Chapter 24

"You're not staying?" I asked when Happy didn't get off the motorcycle. He shook his head and turned the bike off so I could hear him.

"I've got to take care of something with the club. I shouldn't be too late." I was more disappointed than I thought I would be. "Hey, you knew what you were getting into."

"Yeah, I know. It's just the hormones I guess. I'll make sure to lock the doors. Be careful." I said, kissing him briefly before he started the bike back up and walked it back out of the driveway. He watched me from the street until I was safely inside the house. I changed into a pair of yoga pants and one of his t-shirts before I settled onto the couch with my laptop. We hadn't talked about it yet, but I wanted to start looking at houses so we weren't still living in Tara's house when the baby was born. The market in Charming could be pretty slim since no one ever really left, so I knew it could take a while to find the right place.

I must have fallen asleep on the couch because the next thing I knew, Happy was carrying me into the bedroom. I pressed my cheek to his shoulder until I recognized the smell on his clothes. It was smoke. I was used to the cigarette smoke on his clothes but this was different. This was the kind of smoke that Hank could never really scrub off his skin after a 48-hour shift. My throat started to feel dry and scratchy.

"You smell like smoke." I choked out. He laid me down on the bed and nodded, shrugging his kutte off. I swallowed hard but the tears still started building up in my eyes. Happy stopped in the middle of pulling his shirt off. He seemed to realize why that may have bothered me.

"Lexie. Hey, nobody got hurt. The Nords had this meth house inside Charming and Hale wasn't doing anything about it. We took the house down but nobody was inside, okay?" I ground my teeth together and gave him a little nod. I didn't really care if any Nords got hurt. Still, the smell of that smoke made my stomach churn. "I'm taking a shower. Go to sleep, baby."

"Yeah." I said, pulling the sweatpants off before I scooted down in the bed and pulled the sheet and blanket over me. I hadn't thought about Hank in a few weeks and I felt guilty. My mind started clouding with guilt and self doubt. Was it wrong for me to be with someone else so soon? Should I have stayed in Georgia to honor his memory? With every question, my stomach flipped over and over until I had to rush out of the bed and hurl myself at the toilet to keep from getting sick in the floor.

"Lexie? You okay?" Happy got out of the shower quickly, still covered in body wash. I nodded just before my body lurched again. It was bad enough that I was feeling confused about what was going on. I didn't want to hurt Happy by telling him. I wasn't even sure if it was real guilt or hormones.

"Sorry. You can finish showering." I said, pulling myself up with help from the bathroom counter. Happy frowned and tucked my hair behind my ear. I felt flush and lightheaded.

"I should have taken a shower at the clubhouse. I'm sorry, Lexie." I blinked a couple times, wondering what he was talking about. He sighed and kissed my forehead. "Alexis, I can see it in your eyes and you're a horrible liar."

"I love you." I choked, hoping he wasn't taking my reaction the wrong way. He smiled and shook his head, giving me a wave of panic.

"I know. Go lay down." He said. I took a deep breath and my stomach started to settle a little. I waited until he was back in the shower to walk into the bedroom. I couldn't understand how I could be so lucky to be with someone who understood me so well. Not only that, he was patient and understanding. I doubted anyone would ever believe me if I told them that.

Happy's arm was around my waist when I woke up the next morning. I didn't move, despite really needing to use the bathroom. I just wanted a few more minutes before I had to leave the comfort of our bed and his arms. His breath was warm on the back of my neck and gave me little goose-bumps up and down my arms. He pressed his lips onto my skin gently and all the hairs on my body stood on end. I rolled over to face him. His eyes were still closed but he was obviously awake.

"Morning." He muttered, eyes still closed. I smiled and kissed his lips. He opened his eyes, just barely, before closing them again. I shook my head and kissed him again, this time nipping his bottom lip as I pulled back. He opened his eyes all the way and quickly rolled us over so I was on top of him. I giggled and rubbed my palms from his chest to his shoulders. I felt his member twitch beneath me and I couldn't help a satisfied smirk. He ran his hands up my thighs to rest on my hips.

"Morning." I whispered before flicking my tongue over his ear. He moaned and squeezed my hips. I moved down to his neck and kissed the sensitive spot just over his rapidly pulsing vein. He rolled his head back, giving me even more access as I moved around his neck and down his chest. I lightly bit his nipple and that was it. He shoved me off of him and quickly discarded his underwear before he moved on top of me. I lifted my hips and he yanked my underwear off and threw them over his shoulder.

