LOVE SONG
Chapter Ten
"Ok, let me get this straight," Gemma sniffed with a hand perched stiffly against her hip. "The only solution to this Mayan problem is for you to pretend to be Jax's old lady..."
"Yeah, I guess," Kate shrugged and tried her hardest not to make eye contact with her.
"And this was your genius idea?" Gemma cocked an icy eye brow at her.
"Yeah."
"And Jax sent you in here because you have no idea what the hell you just got yourself into."
"Pretty much." She shrugged again.
Gemma sighed and rubbed her forehead with freshly manicured fingers. She stepped over to the window of the office and snapped the blinds down to get a look at her son, who was still standing next to Kate's Rav-4 with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"That smug little shit," Gemma muttered under her breath.
She tilted her head back to Kate and motioned for her to join her at the window. Kate hesitated for a moment, not sure if this was good or bad or if Gemma was going to stab her with her pointy fingernails. But at some point, she knew she had to start playing along. She knew she had to do whatever Gemma told her to do, within reason of course, because if she didn't…it wouldn't be just her store that she would lose. Right about now, she was beginning to wish she hadn't gotten out of bed that morning.
"You see that smile?" Gemma started, pointing a finger at Jax, who had that lop-sided grin on his face that she hated so much.
"Yeah," she replied begrudgingly.
"That smile," Gemma said with a proud grin, "makes those crow-eaters fling their dirty panties at him before he even gets across the room."
"Ok." She had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. That seemed like a bad move around the guy's mother.
"And it's that smile brings that me to the most important thing you need to know about being an old lady, fake or not: never, ever let another woman get within ten feet of your man. Crow eaters are your worst enemy—they'll throw everything they can at him to get him to bite and they will too, especially since it's his birthday."
"Ok, great…so how exactly do I do that considered I'm not exactly going to be jealous?"
Gemma just shrugged. "Fake it. Don't leave his side. Keep your hips glued to his and an arm around him at all times. Any crow-eater skank gets too close you gotta bring out those claws. They'll get the hint pretty quickly that they're treading on private property but they're gonna test you first. If you can convince the crow-eaters, you can convince anybody that this little charade is for real."
And now came the inevitable panic. How was she supposed to do that when she could barely handle being within two feet of him?
She began to furiously shake her head. "I don't know if I can do this, Gemma…it's too…"
Gemma hitched an eyebrow and licked her lips. "Too what, sweetheart? You need to think long and hard about your predicament right about now because the next 24 hours are critical in whether or not you live or die. The only way you stay alive is if you and Jax play happy family and the only way you actually convince anyone that's true is if those skanky whores believe you're serious about Jax."
Now her head was beginning to pound. Each moment that passed made the dull ache in her forehead grow sharper and sharper.
"I know…I know…I understand what needs to happen and I understand why it needs to happen…I just wish I'd thought this through a little more." She sighed.
Gemma shrugged and didn't bother to respond; she just continued to stare her down. This was not going well.
"So what…I have to completely alter my personality and dress like a whore and hump Jax in public…I don't…"
"That's not what I said, sweetie," Gemma clipped.
She turned to face her with a hard expression and Kate almost stepped back as a knee-jerk reaction. That wasn't a look she'd seen in a while and she was beginning to have flashbacks of their scary after dinner conversation only two weeks before. Part of her wanted to turn around and sprint to her car as fast as she could, maybe running Jax over while she was at it…and the other part of her wanted to find a pillow and scream into it. Unfortunately, neither of those would change nor help her current situation.
Gemma was holding her by the elbow now and pushed her into a chair. She sat down directly across from Kate and folded her arms across her chest with a calculated deliberateness.
"Now," she began icily. "I never thought I would ever say this to you…mainly because I never saw this as the right kind of life for you…but you have the stones to make one hell of an old lady. You're independent enough to let your man know you don't need him; you're smart enough to keep yourself alive; you're confident enough to keep him in his place and you're hot enough to keep him comin' home every night. You've got everything the best kind of old lady needs."
