Butch (12 page)

Her mother cleared her throat from the doorway.

“Mom, this is not the time.”

“I think you need someone to clear your head, honey. I
love you, and I’ll stick by you no matter what. This man is not the father, and
now that the father is in the picture, I’m not going to let you make a decision
you’re going to regret.”

“This is not about you.” Cheryl pulled out of Butch’s
arms, turning her anger on her mother. “Alex was gone for the last three years.
He didn’t give a damn about me or about his son. When are you going to see
that?” she asked.

“He’s back, and you can’t shove him out of your life
just because you want to.”

Shaking her head, she sank against Butch’s arms. She
knew she should tell him to leave. Her life was no longer stress-free or
uncomplicated. Alex had made sure of that.

“Three years he’s been gone. Three years of not
knowing what went wrong. I never loved him, Mom. Please, leave,” she said, no
longer wanting her there. Her mother didn’t understand what was going on. She’d
not seen Alex or been in his company. Cheryl knew him as did Butch.

“You can’t throw me out.”

“This is my home. I can do whatever the hell I want,
and right now, I want you to be gone.” She opened the door, waiting. “What
you’ve got to say, I don’t want to hear.”

The last thing she needed was for her mother to talk
about how important it was for Alex to have a part in her son’s life. Was it
selfish of her not to let Matthew know his father?

Butch didn’t interrupt. He stayed still behind her,
silent. He was her silent strength.

Once the door was closed, she sagged against his body.

“Thank you,” she said.

“I’m not here to cause waves. I’m here because I want
to be here, baby.” He kissed the top of her head.

“I want you here. I really do. I had no idea he was
part of The Skulls. No idea at all.”

“Baby, stop panicking. I can smell dinner. Go, fix us
some food, and I’ll deal with Matthew. We can talk later once he’s in bed. I’m
sorry about today. I was hoping for so much more.”

She smiled at him. “This is not your fault.” From the
moment Alex entered her life he’d caused her nothing but trouble. Seeing him
today had brought back the pain his departure had caused. She wasn’t in love
with him. In the past three years she’d gotten over any kind of feeling Alex had
once caused. Seeing him again only awakened the anger she felt toward him.

“I know, baby. Go and finish dinner and I’ll be done.”

Cheryl watched him go into the sitting room. Within
seconds Matthew was giggling. Licking her lips, she entered the kitchen to
finish off dinner. She loved her mother, but the other woman had a way of doing
things that were not like her. Stirring the meatball sauce, she drained the
pasta then set to serving up.

At the dinner table, Butch kept Matthew in
conversation while she watched them together. Her thoughts returned to the
moment Alex entered her life. Seeing him at the fair had shocked her. Should
she let him see their son?

 
You can’t push him away.

He didn’t want to know.

Once dinner was finished, she cleaned away the dishes
then joined Matthew and Butch for a movie. The whole time she was aware of
their need to talk. Rubbing a hand down her face, she stared down at Matthew’s
hand within her own. Whatever happened, she was going to be there for her son.

Tucking him in bed hours later, she sat in his room,
stroking his hair. No one was going to take him away from her. Even as she
thought about keeping Matthew, she knew Alex had time and money behind him. She
had nothing other than motherly love for her son. There was no way the courts
would grant her permission to keep her son.

****

Butch stayed out of the way as Cheryl put her son to
bed. Matthew was a good kid. He didn’t have the first clue as to what happened
today. From the short time he’d known Matthew, Butch loved the kid as if he was
his own. It was a strange, protective feeling that overcame him every time he
was around Matthew. Cheryl inspired so many other feelings within him.

Running fingers through his hair, he finished making
them both a coffee. He sat on the sofa, making changes to the furnishings while
he waited. In his mind he ticked off for a new sofa along with a wooden coffee
table in pristine condition. This was going to be his place as much as hers.

He tensed as he heard Cheryl making her way
downstairs. She entered the sitting room with her arms wrapped around her
waist. “He’s asleep.”

“I made you a drink.”

The conversation was stilted, and it was only making
him angry. She sat as far away from him as the sofa allowed. Alex was already
coming between them, and it was pissing him off.

“I didn’t know Alex was part of The Skulls.”

“I know.” He gritted his teeth at the anger building
inside him. “Alex shouldn’t have done what he did.”

“You quit the club, right?”

“Yeah, I quit, and I’m not going back. You’ve got me
for a long time, baby.” He smiled at her. “I’m thinking to the death.” He tried
to make a joke of it, but he saw it had fallen on death ears.

She didn’t respond. The tears started to fall down her
face. “I’ve messed up.”

Putting his cup down, he closed the distance between
them, tugging her into his arms. “You’ve not messed up.” She collapsed against
him. The tears started to fall harder. His gut tightened at the emotion pouring
from her.

There was nothing he could do to stop her from feeling
like this.

“I shouldn’t have gotten involved with you.”

They were involved, and he didn’t give a shit what
Alex said. He wasn’t losing her. This was not Cheryl’s fault, and he wasn’t
going to hold her needs against her. She deserved a chance to let loose and
have some fun.

“I’m not going anywhere.” He stroked her hair while
she cried. His thoughts returned to what was said in the club. There was no way
he’d let Alex get to her. If Alex even tried to lay claim to her, he’d kill the
bastard. Butch wouldn’t be against torturing the fucker first.

“I can’t do this,” she said. “He’s your friend.”

“Alex is
Tiny’s
friend, not
mine. I’m not letting anything come between us, Cheryl. I left the club because
it’s dangerous. I don’t want us to be in danger anymore.”

She sniffled, wiping her nose with the back of her
hand. “This is messed up.”

