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thank you for the feedback on the last chapter. It was appreciated and I loved reading what you had to say. so enjoy this update. a lot happens in it, that's for sure.
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Dasha kissed and hugged on Jagger as she watched Ellie glare at her from across the clubhouse. It had been a tense few hours but the brunette was going to do everything in her power to make sure that the blonde knew that she was all about Jagger. That no matter what Ellie and Opie had, they weren't going to rip her son from her arms or his happy home. As far as she was concerned, Ellie didn't deserve Jagger and sure as hell didn't want him until she saw him happy in the arms of a mom who truly wanted and loved him. "Jagger my dear. You're so damn handsome. Look at all that gorgeous black hair you're getting little man." She kissed him and smiled. "I love you so so much. Mama loves you so so much. I hope you can feel it baby boy."
"I think you're making Ellie jealous right now." Happy whispered into the brunette's ear as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "She can't stand it and sure as hell can't handle seeing him so happy with his mama."
"Good." The brunette nodded as she looked back and smiled at Happy. "This is my baby boy and I'm going to fight tooth and nail for him."
He nodded. "Yeah, I know but I got some shit I need to handle before we leave here today. Like why my own brother is trying to rip my son from our lives."
"Babe. I know he's your brother but kick his fucking ass for this shit. He's following Ellie blindly. He knows she's not ready to be a mom… If Jagger went back to her, he'd feel just like Ellie felt towards her dad a while back." Dasha sighed as she watched Happy take the baby from her and cradle him to his chest. "That's our son."
Happy smiled as he looked at Jagger before placing him into the swing next to Gunnar's. "I like the way they instantly can sense each other. You see how Gunnar looked towards his little brother? That's an unbreakable bond. I'm not letting anyone fuck with it."
"He's getting way too big to be in that damn swing." She shook her head as she picked Gunnar up out of the swing and set him onto his feet. "Why don't you start showing off and walking around G? I think you'll love mingling with all these new people."
Gunnar fell to his butt and looked up at his dad, his chubby little arms up in the air as his hands opened and closed. "Dada!"
"Gunnar." Happy bent and picked up his son. "I'll tell your mama to leave you alone when you're being lazy in your swing."
"Excuse me? The little porker should wanna be out and walking around." Dasha shook her head. "He probably doesn't wanna be out because Jag is in the swing."
"Leave them alone." Happy swatted at his wife's hands. "They can be attached if they wanna be. It'll be beneficial in the long run."
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Ignoring Ellie was proving to be more difficult than Dasha had first realized. The blonde was everywhere she was and the looks she was shooting in her direction had the brunette getting more and more irritated as time continued. She cracked her knuckles before glancing back down at Jagger who was fast asleep in his pack n play with Gunnar. "Can you keep your eyes on them?" She looked at Kozik.
"What're you going to do?" Kozik looked at his daughter as she slowly stood up. "Don't give Ellie anything to take back to her lawyer."
She nodded. "I'm not going to do anything dad. I'm getting up to go pee." She smiled as she patted his cheek. "Just watch the babies and don't let her near my sons…"
"He won't be yours for much longer." Ellie mumbled as the brunette walked past her. "I promise you that."
Dasha looked at the younger woman and shrugged. "We'll see, won't we? Last I checked, I wanted Jagger while you dumped him with a letter and up and skipped town. I know the judge is going to love reading that letter. It'll probably seal your fate." She smirked.
The blonde's face fell before she regained her composure and crossed her arms. "Like the judge would give a psycho custody of a kid. Once the judge finds out how mentally unstable you are, Julian will be mine again."
"Oh, that's very nice. Bringing in my mental health. You know there are records that show that I've been stable for over three years now correct? I'm not sure why you want to stoop to that fucking level but go ahead." Dasha shook her head. "I'll see you in court."
"We'll see how it holds up." Ellie smirked.
"Please, if I was so unstable, I wouldn't even have custody of my own biological child." The brunette shrugged as she backed away from the blonde. "You and your dad can do your worse but once you guys go to that fucking point, you can say goodbye to everyone around here. Because we all know the one thing that the club finds more important than their club business is family. Family is everything to these men and what you and Opie are doing, isn't very family oriented of you Ellie. To think I was going to let you be apart of Jagger's life. We will see each other in court and when it's all said and done, Jagger Lowman will still be Jagger Lowman."
SOA
"I want to kill her Happy." Dasha shook her head as she looked over at Happy. "I can't believe she's really going to bring up the past when it has nothing to do with Jagger or the present. I love that little boy so much and it hurts that she's trying to rip him away from us."
"Relax." Happy shook his head as he pulled his wife into his arms and kissed the side of her neck. "We can't go into that courtroom with your amped up energy. Let her and Opie bring up the past and shit. We have a secret weapon that they won't be expecting. We have Juice on our side Dasha. He's going to give us what we need to shut those fuckers out."
"Good." She nodded. "Good. I'm just annoyed and irritated and nervous."
