August 31, 2022

A little over a week and Vee had yet to show her face around the dance studio, trying to avoid all things Riley as she worked through her thoughts and feelings toward the relationship that was seeming more and more like Riley's dirty little secret as Victoria watched her brother and his girlfriend interact and then seeing the ever-so blind Carlos and Roni interact. She rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she stood up from the black and cream chaise lounge chair and made her way through the French doors, working her way through the living room, only to be stopped by the sound of her mother calling her name and her phone chiming with a text message.

She shook her head, continuing on her way to the staircase and up the stairs before stopping at the sound of her phone chiming again. "Shit, what?" She growled in a hushed whisper as she looked down at her phone to see two new texts.

Riley: Please talk to me… I'm sorry, you have to believe that! I'm just not ready to do all that you are. My parents aren't like yours, Vee!

Alessandria: Get out of your bed and come see me! I want to watch movies and pig out on hot cheetos and chocolate! If you don't respond in like ten minutes, I'm coming over and jumping all over your ridiculously soft bed!

Vee rolled her eyes, trying to hide her smile before she unlocked her phone and started replying to her cousin's text, completely missing her mother standing at the foot of the stairs. 'Pretend I didn't reply anyway so you have to come over… I'll even cuddle you just because you're my favoritest cousin.' She sent the message and locked her phone, stuffing it in her back pocket before continuing up the stairs, only to stop as she felt her blood run cold.

"Victoria Jade, I asked you to come here. Could you please do as I ask?" The blonde beauty eyed her daughter carefully, her arms crossed over her chest.

The youngest Lowman daughter nodded her head slowly, moving back down the stairs and towards her mother. "Sorry, I didn't hear you, just wanted to go lay down."

"Heard your phone go off though…" Hanna cocked an eyebrow at her daughter. "Was it Riley?" She pushed Vee's bangs out of her face and tucked them behind her ear.

Vee shrugged. "One message was, the other was from Ale. She wanted me to stop being lazy and come over but I told her to just come over here." She shrugged again, adjusting her crop top. "Riley's been texting me for days now asking me to talk to her and I haven't responded once, not going to either. I have nothing to say right now…" She shook her head.

"Why don't you go to Ale's house? You need to get out of the house before you drive yourself crazy, baby… You refuse to go to school and the studio so go see Ale." The blonde shrugged her shoulders, flicking Vee's tan, flat stomach. "Don't let your father see you wearing that, either."

"I wanna know something though…" She watched her mom nod her head and let out a sigh before continuing. "What would you do if this was you and dad?"

Hanna opened her mouth to respond but quickly closed it, shaking her head. "Honestly? I'm not a hundred percent sure… More than likely the same thing you're doing, avoid him until he gets his shit in gear but if it took him longer than a week then we would've broken up."

"You think I should break up with her?" Vee inquired, looking at her mother. "I've been thinking about it but I don't know. I understand a little bit about telling her parents because I was terrified to tell you guys but once Roni and Vic talked me into it."

Hanna shrugged, pulling the teen to her. "I think you should do what is best for you, my love." She smiled, resting her head on Vee's head as she felt her daughter's arms wrap around her tightly. "I don't know why you were terrified, you know we support you kids all the way, a hundred percent. You were wrong anyway because we don't love you any less."

"I want it to work... I like her a lot. She's a good person, she's amazing... I just think she's dumb, ya know?" Vee shrugged, staying securely in her mother's arms. "I know now but I thought you guys would prefer something else."

The blonde shook her head. "We prefer for our children to be happy and healthy. Veronica is working on her happiness, Victor is working on his attitude and temper while you're switching it up on us and keeping us on our toes." She kissed Vee's head as he hand rubbed at Vee's back, never stopping as the front door opened. Hanna looked back briefly to see her husband, Kozik and Quinn walk in. She shook her head as her blue eyes connected with Happy's dark eyes. "You wanna go lay with your father for a little bit? Before you go to Ale's?"

"Yeah I guess so…" She whispered, nodding her head before she pulled away from her mother and toward her father.