The next forty minutes was better than anything I'd ever experienced, even with him. My body was overwhelmed with ecstasy and my mind couldn't think of anything but how it felt. He was rough and gentle at the same time. Caring and demanding at the same time. I couldn't get enough but I couldn't take anymore if I wanted to keep breathing. It was too much and not enough at the same time.

"Damn, Alexis." Happy said, his chest rising and falling rapidly from beside me. I nodded and hugged my pillow to me, staring at the ceiling and waiting for the come down. "Shit."

"I know." I sighed. "Will you make me pancakes?"

"Pancakes? I'm pretty sure you came at least four times and you want me to make you pancakes?" Happy asked with a laugh. I nodded, still staring at the ceiling.

"You knocked me up. You make the pancakes." I said, patting his chest. He laughed and got out of bed, cleaning himself off with his towel from last night. I leaned up and watched him pull on underwear and a pair of gym shorts. "Where are you going?"

"To make pancakes." He grumbled. I smiled and hurried out of the bed and into the bathroom so I could be out of the shower when they were done. As I lathered myself with soap, I noticed my hips weren't as pronounced as they used to be. It was the first physical evidence of our pregnancy, besides throwing up all the time. I finished showering quickly before hurrying into the kitchen, my hair still dripping.

"Look!" I said, pointing at my stomach. Happy raised his brow after turning around quickly. His brow fell into nearly a scowl. "Happy, look. I'm getting a baby bump."

"You're insane. If anything your stomach is getting flat instead of sunk in. You look good." Happy said, turning back to the stove. I poked my bottom lip out and crossed my arms over my chest. "Pouting isn't going to change it. Don't worry, you're going to get fat."

"So, first I was apparently too skinny. Now I finally look good and soon I'm going to get fat. Real nice, Lowman." I fought back the laughter and the smile, hoping to trick him into thinking I was mad. He looked back at me and rolled his eyes.

"You forgot that I also said you're insane. If you keep standing there naked the pancakes are going to burn." He said, shaking the spatula at me. I grunted and turned on my heel, hurrying down the hall just as someone knocked on the front door. I quickly braided my hair and got dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"Jax? What are you doing here?" I asked, taking the plate of pancakes Happy offered to me. He was sitting at the bar and swiveled around in the chair as I walked past on my way to the table.

"What did you say to Tara?" He asked, sitting down across from me. Happy sat down at the end of the table between us with a cup of coffee.

"I told her to have a backbone and not let you get away with your usual shit." I said, pouring syrup over my pancakes in a thin swirl. Jax leaned back in the chair quickly and let out a huff. "What? You always screw shit up because you can't keep it in your pants when things get serious"

"That was years ago, Alexis. I'm not doing anything with Ima like you made Tara think." I almost choked on my breakfast.

"Like I made Tara think? You're the one that had the gash on your back last night. I just told Tara to say something before it was too late. Trust me, that girl isn't worth the woman you could lose." I said, stabbing my pancakes a little hard. Happy looked over at me cautiously. Jax shook his head and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Jax, I'm on your side. I want you and Tara to make it work. I just don't want you to undermine what you have by not communicating."

"You really think that she was worried I would do something with Ima?" Jax asked, his body relaxing. I could tell the argument was over and he was finally starting to listen to me. I shrugged and spoke with a mouth full of pancakes.

"I think you interrupted my breakfast when you should be asking your old lady that question instead of your sister." I said. Happy smirked and looked to Jax for a response. Jax nodded and walked around to my side of the table.

"I love you, princess." He kissed the top of my head before giving Happy a quick hug and leaving. I glanced at Happy once the front door was closed.

"You can't help but get involved, can you?" He asked. I scowled at him and put my fork down. "Lexie, I get it. He's your brother and she's your best friend. You can't fix everything though."

"I'm not trying to fix anything. I just gave her a little push to hopefully stop anything from having to be fixed. There's a difference." I argued. Happy shook his head. "Are you mine all day?"

"I need to work on the bike before the toy run and the Cara Cara wrap party is tonight." He said. I rolled my eyes and leaned back.

"We have to go to that?" I groaned. He shrugged and I gently kicked him with my bare foot. "I'm not sitting home while you get lap dances."

