Happy woke me up by letting Millie bark and whine in the doorway. I sat up straight and smiled brightly, despite the pain. Her tail looked like it was going to sprain from wagging so quickly. I crawled out of bed and lowered myself down to the floor slowly, welcoming her into my lap as she bounded over. Happy gave her a warning whistle and she dipped her head.
"She's fine, baby. You're not going to hurt me are you? Say nope, sure not." I said, kissing her snout. She caught me full on the mouth with a lick and I laughed, wiping it away quickly.
"You want your medicine?" Happy asked, sitting on the end of the bed near me. I shook my head and played with Millie's massive ears. "J, you don't need to hurt when you've got pain killers."
"I'm fine." I said, pulling myself off the floor as Happy tossed Millie her favorite bone. "Are you planning on going to the clubhouse today?"
"I wasn't, why?" He asked. Nothing got past him recently, which probably made sense since we'd been together for a while.
"I still need to talk to Juice about the baby." I said, readying myself for his objection. Instead, he surprised me by nodding and kissing my forehead.
"Get dressed and I'll take you over there." I did just that, although it took me longer than usual. I knew Happy wanted me to take the medicine the doctors had given me, but I didn't like how groggy and fuzzy everything seemed when I was on them.
I tried not to groan to loudly as I got out of the car at the clubhouse. Happy narrowed his eyes but didn't say anything as he walked to me and let me wrap an arm around his waist for support. Gemma was storming across the lot as we neared the clubhouse.
"Jaden! What the hell are you doing here? You should be resting at home!" She scolded me like a mother would and it rubbed me the wrong way. I shook my head and scowled.
"I'm fine." I said, resisting the urge to snap at her. Happy rubbed my lower back and opened the door for me. As soon as I walked in, everyone started clapping and yelling. Opie nodded to me with a smile and Tig hurried over to Happy and I. "Don't you play all nice with me, asshole. I know you wanted Happy to be your wing man in Tacoma."
"Aw, come on Jaden. What happens on the road stays on the road, right?" He asked with a laugh.
"No." Happy answered quickly. I hadn't worried about it, to be honest. Happy, however, seemed pretty upset that Tig would say that. I knew it was one of the unspoken club rules, what happens on the road stays on the road. It was something I had to be willing to accept in order to be in his world, but apparently he didn't want the pass.
"Have you seen Juice?" I asked quickly, hoping to divert any brewing fight between Tig and Happy. Opie nodded and pointed towards the dorms.
"Barbie just left for BJ's about thirty minutes ago." Opie filled me in, darting his eyes from Tig to Happy. I headed towards the hallway and heard Happy follow behind me. If I hadn't already agreed to let him come with me, I would have told him to beat it.
"Hey, Barbie just left." Tig said as he opened his door. It smelled like marijuana and it tickled my nose. He didn't look good.
"Yeah, I know. Opie told me. Are you okay, Juice?" I had come to the clubhouse with all intentions to tear into him about not claiming Barbie as his old lady and about the baby, but seeing him changed everything. He rubbed at his neck that was almost hidden by his hoodie and nodded.
"Hap, will you give us a minute?" I asked, knowing that he didn't have any obligation to. In the clubhouse, he called the shots and had the power. Unlike most members though, he never really used it. He treated me more like a wife than an old lady. "Please?"
"Yeah, J. I need to talk to Tig. I'll be back in a few minutes." He looked at Juice carefully and then back at me. "You so much as hurt her feelings and I'll put two between your eyes."
"What's up?" Juice tried to ask casually as I walked into his dorm. I grabbed the neck of his hoodie and pulled on it quickly. He had a healing bruise all around his neck and by the looks of it, it had been pretty bad in the beginning. I frowned and leaned against the door as he jerked away.
"Is this about the kid?" I asked, no longer able to think about anything but Juice and my best friend. He shook his head and sat down in his recliner, taking a hit from a water bong. "I know those bruises, Juice. You spend long enough out on the streets and you see shit."
"Yeah? I was riding up to the warehouse and didn't see a chain, Jaden. Sons don't kill themselves." He said defensively. I nodded and took a deep breath.
"You know what Sons and everyone else does though? They put all kinds of crazy shit in these little boxes in their heads. In this box, there's all the shit with the cartel. In this box, there's just normal drama and then there's a box for family or relationship shit. Then, way back in a corner with cobwebs and spiders, there's this box for all the fucked up shit that goes on. The thing is, you can only put so much in those boxes before they're full and all those feelings and thoughts have to go somewhere. The darker corner the box is in, the harder it is to close once it spills over." I said, watching his eyes look anywhere but at mine. He scoffed and shook his head.
"Yeah? You read that in some pamphlet at the hospital?" He snapped. I chuckled and shook my head. He sighed and looked at me for the first time since Happy had left. "I'm sorry, Jaden."
"Don't be. I didn't read it in a pamphlet though. It was something a friend told me when she found me on a rooftop in New York. If she hadn't showed up, I would have jumped." I said. I'd never told anyone about that before, not Happy, not Barbie, no one but that woman who found me on the rooftop and myself knew about that until I told Juice.
"Don't say anything to Barbie, okay? She believes the story about the motorcycle. I don't want to stress her out." He said, looking ashamed. I shook my head and walked over towards him slowly.
"Look, I'm not going to say anything to her because it's not my place, but you should. She loves you, Juice. If you won't let her help you, at least let her know." I said, searching his eyes. He nodded slowly and tried to give me a small smile. "I'm not going to pretend to understand why you tried to do it, but don't forget there's stuff to live for to. You've got a whole family that loves you and they'll do anything for you, Juice. Don't shut them out."