"What kind is that?" She asked, almost not wanting to know the answer…she could barely believe her ears.
"The kind that keep their men and stay alive."
There was a short silence and Gemma seemed to take a step back from her to survey her demeanor. She wasn't quite leering at her with the icy passive aggressiveness she had been before.
"Now," Gemma began again. "As far as the other shit goes, the only thing you need to change about yourself is your attitude. As long as you keep reminding yourself that it's not real, that it's just to keep your skinny ass alive, you'll be just fine, sweetheart."
She exactly what Gemma meant by that…even if she wasn't going to come straight out and say it. She didn't need to be reminded that it wasn't real nor did she need to be spoken to in such a condescending tone. But she wouldn't have expected anything less from the woman that seemed to change moods as often as crow-eaters changed their underwear.
"Well," she pushed through clenched teeth, trying her best to muster up some gratitude. "I appreciate your advice, Gemma; I really do."
"Just tryin' to do my part." Gemma smiled, a little too easily. "Any questions, just let me know."
"Thanks…so…what should I do now?"
As if on cue, the office door swung open and petite, pretty blonde dressed in a tight white tank top and tiny jean shorts sauntered in as she pushed her sunglasses above her forehead.
"Hey there, Lyla." Gemma greeted in a much friendlier tone than she had ever used with Kate.
"Hi Gemma," the blonde answered warmly and then looked over at her before extending a hand for her to shake. "You must be Kate. I'm Lyla…it's great to finally meet you."
Kate cautiously shook her hand and then the name clicked. "Hi…"
"Opie called and told me you might need a little help for tonight so here I am."
"That's awfully nice of you, Lyla," Gemma cut in gently.
"I figured we should probably take a drive over to Jax's so you can drop off your stuff and get changed…get settled a little. I have no idea where all the guys went but most of their bikes are gone so they won't care if we have some girl time for a couple of hours."
It took Kate a moment to register everything she'd said because she was beginning to remember just where she'd seen this tiny woman before. Even though her mother's funeral had been more than several years ago, there were bits and pieces of that day that were difficult to forget: the sight of the ivory coffin with its satin pillows, the pink turtleneck that just barely hid the finger marks on her mother's neck, Gemma crying softly next to her, the sound of motorcycles humming a safe distance away, and a small band of her mother's 'girls' that kept to themselves and stayed in the back. Lyla had definitely been one of those 'girls'.
"Kate?" Gemma's voice was calling out to her with a slight hint of uncharacteristic concern.
She looked up to see both Gemma and Lyla watching her with careful expressions, as if they had read the emotions on her face and were now trying to decide what to do.
"Hmm? Oh…yeah, Lyla…I'd like that. I'll take any help I can get at this point." She replied quietly, trying to mask what she was feeling. This woman needed to be her ally if she was going to survive this and if she was willing to help, Kate would gladly take the help, regardless of Lyla's connection to her mother.
"Ok…" Lyla replied cautiously, as if she half-expected Kate to change her mind.
"Well," Gemma chimed in with a clap of her hands. "It sounds like you girls are gonna have some fun. Why don't you head over to Jax's…I think Neeta's still there with Abel. I'll stop by later to see how you girls are doin'."
Before she knew it, they were in her Rav-4 and she was following Lyla's directions to Jax's house. Jake had his head resting on the center console and was staring love-struck up at Lyla to con her into petting him. Kate glanced anxiously around, feeling her stomach tie itself in knots as they grew closer and closer to Jax's house. She hadn't expected to feel this way; after all, he had no problem claiming space in her tiny apartment, why should she feel awkward being in his house? Still, the knot was beginning to snowball.
"Here it is." Lyla said gently, pointing at the house.
She nodded and turned into the driveway of a modest-sized brick ranch and quickly appraised her surroundings. The grass seemed freshly cut, the landscaping was sparse but clean and well-kept, there were a few toy trucks left out near the sidewalk, and all in all, it seemed pretty normal. She'd half-expected everything to be a little more disheveled and a little more neglected, especially given his involvement in outlaw dealings and that it seemed like he was never actually 'home'.
