Page 20 of Live Love Steal (Destroyers MC: Skilletsville PA #2)

“ What about me? I don’t have a record.” She pointedly slid her eyes at me as if to say, But he does.

“ You remind me of his mother.”

I stared at the table, because like hell I was going to let that woman see my face.

Even Sharon knew the correlation was not a good thing. She remained quiet.

“ Here is my order. You cannot take your son out of state. If you do, I authorize the Commonwealth to pursue kidnapping charges. Do you understand what that means?”

“ I can’t move?”

His mouth clenched into a thin line. After a moment, he spoke again, “ You can move. Your son cannot .”

Her mouth dropped open. “ But what about the child support?”

Everyone in the room went still.

That check Jackson flashed to the lawyer crawled its way back into my memory. All I’d have to do is say the amount. She’d cave.

But that wasn’t how this was done, and I’d be damned if I screwed up at this point. I was iron. If she walked out of here with custody of Noah , I’d approach her with both checks in my back pocket. If the ten grand didn’t convince her, twenty-five would.

The judge opened the lawyer’s folder again.

“ Ah , yes, I’m amending that. While Noah is in your custody, you will receive…

” he scanned the pages, landing on a figure.

“ Three thousand, two-hundred and fifty-two dollars a month. Paid on the first. Per the original court order. Any additional monies forwarded to you during the month will come out of the next month’s check. ” He slapped the folder shut.

Sharon stared at him. “ What do you mean, out of the next month’s check? How will I afford…” Her mouth hung open.

“ I suggest you get a job. Noah is seven, there are before and after school day care programs, and…”

“ He’s a criminal!” Sharon stood up and pointed at me.

My lawyer covered her mouth because she had warned me about this. I bet she enjoyed being right.

“ Sit down, Miss Kayne .”

“ Ask him where he was last night.”

She had no way of knowing. No way.

“ He was at the hospital with you and your son.”

My lawyer cleared her throat. “ I beg the court’s pardon, but she went home.”

Sharon flushed red. “ Only because he told me to.”

I looked at my lawyer.

“ He did not order you to, Miss Kayne , you left on your own accord.”

“ What about his girlfriend?”

Now she was dragging Isobel into this. I glanced at the ink again. I’d rubbed it almost completely off. But the memory of it remained.

The judge pinched his brow. “ Decision stands. Adjourned .”

“ What ? I can’t live off three thousand a month! What about alimony? He owes me!”

The judge paused at the door to his chambers, the one that didn’t go into the hallway where all my biker brothers were waiting. “ Do you pay alimony to her, too?”

I shook my head. When we got divorced, I didn’t have more than the building to my name. I almost had to sell it, but luckily, she wanted nothing to do with the gutted shell of an old garage.

“ Good . Miss Kayne , I suggest you decide what you want out of life. Do you want to be a mother, or a kept woman? I’m going to be very honest with you right now; if you try to have both, you will fail.

I’ve been on the bench for too long and seen too many cases like this.

Your ex-husband has shown extraordinary restraint here today, and I commend him for it.

He’s come a long way since that time he crossed paths with me in juvenile hall.

If there were more evidence of negligence on your part, I would not have given you a choice.

Your son would be with him and him alone.

But there isn’t, yet . And I hope, for Noah’s sake, I never have to see him in my courtroom for that or anything else. Do you understand?”

Her jaw stretched tight.

“ Adjourned .”

My lawyer leaned toward me, “ I can file another motion.”

“ She can’t leave the state with him, right?” I asked.

“ Correct .”

“ I’m good. Thank you.”

I stood up and followed Sharon out of the room. Jackson stood front and center. Bear had Noah protected under his arm. His huge hand splayed across my son’s chest, covering his heart. There was a bit of possessiveness clinging to Bear’s grumpy demeanor that made Sharon stop dead.

Jackson waited until the legal team wandered off. He held out a hand. “ I remember you.”

He wasn’t angling for a handshake or a kiss. In his fingers was a check.

I’d bet it was ten grand or less.

Sharon stepped forward and pulled the paper from his fingers. She studied the amount, then Noah . “ It isn’t enough.”

