The house looked positively warm and cozy as Gemma had spent all day getting ready for the arrival of her daughter. Of course she wouldn't welcome the girl the way a mother should, but she was going to try her best to remain calm and inviting. Everything was perfect right down to the candles on the dinning room table and the perfect place settings she picked up today in town. The brunette worked her magic now in the kitchen, Clary by her side helping to cut up the vegetables for the mixed salad.
"You can breathe you know mama, Gemma," Clary teased the older woman whom looked like she was about to break out into a sweat.
"I'll breathe when this is all done," she muttered, "you just busy your little ass with fixing the salad."
The girl giggled to herself, nodding and doing as she was told, a smile plastered to her angelic face.
"Thanks again for taking her in," Gemma finally smiled up at the young woman, "it was a nice thing to do, Clay and I appreciate it so much."
It was true, the couple appreciated the act of kindness that Clary had bestowed onto them. Although it wasn't a huge deal to the youngest Winston child, it was to the Morrow's and to the upholding of their secret.
"It's really nothing," Clary reassured, "it'll be exciting having someone new to pal around with and I'm sure she's sweet."
Gemma nodded continuing on with the hashbrown casserole before placing the dish in the oven.
"Last time I saw Andie she was 14," the older woman explained, "and she was as sweet as the day is long. I hope she's managed to stay that way throughout the years…..but she's gonna have to be a little tough to be around our crew. The guys will drive her nuts if she doesn't have a sense of humor and a strong backbone."
Gemma worried how Adrianne would fit into this lifestyle, yes she had dated a charter member of the Sons of Anarchy but that didn't mean she truly understood what she was getting into. Being around the club everyday would be interesting to say the least, and all the brunette could hope for was that the young woman would stay out of trouble and out of the way of the club's business. If she was anything like Clay however, Gemma knew they'd have their hands full and if she was anything like her half brother Jax, everyone needed to watch out. No one would be head boss like Gemma was head boss, but this girl might definitely give her a run for her money.
"Clary can you grab us a few beers?" Opie hollered for his sister from the living room.
"I'll get it in a second ya big gnome!" Clary yelled right back earning a hearty chuckle from Gemma at her side.
"You pick on him so terribly," the brunette laughed, "but yet you're still so close….always stay that way."
The two made Gemma smile and yet she also frowned feeling as if she'd robbed Jax of having the same sort of relationship with his baby sister. Would things have been different for the best if they would have kept Adrianne in Charming? It was too hard to tell and the woman knew that she couldn't change what already had been done. Now they would live with the consequences of their actions and hope that life would go on as normal as it could for the way they chose to live.
Clary collected four beers from the fridge before gliding off to the living room being met with a warm reception from the guys.
"Thanks, sis," Opie smiled, taking the long neck from his sister's hand.
"Yeah thanks, Clary," Juice piped up with a surly grin.
"I'm still doin' fine, lass," Chibs acknowledged as she walked over to him as he sat on the couch, the beer currently in his hand still half full.
The two tried not to linger too long on one another when they were with friends and family, but it was proving to be harder and harder as the days went on.
"You are a gem, sweetheart," Bobby spoke up, breaking Clary from her thoughts of her lover gazing at her longingly.
"Oh stop you guys," she blushed, plopping down next to the large man on the couch, "you only are happy because I brought beer."
The guys laughed heartily, but shook their heads trying to convince her that this wasn't the case.
"No way, we love you, little Winston," Bobby grinned, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in for a big hug. The group was so close and she viewed most of the guys in the club the same way she viewed Opie; as her brothers.
"Hello!" Tara called from the front door as she let herself in, Abel holding one hand as her other was occupied with clutching Thomas's car seat.
"Hey sweetheart," Gemma grinned heading over to the front door and taking the smaller child and his carrier instantly.
"How's grandma's boys?" she cooed, before glancing down at Abel who quickly ran and hugged her around the waist. "I see I'm missed," she commented triumphantly before smiling at the two other children that entered the house behind Tara. "And who do we have here?" the older woman smiled, reaching an arm out to embrace the other kids. "Your daddy's in the living room," she informed, both of Opie's children taking off to find him. "It's good of you to keep all the kids today," Gemma noted as Tara closed the front door and dropped the diaper bag in the hallway.