A round woman greeted them at the door with a warm smile. "Hi Lyla-nice to see you again. And you must be Kate. Gemma called and said you were coming. I look after Abel; name's Neeta."
She reached out and grasped Kate's hand firmly in hers. "Come on in; Abel's takin' a nap right now but he should be up shortly. Feel free to do whatever you ladies need to do."
She gestured for them to come inside and Lyla happily obliged, touching Neeta's arm as she passed. Kate stepped carefully through the entryway with Jake tucked closely at her side. Jake immediately went about his inspections and after quickly picking on Jax's scent, went from room to room in search of him. As she took a quick survey around the house, she quickly found that the outside seemed to match the inside. Clean, homey, inviting even…if not for a few toys strewn haphazardly around the expansive living room. It was the type of environment one would expect for any typical family, except that the family that lived here was anything but typical.
"Come on," Lyla was saying to her. "The spare bedroom's over here. I was thinking we could decide on your outfit for tonight and then I could do your hair and makeup if you want…"
Lyla was staring up at her with wide, hopeful eyes and there was no way Kate could possibly say no, even if she wanted to. Her sincerity was clear and it seemed to go beyond just wanting to help her get ready for Jax's birthday party. It reminded her of the times she'd spent with her long-lost friends from college who were all scattered about living their own lives. She'd accepted these lost friendships as payment for her store and her independence, but then again, where exactly had that gotten her? She was quickly realizing how much she'd missed being surrounded by her friends, chatting about the trouble they were going to get in that night, the boys they were going to flirt with, and when the deep stuff happened, like her mother's demise, they had been there for that too. Life had been so simple then and she was missing that support system now more than ever. The silent plea in Lyla's eyes seemed to match what she was feeling.
"Ok," she answered finally. "I can't promise I brought anything that will work but it's worth a try."
Lyla swatted a hand in the air with a happy grin. "Nah…it'll be fine. It's not like you have to make yourself up to look like a crow-eater because that's certainly not what you are. Speaking of which, what did Gemma tell you to do exactly?"
"The only thing she really said was to keep my hands on Jax at all times to keep those 'skanky' crow-eaters away as Gemma put it," she replied easily as Lyla took her overnight bag from her hands and promptly set it on the bed to search through. "And that the only thing I needed to change about myself is my attitude. That was pretty much it."
Lyla snorted a little and turned back to her. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Is that really it though? I mean it seems like there should be more to it that…" Kate trailed off in thought.
Lyla just shrugged. "No, she's right. You still need to be yourself and look like yourself and maybe she's saying that you just need to go into this with a different mind-set."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I guess it's different for me because Ope isn't exactly the VP but you have to show up at all these events, I mean really show up. You can't hide behind Jax the whole time because then they'll think he's free game. You have to show everyone you can hold your own—and that you're not afraid to do it. I suppose you can't really do that if you've got a mental block about being an old lady."
Kate nodded slowly as she absorbed all this new information. At least Lyla was upfront about everything; Gemma had been way too vague and distanced for her to really get a handle on what was going to be expected from her for the next few months.
She sighed and ran a hand through her long, slightly tangled hair. "Maybe you're right; maybe I do have a mental block about this…it's just that…being an 'old lady' wasn't exactly on my list of things to do, you know what I mean? I guess I just never anticipated I'd ever be in this position."
"It can't hurt that you're Jax's fake old lady right, though?" Lyla cocked an eyebrow at her with a sly smile.
Kate rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter who; fake is fake, right?"
"Sure it is."
Lyla promptly turned back to the bed and then held up a simple black tank with a thin line of lace along the top. She vaguely remembered throwing it into her bag before they'd deserted her store and crunched up her nose.
"I don't know…I usually wear that under things…"
"Oh come on; this is perfect! You have to show a little bit of skin; besides, it wouldn't hurt to show everyone how hot you are." Lyla laughed as she tossed the tank top over to her.
