by Carol Dawn
“Oh god, how embarrassing,” I say, feeling my face heat. “I passed out.”
“That’s not a bad thing, little one. It just means I did a good job.”
“Heck, yes, you did!”
Mason chuckles. “Let set you free from these restraints.”
He releases my arms and legs before standing.
“I’m going to go get something to clean you up with.”
I look up and notice that his pants are tenting right near his penis. Feeling guilty, I grab his hand before he walks away.
“Do you want me to try and help with that?” I ask, nodding toward his pants. “I’ve never made someone come before, but you can teach me.”
“Tonight, was about you, baby. And if you keep shoving images of me teaching you how to suck my cock into my head, I’m going to come in my jeans like a schoolboy.”
He walks away, and I lay back down and giggle.
I just hope that when the time does come, I won’t disappoint him.
He brings back a warm cloth and washes between my legs. Much to my embarrassment. Then he undresses down to his boxers and climbs in bed beside me.
Safely wrapped in his arms, it doesn’t take long for me to fall asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
Trigger
“What was I thinking?” Thea mumbles to herself. “There’s no way I’m going to win this. I don’t even have proof that he was abusing my sister. I mean, he’s Brendon’s father, for crying out loud. His actual father. And I think I have the right to take him away from that?
I mean, how do I know that he won’t treat Brendon like an angel? He’ll probably teach him how to respect women so that he doesn’t make the same mistakes. Who am I kidding? I can’t be a mom. I barely know how to be an adult.
Hey, who is driving anyway? Just turn around, I want to go home.”
“Damn woman,” Ink says from the driver’s seat. “You talk more than I do.”
“What?” A confused Thea says. “Oh, crap. Did I just say all of that out loud?”
I grab her hand and place it on my thigh.
“Deep breath, little one.”
Doing as I suggested, a few deep breaths later, and she’s calmed herself down.
“Good girl.”
“Do I have the right to do this, Mason?”
I hate that she has to do this next step on her own. She should never have to go through anything alone.
“You know for a fact that he was abusing your sister?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says, confidently. “She never failed to call or come over when he hit her. I saw her bruised so many times. Why didn’t I ever take pictures? They might not have mattered much but I still should have taken pictures.”
“You were concerned about your sister, baby. Taking pictures would have been the last thing on your mind.”
“Maybe so,” she agrees. “But now I have no proof that Marco likes to raise his hand when he’s angry. I have to go in there and state my case over why this perfectly capable man shouldn’t have a child. I have to beg the judge to take away a man’s baby even though the trails of mournful tears for his dead wife are still wet on his face. What kind of person am I?”
“A very brave one,” I say. “Have faith that everything will work out in the end.”
“I’m trying,” she whispers. “I want so bad to bring Brendon home. I just know that his life would be better away from his father. And I know that my sister would want me to do this.”
I lift her hand and kiss her palm.
“Then, let’s go fight for our boy,” I say against her skin.
Brendon has already made himself a spot in my heart right next to his wonderful aunt, and I haven’t even met him.
If Thea wants to get that boy away from his father’s abusive ways, then I will stop at nothing to make it happen.
“We’re here,” Ink says.
“We’ll all be there with you,” Bear says from the passenger seat as we arrive at the courthouse. “You have the whole club at your back, Thea. We’ll be waiting to welcome baby Brendon into our lives.”
My woman’s eyes swell with unshed tears.
“You guys are the absolute best,” she sniffs.
I chuckle and open the door.
“Let’s go, little one,” I say, holding out my hand. “Time to get our boy.”
Taking my hand, she smiles and says, “Our boy, huh?”
“Damn right,” Ink says. “You’re Trigger’s, Brendon is yours, and that makes you both ours.”
“I don’t think that’s what Trig meant, Ink,” Bear chuckles. “But it’s the truth, nonetheless.”
“You’re my woman,” I say, ignoring my brothers. I pull Thea into my arms and wrap her in a tight embrace. “You’re mine, Brendon is mine, and I belong to both of you.”
“Looky at that, Prez,” Ink says. “Trigger does have feelings, after all.”
“Shut the fuck up before he kills you,” Bear groans.
Thea chuckles and walks toward the building.
“Your family is something else, Mason.”
“Our family, little one,” I correct, grabbing her hand. “And, yes, they are.”
We walk into the building, side by side, as one.
The way we will be for the rest of our lives.
***Thea***
I have never been as nervous as I am right now. I’m stuffed between Mason and Ink with more of the sons surrounding me. They're all here. Bear, Ink, Hawk, Slim, Rose, Chains, Bella, Brick and about half a dozen more that I’ve never met.
I was surprised when Mason told me the whole gang was coming to show support. My sister was my only family for the longest time. I’m not used to having such a large group of people on my side.
Our mom died giving birth to me and dad died when my sister was seventeen, and I was thirteen. Heart attack. Adelaide was days from turning eighteen. On the day of her birthday, she filed for custody of me.
Since we didn’t have any other family, Ade had already graduated high school, and we were left with enough money to live off of for a long while, it didn’t take them long to assign her full custody.
