Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own OCs/storyline...

She Will Be Loved

Chapter 55: Revealed

By Love Ink

The night of the Charming fundraiser snuck up on Angela. In the week leading up to it, she'd been insanely busy at work, not to mention the cremation oven was on the fritz. Half-Sack was currently her babysitter since the rest of the boys, including Juice, were on a run for the week. She watched Sack pace back and forth in her office, his nervous energy a little contagious. As much as she liked the guy, he was driving her nuts. She put the phone on hold for a minute. "Sack, if you're gonna pace, go out in the hall!" she exclaimed, pointing towards the entryway.

He nodded quickly, walking out with a little hop in his step. She sighed softly, missing Juice and counting down the hours until he finally got home. He'd only been gone for a week, but it felt like months. Taking the phone off of hold, she cleared her throat. "Sorry about that," she told the woman on the other line. "And what was your father's name again?"

"Henry Knowles. He can't remember if he's got a pre-need set up with you. He's on hospice care right now. His liver's giving out, and he's not exactly high up on the list for a transplant," she stated bluntly. "I want to make sure all of his affairs are in order before I head out there."

Angela nodded, filling out the paperwork. "I'm sorry to hear that, Ms. Knowles," she replied, frowning. She knew how much it hurt to lose a father.

"Please call me Tara," she replied, a warm note in her voice. "Don't be sorry. We're not exactly...close."

Tara. The name sounded familiar, though Angela couldn't remember where she'd heard it before. "I'm sorry to hear that, too," she stated awkwardly. She'd already checked through the paper files and was currently searching through the computer to see if there was a prepaid service set up. "Doesn't look like anything is set up under his name, but I can certainly start drawing up the paperwork for you."

"Thank you so much, Ms. Ruiz."

"Angela is fine," she corrected with a smile though she knew Tara couldn't see it. "When will you be back in town?"

Tara sighed softly. "In a few weeks, I suppose. I'm in talks with St. Thomas about a position there, so once the offer is finalized, I'll head out and take care of everything."

She raised an eyebrow; Tara was a healthcare worker. From Chicago. Why did that seem so familiar? "Oh wow! Congrats on the new gig. Are you originally from Charming?"

"Thank you, and yes. Born and raised," she said, a hint of bitterness in her tone. "Swore I'd never come back, but this opportunity is too good to pass up."

"Know how that goes. I'm not from Charming, but I grew up in Oakland. Went to school in New York, and once I graduated, came right back," she explained, trying to build a rapport with her as it usually made making funeral arrangements a little easier on both sides. Grieving for a loved one was easier if a person trusted the mortician taking care of them; it was one less thing they had to worry about. "California is hard to beat."

Tara laughed softly. "That it is. What else do you need from me?"

"Just some specifics on your dad. Age, date of birth, address...all that jazz," she stated before launching into her usual spiel.

After all the forms were filled, they chatted for a bit more. She found Tara was pretty easy to talk to and wondered if they might become friends once she moved back to Charming. Angela went to St. Thomas quite a lot, so they'd probably run into each other every so often. It'd be nice to have a friend close by since most of her friends were out of Oakland and Mayan-connected. Should anything happen with the Sons and Mayans, it'd be hard as hell to get to see them especially now that she was with Juice.

As though the universe knew she was thinking about him, she heard the sound of a Harley outside. Juice. A thrill of excitement raced through her, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face. "So everything is all set. I'll see you in a few weeks to get everything signed," she said, trying to end the conversation a little hastier than she usually would in her excitement to see Juice.

Tara sighed softly. "Okay. I'll see you then. Thanks for all of your help, Angela. You made everything so much easier."

Angela smiled proudly; that was exactly what she liked to hear. "I'm happy to help. Take care and have a safe trip."

She hung up the phone and headed to the bathroom to make herself look more presentable and less like she'd be sweating away in the crematorium. She ran her hands through her hair, pulling it up into a messy ponytail. Swiping her fingers under her eyes, she tried to tidy up the smudged eyeliner before letting out a heavy sigh. She looked as good as she was going to get.

