Chibs shook his head as he walked up the rickety steps to the front porch. There were two things that were nice about this house. The first was that because it was on the outskirts of Charming, it sat on a huge plot of land. The second thing was the porch. Abby was right it was huge and there wasn't a house in town that had a porch quite like this. Other than that, he was having a hard time seeing the potential. It had four bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, a huge kitchen, living room, dining room, and a small den, but none of those rooms were really habitable. He knew Abby had all sorts of plans for remodeling and he didn't want to crush her excitement, but he didn't know how she was going to pull this off.

Pushing the door open, he felt it jerk a bit. Quickly, he took a step back to make sure it wasn't going to come down on him. He looked it over for a few seconds, checking to make sure that it wasn't going to fall off the hinges after he walked away. Thankfully, it still looked intact; it probably just needed some WD40 or some shit like that.

"Abby," he called. He could hear some banging coming from the kitchen. He turned the corner and laughed as he saw her trying to remove a lighting fixture. "Do you know what you're doing?"

He watched as she braced the light with one hand while trying to figure out how to get the screwdriver where it needed to be with the other one. He stepped up onto the chair then onto the counter next to her. "Here, give me the screwdriver," he instructed.

Within five minutes, he had the light removed and was handing it over to Abby. "I didn't think you were that handy," she kidded.

Chibs shrugged his shoulders. "I know a thing or two, but don't go thinking you can hire me. I cost too much." He winked at her and stepped down from the counter. Looking around the kitchen, which was full of dust and peeling wallpaper, he glanced back at Abby. "I have the name of a contractor that I can call to help with some of this."

"Is he legit?" she asked curiously.

"Define legit," he joked.

She climbed down off the counter and looked around. "I want to do as much as I can, but I think there's a bit more to do here than what I can manage."

Chibs let out a boisterous laugh. "Ya think?" He shook his head and followed her as she walked to the living room. She began to wipe down the built-in bookshelves as he leaned against the wall.

"As much as I enjoy seeing you, I don't think you came over here to pick up a hammer or paintbrush," she paused and looked over her shoulder. "I mean, I wouldn't complain if you wanted to." She giggled and went back to wiping down the grungy shelves.

"I hear you're bringing Lucas by after preschool," he paused, watching as she slowed down a bit. "To see Juice."

Abby stopped scrubbing the shelves and stepped down from the stool she was standing on. She sat down on the floor, resting her head on the wall behind her. "Yeah, I'm bringing him to see Juice," she paused, running a hand through her curls. "Bobby got to me."

"What do you mean, Bobby got to you?" he asked curiously.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes. "Bobby reminded me of a few tidbits that he felt I forgot." She opened her eyes and looked at Chibs. "Before I left, I told Juice that I needed to disassociate myself from Charming, that I would contact him and set the pace."

Leaning back against the wall, he sighed. "You said that?"

"Yes," she paused. "I was pissed. I wasn't going to tell him I was pregnant, but Opie convinced me that wouldn't be fair." She began rubbing her temples. "I guess I could have done more than a picture or an email here and there."

Chibs put his hands in the pocket of his cutte. "You did what you thought was best. Don't go beating yourself up over that."

"Bobby also reminded me that Juice wants to do the right thing, but his decisions aren't always the smartest."

With a loud snicker, Chibs remarked, "Well, isn't that the damn truth." He walked over and sat down on the floor next to Abby. Placing his hand on her knee, he leaned his head back. "I'm going to be straight with you, I told Juice he needed to talk to you about Lucas." He glanced over at her as she opened her eyes and sat expressionless staring straight ahead. "It needed to happen. You're not the only one that could have done more. Juice could have done more too. It's time for him to pull his big boy pants up and do what's right."

She sat next to him, motionless and completely silent. He continued, "I can't speak for Juice, but I would bet money that he thought he was doing the right thing by following your request and letting you take the reins."

"Which is why I'm bringing Lucas to TM to see him." She stopped and turned to face Chibs. "I really do want Lucas to know Juice. All of you guys are great, but he needs his father. I'm scared shitless of what that might look like, but it needs to happen."

Chibs put his arm around her as she leaned in, placing her head on his shoulder. "It will all work out, Abby." He didn't know if that was true or not, but in that moment, it seemed like the right thing to say.

