With Erica now in our home, I couldn't be more thrilled to have her here.
Yet, that beautiful feeling that caused my heart to swell was quickly being cloaked in worry and concern for my vengeful husband.
That turmoil was making it harder to hold a smile upon my face.
"Before either of us dive into any conversation, I gotta say this," Erica stated as she rubbed her swollen baby bump.
"Sure, go right ahead," I replied, taking the lead into the sun-lit kitchen.
"I thought you were gorgeous in your wedding photo.. Yet you stun even more in person. That shouldn't be possible because it's inhumanely unfair."
I chuckled, feeling my cheeks grow flush in embarassment.
I don't know about you ladies, but do you ever get called beautiful or gorgeous the most when you feel and or look like a hot fucking mess?
You do? Okay, good.
It's not just me.
"Aww, thank you Erica. But, you're not hard on the eyes either. If I swung that way, I'd make you mine," I teased.
"Baby bump and all?"
"Especially with the bump."
We both entered into a fit of laughs, feeling any awkwardness and tension disintergrate between us.
"Now that we got the undeniable sexual tension out of the way, can I get you something to eat or drink? Or both?", I offered, pulling out a chair for her.
"A glass of water would be great. Thanks."
"Comin' right up," I smiled, heading over to the cabinet to take out a glass for my guest.
While retrieving her glass of water, I made the attempt to reach out to Jax.
I'm sure each and one of you guessed correctly as to what happened next.
Yup, you guessed correct.
Right to fucking voicemail.
"Hey, it's me. If you can, please give me a call back as soon as you can. I have someone here I'd really like you to meet. Her name's Erica and she's the one I told you about last night. You know, the one who selected us to be potiential parents for the baby boy she's currently carrying. If you don't get this in time, it's fine. She's coming back again on Frida..."
The voicemail cut me off, ending the call completely.
Slightly annoyed, I slid my phone back into my fitted jean's pocket, setting the glass of water in front of Erica.
"Can't get a hold of Jax, huh?"
"Yeah, it looks like it. That just means more girl talk for us."
"True," she smiled, taking a sip of her ice cold water.
"Hey Melanie.."
"Please, feel free to call me Mel."
"Okay. Before we start talking about the baby, can I ask you a question?"
"Absolutely."
"What's with all the men in leather surrounding your house?"
Oh Shit.
Why did I not think she was going to ask me about that?
Then again, this is my normal.
Not necessarily everyone else's.
Think Mel, think.
"While Jax was inside, I ended up having a dizzy spell that landed me in the hospital. So, he came up with the idea of having a lumpsome of eyes on me to make sure I'm good when he's not home."
Not too bad of a response that I came up with on the fly, right?
Well, we'll find out when she reacts and go from there.
"That's nice of him to have a large number or hot guys in leather to look out for you. I'm lucky if I recieve a text back."
Erica is so not what I was expecting.
She was far better.
A half hour has nearly passed with no returned phone call from Jax.
In that time span, I got myself a glass of water and allowed Erica to tell me about herself.
She's in her senior year of college, majoring in criminial science.
She is not originally from California, but from Boston.
Though almost every college has criminal science as a major, Erica always wanted to live here in California since her favorite season is summer.
The pregnancy that led her to sitting in our kitchen was from a late night hookup with her ex-boyfriend after a grueling final.
Her ex made it known that he didn't want a baby now or even later in life.
In which, she ultimately felt the same way.
She didn't have the heart to abort the baby, so she decided to give the little man to a deserving family.
But, she's been picky about the potiental families.
How picky, you ask?
Erica here is due in less than two weeks.
I kno..
Before I could mull over any more information about Erica, the front door was unlocked and opened.
Please let it be my husband. Please let it be my husband.
Jax peaked into the kitchen, our eyes instantly making contact.
He quickly shrugged off his kutte, tossing it onto the arm of our black leather couch located a few feet away.
"You must be Erica," he stated as he officially entered the kitchen.
"Yup, that's me. Nice to meet you," she replied as she lightly shook his ringed left hand.
"Likewise darlin'."
He gave me a small smirk, bending down slightly, giving me a kiss on the lips.
I, of course reciprocated and tapped the empty seat next to me for him to join us.
"So, what did I miss?", he asked as he rested his right arm on the back of my chair.
Jax walked Erica to her car while I watched from the kitchen window, allowing my mind to be overrun with the beautiful possibility of having another son in less than two weeks.
As she began to pull her vehicle out of the driveway, I moved away from the window, going back to my mental list of house chores.
Jax made his way back inside, sighing at the sight of seeing me spray and wipe down the living room table.
"You're supposed to be taking it easy, Mel."
"I am. Cleaning the table isn't strenuous," I stated as I sprayed the table some more.
