I looked up at them and they had this kinda mean look on their faces. Bethie squeezed my hand really hard.
“Daddy, Tommy saved me from that boy. He was hurting me, and Tommy made him quit. Daddy, Tommy is my boyfriend.”
Our dads had turned and looked at each other. I heard our moms laughing quietly.
My dad told Gunny, “Damn, Brother. Not sure what to say about that.”
“Well,” Gunny said, “I never wanted her to ever have a boyfriend. But, if she has to have one, I'd rather it be Tommy.”
I looked up at both men, “Am I in trouble for hurting that boy?”
They squatted down to look me in the face.
“Son, you aren't in trouble. You were taking care of Bethie. That's what a man does. He takes care of his girl,” Sarge said as he reached up and squeezed my shoulder.
“Tommy, I'm proud of you for protecting Bethie. If you’re claiming her as your girl, you should always take care of her and never let anything bad happen to her. You understand me?” Gunny sounded real serious.
I looked at Gunny and swallowed kinda hard, “Yes, sir. I will always take care of Bethie. I love her. No one's gonna hurt her again. I promise.”
“I love Tommy too, Daddy,” Bethie told her dad. “He's my best friend. I've always loved him, Daddy.”
Gunny reached out and grabbed Bethie in a hug, then he and dad stood up, looked at each other, and shook their heads.
I looked up at Bethie's dad, “Gunny?”
“Yeah, son.”
“I'm really worried about Bethie going to school without me there to watch over her. I'm scared that boy might try to hurt her again.”
Gunny looked like he was thinking about what I said.
“So, Tommy, what are you wanting us to do?”
“Can Bethie stay home the days I have to stay home? That way I'd know no one else could hurt her.”
Gunny looked over at Bethie's mom and she nodded at Gunny.
“Yeah, Tommy. We will let Bethie stay home the three days you have to be out of school.”
“Thank you, Gunny.”
He smiled at me and ruffled my hair, “No problem, son.”
I was so happy that I didn't get in trouble and that Bethie could stay home with me. I’d worried about that the whole bus ride home. Later when Bethie and I were playing outside, she ran up to me and kissed me on the mouth.
“Thank you for saving me, Tommy. Will you always take care of me?”
“I won't let anyone hurt you again, Bethie. I promise I won't.” Then, I leaned down and kissed her on the mouth too. It felt kinda good when she had kissed me, so I wanted another kiss.
I smiled at the memory. “From that day on, pretty lady, you were mine.”
As soon as we graduated high school, we got married. We had five years together, five glorious, wonderful years. We lived, laughed, and loved. Fuck, how we had loved. Neither of us having had another partner, left us like babes in the woods. We had fumbled around learning about sex, neither of us really knowing what to do. However, over the years, we refined our skills. But even from the beginning, I was always satisfied with our sex life. I prayed Beth had been satisfied as well.
We had Beau during our second year of marriage. Thank God for both our moms and the Old Ladies of the club, because we didn't have a clue what we were doing. We learned on a wing and a prayer. Damn, once he started walking, then the fun really began. From the time he took his first step, he had one speed. FAST. And the shit he had done and faces he had made, had kept us rolling in laughter. We were having the time of our lives.
Then Beth got pregnant with our second child, a girl. She had been so fucking beautiful carrying our baby. She glowed. There were times when she was doing something, all I could do was stand and stare at her, her beauty having struck me senseless. She fucking took my breath away.
Her raven colored hair gleamed with a shine that was almost blue. Her baby blue eyes shone so bright; I swear you could see them a mile away. Her skin was white as porcelain and so fucking soft that at times I would catch myself just stroking her skin because I loved how it felt. Her lips were a cherry red, made for kissing deeply, wildly and passionately. She was this delicate creature who was strong as fuck. And I was so damn thankful that she loved me. I never knew what she saw in me, but hadn't given a damn as long as she was mine.
Everything was going perfectly with the pregnancy. Beth never got sick, didn't put on too much weight, craved salads, which was insane because she hated salads. She took care of herself. We walked every day, holding hands and talking about anything and everything. It was a magical time.
She was eight and a half months pregnant when the deputy sheriff drove into the yard of the MC. She had gone to town for something, for what I don't even know. Usually she would stop by the MC's garage where I worked and let me know if she was going somewhere, but for some reason she hadn't that day. For years afterwards, I'd thought if only she had then the time frame would have been different and she would still be with me today.
I hadn't been at the Clubhouse long and had been surprised that Beth wasn't there. Usually she and