So, having such a large support group is strange to me, but not unwanted.
“Before we begin, please turn off all cell phones,” A uniformed officer says from the doorway.
Just as I’m checking my phone, the judge walks in, says something I didn’t catch, and sits down.
Crap. I need to pay attention.
“Don’t worry, pretty girl,” Ink whispers from beside me. “You didn’t miss anything.”
I smile my thanks.
“For the record, today’s case is a child custody hearing regarding one-month-old Brendon Michaels,” the judge states. “Let’s start with the plaintiff, Mathea Blakenship. Will you please state your case?”
I take a deep breath and walk up to the podium in front of our side of the seats.
“M..mm.”
My voice is shaking, and I’m not sure I’ll be able to do this. I close my eyes and picture Mason sitting behind me, silently supporting me. I feel his family, our family, surrounding us doing the same.
Then I picture Brendon. I picture what his future could possibly be, and I grow angry. I grow angry at seeing Brendon getting yelled at and smacked around. I see him covered in bruises and telling his teachers that he just fell down.
I clench my fists and open my eyes.
“My name is Mathea Blankenship,” I say, strongly. “My sister, Adelaide Michaels Blankenship, was killed in a car accident one month ago while she was nine months pregnant. She never got to meet her son and never will.
I wish to file for full custody of Brendon because I don’t think he’s safe with his father.”
I can feel my nerves coming back, knowing that Marco is somewhere behind me, listening to every word I say.
“I know for a fact that he was physically abusing my sister,” I continue. “I know for a fact that she wanted to leave him but was too afraid. I
also know that she wouldn’t want her son being raised by a man who raises his fist in anger.”
The room is silent as the judge just stares at me.
“Do you have any evidence of this abuse, Miss Blankenship?” she asks.
A tear falls down my face.
“No,” I say. “No physical evidence. But I have seen the bruises on her body with my own eyes. I’ve seen the fear in her eyes. I’ve heard her words. Is that not enough?”
“I’m afraid not, Miss Blankenship. Did Mrs. Michaels ever report the abuse to the police?”
“No,” I say softly.
“Did she ever go to the hospital?”
I shake my head.
“I’m going to need a verbal answer, please.”
“No,” I say.
“Have you ever personally witnessed Mr. Michaels strike his wife or son?”
“No.”
I know I’ve lost. I just know that Brendon is going to go back home with his father, and there isn’t a single thing I can do to stop it.
“Then what brings you to this courtroom, Miss Blankenship?” she asks. “You come to me with accusations that you cannot prove. You expect me to remove that baby from the only parent he has left because of something you don’t have physical evidence of?”
“Yes, your honor,” I say, embarrassed but not backing down.
“I would like the defendant, Mr. Michaels, to please take the other podium,” she says.
I look to my left as Marco stops behind his stand.
“Mr. Michaels, I’m just going to be straight here,” the judge says. “Were you physically abusive toward your wife?”
Marco takes a deep breath and leans in toward his microphone.
“Yes, your honor.”
What? Holy crap. What did he just say?
“Uhm, I’m going to ask you again,” the judge says.
I never did catch her name.
“Did you ever strike Adelaide Michaels? Did you ever raise your fist and slam it against her body? I want you to completely understand what I’m asking before you answer.”
“Yes, your honor,” he repeats. “I have hit my wife many times. I was a drunk. I was an angry drunk. I was also trying to change things before she died. I was taking AA meetings every week and anger management. I brought paperwork from both of those.”
He hands the paperwork to an officer who takes it to the judge.
I’m shocked. I never thought he would actually admit to abusing my sister. I should feel relieved at the admission. But I’m not.
I’m angry. I’m so angry that it’s taking everything in me not to run to him and punch every part of his body until he’s black and blue all over.
“Interesting turn of events,” the judge says. “Since we’re being truthful, I’ll ask you this. Do you abuse your son?”
“No, your honor. I haven’t had a single drink since Ade died. I have a friend who helps me out with Brendon when I need a little break. But I’ve never harmed him in any way.”
“What do you want, Mr. Michaels?” she asks.
“Well, I want to do better for my son,” Marco says. “I want him to grow up knowing who his mother was. But I don’t ever want him to see the side of me that I was before.”
“What about Miss. Blankenship? She’s fighting for custody of Brendon. What say you about that?”
“Honestly, she’s been trying to get ahold me to see him,” Marco says. “But I just wasn’t ready for anyone to see me struggle. I wanted her to think that Brendon was being taken care of to the best of my abilities. And he is. But I’m finding it really difficult to stay clean on nights when Brendon just won’t sleep. The stress is making it extremely hard to stay away from the bottle.”
The judge doesn’t say anything for a long while.
Finally, she speaks.
“Before I make my final decision, I have one more question, Mr. Michaels. Do you want custody of Brendon?”
I look over at Marco only to see him looking back at me. He looks different. Not physically. Well, he looks tired, but it’s something different. Something deeper. He gives me a small smile before turning back to the judge.
