by LeAnn Asher
Twenty-Three
Shaylin
The SUVs follow us.
I don’t say anything, but I turn around and sit up in my seat, covering Butcher’s back.
We hit the edge of town, and the two SUVs are still following. We are now surrounded by the dark. We hit a long straight stretch, and the vehicles speed up and move up on either side of us.
This is not good.
I reach behind me and take out my gun just as the man directly beside me rolls down his window. I see a gun and so does Butcher. He guns the bike and it shoots forward, leaving them all in the dust.
We turn the curve and I realize something. I want to face this head on. I am so sick and tired of this shit! “Butcher, let’s just fucking get them.”
“Shaylin, no. If you weren’t here.”
“No.” I grip his vest. “I am with you. We can’t allow this to come back to Tiana.”
“Fuck.” He slows down. He knows I am right. The SUVs come into view. Butcher speeds off into the woods, and I let out a deep breath trying to calm my nerves.
Butcher comes to a stop, pulls me off the bike, and runs with me into the middle of the field. I take my helmet off and throw it in the direction of the bike.
The two SUVs pulling into the field illuminate us in their headlights. I grab Butcher’s hand. I take my gun out of the holster and grin.
Butcher reaches into his pockets and takes out two large knives. His face changes as I watch him—he turns from my Butcher into something deadly.
The doors of the SUV open, and I pull back the clip on my gun. I turn my head, grinning at them.
The first person out of the SUV is Mary. That right there shocks the hell out of me. She is followed by five men.
“Well, if it isn’t Shaylin!” Mary calls and lets out a cackle which irks my nerves right off the bat. What has Mary gotten herself into? “Who adopted my niece, Tiana?”
Butcher and I step forward at the same time when she says Tiana’s name. My eyes narrow, ready to beat some ass.
Mary tilts her head and gives me a sly look. “Let me tell you a story, shall we?” She rubs her hands together. “Lexi, my dear cousin, went and got knocked up by Levi, and she didn’t tell anyone. She got the little shit taken from her, and she got her life on track. Lexi didn’t know I was fucking Levi. I was the fucking queen, and I was using you to spy for him. To watch the fucking MC. So you guys wouldn’t fuck with his drug empire.”
She sits down on the hood of the SUV. “Levi and I came up with a plan. Trafficking is some good money and I need a new car. Lexi was worthless and never took care of the kid. She was a burden and was always so needy, wanting food. Why don’t we sell her? Get rid of her?”
She bangs her hand on the hood, glaring at me. “Until Lexi found out I was going to sell Tiana. She grabbed her two meth-head friends and ran, but she ran to you. She overdosed on some drugs I gave her. Then you adopted her daughter.
“Levi said he would get her back, right? The deal was still in action. Levi sent some guys. You fucking killed them, and this fucker killed Levi. These men here are hired by me to kill you guys, and I am taking Tiana. I have one day to finalize the deal, or I am dead. But guess what, Shaylin, I played you for years! I was just your friend for information! Once we got the deal for Tiana, I left your ass behind.” She laughs again like a maniac.
Rage isn’t the word for what I am feeling right now—it doesn’t even touch the surface. I’ve gotten a glimpse of what Tiana had to deal with. Nobody here can fucking leave. They all must die. Butcher is so mad he is shaking. A calm comes over me and I smile at Mary, and her eyes narrow at the sight.
“You’re dead.” I raise my gun in a split second and pull the trigger. It seems to happen in slow motion. The bullet hits her in the center of her forehead. Her body jerks from the impact before she falls forward and hits the ground.
The five men jump into action, charging for us. Butcher pushes me back and transforms into Butcher.
He spins, bringing the knives around, and slices the first guy in the throat. He growls loudly and brings the knife up, stabbing him under the chin. He spins his torso and hits another right in the forehead. He pulls both knives from the man’s head, and another man comes up behind him. Butcher spins around and brings both knives to his throat. He makes an X, slicing him from ear to ear. The last man looks at Butcher in shock and turns around to run off. Butcher throws a knife and hits him on the back of the head.
Then silence.
Butcher’s back is to mine, and I am breathing heavily after everything that just happened. I can’t believe Mary was going to fucking sell Tiana. The sweetest baby in the whole world. I couldn’t allow her to leave. Tiana would still be in danger.
“Butcher!” I call.
He whips around, drops the knives, and runs over to me. He picks me up off the ground, and I sigh with relief when I am in his arms.
“Fucking sell my baby girl,” he chokes and I nod.
I cannot even fathom what would have happened to her. I just can’t.
“Let me call the guys, they will clean up. I want to go home to Tiana,” I tell him.
He is on the phone for ten minutes, and I walk over to his bike. He follows me and I sink to the ground next to it.
“My poor baby.” I cry.
Butcher sits down on the ground next to me, holding me tightly to him. “Mary said she was always asking for food, Butcher! They were horrible to her. My baby. My sweet angel. She was going to sell her, Butcher, she would have had god knows what done to her. Who could do that? Who is Mary?” I cry and he rocks me in his arms as he tries to soothe me.
