3 Months Later
"Let's go Chibs! We're not waiting for your ass much longer!" My brother's loud voice from the hallway drives me nuts. Filip has barely moved since they started with their wake up call. I roll out of bed unsteadily and waddle toward the bedroom door.
"Go wake his ass up, just leave me out of it." I mumble as I make my way to the kitchen. Tara waits for me and gives me a look of pure sympathy when she sees my irritated and uncomfortable state.
"Sit down. I'll get you something to eat." She goes into mommy mode and I don't argue. These last few months have drained the life out of me. The babies were active and alert most of the night. I couldn't understand how they even had room to move but as my stomach swelled, I knew they were going to get their room whether I liked it or not.
Filip finally steps out of the bedroom ready to go. He stretches and yawns before walking over to me and stooping low in front of me.
"I'll see ya later baby. Smile, our boys are comin home." He reaches up and touches my cheek.
I had no complaints about him. He has been completely amazing during this rough end of my pregnancy, waiting on me hand and foot and putting up with my insane meltdowns. When the doctor said no more work, Filip made sure Neeta came in to help around the house.
"Go get them and bring them home then." I smile gently. "I'll hold them in till at least tomorrow. Lyla is gonna kill me if I pop before then."
Originally Lyla asked Tara and me both to stand by her side but dresses were not flattering to my now expanded figure. She made me promise however that I would not go into labor until after their vows.
"We'll be back." I heard the obnoxious calls from the driveway indicating that Kozik, Dad and the prospects were here.
I finish my food and slowly make it down the hall to get dressed. The Braxton-Hicks that I was feeling over the last couple of days finally stopped late last night. I dress as fast as I can, anxious to get to the clubhouse with everyone else. Tara and I make it out of the house before we're late, knowing that if we're not there when the boys pull in, we'll never hear the end of it.
I sit on the picnic table next to Abel waiting patiently for the guys to get home. He is busy coloring a picture for daddy. Tara paces with Thomas in her arms, she even puts aside her recent tension with Gemma as they wait together. Suddenly the air fills with the sound of revving engines. Everyone gathers by the clubhouse as the guys pull in and we're happy to see our little family whole again.
I push myself off the table and help Abel get up. He scrambles over to Jaxson just as the man climbs off his bike. Both of them are full of smiles. Jaxson makes his way over to Tara and Thomas, kissing and hugging them to him. It's a great scene. Filip joins me as we wait in line to greet them. Bobby laughs as he reaches us, rubbing his large hands over my belly.
"Look at you. What the hell you been eating?" I slap his hand away and pout playfully. He laughs before giving me a kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful sweetie."
"Jesus Christ Chibs. What'd you do to her?" Tig pats Filip on the back.
"What'd he do to me? What'd you guys do to Juicy? He looks so pretty now." Everyone laughs loudly, enjoying their reunion.
I sneak away from them and bump right into Jaxson.
"Welcome home big brother." I pull him in for an awkward hug and he laughs.
"I thought you two would make it out before I did." He leans over and speaks directly to my stomach. When I'm sure no one's looking, I press an envelope into his hand. He slips it into his pocket with a smile.
"Got the one you wanted." I reassure him. He just kisses my forehead before moving on to Gemma.
"Chapel, Ten Minutes!" Clay calls out among the happy welcome.
Filip gives me a kiss on the cheek. His hand rests easily on my belly when Clay stops by us. He takes in the sight with a huge grin.
"Look at you baby girl." I fight to keep a smile and greet him warmly. The bile builds up in my throat but apparently my performance is convincing. "I'm happy for you."
"Sticking around love?" He rubs his thumb across my bottom lip and I almost melt there on the spot. Everyone starts to file inside.
"Yeah. We'll wait for you daddy." He disappears into the clubhouse.
When Tara and I pull onto the long drive leading back to the reservation, I realize for the first time that I'm a little nervous. Several delivery trucks come and go. Tara was grinning from ear to ear after her morning with Jax. I didn't ask any questions. She parks the car and before I can reach for the handle she stops me.
"Thank you." She tells me.
"For what?" I stop and turn to face her.
"I don't know what I would have done without you." I lean over the console for an awkward hug.
"You would have done it for me. It's what we do. Now we gotta go. She'll kill us if we're late." We both laugh, climbing out of the car.
I find my brother inside a tent, buttoning his dress shirt. He looks up when I wobble in and manages a weak smile.
