Lunch flew by quicker than they expected, but they definitely enjoyed their alone time in a nice restaurant. It had been way too long since they had the opportunity to do that. After lunch they stopped and got a new car seat for Thomas. They got back to the furniture store to find Crys on the floor coloring with Abel and Thomas. Jax also noticed when he came in that the bed had been broken down and was not too far from the door waiting to be loaded in his truck. They could hear quiet voices but could not make out what they were actually saying and they could hear the boys adorable giggles in between them talking. Thomas noticed them first and happily yelled "Mama." When Abel looked up he smiled and yelled "Daddy."
Tara laughed at their enthusiasm and said "Hey my babies, did you guys have fun while we were gone?"
Thomas nodded his head yes and then continued to color, while Abel said "We had a lot of fun. When we woke up MiMi made us sandwiches and gave us grapes and juice. Then we helped Stevie take the bed apart so it can go home with us for Tommy's room. Now we are coloring and telling funny stories. And MiMi said that we can come back one day when Mommy needs a nap and she will show us pictures of Daddy when he was little like us."
Jax smiled at how excited Abel sounded. "Wow, sounds like you are having a blast with MiMi. Daddy used to have lots of fun with MiMI when I was a little boy too. She is definitely a lot of fun to be around." he said then turned to smile at Crys.
"I'm sorry Jackson, I should have asked first, but they wanted to know my name so they could stop calling me lady and I figured Grandma would just confuse them, so I told them to call me MiMI. I hope you don't mind." Crys said looking a little worried about his reaction.
Jax was already shaking his head but before he could speak Tara spoke up and said "Oh no, Crys, that is actually perfect. And I am sure I will take you up on that nap at some point. I mean, yes I have done this once before, but during that 14 months I actually had Gemma around and we got along pretty well during that time. I also had Ope who was amazing to me and the boys the whole time. Oh and Piney, he was so good to the boys and me, well when he was sober and not at the cabin, anyway. But this time I won't have any of them. I know I will have the Club but, it will be great to know there's someone else out there if I need them. Someone who the boys have obviously taken a liking to very quickly, which doesn't happen often."
"Thank you Tara. That means so very much to me. Your boys are amazing. I can tell they have great parents, teaching them how to be the best versions of themselves. It will be an honor to be there for you guys. I am willing to watch them whenever you need me to." Crys told Tara. They all smiled at each other, and then Crys continued. "So, MiMi has taken up too much of your family time already. I'll get Stevie to help load the bed up so you guys can be on your way. Get that bed put up in son's room and make the most of this milestone in his life. And Jax if possible, you come back and see me, if not I better be added to your list." With that she wrapped her arms around Jax, stretched up on her tippy toes and kissed his cheek. Once she backed out of his embrace, she wiped the tears off her own cheeks and quickly said "let me get Stevie" before disappearing before Jax could even respond.
Tara cuddled up to Jax's side and slipped her arm around his waist. She gently squeezed him while she said "I really like her. I am so glad she was there for you as a kid and even more so that the boys will now get a Grandmother figure that is going to love them unconditionally, as it should be. She's pretty awesome."
Jax smiled down at Tara and then placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're right she is awesome. I just wish I had kept her more involved in my life as I got older. But you know better than anyone that I have a habit of pushing away those I love to keep them safe. Crys was one of the good ones in my life, like you. I would have never forgiven myself if something happened to her. But now that the immediate dangers are not an issue, I hope my boys will appreciate her as much as I did."
It only took a few minutes for Jax and Stevie to load the bed in the truck. Crys tried to refuse Jax's money for the bed but he would not allow her to and finally just left the money on the counter by the register and walked away. Crys hugged both boys goodbye and kissed each one on the top of the head, promising both of them that she would see them soon. She then embraced Tara in a tight hug and promised her she would see her soon too. Then it was time to tell Jackson goodbye. Tara got in the truck after buckling the boys into their car seats, hoping to give Jax and Crys some privacy. As hard as she tried Crys couldn't keep the tears at bay and they ran slowly down her cheeks. Jax wiped her tears with his thumbs and then pulled her into a fierce hug. "Thank you Crys, for everything you have ever done for me and everything I know you will do for my wife and boys. You are an amazing woman and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I love you Crys. It may have been years since I told you, but I never stopped. I see a lot of the same traits that drew me and Ope to you in Tara and I know with you in their lives, everything will be okay. I won't be back before I go in. Not enough time. But I will have Tara let you know when you're approved for visitation." He slowly pulled away pausing to kiss her cheek.