He laughed. "I can see that but just relax. We're going to get in there and handle what we need to handle with them. Then we're going to go home and I'm going to step out for a little bit and have some words with Opie. I've been putting this shit off so he couldn't use it against us but as soon as this shit is over. I'm giving him a piece of my mind."
She pulled him to her and buried her face in his chest. "Let this judge be somewhat competent." She grabbed Happy's hands and pulled him into the courthouse and towards the assigned courtroom. "Now you're the one who is looking nervous baby."
"I don't like being in court." He shook his head as he followed her into the courtroom. "It's never been in my favor until now."
"You'll be fine." She kissed him before taking their seats by their lawyer. "I'm so ready for this shit show to begin." She looked at the lawyer and smiled. "So, how is this actually going to go again?"
"Well, it's going to go back and forth. They're going to have to explain why they want Jagger back and why they feel that you and Happy are unfit to parent him. You're going to be talking about why you feel that she's unfit to take care of him. The judge is going to ask some questions, the lawyer will ask some questions. I just ask that you keep it together if they start bringing your mental health into the equation." He smiled. "Do you hear me Dasha?"
Dasha nodded. "I'm going to keep my shit together." She shrugged as she tapped on the table top and glanced up at Opie and Ellie who were looking very nervous. "I'm just so happy that Delilah and Denise volunteered to watch the boys while we're here."
"The judge just entered." Miles looked at Dasha and Happy. "We just want to keep our heads about this. No lashing out, no slandering. We state facts and our best fact we have is the letter that Ellie had left and Juice and his signed statement."
"I'm Judge Jones." The woman announced as she took a seat in front of the two tables. "We're here today to discuss reinstating parental rights to Ellie Winston and taking away parental rights from Happy and Dasha Lowman. I want to hear from Ellie first."
Ellie nodded as she cleared her throat. "I want my son back because I believe that I am a better fit to be his mom because he is biologically mine."
Judge Jones nodded. "What else? Just because you gave birth to him doesn't mean that he's better off with you. There is some reason why you left him with The Lowmans in the first place and voluntarily terminated your rights."
"Yeah, I was stressed out at the time and I wasn't thinking clearly. It was a rash decision and I've regretted it ever since." The blonde nodded. "I just want him back."
"Dasha, what do you have to say?" The judge turned her steely gaze onto the brunette. "You after all have been in Jagger's life for the last few months."
Dasha smiled at the woman. "I have to say that I'm so in love with Jagger. He's brought nothing but love and happiness into my family. He has a big brother that is super attached to him. He has a dad who dotes and loves on him. I am absolutely enthralled with him. He just has been nothing but a blessing to us and our family."
"So, when you invited Ellie and her son into your home, you welcomed them with open arms and love?" She looked at Dasha before turning to Happy. "What about you Mr. Lowman?"
"I never had a problem with the kid really besides her lack of common sense at some times." Happy spoke open and honestly. "I was a little in shock when we woke up to the sound of a baby crying and Ellie was nowhere to be found. Dasha instantly was confused and upset as to how a mom could abandon her child but she didn't miss a beat. She did everything she could to find Ellie and she asked Opie if he could take Jagger but he had declined so we adopted him. Made him a part of our family. Do you know how hard it is to be a mom to one child under one? Try being a mom to two children under the age of one. Dasha has done that effortlessly. She sits, talks, laughs, loves and just makes sure both of them are happy and healthy while taking care of herself and keeping her career going."
"I wasn't aware of the fact that you left your child in the middle of the night. Nor was I aware that your father declined to take his own grandson." Judge Jones shook her head as she looked over at Ellie and Opie. "Where did you go when you left him?"
"I took some time and went out of town. To find myself and to destress." Ellie nodded. "I wasn't gone too long. Only about two months."
"Two months?" The judge sighed. "Well, I don't think I have too many questions left. Do you have anything that will make your case look better Miss Winston?"
"I don't think Dasha should be able to keep Julian because she has a past of bad mental healthy and violent outbursts." She looked at the judge before looking towards Dasha and flashing a brief smirk. "She's too unstable mentally to take care of a child."
"I object." Miles shook his head. "Ellie is bringing up incidents that have happened over three years ago. Dasha hasn't had an episode since her last, she isn't even on medication because she's got everything under control. If she were mentally unstable, then she wouldn't have custody of her eldest child Gunnar. If you need proof of her stability and her rehabilitation I have submitted documents from her doctor. The one that has been with Dasha since her last break and has watched Dasha recover flawlessly."
"But-." Opie began to object before he was abruptly cut off by the judge waving her hand.
Judge Jones looked between both pairs. "I've heard enough to make the ruling that Jagger is better off where he currently is. I think Miss Winston has a lot of growing up to do and I think Mr. Winston should grow up a bit himself instead of following his daughter into another case that is going to waste time. I expected more than what you provided. I thought you were going to prove to me that you were responsible, that you had a job, that you could properly care and provide for a child. All you did was prove that you care about yourself and that you are selfish. It was petty of you to bring up Dasha's past when it is just that. Her past. I rule in favor of Dasha and Happy, they will remain the legal parents of Jagger Lowman."