“I want to see my son grow up,” he says. “I want him to know who his mother was. I want a second chance at being a decent man to someone I love. Because I did love her, your honor. On my soul, I did. I just made stupid choices,” he pauses. “To answer your question, I want to be part of my son’s life, but at this stage in my life, I don’t think I’m the right person to be taking care of him.”
Wow!
“Okay,” the judge says before looking at me. “Miss. Blankenship, that was an unexpected turn of events, huh?”
“You’re telling me, your honor.”
“Alright, here’s what’s going to happen. Miss. Blankenship, I’m going to award you temporary custody of Brendon for the next year. You will allow Mr. Michaels supervised visits every other weekend and on holidays. Mr. Michaels.”
“Yes, your honor?”
“In order for you to have those supervised visits, I expect you to continue those AA meetings, plus weekly drug tests. In one year, we’ll revisit this hearing for permanent full custody of Brendon. You are to bring the child to Miss. Blankenship first thing tomorrow morning. That’ll be all. Thank you, and have a nice day.”
The judge slams her gavel, stands and walks away.
Oh my god. Did that just happen?
I feel Mason at my back as Marco approaches me.
“I’ve thought about this a lot this past week,” Marco tells me. “I’m just not in the right place to take care of him.”
“That’s understandable,” I say.
“I can have him at your place around nine tomorrow morning. Will that be ok?”
I nod my head. I can’t believe this is happening.
“What happened to your face?” he asks.
“I was mugged,” I say. “I parked too far away from my work building, and someone attacked me one night as I was heading to my car.”
“Are you okay?” he asks, sounding concerned.
“Yea.”
“I’m Marco,” he says, holding his hand out and looking behind me.
“Oh, this is M…”
“Trigger,” Mason interrupts. “Thea’s man.”
“So, you’ll be taking care of my son, too?” Marco asks.
“Sure will,” Mason says without hesitation.
Marco looks Mason up and down.
“You drink, Trigger? Do drugs?”
“I have the occasional drink,” he admits. “But, not usually enough to get drunk.”
“Plus, when he does get drunk, he just gets friendly. Which is creepy as fuck coming from him,” Ink says.
I can’t help but giggle.
“That’s Ink,” I tell Marco.
“I think what you’re doing is a hard fucking thing,” Bear says. “Name’s Bear. Ruler over these fuckers. You should know that your son will be more protected than the president of the united states around my brothers. Trigger, most of all. You have nothing to worry about. We look forward to catching you around from time to time.”
“Ruler?” Marco asks.
Bear laughs. “Yep, I’m president of the Infernal Sons MC. These are all my brothers.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of you all,” Marco says. “Crazy bunch of dudes but tighter than any family around these parts. Well, I guess that answers that.” Marco looks at me. “I know he’ll be loved and taken care of. Seems you have one heck of an entourage, Thea.”
“Yeah,” I admit.
“Well, I better get home. I’ll be at your house around nine.” He smiles and walks away.
“That was so freaking weird,” I say.
Mason grunts, grabs my hand and walks me to the car.
Holy freaking cow.
What is my life, right now?
Chapter Nineteen
Trigger
I like to think that I can read people. I can take one look at a person and decide if
I need to keep a closer eye on them or just go about my business and ignore them.
I thought for sure Marco was the one threatening Thea. But now, I’m not so sure. His eyes seemed pretty genuine when he was talking to my woman yesterday.
I’m not completely shoving him aside, but he isn’t my main target anymore.
A knock on the door has Thea jumping up and running only to trip and fall.
“What the heck did I trip over, air?” she asks
I look down to where her feet are and see nothing. No cracks in the floor, no object, and no carpet or rug. I laugh and help her stand.
“I literally tripped over air, Mason. I can never hold Brendon.”
I laugh harder. “You tripped because your feet got excited and moved faster than they can go. Just don’t run when you’re holding him, little one.”
“Luckily, I caught myself before I face planted. That would have hurt.”
I nod my agreement as we walk to the door. I start to open it only to have Thea grab the side of the door and shove it open.
“Little girl,” I reprimand without thinking.
“Sorry, daddy,” she responds quickly.
Surprisingly, Marco just laughs.
“I thought I felt that dynamic between the two of you,” Marco says. “Did you know that your sister was a Little, too?”
“Really?” Thea asks, shocked.
“Yep, we talked about it once, and I tried to give her what she needed but it just wasn’t my thing. I think that’s why I started drinking and lashing out at her. I knew I couldn’t be who she needed me to be. I really wish I could go back and try again.”
I don’t agree with how he treated Adelaide, but I can understand not being what your partner needs. As a Daddy Dom, not many people need someone like me.
“Well, here he is,” Marco says, holding out a car seat. “I was informed that all he really needed were his clothes, any favorite toys, and his favorite bottles. It’s all packed in the trunk.”
I glance at Thea and see tears falling down her face.
“He’s so beautiful,” she whispers. “Goodness, you grew so fast in a single month, huh buddy?”
I grab the car seat and Thea’s hand and walk them both to the couch.