She smiled sadly up at him and said "I love you the same as I have since the day you were born. Distance and time will not change that. You take care of yourself. Stay whole and I will see you as soon as I am able to."
Jax gave her one more, quick hug then walked to the driver side of the truck and got in. They all waved goodbye to Crys as they pulled out and Jax noticed in the rearview mirror that she stayed outside watching them drive away, at least until he could no longer see her store. There was a little bit more weight lifted off Jax's shoulders that day. He was so grateful to Opie. He couldn't believe that he never thought to bring Tara to meet Crys. But once again Opie had his back, without even realizing it; he made Jax's life a little easier. They sang nursery rhymes together on the way home, which kept the boys giggling in the backseat the whole time. When Jax stopped for gas he called Chibs to have the prospect come set the bed up at the house.
To Jax's surprise he pulled up to his house to find a driveway full of bikes. Tara frowned and turned to Jax, "Club business?" she asked.
He could hear the disappointment in her tone. "No," he replied "I just spoke with Chibs and he didn't mention anything. I thought he was sending the prospect to help with the bed. Looks like the whole Club wants to see Tommy get his big boy bed."
Tara smiled at that. "I guess that is what family does, right?" then turned to the boys in the backseat. "Look boys all your Uncles are here to see you. " They both got out of the truck and got the boys out of their car seats. As soon as the boys were put down on their feet they ran to where the guys were all sitting on their bikes.
"So, was everyone here demoted to prospect? Cause, that will definitely make for a lot of fun while Jax is away. Oh, can I stand in as acting President? That would be so much fun. To be able to get everyone of you to do whatever shitty thing I tell you to. Can we start right now?" Tara joked with a big smile on her face.
"Oh come on Doc, you don't have to be acting President to get your way. You are the Queen of Charming. Anything you want we will make happen. You know that." Chibs said while pulling Tara into his side and giving the top of her head a kiss.
"Thanks Chibs, I love all you guys too." Tara told Chibs before giving his waist a quick squeeze. Then moving over to where Juice was holding Thomas on his bike she picked him up and then turned to Abel, "Come on baby, let's go inside." Abel huffed and puffed but he listened and followed behind Tara.
Bobby laughed at the little boy's antics and turned to Chibs, "Hey brother doesn't that remind you of someone else about 30 years ago, when his Mom or Dad would make him leave the men and bikes to go inside?"
Chibs laughed a full belly laugh and replied "Exact replica of the scenes he used to make."
"Well, at least we know he will grow up to be an extremely handsome man and not some ugly motherfuker like the rest of you guys." Jax laughed as he patted Chibs on the back. Then he turned to the prospect and said "Hey, prospect, go on inside and have Tara show you were the toolbox is so you can take down the crib." The new prospect they had just recruited seemed like he was going to be a good fit with his brothers. Happy sponsored him and everyone already thought that he seemed to show a lot of promise. After he watched the prospect go inside the house he turned back to the guys and asked "So, is this a social call or was Tara's assumption correct and there is Club business that no one wanted to bring up on the phone?"
"Nah, Jackie Boy," Chibs was the first to respond. "This is a completely social visit. We all wanted to see the wee one's face light up when he got to see his new bed in his room."
"Alright then, let's get inside and see if my Old Lady feels like putting on a spur of the moment family dinner. She might kill me for asking, but I would love to have a night with my family in whole." Jax said as everyone started heading for the front door. Chibs held back for a moment watching as the others walked out of the hearing distance and Jax gave him a perplexed look and asked "What's up brother?"
"Nothing like that, brother. Stop worrying. I brought Bobby up to speed on Juice. He feels we should talk to Nero, get some more information before we decide what to do. He has been so messed up in the head. That night he supposedly said something to Nero, he OD'd, almost died all because of the shit going on in his head. We put a call into Nero, but he wants you to be present. Said you two need to clear the air before you go in. He sounded pretty broken up himself." Chibs responded to Jax's question.