Abby tried to focus on her paperwork, but the words in front of her looked like gibberish. She was trying not to stare at Juice and Lucas playing on the swing set, but it was hard to not look up every few seconds.

Lucas was so excited when she picked him up from preschool. He couldn't stop talking about going to see Juice. She was anxious the whole drive to TM. She got there earlier than she had expected so the guys were out at the warehouse. Gemma and Piney took turns entertaining Lucas while keeping Abby calm.

When she heard the motorcycles pull up, Gemma had to keep Abby from bolting. Lucas was sitting at the desk, giggling at Piney teaching him something with a deck of cards. Gemma told Abby to go talk to Juice for a few minutes before bringing Lucas out to see him.

Their conversation was brief. Abby told him that she had shown Lucas pictures of him, that Lucas knew he was a mechanic and did computer stuff for the club. Since Lucas was still young, Abby made her relationship with Juice as simple as possible. She told Lucas that her job took her somewhere away from Charming and because Juice's job was so important, he couldn't come with her. Juice asked how much time he had to spend with Lucas. Since he had soccer practice later, she said they could stay about an hour, then she headed to get their son.

She didn't want Lucas walking into the clubhouse, so she had Juice wait for him outside the office door. She could tell he was nervous. He was rocking back and forth, ringing his hands together. She was unsure of what came over her in that moment, but she put her hand on his arm and smiled, telling him that it would be fine.

Gemma walked out behind them, staying close to Abby. Lucas walked over to Juice, looking him up and down. Juice said "hi" to Lucas and put his hand out. Lucas shook it lightly then asked if they could go play on the swing set. The two were off in a flash. Abby leaned into Gemma as she put her arm around Abby's waist. "You're doing the right thing, baby," she whispered.

Now here she sat, twisting her hair, not able to do the work that she had brought with her because she was fixated on her son and his father.

"You're going to end up with a knot in your hair."

Her eyes darted up to see Opie standing over her. Letting her hand drop away from her head, she smiled. "I'm a little distracted."

"I can see that." He slid on the bench in front of her, pointing over his shoulder. "Things look like they're going good over there."

"You've been watching?"

Lighting a cigarette and pulling his beanie off, he nodded. "From inside the clubhouse. Bobby was driving us crazy with his pacing and staring out the window, constantly checking on how Juice was being with Lucas, so I agreed to keep an eye on them to keep Bobby calm. But then he started pacing around worrying about you, worrying about how you were handling things, so now Jax is watching them and I'm out here." He laughed, blowing smoke into the air. "The things Jax and I have to do for you. You sure are high maintenance."

Smacking him on the forearm, she shot back, "And you're so easy to deal with."

Opie moved himself over to block her view from where the father and son were now throwing a ball between them. "Stop staring at them," he growled.

She stuck her tongue out at him and shut her book. "Okay, so you were sent out here to distract me, now what?"

He slid his beanie back on his head and folded his arms across his chest. Looking over his shoulder, he turned back to face Abby. "Let's take a walk, you need to work off some of this nervous energy."

Reluctantly, Abby stood up and began following Opie through the parking lot. She knew he would drag her from her spot if she didn't get up. She kept her eyes forward, trying to keep from craning her neck around Opie to see what was going on at the play area. Her anxiety was through the roof as they came to stop on the other side of her car. She felt more nervous here than she did back at the picnic table because now she couldn't see what was going on. "Okay, you got me away from the table, can we go back now?"

"I know you're stressed right now, but you have to let them have their time. You have to let Juice build a relationship with his son." He stopped.

"I hate it when you're the diplomatic one," she scoffed.

With a chuckle, Opie glanced over his shoulder. "I'm going to tell you something, but this is between you and me."

"Yeah, yeah," she mumbled, taking a couple small steps to the side in hopes she could get a glimpse of things, but Opie took her by the shoulders and moved her back. She rolled her eyes as he glared at her. "Fine, you were getting ready to tell me some super secretive information?"

"Jax told me that Clay is going to be getting out soon. That would mean Jax would take over and he wants me to step in as VP."

Abby felt her heart pick up pace at the statement coming from Opie. She thought back to what Tara had told her a few days prior about them leaving town. Obviously, Jax wasn't telling Opie the whole truth; either that or he wasn't being truthful with Tara. Trying to act like she knew nothing, she responded with a "Really?"