“Butcher, they came to her, to sell her.” I sob again in pure fear. “Butcher, I never thought about what she went through. They didn’t care for her, she suffered her whole little life and then they were…” I can’t say the words and I stuff my face into his neck, crying again. “It hurts so much. My heart.” I grip his shirt and he kisses my temple. It hurts so bad, the pain I feel for her. The thought of something happening and her being neglected hurts me so much.
I love that little girl so much.
“She is with us for this reason, Shay. We were meant to protect her,” Butcher tells me and I nod. We are here to take care of Tiana, to protect her and give her the best life we can.
Twenty-Four
Butcher
The guys arrive once Shaylin has calmed down. I’ve have never felt someone’s pain like I did with her. It tore me to fucking pieces seeing her like that, and I never want to see that again. Shaylin, I love her so fucking much that it hurts to breathe sometimes because the love I have is so fucking overwhelming.
I carried her into the house, once we got back, and settled her into bed. She is emotionally spent. Adeline handed me Tiana. I set her on the bed, and she curled up beside Shaylin. I see Shaylin’s tears before she can hide them.
Adeline was filled in and Smiley just left with her. I crawl into bed with Tiana between me and Shaylin. I see Shaylin’s shoulder shake, and I can tell many things are bothering her. Her friend Mary betraying her in such a way and, most of all, Tiana.
Tiana smiles at me and plays with Shaylin’s hair. “Mommy sleep?”
Shaylin lifts her head and smiles at Tiana. She is so fucking beautiful it hurts. Tiana bends her head closer. “Cwyin?” Tiana bends her head and kisses Shaylin. “It’s kay.”
Shaylin pulls Tiana against her, hugging her. One hand is wrapped around her back, and the other is on the back of her head.
“This is the first moment of our forever, Butcher.”
I place my hand on her cheek, catching her last tear. “My life didn’t start until I met you, and my forever started the moment our baby looked me in the eye. This is the beginning of our happily ever after.”
Shaylin gives me that heart-shattering smile. “To crazy, unconventional love.”
I laugh and kiss her.
* * *
The END
Epilogue
&
nbsp; Four Months Later
I’m pregnant.
I put the pregnancy test down on the counter and continue to stare at it. Holy shit. I place my palm on the center of my stomach.
“Shay, want me to pick up a…” Butcher sticks his head in the door and looks from the pregnancy test to the palm that is resting on my stomach. “What is this?” he asks and steps into the room.
I hand him the digital pregnancy test, letting him see for himself. Butcher stares down at the test, completely devoid of emotion.
I let out a deep breath as I wait for what he is going to say. “My Shay is carrying my baby?” He finally lifts his head and looks at me.
“We’ve got to go to the doctor for a one hundred percent, but I skipped my period last month and also this month.”
He grins at me, and a loud burst of laughter comes out of him. He splits the distance between us, and I laugh at his reaction. He pesters my face with kisses, gets down on his knees, and kisses me right below my stomach. “It’s a boy.”
“We don’t know that for sure, Butcher.” I laugh and rub the top of his head. He looks up at me, his eyes lit up with happiness.
“I know it’s a boy. I feel it. We’ve got to have someone who can help watch over Tiana. We are going to fucking need all the help we can get.”
Tiana is going to be a badass—she won’t need help from any man or need protecting. Once she is old enough, she is going into karate and everything else she possibly can to protect herself. There are too many fucking people that are crazy in this world, and anyone can betray you—my thoughts drift back to Mary.
“I am so fucking happy, my Shay,” he whispers.
“Me too.”
Life just gets better and better. Butcher gets more amazing by the day, and Tiana is growing every day, getting sassier every second. She has Butcher wrapped around her little finger and is a total daddy’s girl through and through.
* * *
Delivery Day
“Push!” a male nurse yells, and I push with all of my might, screaming. Zach has a huge head or something. I was told he was a big baby, and I fucking believe it.
“Harder!” he screams again, getting on my last nerve. I open my eyes and glare at him.
Butcher steps toward him. “If you don’t shut the fuck up, I am going to knock you the fuck out.”
My dad, who is on the other side of me, laughs.
Another contraction hits and I grip the blanket. Butcher growls loudly and paces the side of my bed. Butcher has been in a fit ever since I had the first contraction. I don’t think he realized that it would hurt or something. He has been ready to murder someone.
I push again, and Dad and Butcher hold my legs back. I know it’s not normal having your dad in the delivery room with you, but he has been my mom and dad.
I let out a deep breath and collapse on the bed. “We are never having another kid, Shaylin. I can’t stand that you are in fucking pain.” He punches the wall.
“I think I need to call security,” a nurse whispers, and Butcher’s head whips around like the girl in The Exorcist. “I dare you to make me leave. Dare you!”
Dad and I both laugh at that. I love that man.
A contraction hits again, and I push with all of my might. “I see the head! One more push!” I grab the rails of the bed and scream as I give one final push.
They place the baby on my stomach, and I burst out crying at the sight of my baby boy. Butcher bends down next to me to look at him. He is perfect. He has a large amount of black hair, just like Butcher.
“Zack,” Butcher whispers and his eyes are full of tears.
“It was more than worth it.” I touch Zack’s little hand and then they take him away.
