selfish with his lovers, he never forgets my pleasure.
Life is comfortable. Then five days after the Barbie bullshit, Bronco says he’ll be out of town for the afternoon. Again, I feel on the outside of a life I don’t understand. I ask where he’s going, but he just says it’s about work and drops the subject.
With Bronco out of town even for a few hours, Topanga shows up with pizzas and brownies. I’m unsure if she’s supposed to be my babysitter or bodyguard. Either way, she gets comfy on the back porch while the younger girls eat nearby. Summer takes her food upstairs, saying she’ll check on a napping Carina. I smile at the teenager’s quiet ways of showing she cares.
“What did you tell my mom when she was over at your house?” I ask Topanga while Desi and Sidonie inch their way back to the pool. “She was much calmer about Bronco and me afterward.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I said lots of stuff,” Topanga says and then wags her finger. “I did mention how no one takes care of Bronco’s heart. His girls love him plenty, but children forget the world doesn’t revolve around them. Otherwise, Bronco has no one to be tender with his heart. His mama didn’t know how. His sisters aren’t built that way. The bunnies are just there for the party. But you seemed to have a gentle spirit, and I hoped you’d fall for Bronco. Because if he ever felt any real good loving, he’d spend the rest of his life protecting it.”
Topanga’s words get me teary-eyed, but I still feel my old worries nagging at me. Finally, I ask, “Where did Bronco go today?”
“Step one for a happy life in the Woodlands is not to ask such questions,” she says, stretching out on the lounge chair and hiding her face under a floppy red hat. “What if they’re going somewhere dangerous? How does knowing help you? I always assume they’re just riding around, enjoying the breeze in their hair. Or in Drummer’s case, the breeze against his scalp.”
Despite grinning, I still want to know what Bronco does. Right now, I can’t picture him when he’s away from the house.
“Bronco’s going to the clubhouse tonight too,” I say, watching the girls back in the pool despite Topanga’s “wait for thirty minutes after eating” old wives’ tale. When Sidonie and Desi realize I’m not saying anything about their sneakiness, they decide to float.
Topanga leans over and whispers, “Step two to a good life in the Woodlands is to accept how Bronco’s bound to fuck the bunnies.” Her works kick me in the gut. I mean, yeah, I’m aware of what happens at the clubhouse. Bronco wasn’t celibate before meeting me. Yet I don’t want to think about him with anyone else.
Seeing my frown, Topanga waves her hand around dramatically. “I know, I know. I felt the same way. How could Lowell not be satisfied with all this?” she says, waving her hand in front of her breasts. “And he might not cheat. I don’t know. You’ll probably never know for sure either. If Bronco is like Lowell, he’ll say he isn’t fucking the bunnies. The girls certainly won’t tell you. But you should just assume he does and let it go.”
Topanga sips her beer and sighs. “Don’t obsess over that stuff. He isn’t falling in love with those women. You’re the honey in his bed. Bunnies are a part of your life now. They go to club functions. If you obsess, you’ll worry when he’s not around. You’ll look for signals between the bunnies and him. It’s too much effort. Just assume he gets sucked off occasionally and focus on how he never let any of them stay over at his house. You’re special. They’re not.”
“So, the bunnies suck off all the men?”
“Probably. Or maybe they only suck off some. I don’t worry about the numbers. Lowell married me. I’m the one with the ring and the house and his son. I’m not worrying about a bunny. You shouldn’t either.”
“I don’t want to think about that.”
“Good. Now the next part is better. Even if Bronco gets busy with them, you don’t have to worry about diseases. The bunnies get checked monthly. These aren’t girls off the street. They’re part of the Executioners’ circle. They work at Rooster’s or one of the other club’s businesses. They all live in an apartment building owned by the club. They’re employees. They can’t date outside the club without permission.