"Hey Ang? Juice is here," Half-Sack called out. "I'm gonna switch places with him."

"Okay! Thanks Sack!" she shouted back. She gave herself one more look over before practically skipping towards the door like an excited school girl, walking out just in time to see Half Sack leave. Her cheeks flushed at the sight of Juice dismounting his bike. She bit her lip, watching the muscles of his arms flex as he moved. He caught her looking and smiled, that big cheesy grin she loved so much. Her breath caught in her throat. "Hey you!" she exclaimed, skipping down the steps and throwing her arms around his neck in a hug.

He hugged her back tightly, lifting her off the ground. He smelled like leather and sweat with a hint of something fresh and wild. The open road. It was sexy as hell. "Hey baby," he murmured in her ear before kissing her cheek. "Missed you!"

She pulled away just enough to press her lips against his. The second their lips connected, butterflies stampeded through her stomach. One of his hands slid down to her ass, grabbing a handful of it. She pressed herself against him, hungry for more. They'd been moving their relationship at a glacial pace, and it was driving her crazy. She wanted him. All of him. It was time to start moving, or the lust she felt was going to consume her. She nipped at his lower lip, feeling triumphant when he groaned in response. He moved her against the wall, his hips pressed against hers so she could feel his hardened length through his pants. She moved one hand front his neck to his belt, teasing the waistband of his jeans, and his hips jerked against hers in the best way.

"Angela?" Skeeter's voice called through the funeral home.

Angela quickly broke apart from Juice, a flush coloring her cheeks. He was breathing hard, his eyes focused on her lips, hand still on her ass. "Fuck me," she breathed, pressing her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart's fast beating against her palm, the same quick beats as her own.

His eyes widened at her words. "Fuck, Angel. You can't just say that," he muttered, his cheeks red. His fingers flexed against her ass. He moved in close to her before whispering, "You don't know how bad I want to."

She raised an eyebrow at him, her mouth falling open. She definitely hadn't been expecting that response. They locked eyes, electricity crackling between them. She wanted him to take her right then and there in the front doorway of the funeral home. But she couldn't. No way. They had places to go and people to see, and an angry Gemma to deal with should she not deliver on making the cornbread she'd promised. She highly doubted telling Gemma she was too busy having sex with Juice to bake would put her in the woman's good graces. She kissed him again, a quicker kiss. "Soon," she promised with a smirk. "Shower's clean in the apartment upstairs. Just don't use all the hot water. I need some to get ready too."

Juice shook his head slowly. "Don't think I'll be usin' any hot water," he muttered, dipping his head to kiss her again. "Cornbread boxes are in my bag. Got like ten of 'em."

Despite her better judgement, she'd decided against making the bread from scratch. She just didn't have the time for it. Out of desperation, she'd texted Juice and asked him to pick up the little blue boxes on his way back. "You're the best! Thank you!" she said, smacking a kiss on his lips. Skeeter called her name again, and she pushed Juice towards the stairs. "Go! I'll be right up."

Juice finished his cold shower, his blood still boiling from the make-out session he'd had with Angela. She was driving him crazy in the best way possible. It'd been hard as hell to be away from her for the week he'd been on a run. Every night, he'd waited for all of his brothers to head to their rooms with or without sweetbutts, so he could call her. They'd spent most of the nights falling asleep on the phone together, talking like they had after Raj died, when she'd still been in New York and he'd been in California. Innocent things that sometimes veered into a bit of steaminess though anything remotely sexual usually ended up with them both giggling. He'd loved every second of it.

He changed into a clean pair of pants and a white t-shirt before pulling his cut over it. He rubbed his palms over the sides of his head and frowned as he felt the prickliness of his scalp. He'd have to shave later. Sighing, he headed towards the kitchen, smiling when he saw Angela rapidly stirring mix in a bowl as she muttered to herself. She'd taken off her fancy work blouse and was just wearing a simple black tank top, the top of a lace bra peeking out over the neckline. A baby blue bra. He couldn't help but stare. He wondered if she was wearing matching panties, something he found himself wondering often. He'd seen some of her underwear collection earlier that year when he'd walked into the laundry room, and they'd been hanging around, drying like the best hanging party decorations he'd ever seen. He wanted to see them on her. Wanted to take them off her, hold them in his hands, keep them in his pocket so he'd always have a piece of her with him.