Happy kissed Vee's head, leading her to the living room. "Don't worry, kid, I got you…"

She continued making her way out to the shoreline on the boardwalk, she looked down to see herself wearing a dress. She'd seen it before, she'd worn it before. October 16, 2021. The day she found out, for sure, that she was pregnant. The day she spent with her boyfriend, crying about how much her father was going to hate her and how disappointed he was going to be in her. The day her boyfriend told her everything was going to be ok, the day he said they'd be ok, the day he promised her he'd go nowhere…

She shook her head, wiping at her tears as she walked down the stairs of the boardwalk and started looking around until she saw him. She felt her heart stop and her blood run cold as she slowly moved closer to him. He was wearing his kutte and his back was to her. She took in the sight of him, a full patch, blue jeans that hung low on his hips… She took in a deep breath, quickly releasing it before she reached him and grabbed ahold of his foreman.

"Mace?" She murmured, looking up at him, her dark eyes scanning him before her hand fell from his arm and she leaped to him, her arms wrapping around his neck and she buried her face in his neck, breathing in his scent. "Mason!" She sighed.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her tightly, burying his face in her long hair. "Hello to you too, babe." He pressed a soft kiss to her neck. "I've missed you so much, Ron."

"How are you here? I don't understand." She pulled back before he started bending to ease her to her feet.

The man shrugged, running his thumbs over her cheeks to wipe her tears away. "Before I answer anything, you gotta stop crying… I'm here, we're together right now so quit breaking my heart." He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You're dreaming, it's a dream and you're finally ready for this. If I came too soon, you'd never make it out of that tragedy like you need to."

"Do you see us? Do you see him or visit him?" She inquired, moving closer to him as he started to smile down at her.

Mason nodded, holding his hand out to her, grinning when she took it. "I visit him a lot, mostly when he's asleep though so I don't step on your toes. But lately, I've been visiting him all the time. I can't help it though, I just can't stay away from him… I watch you too but not as much when I know you're with Carlos." He smiled at her. "Yeah, I know about Carlos… He's a good guy, Ron, you can't stayed close off forever because of what happen to us. Epic love, babe, that was us. You were the greatest thing that ever happened to me and I am so glad I signed up for the club, this club." He shrugged, gesturing to the kutte. "It took me away from you but it also led me to you so we gotta show appreciation to it a bit." He continued to walk hand-in-hand with the brunette beauty down the shoreline. "You gave me a son, babe, do you know how amazing that is? I was there, I saw it and I've got to admit, I was so jealous of Carlos. He got to hold you through it all, he got to coach you through it and now he's getting to watch my one and only son grow. He gets to be the man in his life to teach right and wrong and left and right…" He shook his head as he heard her sniffle. "Hey, what'd I tell you about that? No ma'am." He leaned down to kiss her temple.

"I wasn't ready to lose you and I'm still not. I need you so much, I need you to be by my side and to help me raise our son. I need you flicking my hair all the time to annoy me and letting me lay on top of you just to hear the sound of your heartbeat." She shook her head. "It wasn't our time, we didn't have to lose each other. Vincent did not have to lose you."

The man nodded slowly, looking down at Veronica. "You weren't ready and if it'll make you feel better, no one is ever ready to lose the person they love. I learned that the hard way, I learned that the hard way. I know you need me but babe, I'm already there. I'm here." He shook his head. "I know it wasn't our time, I know we didn't have to lose each other just like Vincent didn't have to lose me, but I'm still here, I'm never going anywhere. I learned that I served my time, I did what I needed to do. Meet you, find love with you, create a greater love with you… I mean look what I love did, look what we did together, babe. Vinny is living, breathing proof of our love for each other."

"Was it your great big goal and task of life to wreck my world too? Was it a part of the job to wreck our son's world? How do I tell him any of this? How do I tell him that I lost his father?" She huffed. "You're only telling me bullshit! You didn't have to go, you didn't have to leave us… You chose to jump in front of Jax! You knew what was flying in that direction and you chose to do it… You chose to take that bullet!"

