What Goes Around (Bulldogs MC #3)

11: Really, Mother?

^^ Pest ^^

As we're lying in bed trying to sleep, I snuggle closer into Smiler's side and hook my leg over his waist, burying my face into his neck. "You know you asked me to tell you if I felt like running again?" I ask him.

I feel his body tense as his arm wraps around me even tighter. "Yeah," he whispers, kissing the top of my head.

"I feel like I need to run," I tell him, biting my lip to try and stop the tears that are threatening.

He rolls onto his side to face me, brushing the hair away from my face, before resting his hand on my cheek. "Talk to me," he pleads. His voice is husky and I can see his eyes drooping from tiredness.

I tilt my head to kiss him softly, sighing as he pulls me close. "It's just... the meeting's tomorrow and I'm scared. And the last couple of months have just been so crazy; it's been one thing after another. It's too much. I wasn't built to cope with stuff like this. That's why I run,"

He rolls me over and hovers above me, placing kisses along my jawline. "I get it. It's been a lot," he says in between kisses. "But whether you were built for it or not, you have been coping. Better than any of the rest of us, anyway. We just have to get through tomorrow, then we can settle down. Banjo will be home the day after, and everything will get back to normal, okay?"

I nod and sigh again as I feel his tongue caress my collarbone, before he moves further down my body, distracting me until I can't even remember how to run, let alone what I was running from in the first place.

***

"So, this is the famous Robin?" George asks as he greets us outside the conference room. Robin finally looks up from her phone and smiles at him, waving slightly. "For the purposes of this meeting, we'll be calling you Lucy so that all the records and minutes are the same, okay?"

Robin freezes and looks at me. "I hate the name Lucy. I hate who I was when I was Lucy," she says, suddenly seeming younger than her years.

I put my hand on her knee and squeeze it gently. "I know. It's just for the meeting, then it's back to Robin," I tell her.

Linda arrives not long after and she and George spend a few minutes talking before ushering us both into the room. When we're all seated, George looks at Robin and smiles again.

"Okay," he starts. "We're hoping that this meeting will be enough to get your living situation and guardianship sorted out. I don't think it benefits anyone to go through court hearings in this situation. Think of this as mediation; it's a chance for everyone to get their views across, and hopefully come to an agreeable solution,"

"What if they can't?" Robin asks.

"Then we have the option of going to family court and fighting it there. But I really do think that's unlikely. I can't see any reason that this won't be sorted out today. Once a decision has been agreed upon, I'll file the necessary paperwork and it will be finalised. Don't be afraid to speak your mind in here, okay? That's what we're here for. Nobody here will be upset with you for saying how you feel, so speak honestly. And try not to worry," He finishes with a smile, and stands when the door opens.

I see Robin tense up and turn to look at the group who have just entered. A woman, I'm assuming it's her mother, is carrying a toddler on her hip and looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. A man follows behind them, looking down at the floor. I can see the resemblance between him and the boy on his mother's hip, and guess that it's Robin's stepdad. As they sit, I watch the woman's interactions with her son. She smiles at him and talks to him as if he's the only person in the world that matters. I can't help but wonder why it was never like that for Robin. It also doesn't escape my attention that, although her gaze flickered over Robin for a moment, she doesn't greet her at all. If I hadn't seen her for months, you'd have to tear me away from her; the last thing I'd do would be to ignore her. It's suddenly clear why Robin thought a life on the streets was preferable.