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Happy sat at the clubhouse bar, nursing a beer that was slowly warming up to room temperature as he waited for Opie to show his face. The hearing had went exactly as he expected it to. He was keeping his youngest son. His wife was happy and the only thing he had to get off his chest was the anger he was harboring towards Opie who was proving to be as dumb as his teenaged daughter. "Opie." He rasped as soon as the man walked into the clubhouse. "We need to talk."
"You're drunk." Opie shook his head as he tried to sidestep the man. "You got what you wanted. You're keeping my grandson."
He scoffed. "You mean, the grandson you didn't want in your life until Ellie came back and decided she was ready to be a mom after running out on her responsibilities?"
"Drop it Hap." Opie tried to step around the man. "I don't have shit to say to you right now."
"I think you can man the fuck up and own up to the fact that you were right there with your daughter, scheming to bring Dasha down with her past. How fucked up in the head are the two of you? She didn't stoop low. She didn't drag your name through the mud. You weren't a father to your own child, remember? She straight up told you that you were never there for her." Happy shook his head as she looked the large man up and down. "To think I called you my brother all these damn years. Dasha was going to let the both of you in his life. She's not a bitch, she's not cold hearted. She was willing to bring us all together as a family and you guys spit in her face with that bullshit case. She didn't take him away from your daughter. Your daughter willingly gave him over to us because she knows he'll be loved and taken care of for the rest of his life."
Opie shook his head. "I was trying to be a dad to my kid. I'll admit it wasn't smart to stoop to that level. I just wanted to see my kid happy. That's what I fucking wanted."
"See, it feels good to be a fucking man." Happy shrugged. "You guys have really fucked shit up with Dasha. I don't think she'll ever allow you to be apart of his life now. Which is a real shame because somehow through this fucked up shit, Juice managed to regain a position as Jagger's uncle while you and Ellie lost your positions." He smirked as he took a step back. "Next time think twice when you try to fuck with my family. It won't get you anywhere in life."
SOA
"I can't believe I'm doing this shit." Happy shook his head as he looked around him. The whole family was surrounding him. His mother included as they prepared to take the first ever Alvarez, Kozik and Lowman family photo. He knew how much it meant to Dasha, Delilah and Malia but he was still annoyed with the theatrics of the whole set up. The women were matching, the kids were matching, the men were the only ones who weren't matching and that was because Esai opted to wear his kutte and Happy and Kozik wore theirs. "This is just a fucking mess."
"Oh! Uncle Hap said a bad word." Xavier shook his head as he looked up at his uncle and smiled. "You can't say that word."
The man rolled his eyes as he turned his nephew around and pushed him towards Malia and Esai. "Why don't you go bug your parents and let me say my bad words all alone."
"Hap." Dasha wrapped her arms around his waist and smiled. "Thanks for doing this. I know this isn't the funnest thing you could be doing with your time but it means the most to me. Look how happy your mom is. She's loving having her grandbabies with her right now."
He nodded as he turned around and wrapped his arms around Dasha. "You're right. It's fun, for you women." He smirked as he kissed her lips. "I'm not doing another one for at least sixteen years though. Mark my words."
"Yeah, yeah whatever." The brunette shook her head. "We just gotta get through the next twenty minutes and we'll be done. You can drink your beer and decompress while watching football with your boys."
"I hate you so much for this Dasha Nicole." Kozik grabbed his daughter and lifted her up. "Look at this shit… Delilah put me in a fucking button up and made me smile a weird smile. She said my normal smile is too goofy."
"She's not wrong about it dad." Malia patted her dad on his back and smirked. "You were looking a little awkward out there until she stepped in and fixed it."
He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Great! My own children are against me! Leave my goofy smile alone." He faked a pout as he set Dasha back down on her feet. "These pictures better be so damn amazing because I don't want to have smiled like an idiot for nothing."
"Shush." Dasha shook her head. "I want all of you males in one picture together." She pushed Happy and Kozik towards the white backdrop before grabbing Esai's hand and pushing him towards the pair. "Sit the boys down in front of you guys. That's it." She smile widely. "Look at how handsome they all are. Esai, loosen up, you look like you're gonna pop a blood vessel in that pretty forehead of yours! That's perfect!"
"I can't believe we're really taking family portraits." Malia rested her chin on her sister's shoulder as she watched the photographer snap a few more pictures of the men. "I can't believe they're all getting along. It's nothing short of beautiful."
Dasha nodded and smiled. "Family is solid. No matter what we go through, how mad we get at each other, at the end of the day we hug it the fuck out and make it work. I mean look how much shit we've been through. Now we're standing here, stronger than ever as we go forward into the next chapter of life. I just can't wait to see what the world has in store for us next."