“Yeah, it’s messed up. I’ve fallen for a woman who is
the mother of a club member’s kid. It’s not going to be easy. Shit is going to
happen in our lives.”

“I want to leave Fort Wills,” she said. Her cheeks
were a rosy, red hue.

He shook his head. “We can’t leave.”

“I want nothing to do with Alex or for Matthew to get
involved with the crew. I’ve heard all the gossip. I can’t have that for my
son.”

“I’m not asking you to. I’m not going back to the club,
but we can’t leave Fort Wills. Alex and all of them will
come
hunting for us. We’re best staying here, fighting our pitch. I’m not going
anywhere, and you shouldn’t be running away either.” He kissed the top of her
head. His cock responded to the instant hit of lust.

Clearing his throat, he looked past her shoulder in
order to gain some control over his rioting emotions. He wanted to take her
away, but he knew the club wouldn’t allow that to happen. Matthew was part of
The Skulls, whether Cheryl liked it or not.

“We’re going to have to talk to him at some time.”

“Who?”

“Alex. The bastard is his father. We can’t keep them
apart.” He spoke the words out of gritted teeth. He hated giving Alex anything,
least of all the boy.

Cheryl pulled away. “No, I’m not going to do that. I
can’t let Matthew get his hopes up. Alex doesn’t stay in the same place, does
he? I can’t let Matthew get too attached if he’s not going to stick around.
Matthew deserves a father.”

“No, Alex doesn’t stay in one place. I’ll deal with him,
and I’ll make sure we’ve got some kind of guarantee from him or something. I’ll
fix this.”

Her son called out putting an end to the conversation.

“I’ll be back in a second.” She left him.

Butch admired the sway of her hips as she walked out
of the room. Standing up, he made his way toward the back needing the fresh air.
The moment he opened the door his cell phone rang. He was surprised he got to
spend time with Cheryl and Matthew before someone called him.

“What the hell is going on?” Lash asked, the instant
he accepted the call.

“Who phoned you?”

“Nash. My brother is keeping me up to date on
everything. Is it true? Is Alex a father and he abandoned that woman?” Lash
sounded angry.

“It’s all true.” The Skulls were a family. They took
care of each other, but they’re loyalty was going to be tested when a member left
a child behind. Tiny had some rules to keep everyone protected. Alex had fucked
up big time.

“Fuck, this is not going to go well. You want her for your
own, don’t you?”

“There’s no question about it. Cheryl is my woman, and
I’m not giving her up just because Alex has come out of the woodwork and
demanded his rights.” He stopped as he started to yell. “This is all fucked
up.” Butch rubbed at his eyes feeling the beginning of the headache he was
about to get.

“I’m going to come home. Shit is about to hit the fan,
and I’m not in the mood to be kept in the dark.”

“No, you’re not coming back. Angel deserves this
vacation. You’ve put it off for a long time. Enjoy being away from all the
drama. There will be plenty of it when you get back.”

Lash sighed.
“Why can’t you guys not
find trouble for a few months?”

Butch laughed. “I’m not even part of the club, and
there’s drama hitting me.”

“You’re part of the club, Butch. You’re never going to
get out that easily. We’ve all got enemies. You know the danger.” Lash was
serious.

“Not me. I’ve kept my nose clean.” Apart from the
Gonzalez connection, Butch hadn’t caused any more trouble.

“You’re an idiot if you think that. The club is for
life. You know that.”

Closing his eyes, he listened to the quiet of the
night. “Don’t, Lash.”

“We’ve all caused problems in our time. The Skulls is
a family, and we keep each other’s back. Leaving is not an option. Our enemies
will hurt you, Butch. You’re a weak link. This is going to have to stop. You’re
going to have to take the jacket and come back to the club.”

Butch hadn’t made the decision to leave easily. It had
taken him weeks, even months before he made the final decision. Remembering the
pain of his past, and thinking about Cheryl in that position had cleared
everything in his mind. He couldn’t pursue Cheryl with the risk posed by the
club.

“I’m not going back. Any danger I can take care of.”

“You’re being an asshole on purpose. This is not your
call. We do things as a fucking team, a family. You’re going to get yourself,
your woman, and that innocent young boy killed. Do you want all of their deaths
on your conscience?”

Pulling the phone away from his ear, he closed it up.
He couldn’t listen to Lash berate him. Any danger his woman was in, Butch would
take care of.

“Butch?”

He spun around to find her leaning against the kitchen
doorway.

“What’s the matter, baby?”

“I heard the call. If it’s dangerous then I’m going to
need to know, and I’m going to need to know now,” she said.

She looked petrified.

“There’s no danger. You’ve got to trust me. Lash was
just being his usual, alarming self. His woman has been in the line of fire too
often. It scared him.”

“You’re not lying to me, are you?” she asked.

“No, I’m not lying.”

You’re an asshole. You don’t have the first clue what’s going on.
Anything could happen, and you wouldn’t know it.

He wrapped his arms around her, inhaling her scent.
Closing his eyes, he walked back in the house.

“Go on upstairs and get ready for bed. I’m going to
lock up.”

She didn’t argue with him. Cheryl made her way
upstairs as he closed up the house, locking the doors, checking the windows on
his way upstairs. When he got to Matthew’s door, he checked on the boy before
going into Cheryl’s room. She didn’t look shocked to see him.

“We’re not going to have sex. I simply want to hold
you, baby. Is that okay?”

“I want to be held.” She pulled the blanket off one
side of her bed. Butch had never been with a woman to hold her. When he got a
bitch in bed, he fucked her brains out, taking what he wanted before moving on
to the next available cunt.

Cheryl was not any ordinary woman. She was the woman
who’d awakened the need to be a good man.