If it wouldn’t lose me every chance at happiness… I’d …

Jackson snapped the paper back and examined it. “ Oh , right. It isn’t.” He pulled another check out of his pocket and handed it to her. “ Is this better?”

She put it in her pocket.

Twenty -five grand. Damn . At least she was better than my mom. She sold me for crack cocaine and a needle.

“ You’ll bring him to the coast for visits, won’t you?”

“ Yeah ,” I agreed, still hesitant to rejoice. This was fucked up, and my son got to see it in all of its ugliness.

Sharon knelt so she’d be on eye level with Noah . “ I know you don’t like Jimmy , but I do. And I know you want to be with your dad, so…”

Noah glanced at me. I tried to pour my heart into the silence between us.

There were no guarantees he was going to be with me forever because last night was messy.

And I’d fucked up royally by being where I was and doing what I did, but I’d fight it tooth and nail to remain free for him.

And , from now on, everything was going to be weighed against the scale of “would I lose my son if” when it came to accepting any of Jackson’s dirty jobs.

I wasn’t as worried about the immediate club.

We had to keep our noses squeaky clean to enjoy what we built here.

“ Bye , Mom .” Noah hugged her and didn’t cry.

“ I’ll see you in the summer. There’s some great beaches.” She begged me to agree. I could make that happen.

“ July . He’s coming with me in August .”

Her face soured. “ You’re not taking him to Sturgis .”

Like hell I wasn’t. But that fight was for another day. I’d had enough victories, and she needed one to keep the peace. “ He’s going to come with me one of these times.”

“ Not until he’s old enough.”

From the weight in my son’s eyes, he was old enough ten minutes ago. I kept my mouth shut.

She patted the check in her pocket and gave Noah another hug. Then walked her ass out of his life. My throat got tight. I wanted more for him than this.

Jackson slapped my back. “ You won. Cheer up.” He shoved a crumpled piece of paper into my hand. “ Get rid of this, will ya?”

I straightened it out until I could see the numbers written on it. Twenty -five thousand.

“ How much did you give her?”

Jackson’s mouth tilted up. He pulled out the flat check Sharon had handed back to him. I scanned the number. Two grand.

“ She took ten grand.”

He dipped his head. “ Never bet what you can’t win.”

“ Who wants ice cream?” Bear asked, mostly for Noah’s sake.

“ It’s too cold for ice cream, and the doctor says I shouldn’t have dairy.”

Bear looked at Noah like he had two heads. “ No ice cream? What a quack. Sketch ?”

Noah remembered last night better than I did. “ He’s got a brAT diet for a few days. Until he shows improvement, it’s no sugar, no greasy food, and definitely no dairy. Only bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.”

While Bear worked that out in his head, Wolf wrapped an arm around me and indicated the club assembled around us. “ Your girl called this morning. Told us where you’d be and when. You have her to thank for this. She said she’d be here if she could get out of the pitch, but…”

I counted heads. “ Isobel did this?”

Wolf nodded slowly.

“ Come on, man. Don’t lie. You did this.”

That got a shake of his head. “ She called the junkyard, and Rocket thought it would be hilarious if he sent the call to Jackson . You know, for old time’s sake.”

A grin crept through my worries. Jackson had been the most notorious ladies’ man. He used his charm on everything with tits. Come to find out, he’d been keeping a secret family tucked away. And once they resurfaced, those breathy, sexily voiced phone calls to the junkyard ceased.

“ I wonder whose idea the ten grand was?”

Wolf shrugged. “ Somehow , I think it was Izzy’s .” He started to turn away, but snapped his fingers. “ Almost forgot,” he tugged the check for two grand from my fingers. “ We owe this.”

Right .

“ Do you want me to take it?”

Wolf shook his head. “ I’ll do it. You take the day off and get some sleep. You both look like you need it.”

But I needed one thing before that happened, “ Hey , Wolf ? Did you get Isobel’s number?”

The grim shake of his head flattened my hopes. I pulled Noah in close so we could leave. Win some, lose some.