"If you say so." She sighed dejectedly. The tank top by itself was cute and the tiny bit of lace was a little sexy, which was something she'd always liked about that particular top but she'd never worn it completely on its own before.
After she squeezed herself into the top, Lyla led her to the bathroom and sat her down on the toilet, taking Kate's makeup bag with her.
"Now, I'm not gonna do too much, I promise. I just want to enhance what you've already got—that's it. It won't take much."
Kate nodded and remained still as Lyla went to work on her makeup first while she waited for the curling iron to heat up. There was something about this that, again, felt very normal. It was like they were too old friends who were simply getting ready for a girls' night out. Only they had just met and their meeting was purely circumstantial above anything else. They weren't old friends and this wasn't going to be a girls' night out.
"You know, Kate," Lyla interrupted her thoughts quietly. "If you ever need anything, even if it's just to talk…even though I know we don't know each other very well and despite my…career…I really hope that we can be friends. I mean, I know you're going to feel a certain way about what I do for a living, it's just that…"
"Whoa…what makes you say that?"
Lyla paused mid-brush. "Well, I know how you felt about your mom and I just figured that…"
Kate sighed. "Things were complicated with her. It wasn't just her business; it was everything else too."
She couldn't go into the details of it, at least not yet; even though part of her really wanted to clear Lyla's conscience, she just couldn't bring herself to openly discuss her relationship with her mother. Not even her old therapist.
"Look," she continued, sensing Lyla's growing discomfort. "Please don't think anything about me and my mom has anything to do with you. And I can't tell you how much I appreciate all this," she gestured to her face. "It really means a lot. And I doubt Gemma would've done this for me."
Lyla laughed. "Yeah, I don't see Gemma doing anybody's makeup anytime soon."
"Has she always been this way? I mean, I don't really remember seeing this side of her when I was younger. She doesn't seem hostile towards you."
"Well, I'm also not the old lady of her only son."
Kate shrugged. "So, I'm not really his old lady, remember?"
"Well, right, but Mama Gemma is pretty protective of what's hers and you're stepping on sensitive territory."
"Great." Kate muttered under her breath.
Lyla swatted at the air again. "Forget about that. Just do what you need to do. Here…you're all done; have a look."
She stood up on shaky legs and took a few cautious steps towards the mirror, her eyes widening a little at her reflection. Her eyes were smudged with dark kohl liner, her lashes reminded her of a thick black fan—and were far longer than she'd even realized—a little touch of pink blush on her cheeks, a hint of pink gloss on her lips, and her hair fell in soft curls down her back; what surprised her the most was how much she actually still looked like herself…just a little enhanced.
"So what do you think? I do good work, right?" Lyla asked excitedly, brushing a curl in place behind her.
Kate glanced at her reflection one more time before answering: "Yeah, it's kind of a miracle, actually. I can't remember the last time I looked like this."
"Well, it's about time! You look freakin' amazing!" Lyla smile widely, then frowned as she reached inside her back pocket. "Hold on a sec, Kate; Opie's callin' me."
She nodded as Lyla stepped out of the bathroom. She took a tiny step back from edge of the counter and surveyed her appearance one more time. Her makeup honestly wasn't all that different from any given night she'd been out with her friends in college; in fact, it was probably a little more subtle, if not mature. She looked like she could be an old lady with her adult make-up and come-hither tank top.
She sighed as she turned around to lean against the counter top with her head in her hands. Now, more than ever, she was beginning to realize just how important it was that she remember this feeling, that she remember what it's like to feel like herself, to look like herself. She couldn't lose that. She couldn't lose who she was during all this shit. She couldn't allow herself to get too wrapped up in what this situation was. She couldn't allow herself to even consider the possibly that it could be anything other than for show. She couldn't allow herself to get comfortable here in Jax's normal, cozy house because that just wasn't who she was or what she wanted. She needed to look the part but she couldn't afford to actually feel it.
