AllFreeNovel
Share Us
We stepped out of the building and onto the sidewalk, and the bright sun chased away the darkness looming above me. My sweet boy smiled when I put my hand on his shoulder and guided him to my car.
“Tomorrow is going to be so much fun, Mommy. I’ll find all the eggs at the park and make those mean kids cry.”
I lurched to a stop. “What mean kids?”
“The ones who laugh at me because I don’t have a daddy like them.” He stared at me contemplatively. “Why don’t I have a daddy? Or is Vegas my dad? I see you kissing him sometimes.” His platinum-gray eyes shimmered with hope. “Is the prez my dad?”
“I’ll have a talk with Miss Mallory.” I opened the door to the back seat, removed the pink pastry box from Rockson’s hands, and nodded for him to hop in.
How dare they make my son feel less than them?Little brats. If they weren’t preschoolers, I would chew their asses and spit them out.
“Please, Mommy. I need to find my daddy. Father-son day is coming up.”
“I know.” After securing my persistent son into his car seat, I closed the door and went to the driver’s side. I took a second to breathe deeply and settle the bile churning in my stomach.
I knew the day would come when Rockson asked about his father. I’d never named anyone as his dad. I wasn’t delusional to believe he’d never bring it up, but I was not prepared to have the conversation today.
“What’s my dad’s name?” he asked the second I sat in the driver’s seat. “Everybody has a name.”
Deflect, deflect, deflect.“I wonder when Mona’s sister, Lydia, is arriving. Maybe her boyfriend will play video games with you.”
“I like Landon a lot, Mommy! He makes me laugh.”
“Really? He hardly talks, buddy.” I snorted as I pulled away from the curb and drove us home. Lydia and Landon had appeared during the worst days of my life following Rockson’s first birthday. It’d been like God had finally heard my pleas for help.
I’d met Lydia through Mona, the club’s head sweet butt. Mona had been with the Hells’s Bells long before I’d met Rocky and was in her thirties. We’d never fully clicked, but I’d tried to see her as a friend since we were both club girls.
A few years back, Mona had breast cancer and reconnected with Lydia, her estranged younger sister. Lydia was wonderful, nothing like Mona, and treated me like a close friend, like family. I only wished Lydia and Landon visited Scornrock more than a few times a year. Their life and business were in Minnesota. I would’ve taken Rockson on a little road trip to see them if I could afford it. It would’ve been lovely to get away from this town and the MC. But money, or the lack of it, had been the bane of my existence, and I didn’t imagine anything would change in that regard.
“He talks to me when we play Mario Kart. Do you think my daddy plays video games wherever he is?”
Oh, Jesus.“When we get home, we’ll color the eggs. Okay?” I eyed my son in the rearview mirror. His precious face was scrunched tightly, and his arms were crossed. He was frustrated with me. “Then I’ll order pizza for dinner.”
“Okay.” His features softened. “Put music on, please.”
I refrained from sighing as I flipped the switch. Rockson’s favorite music was country, which I hated. Nearly every song could relate to my past. Miss Mallory had gotten my son hooked on the depressing genre.
“Country Girl! I love this song!” Rockson shouted. He bobbed his head and tried to sing the words.
Not Luke Bryan… I tried to tune him out, but then my mind went tohim. No matter how hard I tried to forget Rocky, I couldn’t. My precious boy in the back seat was a daily reminder of everything I’d lost after his father had left me. The universe sucked.
Rockson clapped and fumbled the lyrics. He was so damn adorable. The only good in my miserable life.
A call interrupted the music through the Bluetooth.
“Aww, man!” Rockson tossed his head back dramatically.
“Sorry, buddy. I have to answer it.” I clicked the button. “Yeah?”
“Just checking on you. How was your trip into town?”
“I got an apple pie!” Rockson exclaimed, his mood shifting from sour to happy in a flash.
“Oh yeah, little man? I can’t wait to eat some.” Vegas cleared his throat. “I expect you to be at the party tonight, Ella. Mona said her sister can babysit.”
“Tomorrow is Easter. I have a million things to do to make it fun for my son.”
“If you don’t attend, you know what will happen.” His voice turned dark. My punishment for disobeying him would be forcing me to fuck every guy in the club in one night. The son of a bitch knew how to control me and get what he wanted.