Mason stopped walking and took his hand from hers. "Listen to me, Veronica, listen carefully… It was not my mission to go up with Jax and Opie and get killed. It was not my mission to eternally leave you! Or Vincent…" He sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah, I chose to put my life on the line for Jax, why? Because that's what brothers do, that's what family does. If it was you, I would've done it in half a heartbeat. If it was your dad or Juice or Kozik. I still would've jumped in front of them to save them from the bullet. This is not why I'm here though… I didn't come here to get in some crazy screaming match with you. I came here because I missed you and I could finally do this. I want you to open your heart again, I gave you Carlos because I know he's what you need… I know he'll protect you, love you, care for you. Think about your parents, you see how your dad feels for your mom? It'll be that level, it'll be that beautiful epic love that noone and nothing can touch. It's how we were supposed to be. I know that story too… I was gonna marry you and in the distant future, we were going to have three more boys. Sorry." He grinned at her. "We were gonna have an awesome life but things change when circumstances change. That's why you got Carlos and you're falling hard for him, babe. There's something I learned in my time away from you too… The bond between a mother and her child is so special because they connect on a completely different level. You know the way he works, babe, he know the way his heartbeat sounds the best. He knows the same about you, he knows what makes you happy and mad or sad. Why else does he love Carlos too? You can't even try to argue with me either, my little man loves that guy and you know what makes it ok? The fact that Carlos loves you and him too, Carlos is how your life goes on." He pulled her to him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. "I got the pick of the litter to send in to repair you and I chose Carlos. He saw you in that doctor's office and he was already in love with you… Why? Because you're just you. Gorgeous, stunningly, ridiculously gorgeous. You and those dimples are my life, babe, you're so smart. You're silly, funny, foolish and I miss going for rides on that Dyna with you. But you, however, have another love to pursue, ours will live on in our son."

"We can here forever, Mace, we can stay here together and be with each other." She nodded her head, pulling him close to her. "Stay with me, Mace, please."

He slowly shook his head. "I would if I could but unfortunately you have to go back, get better and take care of our boy. I have to go check on Vee, I've been watching out for her and I tell ya, that girl she's with… I didn't pick that out at all, didn't cosign whatsoever. However, I've got something great coming her way soon."

"Say it…" She whispered, holding him to her tightly. "If you have to leave me then you owe me."

He chuckled, nodding his head as he pressed a kiss to her head before he pulled back a little to hold her face in his large hands. "I love you, more than there are stars in the sky, more than all the oxygen in the world, more than you love oreos and peanut butter, Veronica. Jocelyn. Lowman." He bent down, watching her close her eyes and he kissed her cheek.

"I love you." She whispered, opening her eyes to see the ceiling. "No!" Roni growled, slapping what she thought was the bed only to hear a loud groan beside her and she realized she wasn't alone in her bed. She looked to her side to see Carlos holding his stomach. "Fuck, I'm sorry 'Los!"

He looked at her, now rubbing his body. "Are you ok? What the hell are you dreaming about, karate kid?" He wrapped his arm around the brunette, pulling her to him.

"I'm sorry… Yeah I'm fine, just a strange dream. I promise I won't try to beat you up again though." She offered him a smile before she rolled onto her side with her back to him.

Carlos rolled onto his side with the beauty and rested his arm over Roni, pulling her close to him. "It's ok, I get it… I was dreaming Vin was part dragon, he liked to eat blueberry muffins." He chuckled, he closed his eyes, drifting off back to sleep.

AN: Short chapter that mostly brings light to upcoming content as well as Vee trying to make sense of things with Riley.

All the feedback on the last chapter was amazing except for one review that stated they don't take threats very well... However if someone could point out ANY threat I've made toward my readers, I'd love to see it. To clear things up though, I didn't threaten anyone... I SIMPLY stated that reviews/feedback are what make writers want to continue their work otherwise they feel like they're wasting their time writing the story they have going. I can't further help you if you misinterpret this message... You'll just have to assume that I'm threatening the lot of you.

Let me know what ya think (;