"Yeah well Ope needed to do something with the guys and Lyla has to shoot all night….who knows where her kid is right now," the younger woman answered, "Kenny and Ellie are really no trouble at all." Nodding the brunette turned her back on her son's fiance and sauntered off to the kitchen, her grandsons accompanying her all the way there.
"Can I do something for you, Gemma," Tara offered trying to be friendly, hoping that tonight really would be drama free.
"Clary helped with mostly everything," the older woman answered, "if you were here earlier than you could have lent a hand."
It was no secret that the two women fought like cats and dogs, but the good doctor tried her hardest to bite her tongue and keep the peace.
"Sorry, I had a few errands to run and then with the kids it's harder to leave earlier or even on time," Tara forced out a laugh trying to lighten the mood but earning no other acknowledgement from Gemma. "Well I think I should go feed Thomas," she interjected as the brunette began to remove him from his carrier.
"Can't his grandmother hold him a second?" she asked with a snippy tone, causing Tara's blood pressure to rise.
"I suppose you're going to anyway," the surgeon hissed, clicking her boot clad feet all the way out of the kitchen and into the living room.
"Steaks are done, Gem!" Clay called out as he came inside from the backyard, a tray full of freshly made steaks in his hands.
"Just bring them in here, honey!" she commanded, bouncing her youngest grandson on her hip as Abel ventured into the other room to find his mother.
"Thanks for the invite again, Gemma," the man behind Clay spoke, a nod of his head signifying his gratitude.
"You're family now, Happy," the woman smiled, "you belong here for dinner, you don't have to thank me."
The man proceeded to make his way over to his friends in the other room, as Clay glided closer to his wife.
"You nervous," she asked her husband, his eyes glancing to the ground before focusing on his grandson's cherubic face.
"I'm trying to be calm," he admitted, ruffling the small patch of hair on the top of Thomas's head.
"Well you have about 2 minutes to keep your calm because I think I hear another car out front," Gemma warned her eyes flitting off to the hallway.
"I'm a little nervous," Adrianne admitted as she followed Jax and Tig to the front door of the Marrow residence.
"Don't be, he's your dad, there's nothin' to worry about, darlin'," Jax reassured, his arm slinging around her shoulders and pulling her tightly into his chest.
"It's not dad I'm worried about," she explained, "it's your friends and your mom, it's been a long time since I've seen her and I've never met your crew before."
The brunette looked up into her brother's bright blue eyes, searching for the answers in those large pools.
"Everyone is gonna love you," he reassured, "trust me. I haven't seen you in forever and look at us, two peas in a pod. Besides, if you love Tig, then my other guys are gonna seem like total gentlemen."
Adrianne laughed at the blonde's comment, Tig protesting at her other side.
"Hey now," the older man butted in, "she loves her Tigger, thank you very much. I'm a nice guy when I wanna be."
Rolling his eyes, Jax reached for the door handle, opening the front door and guiding his step-sister inside.
"Ma, we're here!" Jax yelled from the hallway, feeling his sister tremble slightly in his arm lock as they walked further inside. "It's ok," he whispered into her hair, kissing the side of her head for comfort.
"I know," she murmured, but already felt a little like the outcast as they ventured even closer to the unknown. As they made it into the kitchen, everything seemed to stop. All the fears the young woman had vanished as her dark gaze focused on her aging father. A smile spread across her features rivaling his own as the older man extending his arms wide open.
"Daddy!" she yelped, running right into his arms, soon being lifted off of the floor.
"My baby," Clay half whispered, kissing her head, before taking her at arms length to assess his only child. "You get more beautiful every time I see you," he complimented, leaning forward to kiss her nose gently.
"Aww Dad, stop it," she teased, placing her hand on his face. "It's so good to see you," she continued, "thank you for inviting me….I can't believe I'm really here."
"Neither can I," the woman at Clay's side murmured, her eyes wide but her jaw managing to stay in place and not fall. It was like looking into an old photograph from when she was younger, the woman before was a replica perfected with some of her father's side's strong features.
"Hi, Gemma," Adrianne looked over to her step-mother, a timid half smile on her face.
"Hi baby," Gemma smiled warmly right back, "got a hug and kiss for your mama bear?" She asked, trying to seem as normal and natural as possible.
"Of course," the young woman grinned wider, stepping away from her father and offering up a hug to the brunette in front of her.
"It's nice to see you again, sweet pea," she spoke, feeling the emotion rush deep into her chest as she finally was face to face with the little girl she'd left so many years ago.
