“I’m not after Cheryl.”
“You’ll treat her with some goddamn respect, or I swear I’ll f**king kill you here and now. I heard how you were talking about her. I don’t give a f**k if you knew it was her or not. The fact is, you were disrespecting my woman. Got it?” He took a step back so he wouldn’t lash out.
“I got it.” Alex started laughing. “You left The Skulls, and yet you still use your fists to be heard.”
“I suggest you shut the f**k up.” Butch watched Alex get to his feet.
“I’m used to getting what I want. I came here in the hope of mending fences. Cheryl didn’t deserve what I did to her. I should have made sure she was well looked after and that there were no consequences from that night. I didn’t. I’m the one who f**ked up. I know this, and I know I’ve got to put it right.” Alex kept his eye covered. “I’ve never had a son. Matthew, he’s mine whether you marry Cheryl or not, and I want to do right by him.”
“What are you asking for?” Butch asked, placing hands on hips.
“I want to get to know my son. He’s mine. I have a right to know him.”
Gritting his teeth, Butch looked away from him. He couldn’t deny Alex his right to know his son. No man could deny that of another father, not even him. “I’m not coming back to The Skulls.”
“Believe it or not, Butch, this trip had nothing to do with the club. This trip was about me.” Alex removed his hand. His eye was starting to darken.
“Sorry about your eye.”
“No, you’re not.” Alex smiled. “This has nothing to do with The Skulls or you. I’m here to make an arrangement with Cheryl so I can see Matthew. Now, that will involve him meeting the other kids in the club.”
Butch stared at him wondering what he should do. Matthew deserved to grow up with friends.
“Sure, providing you’re not going to make a claim on Cheryl.”
“I’m not. You’re marrying her though.”
“Yes. I proposed, and she accepted.” Butch puffed his chest out, feeling happier with having Cheryl on his side.
“Congratulations.” Alex glanced at his watch. “Can I see my son now?”
Seeing no reason to put him off any further, Butch led Alex upstairs. He heard Cheryl reading to Matthew. Opening the door, he nodded at her. She smiled and sat up in bed.
“Go on in. Do not hurt him,” Butch said, warning the other man.
Not wanting to see the introductions, he made his way back downstairs. Taking one of the cookies off the tray, he took a bite out of one and winced. They were rock hard and burnt.
“You shouldn’t eat those,” Cheryl said, leaning against the doorframe.
“Why didn’t you throw them in the trash?” He filled a glass full with water. After two glasses, the rancid taste was still in his mouth.
“They were too hot to throw out. I’d have set fire to the trashcans and caused more problems.” She giggled, stepping up closer to him. Cheryl wrapped her arms around his waist. “I love you.”
Caressing her hands, he glanced down at her. “I love you, too.”
“I noticed the shiner on his eye. You hit him?”
“Yeah, he annoyed me. Alex always finds a way to piss me off. I think he’s got a talent for it.”
She laughed, stepping back. He picked up the tray of cookies and dumped them in the trash outside.
“They were that bad?” she asked.
“Baby, they were the worst tasting things you’ve ever made.” Opening the fridge, he pulled out some spread and started making himself up a sandwich. “Do you want one?”
She shook her head.
“You’ve gone quiet on me, baby.” He turned toward her.
“I don’t know. I’m just nervous, I guess. What he said was all true.”
“About what?” He took a large bite of his sandwich feeling ravenous.
“Taking Matthew away. I don’t know what I’d do if he ever tried to do it. I love my son.”
Putting his food down, he took hold of her hands, drawing her in close against him. “I want you to look at me, baby.”
Butch waited until her gaze was focused on him.
“I love you.”
“And I love you.”
He’d never get tired of hearing her say the words to him. “Then you’ve got to learn to trust me. I’m not going to let Alex take your kid away. The Skulls wouldn’t even allow it. If you were a drug user and sold your body for drugs, then maybe, but you don’t.” He leaned in to kiss her head. She looked up, and he took possession of her mouth instead.
“He won’t take Matthew away?”
Looking toward the door and recalling the look on Alex’s face, Butch shook his head. “No, he won’t. Alex is a lot of things, but he’s not a bastard who’ll separate mother and child. You’re a brilliant mother, Cheryl. You’ve gotten through harsh times, and he should respect that.” He pressed a finger to her lips to stop her from talking. “Don’t interrupt. Alex was saying that stuff to get in the house. He needed you to think that was what was going to happen.”
Running his hands down her back, Butch rubbed his aching c**k against her stomach.
“I’m sorry. The thought of losing my son freaks me out. I love him so much. I don’t want to lose him.”
“We’re not going to.”
She nodded.
“Good, now kiss me.” He leaned down, brushing his lips against hers. She melted against him. Her fingers teased the hairs at the back of his neck as he gripped her plump, lush ass. He couldn’t wait until they were alone and he could f**k her once again.
Cheryl pulled away first. “How did the job hunt go today?”
He’d stopped renting and given the keys back to the landlord who’d been willing to take him on. Butch moved all of his crap into Cheryl’s small home. Butch had been surprised by how little he actually owned. Instead of worrying about what he had, he started to buy better furniture for the house. He’d also been in talks with the bank in the hope of owning this place with Cheryl.
“Not good. I can’t get back in the café, and I had to pay them over a thousand bucks in replacement cutlery. Who knew plates, cups, and dishes could be so expensive.” He ate his sandwich, watching as she put away the stuff he used. Butch was happy to clean up after himself, but he loved watching her move.
“Go figure. I’m surprised it’s such a small amount,” she said, turning back toward him. “Why don’t you go back to The Skulls?”