“It was, but we aren’t having another one. You are not going through that again.” He steps away from the bed and follows the nurses who have Zack.
“So proud of you, baby girl.” Dad kisses the top of my head and I close my eyes.
“Love you, Dad.”
I wake up a few hours later and see Butcher fast asleep with Zack resting on his chest. The door opens and a nurse pops in. She looks at me and Butcher.
“We can take him to the nursery so you guys can get some rest?” She holds out her arms to take Zack.
“We are fine. He doesn’t leave us.”
Butcher is ever the protective father, and I am the same. We don’t trust anyone outside of our circle. We keep people who aren’t in the MC at arm’s length until we know them.
“Okay, I understand.” She smiles at both of us and checks the monitors. Zack starts crying, and Butcher lays him gently on my chest. I pull down my gown so he can breastfeed. Butcher gently sets the boppy pillow under Zack to help me hold him. I am weak.
“I wonder what Zack is going to be when he grows up?” I stare down at him, and I can’t believe I carried him for nine months. Butcher and I made him, and he is so precious. I cannot wait for Tiana to see him.
Tiana is three years old now. She is getting big so fast. She says full sentences now and is so smart. She doesn’t like dolls or princesses now. No, she likes tearing things apart and putting them back together.
“Tiana will be a mechanic, and Zack can be whatever the hell he wants to be.”
“No sex for six weeks.”
He drops his head to the bed. “Don’t remind me.”
I laugh and take his hand, which is resting on my leg. I bring it up and kiss the back of it.
“Love you, Butcher.”
He raises his head and gives me a lazy smile. “Love you too, Momma.”
* * *
Tiana Starts Kindergarten
“Butcher, she is fine,” I whisper to him for the tenth time. He is looking through the door window. We just dropped Tiana off for her first day of school.
“That little boy beside her is offering her a pencil. She is too young, we know little boys don’t give a pencil for no reason.”
Oh my god. He is crazy! I burst out laughing, and Zack laughs along with me. He walks over to Butcher and raises his arms for Butcher to pick him up. Butcher picks him up and goes back to staring through the window. “What if she gets hungry, Shay?”
“Butcher, we have packed her a lunch,” I inform him.
“Maybe we can homeschool her?”
I roll my eyes and physically drag him from the door. “Butcher, she is fine. I promise. All of the other MC kids go here also.”
He nods and takes one long look before he walks away. He stops a few times before continuing. It’s taking everything in him not to turn around. Butcher is a very protective dad—it messes with him when they are out of his sight. It fucks with him, the thought of something going wrong and not being there.
He is better with it when family babysits, but he just left her with a strange teacher and aide. We know this school. It’s out of town, very small and out of the way. All of the MC go here. We have hired full-time security with the school’s permission.
“I know, Shay. I love that little shit in there.”
I laugh and hug his side. “She loves you too, Butcher, and she will be waiting for us to pick her up later.”
“Let’s stay around town today.”
Zachary, Fifteen Years Old
“Mom, Zach is on the roof shooting leaves off of trees again,” Tiana informs me and I spin around.
I am still taken aback by her beauty. When I say puberty hit her, I mean it hit her so fucking hard. She is drop-dead gorgeous, which Butcher cannot stand. Boys knock on our gate asking her out daily. Tiana has a voice-automated thing set up telling them no and wishing them luck with someone else.
Tiana isn’t interested in boys. She is interested in cars and being a mechanic. She is damn good at it too—she can fix anything.
“This kid lives to give me a heart attack. I swear.” I throw the dishtowel down and stomp outside to the porch. I crane my head back and look to the roof.
“Zack, if you don’t get your butt down, you’re never leaving your
room again besides school. That means no outdoor activities, no nothing.”
He pops his head over the side of the roof. “You mean I can’t even get married?”
“Yes. Down!” I point to the ground.
He climbs down and lands beside me. “Mom, I want to get married someday!” he jokes with a little smirk.
“You’re my baby boy—you are never getting married.” I grab his hand and pull him to me. I pester his face with kisses and he laughs.
“There is this boy in my class who will make anyone think of getting married. His name is Xavier.”
I freeze. Did he say “boy”? I pull back and look him dead in the eye. “Boy?”
He shrugs. “Yeah, Mom, I like boys.” His eyes widen nervously, and I pull him into a hug. “Well, at least we ain’t going to have to worry about teenage pregnancy.”
He laughs and I let him go. I don’t care if my kid likes boys or girls. It’s his life, love is love, and he can love whoever he wants.
“I am going to tell Dad tonight.”
* * *
Butcher
* * *
“Dad, can I talk to you?” My son could pass for my twin at that age. He has his mother’s heart-stopping smile, but the rest is me.
“Yeah.” I nod at the seat beside me, and I can see he is fidgeting. My eyes narrow as I look him over, wondering what is wrong.
He sits down and lets out a deep breath. “So I have something to tell you, I told Mom earlier.”
I sit forward and it’s fucking getting to me seeing him nervous.
“I’m gay.”
Fuck me. Is that it? I look at him, confused. “Is that it?”
Zach’s mouth pops open. “Yeah, that’s it.”
“Okay, who cares if you like dick?”