"I'm so screwed," Angela said, blowing a stray hair out of her face. He snapped out of his dirty thoughts, blinking at her for a moment. She didn't seem to notice he'd zoned out as she gestured to the messy kitchen counter. "This is never going to be done in time! I don't have time for this shit! I fuckin' work! I don't' just sit around a garage I happen to own all day!"

"Yeah, how 'bout you don't say that to Gemma?" he said, leaning against the counter beside her.

Angela shook her head quickly. "This is ridiculous. Why did I say yes to this?" she asked, pouring some of the batter into a pan and shoving it into the oven. She turned to get started on another batch with a sigh.

"Don't think she asked," he said, going to stand next to her. "How can I help?"

She looked a little shocked by his question. "Umm, you can start spraying down the pan, please," she requested, nodding towards the baking pans.

Juice did as he was told, using the cooking spray to spray the pans. "You gonna take long to get ready? We gotta be there in like two hours."

She sighed again, whisking the crap out of the mix in the bowl. "Yeah, yeah. I'll figure something out."

Juice grabbed the bowl from her. "I got this. You go shower. I'll finish the last few batches."

"You sure?"

He nodded, grabbing the box of cornbread. "Think I can follow directions. Probably get the math better than you anyway," he teased, his mind going back to all the times he'd helped her with her math homework.

She rolled her eyes at him, though she looked a little less stressed. "Probably," she agreed on a laugh. She kissed his cheek quickly. "Thanks, baby. I'm gonna shower, and I'll be right back."

"You got it," he said, already doing the math for the recipe in his head. She kissed his cheek again before heading down the hall.

He went about making the rest of the boxes, taking the different pans out of the oven as the timer went off. He grimaced as the first one came out a little too toasted on top while the pan next to it wasn't all the way cooked. "Damn," he murmured to himself, moving around the pans. The oven was old as hell, so he wasn't all the surprised that the temperature wasn't perfect. "Hey Angel!"

"Yeah?" she called back.

He walked back towards the bedroom, stopping in the open doorway when he saw her. She was standing in front of the dust-covered bed wearing nothing but a lavender lace bra and a matching set of lace panties. The answer to his question about whether her panties matched her bra was staring him right in the face. Suddenly, he couldn't remember what he'd gone there to tell her. He was too busy taking in every inch of her exposed skin. From her colorful koi fish tattoo, to the round curve of her hips, to the softness of her stomach...he'd seen it all before when they were at the beach and she was in a bikini, but, for some reason, this time felt different. Probably because this time, he could actually touch her if he wanted to. Feel the lace against his palm in comparison to her soft skin. The idea of it had all of his blood rushing to one place. Then the smell of something burning filled the air.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, turning and running towards the kitchen. He pulled open the oven, coughing a bit as smoke came out of it. The cornbread was burnt beyond saving. Angela laughed behind him, and he whirled around. She was dressed now. Wearing a simple grey v-neck shirt that was tied in the front so that the hem of it was just above her jeans, letting a sliver of her skin peek out, a pair of light jeans that hugged her curves perfectly, and clean, white Adidas tennis shoes. It didn't matter what she was wearing, the image of her in the lavender panties would forever be seared into his brain.

"What happened?" she asked, taking a step closer.

"This fuckin' oven is all over the place heat wise! I don't know what the fuck is wrong with it!" he exclaimed, gesturing to the offending appliance. She bit her knuckle, clearly trying not to laugh. He did his best to scowl at her, but it was hard to be upset when she looked so cute, her dark eyes sparkling with laughter. "Don't laugh at me, Angel. I'm doin' this for you!"

She smiled, slipping her arms around his waist and leaning into his side. "It's much appreciated," she said, squeezing him gently. "It doesn't look that bad."