"Getting nervous Op?" I tease him. He grunts in response, turning back to his mirror. He starts to pull his long hair back and I reach up, grabbing the brush from him. I push him down into the chair and brush it out for him, helping him make sure it was in place.
"She's good for you big brother. You gotta trust that." I whisper to him, not making eye contact in the mirror.
"Yeah, I gave her a chance to run earlier." He tells me.
"She's still here." He just nods in response. I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss the top of his head.
"If you need to get outta this for any reason, I won't judge. You just shoot me a look; I'll fake like my water broke." He chuckles at me and a sound at the door startles me.
"Now there will be none of that shit." Dad hobbles in, his tank in hand. He stops in front of me and for the first time, he doesn't reek of stale alcohol. I step back and look at him; he's completely sober and doesn't look worse for it.
"Everyone needs a back-up plan." I joke with him. He puts his arm around me and looks over at my brother.
"I know I don't say this a lot but I'm proud of ya both." He kisses my temple.
"Don't get all sappy on us now Pops." Opie stands up from the chair, pulling his shirt straight before throwing his kutte on over it.
"Don't be an ass." I help him fix his collar. "Ready?"
"Let's go." Dad holds open the tent, leading us both outside.
I sit next to Filip and stare up at the make-shift alter, watching my brother's face as he stares at his bride-to-be. This was a far cry from his first wedding. Jaxson stands next to Opie, each grinning from ear to ear. The service is beautiful and we all cheer loudly when my brother delivers the typical biker vow.
"I vow to treat you as good as my leather and ride you as much as my Harley." He bends Lyla backwards, treating her to a passionate, sloppy kiss.
A loud cheer echoes through the air as they turn to face their guests. Tara and Jaxson follow the newlyweds down the aisle.
The reception is beautiful. Everyone worked hard over the last few days, setting things up and decorating. The long hours paid off and Lyla was in heaven. When they were announced as Mr. & Mrs. Winston, I thought she was going to burst. Opie pulled her to the floor for their first dance. I watched from under one of the outlying trees, thinking back to his first wedding.
I was happy for the couple but in my mind my brother would always belong to Donna. I'm pretty sure that although he was with Lyla and they were now married, she still wasn't allowed all the way in. Not the way Donna had been. Kenny and Ellie like Lyla and that was enough for me. She was good for them and I just hoped she could deal with the ghost of his first wife.
"Dance with me beautiful?" Happy's voice stirs me out of my thoughts. I roll my eyes at him and follow him to the floor. He is all gentleman; placing his hand gently on the small of my back while I wrap my arms around his neck. We sway gently with the music for a little while before he says whatever's on his mind.
"You happy sweetie?" He stares down at me with pure tenderness. No one else was privy to this side of the Tacoma Killer the way I was.
"I am." I smile widely and he returns it with the same intensity.
"Good cuz I really didn't want to have to kill him. I kinda like that one. Now if these were Kozik's demon spawn you were carrying, he'd be a dead man." His eyes turn dark despite the goofy grin. Somehow I didn't entirely doubt his words.
"Happy, what if I fuck it up again? What if he does?" I ask, not looking away from Filip as he talks easily with my dad on the side of the dance floor.
"Then you're both stupid." He kisses my hair. I laugh into his kutte.
Midway through the song, Filip taps Happy on his shoulder.
"Can I have my old lady back?" He leans over and kisses me.
"Sorry to be the one to break it to ya but now that I'm home, she's rethinking this situation." Happy winks at me and I can't keep a straight face.
"I didn't think I'd ever be the one stupid enough ta say this ta ya but I'll fight ya for this one." Filip smiles at me.
"Good answer bro." Happy turns away and grabs one of the sweet butts I figured he hadn't been with yet. Repeat performances were not his style.
"Where'd you learn to dance old man?" I tease him playfully as he wraps his arms around me.
"It was before ya were born baby." He strokes my hair against my back.
"I feel like we can finally breathe Filip." I murmur, relaxing into his warm embrace.
"Yeah." We sway to the music without another word.
Looking around at my reunited family, I feel like maybe we can start to heal from these still raw wounds. When my eyes fall on Clay, those thoughts fade. He flashes me a huge smirk, tipping his beer toward Filip and me. I smile back but can't force anything other than a weak grin, instead, turning my head into Filip's shoulder and letting his arms protect me from my own terrified thoughts.
