Shea nodded and leaned forward. "If we're gonna talk about this, I need a cigarette."
Jax reached into his pocket and pulled one out for her, lighting it as well. As he did, it sparked a memory of that night ten years ago, when Shea had graduated from high school. It had all started when he had lit her cigarette at her graduation party.
"I followed Joey to New York."
She exhaled and shook her head. "Not the city, upstate. It was nice, quiet. At least at first. We got married."
She shifted positions.
"Then we got divorced because he got violent."
A muscle ticked in Jax's jaw, thinking of anyone putting their hands on her. Opie would have flipped shit if he had known about any of that. He would have been on the first plane to New York to bring his sister home.
"Even after the divorce, Joey and I kept seeing each other. He was part of an MC up there, the Executioners. I think once he got patched in, things might be different. I thought he would be happier and things would be better. I was so stupid. So god damned stupid. But that didn't stop me from marrying him again."
Jax said nothing.
"It was ridiculous. A month after we got remarried, the police are busting down my door. Got arrested for possession. Did six months."
Another muscle ticked. She did time for this asshole too? For Christ's sake.
"Divorced him while I was still inside. Told him that I would tell the authorities everything if he didn't give me half of the money from the deal that I got busted for. He agreed. That's how I could afford to come here and rent this house and start taking care of my niece and nephew. I'm looking for a job. They're all I have left."
She had said that to him earlier as well. That must have meant that her mother…
"Dead.", She said, as if reading his mind. "Heart attack a year ago. Pop and Ope knew, guess they just didn't wanna share."
She finished her cigarette and put it in the ashtray that was on the coffee table.
"Well, you're all caught up."
He was rendered speechless yet again. No one had ever had this affect on him before. He wasn't sure if it was because of all the shit that had gone down in his life, leaving him in an emotional state that he wasn't used to. Or if it was seeing her again and the memories she had stirred up in him. Memories that had been long-since buried.
"What are you thinking?"
There had been a time in their lives when Shea would have been able to tell what he was thinking just by looking in his eyes. She had spent so much time looking into them that it would have been easy. He was her older brother's best friend for as long as she could remember. But sometime around the time she had turned fifteen, she had started seeing Jax differently.
He was eighteen, a man of the world, working his way into the Sons of Anarchy. Stubborn, generous and absolutely gorgeous. But he hadn't known she was alive. At least, not until the night she had graduated from high school.
They had a big party for her at the clubhouse. She had worn a brand new dress she had bought for just that occasion. Jax noticed. It had shocked her because she was sure that he was still pining away for Tara, and he was. But she was beyond the point of caring.
They had been outside to get some air. She asked Jax for a cigarette, he had given her one, lit it and then she had told him she was following Joey to New York. But only after she had one night with Jax Teller. And what a night it had been.
"Your silence is deafening."
He had no doubt that was true. He just didn't know what to say.
"I'm really sorry about Tara. Can't say I'm surprised… but I'm sorry."
He took a long drag off of his second cigarette and exhaled. She wasn't surprised, huh? Well, he sure as hell had been. Then again, Gemma had predicted this years ago. Many years ago.
"Do you wanna come over for dinner tomorrow night, Jax? I think the kids would really like it. Bring Abel. Bring your Mom. Anyone you want to."
Jax stood up, knowing the kids would be home from school any minute. And he wanted to get home to Abel as well.
"Actually, tomorrow night we're having a family dinner at my Mom's house. Bring the kids."
Author's Note: Thank you everyone sooooo much for reviewing and following and favorit-ing. :-) I can't tell you how much you guys inspire me and keep me going. I took a long break from writing and you guys make it so enjoyable and so easy for me to jump right back in. I hope you continue to like this story and like the characters and the plot lines. There is much more to come, I can promise you that. I can't seem to STOP writing this. :-) So again, thank you. You guys mean the world to me. 3