Juice snorted, looking at the overly brown cornbread. "It's going to be dry as fuck."

"Just this batch. We'll douse it in honey or somethin'. It'll be fine," Angela assured him, dropping her arms from around his waist and putting another pan in the oven. "I just want to get these done and get it over with already. We both know she's going to have her own cornbread anyway because she doesn't trust me. C'mon. One more to go, and we can get out of here. Go have some fun at the carnival or whatever."

"That's the spirit," he said, kissing her cheek. He stepped back and let her get to finishing the last batch, all the while thinking of her and her lace panties. "Hey Ang?"

"Hmm?" she hummed, cutting up the burnt batch and pouring honey over it.

He leaned in close to whisper in her ear. "Lavender looks good on you."

She shivered a little, her cheeks turning pink. Glancing up at him, one eyebrow raised. "Are you into panties, Juan Carlos?" She'd practically purred his full name, rolling the 'r' in a way that set his blood boiling all over again.

"Kinda," he admitted on a nod, swallowing hard as he set his hand on her hip, stroking his thumb over her skin.

"Then I got a collection you're gonna love," she told him with a wicked grin. She caught his lips in a hot kiss, pulling away before he could really get into it. "Not right now though. First cornbread and letting Gemma down. Panties later."

Juice groaned as he stepped away to let her continue. "You're killin' me, smalls," he said, going to stand on the other side of the counter. The more space between them, the better at this time. He needed to cool down. "You really have a collection?"

"Kinda," she parroted shrugging a shoulder. "Guilty pleasure of mine. Makes me feel sexy, confident."

That was intriguing. He'd known Angela for almost five years and knew all about her guilty pleasures of cheesy reality TV shows and Nicholas Sparks romance books, but he never knew about her panty collection. "How come I didn't know that?"

"Not really somethin' you discuss with guy friends," she explained on a shrug. She was quiet for a beat, chewing at the corner of her lip. She cleared her throat after a moment. "Hannah wear special underwear for you?"

"Hannah?" he repeated, wrinkling his nose at the thought. Where had that even come from? "The sweetbutt?"

Angela nodded, turning her back to him to take the cornbread out of the oven. "She had loads to say about you. Said you were sweet, gentle. Not gonna lie, didn't love hearing that."

Juice grimaced, running a hand over his face. He'd had a feeling his past sexual history would come up eventually and had been dreading it. It wasn't like he was insanely promiscuous like Jax, but he'd slept around both in New York and with Hannah in Charming. "She's a nice girl," he said awkwardly.

"Oh yeah?" she replied, still focused on the cornbread, unwilling to meet his gaze. "You two have fun?"

He shifted awkwardly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Sure. Wasn't like I was celibate before...you and me. I mean, I didn't go crazy or anything, but I..."

"Had sex with all the Croweaters?" she finished, both of her eyebrows raised.

"Jesus! No! Just Hannah! Most of 'em don't give prospects a second look!" he exclaimed, feeling like this conversation wasn't going anywhere good. "Feel like I'm walkin' in a minefield here. Yeah, I had sex with Hannah, but that was only 'cause you were with the Mayan and I...how was I supposed to know we'd get together? I'm not a fortune teller."

Angela grimaced, shaking her head. "You're right. This is weird. I dunno why I even brought it up. She just made this comment, and I...didn't know what to do with it."

Juice relaxed a bit, thankful that she didn't seem mad. "Angel, she didn't mean anything to me. Was never any feelings involved," he assured her with a small smile. "Not like with you and Raj or that Mayan. I mean, that was rough to watch. With Raj, it was hard, but I could stomach it knowing he treated you right, but with that Mayan asshole? It was...painful to see you with someone who treated you badly knowing I could treat you so much better."

She stared at him, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape. "How can people say you're not good with words?" she asked, smiling slightly as she shook her head again.

He grinned back at her, a little proud of his answer and her praise for it. "Do my best," he said, watching her for a moment. He narrowed his eyes as he studied her for a moment. "You're not mad are you?"