With another sigh, she pushed herself off the counter and that was when she heard a little cough followed by a quiet wail. She poked her head out into the hallway to see if Neeta had responded. She waited a beat and then shrugged, sauntering stealthily out of the bathroom and heading towards the noises that seemed to grow a little bit louder with each step.
She gingerly cracked open the door and found Abel sitting in the middle of the room. She froze in place as his bright blue eyes, an obvious gift from his father, stared up at her for a few moments as he contemplated the intruder in his personal space. His brow crinkled slightly as he looked her up and down and then, finally, miraculously, he broke into a wide, gap-toothed grin.
"Hi," she started gently as she took a tiny step into the room, checking one more time to see if Neeta or Lyla were coming down the hallway.
"Hi," Abel replied, hugging a stuffed puppy to his chest, his head cocked to the side as he watched her with large eyes.
"My name is Kate." She breathed slowly and took a few steps closer before kneeling down to sit next to him.
"Hi, Tate." He smiled shyly.
"Did you have a good nap?"
He nodded with a wide grin and pushed his puppy towards her for her to see.
"Who's this?" She laughed with relief. He was the most adorable kid she'd ever seen. And they were getting along.
"My puppy."
"You like puppies?" She asked with a smile.
He nodded again and scooted a little bit closer to her.
"Did you see my puppy?"
He shook his head with another shy smile and bit his lip with a tiny giggle. "Puppy!"
"Do you want to see him? His name is Jake…he's a really good puppy."
He nodded and immediately dropped his stuffed puppy to the carpet as he reached over to her with both arms. She hesitated for a moment; she wasn't used to being around kids, especially such young ones and she didn't immediately know what he wanted or expected from her. But he shook his arms at her as if to say, "come on, I'm waiting over here," and she got the hint.
She stood on slightly shaky legs and then, with a quick exhale for strength, she bent to gather Jax's son into her arms. When he was securely hitched on her hip, they stared at each other for a moment. As she took in his large, sky-blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and wispy blonde hair she felt an unfamiliar pull on her heart that tied a huge knot in her stomach. Her hands were shaking a little and for a second, she worried that she might drop him. He was watching her with a curious expression, those large, wide eyes so immediately accepting of her into his room, into his life and she felt like she could almost cry. He was as close to perfection as anything could get and the longer he was in her arms, the harder it was going to be to let go.
"Puppy…" he reminded her softly and she nodded with a small smile, padding lightly into the hallway to find Jake.
Abel spotted him before she did and squealed with delight, prompting Lyla, who was still on the phone, and Neeta poke their heads out to see what was going on. Kate motioned towards the patio door with her head and both women nodded in understanding with wide smiles on their faces.
She pushed the patio door open to let Jake go bounding through with Abel still in her arms, his tiny arms wrapped tightly around her neck. Jake pranced happily around the yard and then Abel was struggling out of her arms. She carefully set him down after she reached the yard and then he high-tailed it across the grass to chase down Jake. Abel scooted after Jake on slightly wobbly legs, laughing his head off with that toothy grin that was quickly staking claim over her heart.
Jax pulled his bike up in his driveway and parked it right next to Kate's Rav-4. The second both feet where on solid ground, he could feel the tension coursing through his veins begin to dissipate. It was bad enough that he'd easily just had one of the worst days he'd ever had in a long time and it definitely didn't help that the day wasn't even close to being finished yet. He would have to sit through a 'family' dinner and then go through the motions at the party later that night; he didn't even care anymore that it was his birthday nor did he feel like getting ripped either. He just wanted to pass out in his bed with his son under his arm.
It didn't help that he was still on edge over the day's events. He'd seen Kate with a knife to her throat, gotten entangled in a Mayan smack-down, and had barely contained his rage about the entire situation at church. The last thing he needed was more questions and more people breathing down his neck. It was going to be all he could do to keep Kate in one piece. Everything else, including Clay, could wait until she was safe. As soon as she was back in her store, with no sign of motorcycles near her and back to her easy, complication-free life with Jake at her side, then he could pound Clay into the ground for all of the mistakes he'd laid at the women of Samcro's feet.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair before lighting up a cigarette. He hated how much he'd been smoking lately but he couldn't help it. It was practically a knee-jerk reaction by now. The stress was beginning to get to him and everything just felt so heavy, his arms, his head, his legs, everything. Part of him wanted to crumble onto his front yard right where he stood and just breathe normally again. He just wanted to close his eyes, if only for a few minutes and forget everything that was tearing him to pieces.