"Alright brother, set it up. But make it at 11am at Scoops. I need to make sure to spend as much time as possible with Tara and our boys. 11am is nap time. If all goes well, the boys won't even know I was gone." Jax stated. Chibs only nodded his head in agreement, a sign to Jax that he understood and would make it happen. With that settled for now, the two made their way into the house to join the others.
"Hey Babe," Jax says as he approaches Tara with a huge smile on his face. Tara gave him back a 'what do you want now' look and he laughed, before continuing "how about a family dinner? Would that be too much to pull off on this short of notice?"
Tara just shook her head at him and chuckled. "I could probably make that happen but, I will need to make a run to the grocery store for a few things. How about Bake Ziti, Salad and Garlic Bread? I could definitely make that happen on short notice."
"Sounds perfect," Jax agreed "but make a list of what you need, including more beer and I will send Juice to pick it all up. I want you here with me and the boys when we get the bed together."
Tara reached up on her tip toes and gave her husband a quick kiss before retreating to the kitchen to make her list. Jax entered the living room and laughed and that sight before him. Both his boys were currently using Juice as a jungle gym and by the look on his face it was pretty painful. Jax looked around the room and notice that only the prospect was missing. "Who is supposed to be supervising the prospect so he doesn't fuck something up? Oh and Juice, go see Tara in the kitchen she is going to give you a list of what she needs from the store to make dinner for everyone."
There was a small chorus of 'Yays' and 'Thank Gods' at the mention of Tara making dinner. Juice got up and went into the kitchen to find Tara and Bobby spoke up. "Prospect already has the crib taken apart and is currently putting all the pieces in the garage. Can he carry the bed pieces by himself while we watch or does he need help?"
Jax shook his head and said "Man I love how messed up you guys are. You do realize we could all carry a piece and it would be in the room in one trip. But, hey what are prospects for if not to laugh at while they prove themselves. Have we figured out a road name yet?"
Happy picked then to speak up. "Nah man, we haven't. We were hoping that you would do it. You always pick the good ones. Like Half Sack, Ratboy, Filthy Phil. We wanted him to have one of your originals."
"Okay, let's see what I can come up." Jax agreed. At the same time the prospect was coming back in from the garage. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear. Prospect, the bed for Thomas' room is in the back of my truck. Bring it in, but before you put it together see if my wife wants you to rearrange the furniture." Jax said with a smirk.
"Sure thing, Jax," the prospect responded and then continued "by the way I put the crib in the garage, if you want me to I can come by with the van tomorrow to get it out of here and pit it in the storage unit for you."
"Thanks," Jax said, honestly surprised that he was taking that initiative, "but when you're done you can put it in the bed of my truck, I am going to be over that way tomorrow, I can drop it off." With that the prospect nodded his head and walked away.
Jax then turned to Happy and asked "What's this kid's name again?"
Happy laughed and answered "Andrew Kofield, but he goes by Drew. Take that and do your best with it." As Happy finished talking Tara and Juice came back in the room from the kitchen. Tara walked straight over to Jax and wrapped her arms around his waist. He put one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a quick kiss.
"Got the list all squared away?" he asked her.
"Yep, all set. Just wanted to make sure no one else needed anything before he heads out." Tara said the last part to the whole room. After all the guys shook their heads indicating they did not need anything Juice left.
Jax then turned to Tara and said "the prospect is bringing the bed into Thomas' room. I told him to check with you before he started to put it together. I didn't know if you planned on rearranging things. Also, if you are ready to move the daybed out now, he can take it apart and put it in the back of my truck with the crib. Just tell him what you want."
"Well, I don't think I want to rearrange until I remove the daybed and for now I think we should keep the day bed. What if their MiMi wants to spend the night?" Tara asked.
Before Jax could respond, Chibs spoke up and asked "Or Uncle Chibs?"
Then Bobby chimed in "Or Uncle Bobby?"
Happy refusing to be left out asked "Or more importantly, Uncle Happy?"
Then Tig spoke up, causing everyone to laugh when he chimed in with "Uncle Tig too, but the rest of these motherfuckers can sleep on the couch."
After the laughter died down, Bobby spoke up again asking "But seriously, who is MiMi?"