"Yeah, I know. Speaking of family, Barbie's just worried she'll look bad at your wedding. She's happy for you though. We both are." He pulled me in for a gentle hug and I gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thanks, Juice. I'm here if you want to talk or anything." I offered as we pulled apart. He nodded and followed me over towards the door.
"Help me figure out how to make things right with Barbie?" He asked. I nodded and gave him a smile.
"I'll put in a good word for you but if you want relationship advice, you may want to talk to Happy. He's the expert." I said, happy to see Juice laugh openly. As funny as it was, I was being completely honest. Happy was nursing a busted cheek when I walked out to the bar with Juice. "Your ego feel better?"
"Little bit. You okay?" He asked, tossing the bloodied rag into the garbage. I kissed his lips gently and nodded.
"Yeah, I'm tired though. Take me home?" I asked, looping my arm through his. He nodded and pulled his sunglasses out of his kutte.
"Come on, Ms. Daisy." I giggled at his pop-culture reference and teased him for it as we walked outside. "You're not going to tell me what that was about, are you?"
"No, it's not my place to. Just watch out for him, Hap." I said, kissing his cheek before easing down into my car. I watched him nod as he walked around to the driver's seat.
I walked into the apartment after my run with Millie and toed my tennis shoes off with sweat dripping down my brow. Happy rolled over in bed and grumbled about me running so early in the morning. It had been three weeks since I came home from Saint Thomas and I finally felt well enough to work out and start going into work a few nights a week, giving Barbie some time off.
"Shouldn't you be getting ready for the run?" I asked, stripping out of my sweaty clothes. He groaned and climbed out of bed, following me into the shower.
"This is me getting ready." He said before pushing me against the tile wall and kissed the back of my neck, intentionally rubbing his stubble against my sensitive skin. I flinched and felt goose bumps run up and down my arms. "You smell good."
"I smell like sweat." I said as he moved his hand down between my legs. I felt the familiar tug at the ring and was glad that I'd talked the doctors into letting me keep it in. It was a pretty embarrassing conversation for them, but I'd rather them be embarrassed than me have to go through the pain of getting it re-pierced.
"You smell like you." He whispered, entering me quickly. I moaned and let my head fall back against his chest as he thrust harder and harder into me. He let his hands explore my body and I reveled in every moment of it, wishing that the moment could last forever. "I love you, Jaden."
"I love you, Happy." I whispered, just before reaching my release and tightening around him. He peppered my neck and shoulders with kisses as he reached his own a few thrusts later.
We finished showering, which included another round of sex, and started getting ready to go our separate ways for the day. I was toweling my hair dry and couldn't seem to keep my eyes off Happy. He turned to look for socks and must have noticed me watching him, because a smirk crossed his lips.
"Be careful, Happy. You matter to much to get hurt, okay?" I said, hugging him suddenly. He chuckled and squeezed me tightly.
"Okay, Jaden. If you need anything while I'm gone, just ask Rat. Hopefully we can get shit done quick and get back home." He mused, kissing me gently. I nodded and put my forehead on his chest, wishing he wasn't going to be gone for almost a week.
"October 19th." I said, lacing my fingers in with his. He nodded and squeezed my hands.
"I'll be there." He said nonchalantly. I laughed and snapped my teeth at him for teasing me. "Call me when you get to work, okay?"
I nodded and sighed, knowing that it was time to go our separate ways. He smacked me on the ass as I walked towards my car with a giggle. Memories of the first night I'd met him only made me laugh harder.
"What's got you in a bad mood?" Serenity asked as I walked into the dressing room for the fourth time since getting there an hour ago. Barbie walked in with a sad smile, causing me to forget her question all together.
"I know I've been whiny and jealous but I need an ice cream and sad movie night with my best friend." Barbie said as soon as the office door was closed. I nodded and gave her a hug.
"We'll even get cookie dough. I know you don't like him being gone any more than I like Happy being gone. I hate it." I admitted. She nodded and sighed shakily.
"Thanks for talking to him, by the way. He told me you convinced him to open up to me." Barbie said, her cheeks growing pink. I hitched a shoulder.
"What's family for?" I asked. Barbie nodded and rubbed her hand over her stomach. "We've got what, four more months?"
"Three and a half. We better start looking for dresses for when I look like a beached whale." She said with a laugh. I shook my head and gave her a wink.
"I think you'd be more like a dolphin than a whale." I teased, earning myself a hard pinch. We both laughed and I felt like things were finally getting back to normal. My phone started vibrating and I cursed under my breath. "Hey, baby. I'm sorry I forgot to call. I got really caught up with stuff here."
"What, glitter and vodka? I wanted you to call so I knew you were okay, Jaden. Rat's headed down there." He said shortly. I could tell he was pissed about something else by the clip in his voice.
"Whatever, just be careful, Hap. You're not the only one that gets to worry." I said before ending the call with an eye roll. Barbie laughed and nudged my shoulder.
"How dare he love you and care." She said. I laughed and nodded in mock agreement. "Juice calls almost every hour like if he doesn't hear from me then I'll have the baby and he won't be there."
"Men." We said in unison before giggling together.
My schedule at work has been messed up by training, yet again! I should be back to something that resembles normal on Saturday, so hopefully I can start updating faster after that. :) Thanks for reading and the continued support. What did you think about Jaden and Juice's talk? Do you think she can save him?