"Honestly?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. At his nod, she let out a long breath. "I'm just...jealous, I guess. I don't like the idea of her...touching you, and its weird to me that she knows a side of you that I don't."

He liked that she was jealous. He'd spent so much time being jealous of Raj and the Mayan that it was nice to see the tables had turned. As nice as it felt, he didn't want to make her feel bad either. "I mean, you'll get to know that side of me. Soon, I hope. Just like I'll get to know all of your panty collection," he told her with a wink.

She blushed, her laughter filling the room as she threw a dishrag at his face. "Goof."

Gemma watched Angela and Juice as they played monkey-in-the middle with Kenny Winston at the carnival. The two had managed to sneak in, set down trays of over-baked, box-recipe cornbread at the SAMCRO booth and leave without so much as a 'hello'. There had been a little note on top that read, 'Sorry. Too many dead people.' She'd been so preoccupied directing the Croweaters around, she hadn't noticed them drop off the baked goods until they were both practically running away, laughing together like two teenagers who'd just gotten away with something stupid. It was stupid, too. Gemma had given the undertaker the task as a kind of test to see how dedicated she was to the club, and Angela had failed miserably.

"Cornbread's a little dry. Your doing?" Bobby said from her side as he set the cornbread he'd made from scratch on top of the burnt trays. Gemma had asked him to since she hadn't trusted the undertaker to do it well. Her instincts had been right, as they usually were.

"No. Little Miss Undertaker ran out of time," she replied, nodding over to where Angela was currently pretending to miss catching the ball Kenny had thrown. "Apparently boxed cornbread is hard to make, and dead people are very time consuming."

Bobby snickered, messing with the front of his Elvis costume. "That's a damn shame."

Gemma nodded in agreement, setting her hands on her hips. "Can't get a good read on her. What do you make of her?"

"Think she's trouble. Mixin' shit with the Mayans is not gonna do anyone any good if shit hits the fan. I get that she's family, but I think keepin' someone on her at all times is too much. Not sure why it's gotta be one of us on her. Mayans should be the one sacrificin' a member to tail her. We don't got a lot of numbers as it is," he said honestly.

"Her and the Mayan are over," she said on a frown. "Think she's got her sights turned on the prospect now."

Bobby cursed under his breath. "That ain't good. Last thing we need is a reason for the Mayans to turn on us."

Gemma nodded, shaking her head. "My thoughts exactly."

"Nothin' we can really do about it, though," he said on a shrug. "She's Hap's cousin. Hap, Koz, Quinn, they all care about her somethin' fierce. Best we can do is keep an eye on it and make sure that shit doesn't blow back on the club."

"Amen to that," she muttered, looking away with a sigh. She pushed Bobby out of the little stand. "Go do your Elvis shit. Kids are waitin'."

He shoved the rest of the cornbread into his mouth before donning his wig and heading over to another booth where he was helping kids dress up like Elvis with little fake sunglasses and blow up microphones. The kids cheered excitedly when he approached which made Gemma laugh a bit. At least someone was having fun. She glanced again at Juice and Angela. He had his arms around her from behind, trying to get to the football in her hands. Angela's laughter filled the air as she struggled against him before he ultimately let go, both of them grinning at each other in a way that felt a little more sexually charged than was appropriate for a children's carnival. Had they finally crossed that line? A part of her was happy for the prospect; the young guy seriously needed some love. Another part of her knew it could mean trouble for the club, and while she'd told Juice the club would back him, she wasn't so sure it was the best idea. If the Mayans turned against them, someone was bound to get hurt, and it definitely wasn't worth the risk for some silly girl.

Juice stood beside Kozik in front of the stage area, half watching Bobby Elvis perform, half watching Angela compete in the water balloon toss with Kenny. She was grinning from ear to ear as they stepped away from each other after each toss. The water balloon ended up popping on her, soaking the front of her shirt and pants. Kenny gave her a nervous look as if he were afraid she'd be angry, but she laughed it off, holding up a hand for him to high five. The boy grinned up at her in relief, giving her a high five before heading off to join some friends who were running around with NERF guns. As if feeling his eyes on her, she looked up and met his gaze. Her smile broadened, and his heart did that funny skipping thing it seemed to do when she smiled at him like that. She headed towards him, grabbing the beer bottle from his hand and taking a sip of it.

