Page 55 of Butch

“Daddy’s good Little girl.” He pulled the now-empty bottle away from her lips, making Raelynn whine and open her mouth.

Butch chuckled and shook his head before grabbing the pacifier from the front pocket in his cut and plopping it in her mouth.

Her breathing evened out at some point, and Butch relaxed more into the chair. Finally, she was asleep.

“Can I sit here and talk to you?” Reaper asked. “Don’t worry, Luther is looking out to make sure no one walks back here.”

“What do you need?” Butch cocked his head to the side.

“Why do you call her Little Fairy?” Reaper asked when he sat down on the bench opposite them.

Butch looked down at sleeping Rae and thought back to that day.

“The first time I ever saw her was when she was little, well, when we were little. She was wearing this Tinker Bell costume and had a wand in her hand. She was so cute. Back then, I knew that I wanted her to be mine,” Butch explained.

“When you were young? I thought you didn’t meet until you were in high school,” Reaper said.

“We met briefly when we were younger, probably around five years old, and that interaction stuck in my head until my father announced that he was going to marry her mother. I was so happy that I had no objections. I wanted her close and wanted to make her mine.” Butch chuckled. “She had been on my mind the whole time; no other girl compared to her. She didn’t remember me, but it was okay. I was going to still prove that we were meant to be together, and thankfully I did.”

“How did she not remember you?” he asked.

He shrugged and looked down. “I think it was because she went through a lot. Her mother was still married to her father back then, and they were a happy family. She was the happiest girl out there, but then I believe her father died, and her mother turned for the worse. I don’t know everything that happened, and I never wanted to push her to tell me. But I don’t think she remembered me, despite how close we were that day, because of everything that happened after that. Her mother was rude to her and put her through hell before she met my dad.”

Butch had been so broken-hearted when he saw her for the first time after so many years.

“She was a shell of herself when we first met, and it took me forever for her to even talk to me, but I was determined. I knew that I wanted her, and I was going to get her. I just needed her to see it,” Butch explained. “But from the very beginning, when our parents got married, I called her Little Fairy because to me, I still saw that girl who was so happy and loved Tinker Bell. I wanted her to have a nickname that was only for her and no one else could call her that.”

“Why not Tinker or Bell as a nickname?” Reaper asked. “I would have called her Tinker Bell if it was me.”

Butch scoffed and shook his head. “Be creative when you come up with a nickname for your Little—when you get one. They want to feel special, and other people might call their significant other Tinker Bell. It’s also after a character.”

Reaper hummed and looked out at the backyard. They sat there for several minutes in silence as Butch continued to rock. She was fast asleep in his lap, and he wanted her to stay like this. She hadn’t been getting good sleep, and she desperately needed this.

“I’m thinking about getting a dog,” Reaper said. “I was thinking maybe a puppy, so it can grow old with me. But I was also thinking about a puppy, so in a couple of years when I want to find someone for me, it will be trained and can protect her.”

“What if you find her tomorrow?” Butch asked. “Do you still want a puppy then?”

“I won’t find her tomorrow. I won’t even look for a couple of years,” Reaper replied.

“That’s not how that works. You’ve seen the club owners. You’ve heard from Deccan about how none of them were looking for their Littles, but found them randomly one day through an interaction and knew they were theirs. You don’t have any control over that, and I don’t want you thinking you do. What if she shows up in the next couple of days and you know she’s yours? What then? Are you just going to let her walk away because you said you aren’t looking?”

Reaper shook his head. “No, I won’t just let her go.”

“Exactly. So, think about it.”

“I think I’m still going to get a puppy, though. They are cute. I’ve always wanted one,” Reaper said.

“Well, I think Rae and Echo would be happy to babysit the puppy if you ever need someone,” Butch replied as Rae let out a whine.

Both of their eyes stayed glued on her as they waited for her to make another noise.

“Shhh, you’re okay,” Butch whispered.

She continued to whimper, so Butch started to unwrap the blanket from her.

“What’s wrong with her?” Reaper asked.

“I don’t kn—” but the words stopped as her whining ceased, and he felt something warm on his lap. His gaze snapped to Reaper. “We never mention this at all. You weren’t here. You didn’t see anything. You don’t know anything.”