He almost did too but then he heard his son's elated laughter floating through the air and he smiled. If he couldn't crumble with Abel, then he would easily settle for playing with him. He heard a dog barking and an even wider grin slid onto his face as he could already picture the fun Abel and Jake were bound to have together. Abel was obsessed with dogs and had already been pleading for one; Jax knew if he wasn't careful, Grandma Gemma was going to oblige that request for Christmas. Maybe being around Jake would be enough for now.
He decided to put the pack of cigarettes back into his pocket, opting for the more healthy stress reliever instead, and jogged up the front steps to throw open the door. He glanced around lazily for Neeta and tossed his sunglasses and cut on the couch; he'd barely had a second to exhale when he heard Abel screech again followed by Jake's joyful barking. With a wide grin, he sauntered over to the patio door and reached out to grasp the handle when his hand froze in mid-air.
He had been fully expecting to see his son and Kate's dog running around his backyard but what he had not anticipated was seeing Kate out there with them. As Abel awkwardly attempted to throw a ball as far as he could and Jake happily lunged only several feet to snatch it back up to lay at Abel's feet, Kate was sitting cross-legged on the grass next them, her head tilted back as she laughed at the sight before her. She seemed to have a rare glow as she laughed and smiled as her dog and his son leaped around her. And he couldn't move. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
Abel tripped a little and tumbled to the grass, mid-throw. He pushed himself up and immediately looked around for Kate, who was already on her feet and reaching out to him. Jax watched, completely enthralled, as a whimpering Abel held up his arms and Kate leaned over to scoop him up. She rested a hand underneath his head and settled back down to the grass as Jake padded over to them with a tennis ball in his mouth. He dropped the slimy ball into Abel's lap, making him yelp out for joy, the fall long forgotten. As Abel shifted around in Kate's arms to nestle his head into her neck, Jax felt his heart shudder in his chest. He swallowed the lump in his throat but he still couldn't shift his eyes anywhere but on this woman holding his son. It was an arresting sight and he didn't exactly understand why it was affecting him this way.
If he could spend the rest of the day watching Kate, Abel, and Jake play in his back yard…well, that would be a pretty damn good birthday.
"Well, Abel's having the time of his life."
Jax jumped a little and shifted to see Lyla behind him with a warm smile playing on her lips. She took a few more steps until she was standing next to him by the patio door.
"Yeah, he sure is." Jax replied shakily and ran a hand through his hair in a weak attempt at getting his bearings back.
"She's good with him, isn't she?"
He couldn't look at her as he nodded. He still couldn't really look away from the trio in his yard.
"I like her," Lyla was saying now.
He nodded again, the heavy lump in his throat impeding on his ability to speak.
"She'd be good for you, Jax." Lyla stated softly, her head tilting to the side as she observed him.
He finally turned to her, a weary, conflicted look in his eyes. "Lyla…"
She immediately held her hands up in defense and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "I'm just callin' it like I see it, Jax."
He shrugged and bit his lip in slight frustration. He didn't like where this was going but Lyla was too much like a sister to him and he didn't have the energy to tell her she was overstepping.
"She'd be good for you, Jax." She started again.
He tilted his head back and blew out a breath. "That doesn't matter, Lyla. You know that."
"So what?" She shrugged.
"I'm not sure why we're talkin' about this right now."
"Because you and I never get much of a chance to talk…and if I don't say it to you, who will?"
He sighed again and rubbed his face with his hands. "I don't want to talk right now."
"Alright…tough shit. What's keeping you in here when you should be out there?"
"I don't see how any of this is connected."