"Then I guess you're going." He said, grabbing my plate to take it back into the kitchen. "I'm leaving for the garage in a few minutes. Be there by nine."

"Okay. I'm going to clean and maybe ride around past some houses that are on the market." I said, hoping he wouldn't object. He nodded and kissed me before going to get dressed.

After cleaning up after breakfast, I cleaned the rest of the kitchen and the living room before putting our sheets in the washer. I wasted some time looking online and ordering some pregnancy books before getting in the car and driving around Charming, hoping to find something that I didn't see online. There were a couple places for sale by owner, but they were on the wrong side of town and too close to a Nord hotspot. I gave up and headed back to my temporary home.

I looked around as I walked up towards the front door. There was a brown, paper shopping bag sitting on the porch. It wasn't there when I left and I knew that if Happy had gotten something he'd have taken it inside. Anyone else would have called one of us. People didn't just leave things outside, not even in Charming. I glanced around, looking for anything to lead me to believe it may be something hazardous. Eventually, I picked it up and opened it slowly. I froze and the bag fell to the ground, the white mask tumbling out of it. It was one of the masks the men wore when they raped me.

"Why can't this just be over?" I asked the empty house as I searched the drawers for a lighter or matches. Wasn't it bad enough that I'd been raped over and over again by those men? Why couldn't it end at that? I found a matchbook from the Hairy Dog and headed out to the back yard. As the mask melted and shriveled, I realized what this was about. I hadn't done what they'd wanted me to. I hadn't delivered their message to the club. I walked back inside to get away from the fumes and turn my back on the smoldering mask. I wasn't going to let them win, no matter how many trinkets they left me.

"Have you seen Jax's sister? I'd love to show her a good time." I gripped Happy's wrist to keep him from drawing his Glock on the prospect. Tig was facing Half-sack so he could see both Happy and I. He was trying to help the kid out, shaking his head and trying to get him to stop talking. "Seriously, if Happy'd let me in there I'd just need one time."

"Say that shit again and my old lady ain't going to be able to stop me from killing your dumb ass." Happy growled, grabbing the back of the prospect's kutte. I stopped trying to hold him back. It was useless. "Leave. Now."

"Hap, I. Uh. It was a compliment, you know?" Half-sack said, backing away. All Happy had to do was lift the front of his shirt and he got the message. He was gone. Tig shook his head and walked up to give me a hug. I laughed and wrapped my arms around him.

"How you feeling, sweetheart?" Tig asked, stepping back. It was strange to see him serious but I guess that was what happened when someone you cared about was raped and assaulted. I was ready for things to go back to normal, for everyone to stop looking at me like I was a victim. I smiled and told him I was good. I was good, for the most part. Happy kissed the base of my neck before walking over to the open bar. "He's crazy about you."

"Likewise." I said with a happy smile. I caught Ima walking across the room out of the corner and rolled my eyes. I knew she would be there, the party was for her movie after all. I just hoped to luck out and not see her. Jax was over by a purple couch talking to Opie and Juice and Ima seemed to be making a bee-line for him. I was just about to go over there when I saw Happy walking over to Jax. I remembered what he said about getting involved and decided to see where it was going to go for a few minutes. Tig excused himself to chase a red head, so I texted Tara to find out where she was.

As I waited for her to reply, I looked around the room and realized that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed this party if I wasn't sober. This wasn't like a club party at all. Instead of being all about the guys, the attention was definitely on the women, the stars. I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my virgin Cape Cod, otherwise known as cranberry juice. Ima was half leaning and half sitting on the back of the couch by Jax. She was twisting one of her pigtails around her fingers and smiling like a star-struck tween. I was tired of standing around by myself so I crossed the room and joined Happy and the others, unfortunately including Ima.

"Hey girl. You done being a loner?" Happy asked, guiding me to his side with a hand on my hip. I nodded and leaned into him.

"I was waiting for Tara. She should be here any minute though." I gave Jax a quick but pointed look before turning my attention to Opie.

"How you doing, Ope?" I asked, knowing at least some of what he was feeling. He nodded and took a drink of what I assumed was whiskey. It seemed like that was the only response I was going to get out of him. I should have known better than to expect anything more. Opie had a habit of bottling things up.

"Do you want another drink?" Juice asked, breaking the tension. I looked down at my near empty cranberry juice and shrugged. "Vodka cranberry?"

