Epilogue
Ten years later
Butch threw his head back and laughed as Jade tackled him, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him.
“Daddy, Michael won’t come and play.”
“He doesn’t have to.”
“He’s my big brother. He has to do what I say. It’s the law,” Jade said, stamping her foot.
He rolled his eyes and turned to look at Michael. His stepson was all grown up and had even gone to college.
Cheryl walked around the club, wearing the leather cut he loved for her to wear whenever they had big family gatherings. Tonight’s celebration was about the club. For ten years the Vegas Chapter had expanded, bringing in more and more guys as they wanted to join what he’d created.
With the help from the Skulls from Fort Wills, his club had become a force to be reckoned with.
The moment he set up shop, there had been some wars.
Other MCs wanted a shot at turf. Before he’d marked this spot as his own, no one wanted it. He made sure not to give it up.
This was Skulls property, and that was exactly how it would stay.
“I’m not playing. I’m a grown-ass man,” Michael said.
“I hate you.” Jade folded her arms and stormed away.
“She has really turned into a brat.”
“She’ll head inside and make you a sorry card. All the shit for it is inside my desk.”
With how much they struggled to have Jade, Butch had put his foot down, and he didn’t intend to have any more kids.
His time for being a father was over.
He was there for Michael when he needed him and a father to Jade.
Cheryl walked up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she always did. “How are you doing, baby?”
“I’m doing good.”
“Nope, still disgusting.” Michael wrinkled his nose.
“It’s good to have you here,” Butch said. “Don’t mind Jade. She’s hating that she’s got to change schools.”
“There’s something I wanted to talk to you both about.”
“What is it?” Butch asked.
Michael rubbed the back of his head. “I don’t want to stay in Fort Wills anymore. I’d like to try out here. You know, become a Prospect. Dad set me up a job with one of the accounting firms he uses. I’ll be starting there next week. He wanted to call you before I came out here, but I wanted to be the one to ask. I’d like to come home.”
Butch stared at the man before him.
Glancing down at Cheryl, he saw his wife had tears in her eyes.
“What do you think, Cheryl? We want him back? He can’t get involved in the wrong crowd now.”
Cheryl swatted at his hand. “You know the hardest thing I ever did was to let you go to your father. I hated it. Every single second of it.”
“I know why you did it, and I love you, Mom.”
“You can join the club. You won’t be getting any special treatment.”
“I don’t expect any. I’m going to go and grab a beer.”
Michael left them alone as Javier, Mistletoe, and Cruz headed toward him.
They were the original four, with Punk following up behind. It had taken Punk a year to earn his patch, but he was a damn good friend and club brother.
“We did it, Butch,” Javier said.
“Next, world domination?” Cruz asked.
Glancing around the yard, he saw a mixture of Ned Walker’s fighters and club brothers. This was his home.
His brothers.
His family.
The sins of his past were finally gone.
“You okay?” Cheryl asked.
“Yeah, I’m great.” He pulled her against him, kissing her lips.
Life was good.
For Butch, that was all he could ask for.
The End