A/N (( Oh. My. God. I'm so sorry it took forever for me to get this chapter out! I went through this writer's block stage and then some problems with my family happened. I hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Also, I'm sorry for how short this chapter is going to be, but it was the best I could do for right now. I really wanted to get something out to you guys as soon as possible.
I do not own Jax or any members of Samcro, but I do own Gia, her family, Owen and Valerie.))
Sunlight poured in from the window, turning Jax's eyelids an annoying shade of red. "Shit." he cursed as he mentally kicked himself in the head for not shutting the curtains the night before. As he came to, he remembered what happened last night. Dinner with Valerie to make Gia jealous. Going to Gia's house to see what her problem was. Leaving her house in a hurry to deal with club shit. It was what happened between the last two memories that brought a smile to his face. Gia had finally allowed him to make a move on her.
Thrusting a fist in the air like some teenage boy, he rolled out of bed. It was early, almost ten thirty in the morning. After shrugging on the first clean looking clothes he could find, he made his way out of the room to search for someone awake. Making his way into the main room of the club house, he noticed Clay and Piney sitting at the bar chatting.
"Good morning Old Man." Jax said as he stepped farther into the room, a huge grin planted on his face.
"Must be talkin' to you, Clay." Piney said as he threw back the shot of Tequila.
"You too, Old Man." Jax snickered, sipping on the coffee the Prospect set in front of him. His lips turned up into a smirk as the two older men glared in his direction. Lately he had been a rarity to see the two men in such a playful manner. They'd both been way too serious. Jax understood, knowing that the deal the club had made with the Cartel was weighting heavily on their minds.
Clay set the newspaper down and stared at his stepson. At the usual hour, Jax would act like a grumpy asshole. Instead, he was walking around happy as ever. Honestly, he was happy for him. It was something he need, they all needed. A breath of fresh air of some sort. "You feeling alright, Ya' little shit?" he said as he chuckled. "A little chipper this morning, ain't ya'?"
Jax shook his head and set his coffee down. "Just seems like it's gonna be a good day. Is that so wrong?" he asked. He understood where the men were coming from. He was acting weird this morning, not his usual self, but he really didn't give two fucks. He was happy. He got his girl last night. It may have taken him a few weeks, but here he was where he could proudly say he got her. And that was all that mattered, right?
"Yes." Clay and Piney said in unison.
"Well," Jax paused as he thought about how to word his next sentence. "If it's wrong, I don't wanna be right." he said, chuckling. As he finished his coffee, he clapped the two men who were like fathers to him on the back and stood. "I have so non-club business to tend to if ya' don't mind. I'll see you old men later."
Clay shook his head and pointed to the barstool. "No, you're gonna sit your happy ass down right there, Son. Now, you gonna tell us what's goin' on with ya' or are we gonna have to beat it out of ya'? I'll get Happy here real quick, Jax. Better yet, how 'bout your Momma?"
"A'ight, a'ight." Jax gave in, his hands held up in surrender. "You remember that girl I was with at the party? Gia? Well, let's just say that we came to an.. understanding last night." His face turned up in a wolfish grin, knowing exactly what thought he planted into the two men. He knew that what they thought happened really didn't, but he'd let them think that.
"Ya' got a piece of Sweet Pea?" Piney asked, a look of disbelief on his face. "Knew there was something goin' on." Piney remembered the night at the party when she first came around. There were the rumors that there was something better they little girl and the club's new president. He knew better than to believe her when she dismissed it. But damn, he wished it were true. She was a nice girl, has a good head on her shoulders. What would being involved with the club do to her? Shaking his head he muttered, "Damn shame." It was only a matter or time before she became the next Gemma Teller Morrow.
"Little Greek girl with the bakery out on Main?" Clay asked. He broke out in a grin and whistled. "She got some thighs on her, Brother."
"She sure does." Jax agreed as he lit the cigarette hanging from his mouth.
"You better not hurt that girl." Piney warned, pointing a finger at him. "Boy I swear I'll beat you shitless. She's a good girl, doesn't need a shithead like you going and messing up everything that she's built. I'm tell you now, Jackson. If ya' ain't serious about pursing a relationship with this girl, break it off. You break it off right now before she gets hurt. You hear me?"