"I'll say it again, Jax," she said with a frustrated huff. "She'd be good for you. We both know she'd be good for Abel. You can tell me this is all for show until you're blue in the face but I saw the look on your face just now when you were watching them and I've seen the look on her face whenever your name comes up. It's obvious to me and probably everyone else who's ever seen you two together. So what's holding you back?"
His hands went to his face again and he could barely bring himself to meet her in the eye. "I told you…"
"Tell me the truth, Jax."
His hands ran through his hair and he blew out another frustrated breath. He knew he needed to give her an answer; she wasn't going to leave him alone until she did. But he just couldn't speak the words. Yes, she'd be good for him. Yes, she'd be good for Abel. Yes, they could be a happy family. She was everything he'd ever wanted…smart, beautiful, tough as nails, independent…and he couldn't yet put into words the way he'd felt when he'd seen her with Abel. She would be good for him. But she was too good. And he wasn't good for her. He'd brought nothing but complications, turmoil, danger, frustration, and pain into her life. She was perfect just the way she was and who was he to come into her life and turn it into a train wreck? All he wanted was to see her happy and alive. She couldn't be anywhere near Samcro in order for that to happen. If he could manage to get her away from the club in one piece, then that would be enough for him. But he couldn't say that to Lyla. If he could barely admit it to himself, he certainly wasn't going to admit it to her.
She sighed next to him and her hand fell back to her side. "Alright, fine. Be that way, Jax."
He didn't turn as she left him in huff. He knew this wouldn't be the last time they'd have that conversation but he was glad it was over for at least the time being. As his eyes flitted back to the figures in his back yard, Abel caught sight of him and started waving.
"Daddy!" His son's little voice called out to him as he wiggled himself out of Kate's arms to race towards the patio, Jake bounding at his side.
Even though Abel and Jake were already headed straight for him, Jax still hesitated, the uncomfortable conversation with Lyla still ringing in his ears. He could just open the patio door to let Abel and Jake inside and keep some distance between Kate and himself. It would be very easy and she probably wouldn't think anything of it. But then Kate turned around and he felt a jolt of electricity flow straight through him as their eyes met. His mind went completely blank.
She smiled softly and his heart flip-flopped in his stomach. He was quickly running out of time to decide as Abel and Jake drew closer and closer. But he couldn't think. All he could see was the way the light seemed to radiate over her, the way her eyes were shining, and that she was looking at him. So he just closed his eyes, blew out a breath, and allowed instinct and impulse to take over. Before he could stop himself, he reached out, slid the patio door open and stepped out into the sun as his son leapt into his arms.
"Hi Daddy!" Abel grinned and tugged a little on his overly-long hair.
"What's up, little man? You having fun out here?"
Abel nodded and grinned widely, exposing the large gaps in his mouth and Jax had to laugh. "Playing with Jate and Tate!"
He chuckled at Abel's entertaining mispronunciations—he was having difficulty pronouncing his 'Ks' after all—and gripped him a little tighter as he mustered up the courage to leave the patio.
And even though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer, he had to ask anyways: "Do you like Kate?"
Abel nodded furiously and grinned again. "Tate's pretty."
"Yeah, she is, little man." he responded quietly.
With a deep breath, he stepped off the patio and started moving across the yard to close the distance between Kate and himself. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest and he almost turned around to flee back to the safety of his living room. But then his eyes found Kate's again and his heart almost skidded to stop when he realized that she was moving towards them. And then there was no stopping his feet from carrying both him and his son to the middle of the yard to meet her.
"Just between you and me, little man," Jax whispered into Abel's ear. "I think I'm in big trouble."
Abel just giggled and wrapped his tiny arms more tightly around him, as if he already knew.
A/N-Sorry again for the long gap between updates...real life always seems to take over. But this chapter definitely took on a life of its own and ended up going somewhere that I hadn't planned on going yet but I'm really happy with the end result. A couple of really important things happened and I think it moves the story along in a big way...and I would love to hear your feedback! R/R!