"Nice catch," Jax teased, nodding at her soaked shirt as he and Wendy approached. "Looks like you pissed yourself."

"Gee, thanks," Angela commented sarcastically, rolling her eyes at him. Juice noticed the way both she and Kozik tensed at Jax's presence. Angela's eyes darted to Kozik who looked as though he trying not to look at her. What the hell was that about? She smiled at the couple, a forced smile that looked fake as hell. "You guys enjoying the show or running security for Elvis up there? Looks like the crowd is gettin' rowdy. Might have to break up that mosh pit over there."

Juice ignored Angela and Kozik's odd behavior and chuckled as he looked at the small crowd of dancing kids in front of the stage. They couldn't have been older than elementary school and were dressed like Elvis. Probably part of the little costume booth Bobby had been running before his set. The rest of the crowd was just watching. Some of the older couples were dancing together. "Gotta make sure no one breaks a hip rushing the stage," he said, winking at her.

Angela laughed, handing him his beer back. "He's actually really good," she commented of Bobby's Elvis impersonation with a big grin on her face.

"Lot fatter than the real Elvis," Koz commented on a snicker.

"I think it's real sweet," Wendy said, smiling herself. She nodded to the few couples dancing along to the music. "Look all the couples dancing away. So romantic."

The beginning notes of Can't Help Falling in Love started playing and Jax smirked, holding out his hand to Wendy. "I know a hint when I hear one. Come on," he drawled. "I'll take you for a whirl."

Wendy rolled her eyes, feigning annoyance, but she let him drag her to the dance area. Juice watched them with a small smile. They seemed to be proof that you could have a semi-normal relationship while wearing a cut. He glanced at Angela who was watching them with a frown. Could she be jealous of Wendy? No, she'd assured him she wasn't interested in Jax. Never had been. Still...why did she seem annoyed by the way Wendy and Jax were acting? Was it Wendy that was pissing her off? What did Koz have to do with it all?

He felt an elbow dig into his side and turned to see Kozik smirking at him. Koz nodded at Angela, who was still focused on Jax and Wendy. Juice wasn't sure what the hell he was implying, so he gave him a quizzical look and mouthed, "What?"

Kozik rolled his eyes and jabbed a finger at Angela before gesturing to the people dance. When Juice still didn't get it, he rolled his eyes. "Go dance," he hissed, pointing at Angela.

Then the lightbulb went off; Kozik wanted him to ask her to dance. It might've been a ploy to see if they were together, but he had a feeling saying 'no' would blow their cover more than actually dancing. Plus, he welcomed any excuse to touch her, and as a prospect, if a patched member said to do something, he was expected to do it. Even if it was something as silly as dancing with a pretty girl. He nodded slowly, handing Koz his beer before nudging Angela's arm. She turned towards him, eyebrows raised, and he held out his hand. "Wanna dance?"

Angela's responding smile made his heart do a little flip. She nodded enthusiastically, placing her hand in his and sliding her fingers into the spaces in between his. They walked together to the corner of the dance area farthest away from Kozik so the whole crowd of people was between them which would make it hard for the other man to see. Juice used his hold on her hand to bring her in closer to his chest, holding tightly to one hand while moving the other arm around her waist. She smiled up at him as she moved her arm slightly around his, her hand curling around his shoulder. "I love this song," she told him as they began to sway.

"It's a good one," he replied, his heart beating fast in his chest. He pressed his hand against her lower back, drawing her in even closer so her head was against his cheek. Discreetly, he pressed a kiss to her temple, smiling when she squeezed his shoulder in response.

She was humming to the song, and he could feel the vibrations of it through his chest. He moved their entwined hands closer to his heart, closing his eyes as he held her. He wanted to live in this moment forever. In this single perfect moment with her in his arms dancing to a song he'd never forget. Can't Help Falling in Love. Something that had been true since the day he'd met her. Cheesy as it was, he couldn't help falling in love with her. Over and over again.