"Uh, just cranberry juice." I said. We still hadn't made any big announcement. Jax and Tara were the only ones who knew about the baby. Happy and I were planning on going to tell his mother after my doctor's appointment and then telling Mom and everyone else at the next Sunday dinner. It was still early. Most people I knew didn't make any announcements until after the first trimester and I still had a couple weeks to go until then.

"UTI?" I blinked and Happy slowly turned his head to look at Juice. He lifted a shoulder and looked around. "What? My Mom used to get them and she'd always drink cranberry juice."

"Go get the damn drink, idiot." Happy snapped. He shook his head as Juice walked away. "Kid knows to much and says even more."

My phone vibrated and I checked the message quickly, hoping it was Tara. It was. She was just pulling in and asked where we were. I replied immediately.

"Thank god. Tara's finally here." I grumbled, ready to have my best friend when I was so outnumbered by women that just saw me as competition. Happy nodded towards where Ima had been standing.

"Looks like she took the hint. Surprised you didn't claw her eyes out." Happy chuckled. I raised my hands with palms towards me.

"I just had my nails done." I said. Jax and Happy both laughed this time. I shrugged and dropped my hands as I looked over my shoulder for Tara. I sighed. "I'm going to go see what's taking her so long."

I assumed she might be sitting out in her car giving herself a pep-talk or maybe having a rare cigarette or joint. I knew she was even more hesitant about coming to the party than I was. Tara was standing toe to toe with Ima when I finally found them near the entrance.

"Invite only and you are not on the list." Ima said, hands on her bare hips. Tara's jaw was set. I recognized the look in her eye from high school, back when she wasn't above giving a gash a well deserved beat down. I strode over and took Tara's hand.

"Without Jax, Cara Cara would have folded and he's been waiting for you. Let's go." I said, pulling her past Ima. The bleach blonde scoffed loudly. It was reminiscent of a toddler that didn't get a toy at the grocery store. Tara groaned once we were out of earshot. "Don't. Anyone can buy tits and fake an orgasm in front of a camera. You're my best friend and Jax's old lady. You keep your head up."

"You're starting to sound like your mother." Tara said with a laugh. I turned back and gave her a scowl just before we got to Happy, Juice and Jax, Opie seemed to have disappeared while I was gone.

"Took you long enough." Jax said, pulling Tara to him and giving her a kiss. I took the cranberry juice that Juice offered me and leaned against the couch.

"We ran into a gargoyle on our way over." I explained. Happy looked over at my out of the corner of his eyes but I just shrugged. "There are way too many women in here. It's like a taco party."

"A what?" Juice said, spitting his beer out in a shower of mist. I laughed and lifted my shoulder like he'd done earlier.

"A taco party. It's like a sausage fest, you know? Just instead of it being mainly men it's mainly women." I explained. Juice laughed and clutched at his ribs and Happy covered his brow with his hand and just shook his head. "What? It makes sense."

"I'm with you." Tara said, glaring over at Ima as she sauntered over. She really was a gargoyle. Her head was hard as stone. "What, Ima?"

"I was here first, keeping Jax company until you got here." I opened my mouth to argue the validity of that statement but Tara was already storming off. I looked at Jax expectantly. It only took him a second to hurry after her.

"You're either really brave or really stupid and I'm leaning towards the latter. I'm not going to warn you again. Stay away from Jax and Tara." I said, stepping up towards Ima. She straightened her posture and looked my right in the eye. I didn't falter. I wasn't afraid of her.

"Lexie," Happy whispered into my ear as he pulled me over. I was still staring Ima down. "I'm leaving early tomorrow. Need some time to say goodbye."

I knew he was distracting me but the offer of sex mixed with my raging hormones was too much to turn down. I moaned and turned my head quickly, catching his mouth with my lips. He welcomed my kiss and slid his tongue over mine, urging me to his will even more. I turned and clutched the front of his kutte. Happy grabbed my hips and pushed my ass against the back of the couch. I felt my body heating up quickly.

"Not here." I panted, managing to pull myself away from him. He nodded and groped my breast one more time before stepping back to let me off the couch. I didn't bother to hunt Ima down and give her a good bitch slap like I'd planned. I hoped that Tara could handle herself and that Jax wouldn't make her after our discussion over pancakes. I needed to get home to give my man a proper send-off before the charity run the following morning.