Fourteen Years Ago
Venom
The little girl with the blonde curls had to be the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Her angelic smile could even warm my cold-ass heart. It was still a mystery to me how someone like Bull could have created a kid like that. Hell, I couldn’t even imagine a woman pretty enough to make that child even existing. She was like a little china doll and had wrapped every one of my MC brothers around her little finger. Me included.
At the age of twenty-five, I’d never thought about having kids. Honestly, just the thought of knocking up one of the club sluts was enough to keep my dick from getting hard. Easy pussy could be had anytime I wanted it, but accepting my brothers’ sloppy seconds, thirds, or tenths, hadn’t appealed to me since my days as a Prospect. Oh, I got my dick wet, but I was a little more discerning about where I stuck it.
The gorgeous angel, all of five years old, turned that winning smile my way, and I felt myself melt. Yeah, she was going to be a heartbreaker when she got bigger, that was for damn sure. And she’d have an entire MC ready to go to battle for her. Bull almost seemed sad when he looked at his daughter, and I couldn’t figure out why. The child’s mom was a raging bitch, but last I’d heard, the courts had granted Bull every other weekend with the girl. We’d had a family day at the clubhouse every Saturday that Bull had his daughter, just so she could hang out with everyone. Which meant no club sluts allowed.
When her mom came to pick her up, Bull seemed to hug the girl a little tighter than usual. The blonde angel waved and smiled at everyone as her mother practically dragged her out of the clubhouse. The old ladies in the corner gave a disapproving stare, but they kept their mouths shut. No one wanted to cause problems for Bull, not when he’d fought so hard to get to see his child at all. Judges didn’t look too kindly on outlaws, and Bull had spent some time behind bars, more than once.
Bull lumbered over and sat heavily on the barstool next to me. Waving to a Prospect behind the counter, he ordered a bottle of Jack, looking like the weight of the world was on his shoulders.
“What the fuck, man?” I asked. “You just got to see that gorgeous girl of yours.”
“It’s bad, man,” Bull said. “I’ve loved that little girl since the moment she was born. Other than the MC, she’s the only bright spot I’ve got.”
“And you’ll see her again in a few weeks.”
Bull shook his head. “This was my last visit with Ridley.”
“What the fuck?”
“Her mom’s getting remarried. Found some rich guy in South Florida. Guy has a fucking mansion and a yacht. They’re moving tomorrow. I have permission to fly down there and see her twice a year for a week each stay, but because of her age, the courts agreed that it would be best if Ridley didn’t travel here unless her mom was with her. And we know that’s never going to happen.”
I let his words sink in, and I glanced at the door where Ridley had disappeared just moments before. It didn’t seem right, separating a kid from her dad. I firmed my jaw and stared at him.
“So that’s it? You’re giving up?” I asked.
“What am I supposed to do?”
“Get your ass to Florida twice a year to see your kid.” Dumbass.
Bull sighed. “Yeah. I can do that, but she’s growing up so damn fast. What if she forgets about me? Her new stepdaddy is all kinds of rich and can give her everything I can’t. What if she doesn’t want me anymore? I’m just some broke-ass biker who drinks and swears too fucking much.”
“Man, I don’t care how loaded the guy is. You’re always going to be her Pop. That little girl loves the shit out of you, and she always will. Ridley’s too smart to let money fuck up her life. She might be five, but she’s smarter than most kids her age. Hell, she’s probably smarter than her bitch-ass mother.”
“Yeah.” Bull laughed. “You might be right about that. She’s certainly smarter than me. Man, I don’t know how I got so lucky to have such a perfect little girl. You’re right, though. I’m going to see her every time I’m allowed, and I will call her every fucking day to tell her how much I love her.”
I clapped Bull on the back and stood up. “One day Ridley will be all grown up and will be able to make her own decisions. Until then, you do what you can to make sure she knows she’ll always be your number one girl.”
“Thanks, Venom. You’re a good kid.”
I snorted. Kid. Hell, Bull was only ten years older than me. Grabbing my keys out of my pocket, I strolled out to my bike. I could feel the energy pulsing inside me and knew I needed a wild ride to calm me down. And if that didn’t work, then I’d find a willing woman and work it off that way. My favorite bar on the other side of town was calling my name. The liquor flowed like honey, and the women were fine as hell. And I planned to enjoy both tonight.