Ain’t no Dog gonna outdo me.”

  I watch as Flipper gets up and heads toward the back. I turn and look at Jenny. “You know that Mrs. Franks is still around. That would be so fun to set her up with Flipper,” I tell her.

  “I still haven’t met her but from what I hear, it would be a fantastic match made in heaven,” Jenny agrees.

  “She is a hoot. Would give him a run for his money if you ask me,” I tell her. “I’ll have to say something to Ria when I see her again.”

  “Good idea. Look, I have to go grocery shopping. Will you be okay here with Crane while I go? I have to take Flipper to the doctor’s office for an appointment too. He hasn’t been feeling too good lately and I want to make sure he’s okay. It took me forever to get him to agree.”

  “That’s fine. I’m sure if I need something, Crane will help me,” I state as I look at Crane.

  “Not a problem. I would enjoy visiting with you,” he tells us.

  “Thank you, Crane,” Jenny says with a smile. She gets up and heads down the hallway. She is doing great without that deadbeat Capone. She seems so much happier and content.

  Crane and I are sitting there when he looks at me. “Would you like to go watch TV in the other room?” he asks.

  “Yeah, I think I would. I’m done eating but would love some popcorn and a soda. Do we have any?” I ask.

  “I believe we do. Let me get you comfortable and I’ll get our stuff. You like sweets with your popcorn?” he asks.

  “Actually, I do. Chocolate is the best,” I reply.

  “Got it. I do too.”

  As he’s doing that, Jenny and Flipper are heading up the hallway. “You have fun, Flipper. You two don’t do nothing I wouldn’t do.” I laugh.

  “Yeah, well, little girl, that wouldn’t be shit right now, would it?” He laughs, spittle flying everywhere.

  “Stop that, Flipper, you’re getting spit everywhere and I just mopped the damn floor,” Jenny mumbles.

  We’re at the end of the movie when I realize I’m crying. We watched Marley & Me. I hate when animals die. It guts me.

  “You okay?” Crane asks, handing me a Kleenex.

  “I’m sorry. I hate when animals die. I love all kinds. It’s truthfully the only thing that has never hurt me while I was growing up. There was a stray dog that lived near the orphanage. It was the ugliest dog I’ve ever seen but while we were outside, it came around for the kids to pet and play with. I spent a lot of time with that dog. He was old when he died, but, man, he sure made us kids happy,” I tell him sniffling.

  “Well, you sure grew up to be a happy young lady,” he states.

  “That’s where you’re wrong. There was nothing happy about my childhood. See, my parents didn’t want me. They also wouldn’t let me be adopted out to anyone either. I mean, how fucking selfish is that? Those mean old bitches at the orphanage did nothing to make any of it any easier. I never had anything, and what I did get, always got stolen from those little bitches that lived there. The one time I told on them, I got in trouble for tattling. Tell me how fucked up that is,” I snarl out. “I’m sorry for being a bitch, but my childhood wasn’t good. The day I turned eighteen is the day I left and never looked back.”

  I sit there for a minute thinking back. He has no idea of what my childhood was like and I just went off on him for no reason. That was a bitch move, I think to myself. I do need to move past that. It’s doing me no good.

  “I’m sorry, I had no idea. I didn’t mean to bring up bad memories,” he whispers with sorrowful eyes.

  “It’s not your fault, Crane. It was my parents for leaving me there. I prayed every day, wishing for them to come get me. What did I ever do to deserve that kind of treatment?” I ask. “I didn’t do anything but be born, that’s what. None of this was my fault. None of it, but it is, what it is. I just need to work through it so I can have a relationship with Dog. He makes it better,” I whisper.

  “I have a daughter. I haven’t seen her except from afar. It gutted me, too. I had no place to raise her. I was a nomad for years. I lost my wife while she was giving birth to my daughter. I wish things would have been different,” he whispers with a faraway look.

  “Why didn’t you get a job so she could be with you locally?” I ask.

  “I had been in prison and met my wife after my stint was up. While I was in the first time, I had enrolled in college classes for accounting. When I got released, I’d looked for a j
ob and worked odd jobs, but with a record it was hard. Not a lot of people hire ex-convicts and I wasn’t allowed to leave the state for any construction jobs. I had been living on the streets for about seven months when I met my wife. During all of this, I had re-enrolled in college to finish up my degree. I didn’t want to end back up in the system like many do. My wife encouraged me. She was so fucking proud of me too. She wasn’t afraid to show it. She had a great job and although she was the bread winner so to speak, she never once let me feel any less of a man. She helped me to line up a job with a friend of the family once I was to complete my degree, but she died before that could happen.”

  “So what were you in prison for if you don’t mind me asking?”

  “I had some friends and was out joyriding with them when they decided to stop and rob a home. We got busted for home invasion. Although I didn’t enter the home, I was with them. I got a lesser sentence than they did, but it fucked my life up for good with that decision that day.”

  “Tell me more about your wife.”

  “She was my biggest cheerleader and always said that people deserve a second chance. She had long dark hair like yours as a matter of fact. She was spunky, gracious, and loving. When she died, I did too for a while. I had this newborn and struggled to take care of her. Not the feeding or loving her part, but I didn’t have the money to take care of her.” He pauses taking a deep breath. “That’s when it all went to shit. I didn’t have the money for our rent. Fuck, I didn’t have the money to bury my wife properly. I begged, borrowed and stole to get the money to have her cremated. Hell, I’m only forty-five years old. Back in the day, I didn’t have a pot to piss in. I have her ashes and she goes everywhere with me. My kid ended up in a home. I went by there about every three months just to look at her from across the street. I took pictures and carried them with me wherever I went.”