He visibly disagreed by shaking his head and plopped himself down onto the couch.
"Mel.."
I looked up at him, seeing him pat his lap.
I set the spray and cloth down onto the table, taking a seat onto his sturdy lap.
"So, what do you think? I really like her. She's definitely not your average twenty two year old girl," I pointed out as my fingers played with his rapidly growing locks.
"Yeah, she isn't. That's probably why I like her too."
" How do you feel about the extremely narrow time frame?"
"I'm more than okay with it. Me and the guys will start getting the spare room set up the moment the state gives us the go ahead."
"And what will I be doing?"
"You'll supervise."
"What's the fun in that?"
"I'll make sure it's enjoyable, darlin'."
"Okay Teller. I'm takin' your word for it."
He smiled, kissing the side of my head.
Jax fell silent before brushing a piece of my hair behind my left ear.
"Mel.."
"Yeah baby?"
"I just want to say I'm sorry for how I acted this morning."
"It's okay."
"No, it's not."
"You're right, it's not," I agreed, causing him to chuckle.
"I can't just do shit on the whim anymore. I have our family to think about. I promise, I'll work harder on that."
"Sounds like a plan. And, I promise to try harder at relaxing."
"Really?"
"No."
We exchanged a smile in perfect sync with a passionate kiss to follow.
"You know, we still haven't had a honeymoon," he mumbled with his lips still on mine.
As I pulled away, my mouth went agape.
"Holy shit, you're right. And, we never really had a proper anniversary either. I mean, I brought in the same cupcakes Gemma and I made the day we got married to Stockton, but they were confiscated due to possible contraband hidden within them."
"That settles it then."
With me still on his lap, he lifted his hips up from the couch cushion to retrieve his cellphone.
"Who are you calling?"
"Piney. Once Friday hits, no matter what happens, we're going up to the cabin for a week."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Well, maybe we should wait until you're healed."
"Jax, sex heals all. We're doing this Friday."
"Are you sure."
"Never been more sure."
"Okay."
"What about Clay? Do you think he'll really let you step away from the club for a week regardless of what we know?"
"That's exactly why he'll have no choice but to let me go. Don't worry darlin', I'll handle Clay. You should only worry about the inevitable cramping that will occur on our trip."
Later That Night:
Jax pulled into the Teller-Morrow parking lot, parking his bike only a couple of feet away from the dimly lit office.
Jax removed his leather gloves, shoving them into his back pocket.
"Come in."
Jax opened the door, recieving a half smile from his battered mother.
"Hey baby."
"Hey mom, what are you still doing here?"
"Catching up on work," she replied as she removed her glasses.
"What brings you here this late?"
"I'm here to see Clay. Unser made it known that he hasn't left the clubhouse since church this morning."
"Be careful, Jackson, " she warned as he turned his back to leave.
"I will," he reassured her as he walked away with a sense of urgency behind each and every step he took.
When he pushed open the church's wooden door, Clay just lit a fresh cigar.
"Hey son," he greeted as he took a long drag from the cigar balancing between his teeth.
Not saying anything back, Jax made his way closer to Clay.
His stepfather's brows furrowed in confusion, the unwelcome feeling causing him to sit further back in his chair.
Jax lunged at Clay, knocking him and the chair onto their backs.
His hands immediately gripped Clay's throat with his fingertips burrowing themselves deeper into his skin with every passing second.
Jax's anger filled eyes stayed locked with Clay's as he quickly reached back, pulling out his long knife from it's leather holder.
Once Clay's eyes began to roll to the back of his head, he let go of his neck with his other hand, setting the blade in its place.
"Why are you doing this, Jax," Clay choked.
"I know about the letters. I know what you did to Mel, my mother. I know everything," he growled, sliding the blade across his throat, drawing blood.
"What did Gem..'
Jax lifted his upper body, slamming it back down.
"You don't get to ask fucking questions, you piece of shit. This is what is going to happen next. I'm gonna be gone for a week. When I get back, you will step down from being president. If you don't, I'll bring the letters to the club and the evidence I have that you tried to kill my wife to keep her silent. I'm sure wondering why you're not already dead."
Clay nodded, the movement only making Jax angrier.
"I need you alive to keep the Irish happy. Once that fact ceases to exist, you won't ever see the light of day again. You stay the hell away from my family."
Jax stood to his feet, immediatey kicking him in the ribs.
Jax's eyes shifted from his stepfather over to the still lit cigar that rolled only a few feet away from them.
While Clay clutched at his bleeding throat now laying in a fetal position, Jax picked up the cigar, putting it out on Clay's left hand, causing him to left out a blood curdling scream.
"You might wanna ice that," he stated before he spit at him in pure disgust.