She tilted her head back so their eyes could meet. Her dark eyes were sparkling, something in their depths warmed him to his core. He wanted to kiss her. Crowd be damned. "Angel, I..."

Before he could finish the sentence, she kissed him. A soft, warm kiss that turned his insides to mush. Everything seemed to fall away as he got lost in the sensation of her lips against his. He was immersed in every aspect of her. The way she felt pressed against him, her warm touch, the pressure of her soft lips against his. It was all just perfect.

The next song started, a fast, loud song that was anything but romantic. The crowd started moving at a faster pace, no one paying them any attention. Still, he found himself scanning through the crowd, hoping they hadn't been seen. "It's okay," she said on a laugh.

"Yeah?" he asked, distracted by the way her lipstick was just a little smudged.

She squeezed his hand, lifting her other hand from his shoulder to wipe at his mouth, which must've also had lipstick on it. "Yeah. I don't think we're fooling anyone," she said on a smirk. "And I'm tired of trying to. It seems a little...stupid."

He tried to stop himself from grinning like a little kid; he loved the idea of not hiding anymore. Of being able to touch her whenever he wanted to, tell the world she was his. "You're sure?"

She nodded, kissing him again quickly. "I mean, we don't gotta announce it or anythin', but I...don't want to hide. There's nothin' wrong about me and you being together. No reason to keep it a secret. It was stupid to think we could."

"Whatever you want, baby," he said, keeping hold of her hand as they walked away from the dancing crowd. He loved that he didn't have to let her go. That she was just as tired of hiding as he was. He didn't want to make a big deal of it, though, not wanting to pressure her one way or another. "Want to split a celebratory churro?"

"Sounds amazing," she said on a laugh. She swung her hands between them as they headed towards the churro stand.

"I knew it!" Kozik exclaimed to no one in particular as he watched Angela and Juice kiss again. "I fuckin'...Hap!"

Happy had just walked by and stopped when he heard his name called. He headed towards him, a bowl of chili in his hand. "What?"

He nodded towards where Juice was standing behind Angela, his arms around her as they waited in line for churros. The idiot turned and pressed a kiss to her temple, and she grinned up at him. "Called it. Pay up!"

"Nah, past the time limit," Happy stated, shaking his head. "I said it'd be after the run, 'member? You pay up."

Kozik cursed under his breath in disappointment; he thought Hap might've forgotten the other part of it. He should've known better, though; Hap didn't mess around when it came to money. "Whatever," he muttered, digging in his pocket and handing him a fifty dollar bill out of his wallet. He watched them for a long moment. "Least she looks happy."

Happy nodded as he stuck a spoonful of chili in his mouth. "Good."

"That idea he brought up about the club payin' for the funeral home's oven. What do you make of it?"

" 's a good idea," he obliged on a little shrug. He frowned though. "Puts her too close to club shit, though. Makes the place a target."

"Yeah, that ain't good, but it'd be super helpful to burn shit instead of buryin' it. Less of a trail."

Happy considered it for a long moment. "We'll let the idiot bring it up once he gets a full patch. Ain't like we gotta act now anyway. Kid's still lookin' for a way to fund it. We got time," he said, shrugging. He narrowed his eyes again, focusing on the couple. "More concerned about the Mayans. This shit ain't gonna sit well with that asshole."

"Yeah," Kozik agreed on a breath. He knew Happy was worried about retaliation. Worried that his little cousin might've fucked up the tenuous alliance the Sons and Mayans had by leaving the asshole even though he deserved it. "Alvarez'll keep him in line, though."

He nodded in agreement. "Hope so. If he don't, I will."

Koz ran a hand over his face knowing exactly what Happy meant. "Hap, we've been over this. You can't kill him."

Happy considered his words for a moment before shrugging. "Not yet."

Thought I'd post a silly fluffy chapter! :)
Let me know what you think!
💙

~Love Ink