"Thank you for having me here," Adrianne answered right back, "it means so much to me."
"Is this who I think it is?" Adrianne's attention turning to the baby in Gemma's arms.
"Yep," Jax smiled stepping forward to be closer to his family while Tig and Clay began to chat quietly in the corner. "This is Thomas," the blonde introduced his step-sister to the newest edition to his household.
"Oh my God, Jax," the brunette practically swooned, "he's so beautiful."
The little boy in his grandmother's arms smiled up at his aunt, his little arms extending outward reaching for her instantly.
"Aww, can I hold you little guy?" she cooed, taking Thomas into her loving embrace as Gemma handed him over. "Hey little man," Adrianne spoke to the baby, "you're so precious, I'm so glad to meet you. My little nephew, so perfect."
Kissing the chubby cheek of the infant the brunette felt the urge to cry. The tears were of course from happiness, but she was glad to have managed to hold herself together. Never had she imagined she'd be standing here with so much family love, but now that it was occurring she couldn't have asked for anything more.
"Let me introduce you to the rest of the family," Jax suggested, heading off for the living room, Adrianne following close behind, Thomas snuggled safely in her warm arms.
Once in the other room, the brunette tried to register all the faces, feeling a bit overwhelmed as they all greeted her in such a friendly manner.
"Everyone this is my little sister, Adrianne," Jax announced proudly, "Andie, this is Opie and his kids, Kenny and Ellie, this is Juice and that's Chibs…..over there is Bobby and Ope's sister Clary…..that's Happy sitting next to them and finally this is my fiance Tara and Abel."
The young woman simply smiled, waving to them slightly.
"It's nice to meet you all," she nodded, "truly, I hope I'm a good fit to Charming." The few of the guys chuckled, Bobby whistling at her slightly.
"I'll say you are," Juice confirmed, giving the girl a small wink.
"Oh you say so, huh?" she giggled, enjoying the friendly and teasing nature of the group already.
"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Adrianne," Tara finally came forward, giving her fiance's step-sister a half hug before allowing the brunette to say hello to Abel.
"This is my other nephew," the brunette acknowledged, "you look just like your father."
The comment caused Abel to blush, the young boy clinging tightly to his mother.
"Wild like his father too," Tara joked, reaching for Thomas swiftly, forcing the brunette to let him go.
"I'll bet," she nodded, knowing for a fact that her step-brother was once a hellion and he was sure that never did change. Tara also seemed nice enough to her, even though it seemed that the other woman wasn't as excited by her presence as everyone else. However, Adrianne hoped they'd grow on each other seeing as she had no plans of leaving Charming in the near future.
"Clary, right?" Adrianne noted, gliding over to the other woman in the room, whom quickly stood up from her seat.
"That's right," she smiled, "happy to meet you. I'm sure your Dad told you you're staying with me, right?" The brunette nodded, sliding a few strands of long, dark hair behind her ear exposing her small stretched lobes.
"Right on," Clary nodded, giving the girl a quick hug before explaining all the details of her home. Of course as the brunette listened her brain began to spin slightly, taking in all the information from the day as well as trying to remember everyone's names. When Gemma entered the room and called everyone to the dinner table, she finally snapped out of it and joined the rest of the group.
"You can sit here if you'd like," Opie offered to Adrianne as the table began to fill up.
"Thank you," she smiled, settling down beside him, taking in his features unknowingly. She didn't mean to stare, she was simply trying to commit his face to memory much like she was doing with everyone else around her. Dark eyes glanced from one end of the table to the other, her smile widening as she realized just how homey this all really was.
"I'd like to make a toast," Clay announced, standing up from his spot at the head of the table and raising his beer into the air. "To my lovely daughter, Adrianne," he began, "it's been a long time comin' for you to be at this table sweetheart, and I'm to blame for why it's taken us all so long to welcome you into Charming and into our lives. I hope that you find everything you're lookin' for in life and I hope that you'll stay even after you graduate from college. I'm proud of the woman you're becoming and I'm blessed to have you as my daughter. As for the rest of you heathens, stay away from my babygirl, but be kind to her…..or I'll break your legs."
The table chuckled at Clay's last comment before everyone began to clap and cheer. "Let's eat!" the man concluded, earning another cheer from the group before everyone tipped their drinks back for a sip and placed them down onto the table before beginning to dig into the impressive spread of food.
This was indeed a wonderful beginning to the life that would be created for the newest addition to Charming town.