He glanced over his shoulder again and then lit a cigarette. "Jax told me that the other day. He's already told Clay that's what he wants, so it's just a waiting game now."

"Have you told Lyla yet?" Abby raised her eyebrow when Opie shook his head no, averting his eyes away from her. "Is this what you want?" she asked.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not going anywhere, so might as well."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," she joked. "Since you're not going anywhere, you can come help me with some remodeling. I'll pay you in beer."

"Well, since you're offering free beer," he teased. Glancing down at his watch, he pointed and said, "It looks like time is up."

Abby rushed back to the picnic table to grab her things. Opie trailed behind her. As she took a few steps toward where the father and son were, Opie placed his hands on her shoulders. Looking her in the eye, he gave her some instructions. "Take a deep breath, smile, and be nice." She escaped his grip and waved him off as she took quick steps toward the fenced-in area.

Juice felt like he was flying high. He woke up that morning, not knowing what to expect when it came time to meet his son. When he got to TM around noon, he was surprised that nobody said a word to him about Lucas coming to see him later. He thought he might have dreamed up the phone conversation he had with Abby the night before. It wasn't until he pulled into the parking lot after being at the warehouse and he saw Abby's car that he realized he wasn't dreaming.

He had seen pictures of Lucas, but it wasn't until he was standing in front his son that he realized how much they resembled each other. Lucas had the signature Munson curls, but everything else looked like him. It took him a second to compose himself. Lucas took to him right away and they had been going nonstop since coming to the play area.

Juice learned so much about Lucas in their short time together, from his fear of mice, to him wanting to be an astronaut when he grew up. That particular piece of information struck Juice. It took him back to a memory of being obsessed with space travel when he was in elementary school.

He heard the squeak of the gate behind him as Juice glanced up. He couldn't suppress the smile that had been on his face this whole time. Picking up the ball that was just kicked in his direction, he directed his attention to Abby. "Lucas was showing me some of his soccer skills. He has a fierce kick." He passed the ball back to Lucas, his smile not disappearing.

"Speaking of soccer," she looked at Lucas then back at Juice. "We need to get to practice." Juice turned to Lucas who was beginning to whine. He saw Abby begin to open her mouth, but before she could say anything, Juice knelt in front of Lucas.

"Buddy, you don't want to miss your practice. You're only going to get better by going to practice and working hard." He glanced over at Abby and then back at Lucas. "I'm sure your mom and I can work something out so we can hang out again real soon."

At that comment, he could see Lucas's eyes light up as he turned to face his mom. "Can I come back tomorrow, mommy?"

With a sigh, she glanced over at Juice. He held her gaze, waiting for her to say something, but he could sense her uncertainty. This was new territory for both of them, and for once, Abigail Munson appeared to be speechless.

"I have some work stuff to do tomorrow, so we will have to plan something for another time, but I will call you tomorrow night." Juice paused and glanced back at Abby. "As long as it's okay with your mom."

He watched Abby give a slight nod at his suggestion. He nodded back at her and started to stand up. Before he could, Lucas had wrapped his arms around Juice's neck and was giving him a hug. He froze at the gesture, but slowly put his arms around the boy and hugged him back. After a few seconds, he finally pulled back. He felt a wave of emotions washing over him and he needed to keep himself together. Everything was going fabulous and he didn't need to have some breakdown on his first meeting with his son.

Juice stood up and walked Lucas over to Abby. "Have a great practice," he paused and faced Abby. "Thank you."

She nodded, not saying anything. He stood watching them walk away hand in hand. Blinking back tears that were starting to sting his eyes, he pulled out his cigarettes and lit one up. Exhaling a cloud of smoke, he stepped out of the gate and turned toward the clubhouse. He saw Opie sitting on the picnic table; with a nod, Juice went back to his place inside the clubhouse.

Tara flipped on the night light and pulled the door shut as she exited Thomas's room. She peeked her head into Abel's room to see him sound asleep, clutching his stuffed dog with one hand and his other arm draped over his head. She smiled to herself as she tiptoed away from the door and out to the kitchen.

As she began picking up the random toys strewn all over the living room, she heard Jax's motorcycle pull into the driveway. It was a little after eight thirty, so she was surprised that he was home so soon, but it was a nice surprise.