"It's not what you think." Jax said as he fiddled with the large rings on his fingers. He turned them over and over as he tried to gather what exactly he wanted to say. "I know the type of girl she is, hardworking and focused. Who am I to come and mess that up for her? Been thinking for a while about settling down, why not with her?" he asked as he nodded to himself more than Piney. With that, he was out the door and heading for his bike at the head of the line. He needed to see her.
"Here's your cake, Ma'am." Gia said as she handed the white box to a woman over the counter. "Thank you for your service."
Huffing, she walked to the back room where Valerie was busy making cupcakes. Leaning against the doorframe, she stared at her friends backside. It was obvious that Gia had always been shaped better than her best friend. Valerie always had told her she had a killer body, the only thing was that she didn't know how to show it off. Was that mainly why so many men had choosen Val over her? "Val," she paused. "Can I ask you somethin'?"
Valerie nodded as she placed the first batch of cupcakes into the oven. "S'up?"
Gia took a deep breath and thew herself into one of the chairs. She felt a tinge of disappointment in herself as she thought about what she was about to ask. "Do you think Jax and I are right for each other? I mean, he's the President of a motorcycle club and I'm this... baker. Here he is with a list of reasons why he's gone to prison, and I'm never even had a run in with the police. Two complete opposites, right?"
Val took her mittens off and placed them on the counter. Pointing a finger in her best friend's face, she narrowed her eyes. "Now you listen here, Missy. You get those thoughts out of your head. Now that you guys have finally made so some sort of progress, you're not going to screw it up by planting negative thoughts in your own head."
"I can't help it, Val!" she exclaimed. "Think about it, though. I know you've had some doubts in your head. I just wish that I was more like..." she paused and sighed. "I wish I was more like you." she whispered.
"And why the hell is that?" Val questioned.
"W-Well," Gia stuttered. "Look at you! You're exactly the type of girl that every guy wants to be with. You've got the blonde hair and the nice body. That's obviously why you've been pulling guys for as long as I could remember." She shifted from foot to foot, a nervous habit she had picked up some time ago. "I just wish I was as confident as you."
"Yeah well, you and I both, Babe." Val spat. She watched as Gia tilted her head in curiosity. Sighing, she tried to figure out how she was going to tell her best friend that not everything was as it seemed. Yeah, guys lusted after her, and yeah she welcomed it. But the truth was, she wished she didn't. She wished she was just like her best friend. She wanted to be like Gia simply because she wasn't a... slut. If Valerie could take back all those times she went to bed with all those men, she would. This wasn't a glamorous life she was living.
"Let me tell you something, Sweetie." She said, taking Gia by the hand and leading her to sit on the stools. "The truth is... I want to be just like you. Do you know how it feels when a whole bunch of guys try to get with you because they know you're easy? It fucking sucks. I feel like I'm constantly being used up then tossed to the side. Shit, I wish I was still a virgin. This, 'way of life' if you will, is not the best thing. Just be thankful that you have a guy that hasn't pressured you for anything. Be happy that he's even with you. Trust me, If he was anything like the guys I've been with, he would have been long gone by now. Does that tell you anything?"
"I guess." Gia shrugged. "By why do you let these guys take advantage of you? I mean, If you don't like it, why do you constantly let it keep happening? I don't understand."
"To be in the arms of a man, any man is..." Valerie started, but stopped, trying to figure out how to put this. "Honestly, I think it's because of the lack of a father figure growing up. I didn't have that love of a man that most girls get, you know? Didn't have a man to teach me all about those boys. I think that I go from bed to bed is because I'm trying to fill that void of not having a man to love me. Understand?"
Gia nodded. She could tell her friend was telling the truth. She was grateful that she had the father that she did. Would she have ended up just like Valerie if he wasn't there? "You know you don't have to let that keep going on, Val. You could always look for a serious guy, there's a lot of them out there. If you come across an asshole, don't sleep with him, just continue your search."
Valerie stared at her best friend, soaking in what she had to say. Nodding, she turned back to the oven. "I'll try that, thanks." she muttered.
Gia noticed that her friend wanted to be alone, and did just that. Looking up at the sound of the bells above the door, she froze.
"Owen.." she breathed.