"We bought the bed from Crys today. She watched the boys so we could have a quiet lunch, just the two of us. They fell in love with her. Just like me and Opie had as kids. I want the boys to have a good Grandmother figure in their lives. And she is perfect for that. She thought being Grandma would be too confusing since Abel is old enough to remember Gemma is my mother. So she told them to call her MiMi." Just as Jax finished talking his phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the screen. He then looked at Tara as he let go of her and simply said "Rosen" before sadly smiling, kissing her forehead and heading to the kitchen, while answering the phone.
Tara smiled softly at her boys who were quietly playing together on the play mat by the fireplace. She then turned to Chibs and said "I'm going to go let the prospect know what we want, will you keep an eye on the monsters for me?"
"Of course I will." Chibs replied.
Tara just nodded in response and headed down the hall. She let the prospect know how she wanted the bed and to leave everything else the same for now. She then made her way into her own bedroom and sat down on the side of the bed wishing that she would just wake up and find out that this was all a dream. That she never brought Otto that crucifix and that Jax was not about to do a 7+ years sentence to keep her out of prison. She just wanted a way to keep her family whole. But she knew that the reality was that their time as a family of 4 was limited for the foreseeable future. Jax entered the room and made his way over to her. She looked up at him with a sad smile. "So what's the plan? How long did Rosen give you before he has you turn yourself into Tyne and the ATF guy?"
"Well," Jax started "I have until Friday. Friday at 2pm we will meet either here or at Rosen's office. I need to let him know by Wednesday. So we have almost a whole week together still, since today is Saturday. But Rosen also told me that Gemma's arraignment was yesterday. Tyne mentioned that she needed to call me with an update and he said that he would update me, since he had to call anyway. The judge agreed with Tyne's request for remand without bail. She will stay locked up until she goes to court. She also entered a plea of not guilty. She is trying to pass it off as just a family disagreement that got a little physical. Claims there was never any threat to your life and unfortunately she is bringing up the "assault" at the hospital and subsequent "miscarriage". However Rosen said that Tyne does not believe any of that will be an issue in this case. Rosen also agrees that it should not play any part in how people see the events of that day. Says there is no way Gemma can prove that it was all a lie and since you were an employee at the hospital at the time, the test being done on the hush wouldn't be abnormal. Also said that with her background and everything on record with her life choices, that they would be stupid to try to attack your character. She doesn't have a bit of positive to her own character. Evidently in both their experience most juries don't react well to a defense attorney trying to tear apart the victim's character when they aren't even the one that is on trial. Rosen is going to work closely with Tyne on this. With your testimony and Eli's it should a slam dunk. Add in mine, her own son and it is practically an open and shut case. They both feel that we have nothing to worry about. So, now that, that particular weight has been lifted from my shoulders, we can focus on this next week. Rose will have the official deal from Tyne on Monday to review and make any changes, so by Wednesday when we let him know where to want to do this, the deal should be all ready to go. Then Friday I will turn myself in. I was thinking we should wait until the last minute to tell the boys. I don't want my last week with them to have that sadness hanging over their heads. I just want my last week to be filled with happy family time. Good memories for all of us."
Tara who had stayed quiet the whole time that Jax was talking, wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled the best she could down at him. "We will take it one day at a time and together, as a family, we will pull through. Whether it is this whole mess with Gemma or you being in Stockton or anything else life wants to throw at us. Together we will figure it all out. We both just have to trust and have faith in the other. No more running. Now, I think we need to go make more of these happy memories you referred to. Oh, and you just let me know when you're ready to talk to the boys. Whenever you're ready, we do it together." With that Tara stood up, reaching out and pulling Jax up with her, then tugging on his hands to pull him towards the door. "Now, let's go make some happy family memories and then tonight we will make some more naughty memories, just the two of us. All night long."
Jax smirked as he tugged Tara's hand to pull her flush to him. "Definitely" was all he said before he leaned in and gave her a bruising kiss, filled with all the promises of what would come later on. They didn't pull apart until the need for air was unbearable. Once they did pull apart they spent another moment standing in each other's arms with their foreheads pressed together. When they finally pulled apart they both smiled at each other and then made their way back to the living room where all the guys were. They boys were actually outside with Uncle Happy, playing on their swing set. Juice had just gotten back with the groceries and beer. Tara left the guys in the living room so Jax could update them on what he now knew and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner for her family.