"Hey babe," Jax greeted, shutting the door, and grabbing her around the waist as she came over to him. Planting a kiss on her, he pulled back and looked around the room. "Damn, I was hoping I'd make it home in time to say goodnight to the boys."

"I think your mom wore them out today." She pointed to the kitchen. "Want some dinner? I have some leftover spaghetti."

Slipping off his cutte, he nodded. "That would be great. I'm starving."

Tara grabbed the container of food out of the fridge and made Jax a plate. Popping it into the microwave, she glanced over her shoulder at him, sitting with his feet propped up, opening a beer. "How were things at the club today?"

"Pretty uneventful," he answered. "Well, except for Abby bringing Lucas by today to meet Juice."

Tara's hand froze as she reached for the microwave handle. She hadn't talked to Abby since they saw each other at lunch. Even when she saw her at the clubhouse the day before, they didn't talk. Tara got the sense Abby didn't want to talk to her which had her second-guessing telling Abby what was going on in her world.

Walking over to the table, she sat down across from Jax who immediately began scarfing down the plate of food. After a couple minutes went by, Jax put his fork down and looked up at her. "I get the feeling that what I just said was news to you?"

She leaned back in her chair and sighed. "Yeah, Abby isn't exactly speaking to me right now." She studied Jax's face as he continued to stay focused on her. "I told her about our plans."

"Tara," Jax groaned.

With a sigh, she began to defend herself. "You know that Abby and I have always told each other everything." She paused, thinking back to when they were kids. "I was the only one that knew about her plans to run away when she was in tenth grade."

Jax chuckled. "Until Opie was walking past her house as she was dragging out that damn duffle bag of hers. He knew she wasn't staying at my house that night." He stopped and laughed again. "You know, I hated that bag. Do you know how many times I tripped over that fucking thing when she'd stay at ma's house?"

Tara smiled and shook her head. "When we were seniors, I was the first person she told about the party she wanted to have when Bobby left to go on a run to Arizona."

Jax laughed harder. "Yeah, she wasn't going to tell Ope or I about it. Then, I heard that douche Peter Jacobs talking about the party when we were leaving gym class. I may have been the reason ma showed up at Bobby's before the party began." He ducked as Tara threw a balled-up paper towel at him.

"Weren't you pissed at her for giving you the wrong math notes?"

"She did it on purpose because she knew I was going to use them to cheat on my test." Jax shoveled another bite of spaghetti into his mouth, washing it down with a swig of beer. "Look, the two of you have been thick as thieves so this will pass." He reached over and took her hand. "I promise."

She nodded and smiled at him. As she began to say something, there was a knock at the door. Jax stood up, announcing, "I'll get it."

Closing her eyes, she let her head fall back as she listened to muffled voices that slowly got louder as she heard footsteps come into the kitchen.

"Look whose ears were burning," Jax announced.

Tara opened her eyes to see Abby trailing behind Jax. She pushed herself up in her seat and smiled. "Hey."

"So, you two were talking about me, huh?" Abby stopped and stared at Jax. "I know you say only the best things about me," she joked.

He snickered and patted her on the shoulder, "If that's what helps you sleep at night, Munson." Jax laughed as she elbowed him in the ribs. Turning to face Tara, Jax said, "She's here to steal you away from me."

"What?" Tara asked confused.

He slid back onto his chair and nodded. "Rumor has it she bought a house and she wants to take you to see it." Waving toward the front door, he smiled at Tara. "Go have a good time."

Tara got up from her seat and planted a kiss on him. As she stepped into the hallway, she heard Jax yell, "Be careful over there. I hear it's a death trap."

"Shut it, Jackson," Abby yelled back.

When they stepped onto the front steps, Abby opened her bag showing Tara a bottle of wine and two glasses. Tara smiled. "I hope you have an extra one in there for you."

"Let's go have some girl time," Abby chimed.

Tara linked her arm in Abby's as they dashed off toward the car. She smiled to herself, thinking about her conversation with Jax. It always amazed her at how wise he could be at times. As Abby pulled out of the driveway, Tara couldn't wipe the smile off her face. She had the love of her life, her two beautiful boys, and her best friend. Tara Knowles hadn't felt this content in an awfully long time.