A warm, perfectly made bed was waiting for me at mine and Jax's house. I rolled through the dark, quiet streets of Charming in my father's old Cutlass. There were a million things running through my head. My shoulders were tight with the stress of my class load. The smell of formaldehyde still stung my nostrils after a morning of dissecting lifeless animals. My waiting son and boyfriend were the only things that kept my eyes open and broke me out of the hypnosis that overcame me whenever I drove home after long nights.

The house was dark when I pulled the car into the driveway. Jax's bike was parked next to the garage, so he was home. Neeta's Sentra was gone, she'd gone home for the night hours ago. I could feel my muscles relaxing just thinking about the warm shower and bed inside.

It was quiet inside. None of the back lights were on either. Jax was probably sleeping, I'm sure he had a long day, too. I crept down the hall to the nursery. When I leaned over the crib I found it empty, the cotton sheets ruffled like Abel had once been laying there. My heart started to pick up it's pace and my mind when blank. My voice was shrill when I screamed, so unlike my own I wasn't sure it was me who spoke. "JAX!"

I ran down the hall toward the master bedroom, screaming for Jax the entire way. He stopped me just before I reached our bedroom and wrapped his arms tightly around me. "What's wrong?" He managed between my screaming fits.

My heart was now pounding against my rib cage, threatening to pop out f my chest. I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding and a headache was starting at my temples. "Abel...he's not in...his crib," I forced out between the sobs that were now rocking my body.

Jax used his thumbs to wipe away my tears then he brought his lips to my ear. "Calm down, Babe. He's at Gemma's house." He looked into my eyes and pushed my disheveled hair away from my forehead. "He's safe. He's okay."

Jax's soothing voice and words made my heart begin to slow to it's normal pace. I tried to force away the feelings that I felt at the sight of the empty crib and regulate my ragged breathing. I leaned into Jax letting his hands rub calming circles over my back. It took me a moment before I could think normally again. "Why is he at Gemma's house?" I finally asked, pulling away and drawing my brows together in confusion.

Jax laughed lightly, but didn't answer. Instead, he threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me into our bedroom. I gasped at the sight of our temporarily renovated space. Candles were scattered around, placed on several pieces of furniture and dimly glowing. Rose petals were arranged on the bed in the shape of a heart. I let Jax pull me to the bed, the mattress sank under our combined weight.

"What is this?" I asked, letting my eyes scan the room again.

"I love you, Tara," He began and reached to squeeze both of my hands in his. "I've loved you since I was sixteen. You've stayed when anybody else would have left. Put up with a kidnapping, my crazy mother, and long nights alone with Abel. You let me back into your life after I let you leave for Harvard. You've stayed strong through everything. You're amazing," He dropped one of my hands and let his index finger drag along the length of my cheek. I smiled and leaned into his touch, savoring the warmth of his skin against mine.

My brows drew together and I used my free hand to cup his cheek. "Is this...?" I asked.

He nodded, letting a smile of pure joy spread across his face. It was rare to see Jax smile like that, with his guard down. He slid onto one knee, leaving me alone of the bed and pulled a velvet jewelry box from his cut's pocket. "We should get married." He popped open the top of the box and a sparkling diamond ring stared back at me.

I gasped for the second time, my hand flew up to cover my mouth. "Jax..." I breathed. My eyes were filled with tears of joy that had not yet been shed. "Yes," I nodded and smiled. I was shaking my head up and down like a bobble head, but my moving head couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

Jax placed the ring on my left hand. I bent over and grabbed his face with both hands before planting a kiss on his lips, letting my tongue drag lazily over his bottom lip. He joined me on the bed again and easily pulled my legs around his waist. Finally, he opened his mouth and gave my tongue access to his.

We fell back against the mattress, sending up a flurry of rose petals around use. We kept our bodies pressed together, letting our mouths work in a frenzy like we had never kissed before. All of my stress from the previous hours melted away as Jax's hands explored my body, reaching under the hem of my t shirt to rub against the bare skin of my stomach and back. His touch was electric.

I did the same, tracing the planes of his perfectly sculpted stomach. His broad shoulders felt perfect in my tiny hands. It was a dance we had done a hundred times, but with the ring weighing heavily on my left hand everything felt new. His skin warmer and his touches more gentle.

"We're engaged," I whispered into the darkness of our room. The candles had burned out a long time ago. The only sound was the heaviness of our breathing that was slowly returning to normal. Sweat was drying against my naked body. My head was resting against Jax's chest, just over his tattoo of Abel's name.

Jax leaned down to kiss the top of my head. His sniffed in the scent of my lavender shampoo before speaking. "We are." He whispered his reply.

I stayed there in his arms forgetting about everything that has ever made me doubt our relationship and just enjoyed the moment.