Cease (Bayonet Scars Book 7) by JC Emery

Author:JC Emery [Emery, JC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Christina Emery
Published: 2016-10-24T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 13

Ruby

Jim's standing across the main room in the clubhouse. Maybe thirty feet at most, but it's too far. I just want him closer. After waking up today, convinced the entire day was going to suck, only for him to turn it around for me . . . I need him here. Like now.

"Seems my boy can do more than just fuck things up," Sylvia says from beside me. She purses her lips and then takes a long draw from her bottle of beer. My eyes linger on her pale features and thinning hairline for too long. She shrinks back from me and focuses on the wall behind the bar.

"I can't believe he did all that," I say. It's the truth. Even Mike didn't do shit like that for my boy. Sure, he'd bring him by a toy the week of his birthday, but beyond that, it was like the kid didn't exist. I'd just kind of accepted the fact that Ian's birthday would always be a kind of solemn day. We've always celebrated it, just the two of us, with a private little party at home. One year he got cookies, the next he got cupcakes. One year he got a single cupcake--it was all I could afford at the time--but he acted like that lone cupcake was made of gold with the way he thanked me for it. And that's not normal or right. Kids should take cupcakes for granted.

"Of course he did," Sylvia says. "Ian's his boy, too."

My eyes fall closed at her words. Ian isn't really Jim's. As much as I appreciate the club wanting him to feel like he's part of the family, I can't let this continue. Ian is my son. I carried him in my body and safely delivered him in a hospital in Tampa. I fought to get him to latch on, and I'm the one who diapered him. I taught him to read and write. I've fed and clothed him since the day he was born. I put that boy through hell and then pulled him back out of it. That's on me. I've been the only parent, only fucking constant in this kid's life since even before he was born. It might take a village to raise a kid, but history's shown me that people leave. My heart is going to break when Jim decides we're too much trouble, and that's fine, but I won't let my boy feel like he's lost one more thing. So no, fuck that. Ian is mine.

"I know that look," Sylvia says. Her tone is of defeat rather than irritation. I hear a lot of that from her these days. She always sounds so tired and fed up, not even frustrated, just doing her best to keep on living.

"My boy finally has something stable. I don't want to take that from him by letting Jim play daddy. When this ends, it's only going to hurt Ian."

"And if it ends, you won't be hurt?"

"That's not what I meant," I say.

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