Tara POV
I wasn't sure how Gemma had managed it, but she'd somehow crammed every biker, every old lady, every crow eater, every TM employee and all of their children into the Teller home. Well, most of the revelry spilled into the backyard but they were all there just the same. I had told Gemma I was fine with the cold turkey sandwiches at my house for Thanksgiving but she wouldn't hear of it. So there I sat, peeling potatoes in the Teller family kitchen.
"Sweetheart, have you heard from Adam? I thought he would be here by now." Gemma inquired.
"I talked to him a little while ago. I think he was going to wait a little bit before he came by." I didn't add that he was planning on coming at the very last second in hopes of avoiding the discord between he and Jax as long as possible. He knew there was no way Gemma would let him off the hook for Thanksgiving dinner, but he didn't want to be there any longer than he had to.
Gemma set her gaze on me, probing for more details. I shrugged. "You know how he is," I offered.
She nodded in understanding. I didn't have to explain it to her. I knew she knew. One thing Gemma wasn't was stupid.
"You're sure he's coming though, right? He has a ride?"
I dropped the last potato in the pot and looked back at her. "I don't know, Mrs. Teller. He said he was going to figure it out. I'm not sure what that means really…. He's been a little cryptic lately," I explained.
It was true. I couldn't really explain what was going on between me and Adam. He had started taking my calls again and we were still hanging out, but something between us had shifted. I still got small glimpses of the Adam I knew, but as a whole, he'd closed himself off. I couldn't tell if it was intentional or just a subconscious way of dealing with shit, but there was definitely distance there. I hoped he would come around. Maybe, with enough support, he would snap out of it. That's what I was hoping for at least.
Gemma put her arm around me and gave me a gentle squeeze. She pushed the hair away from my face and looked at me, "He's gonna be okay, honey. Just give him some time. I'll send one of the prospects to sweep him up."
"Thanks, Mrs. Teller."
XOXOXOX
Jax POV
Opie and I sat on the back deck watching the older men play horseshoes.
Opie cracked open a beer and looked over at me.
"Frankie and Ryan coming?"
"Nah. They're doing the family thing. Plus, I think Ryan's trying to meet up with Chelsea if he gets a break," I told him.
"Which one's Chelsea? The red head?" Opie asked.
"Nah, she's blonde. Big tits," I described.
Opie's face showed no recollection.
"You'd know her if you saw her."
He nodded. "Woodley coming out?" he asked with a grunt.
I felt my temper rustling quietly.
"Yeah, mom invited him. I don't think he's stupid enough to blow Gemma off."
"You think you guys can make it through the meal without starting world war three?" Opie asked.
"Hope so," I joked. "No, I'm not that stupid. I'm not trying to ruin mom's Thanksgiving. No way I'd get out of that alive."
Opie laughed. "Probably smart."
I took out a cigarette and we sat in silence for another moment.
"Tara?" Opie asked.
I inclined my head toward the house. "She's inside helping mom and Luanne. I tried to rescue her but she said it would be 'impolite to bail.'"
"Always a people pleaser," Opie observed.
I shrugged. "Maybe one day she'll get over it… start doing some shit for herself for once instead of everyone else."
"Doubt it.
The back door slid open and mom leaned out. "Prospect!" she yelled.
The new guy, Greasy, snapped to attention. He looked terrified of the club matriarch but dutifully headed into the house.
"Think he'll make it?" I asked once Greasy closed the door.
"Who? Greasy? I don't know man; too early to tell. He's not much of a mechanic. Hopefully he's better with club business than he is an engine. You hear about that drive shaft he cracked? Don't even know how the hell he managed that. I thought Clay was gonna lose his shit when he saw it."
We sat quietly for a few more minutes until we heard the door slide open again. Tara walked out, immediately lighting a cigarette.
"My mom driving you that crazy, Knowles?" I asked.
She inhaled deeply and exhaled before smiling.
"No way. Peeling potatoes is easy shit. I'm just glad I can help," she paused. "It's a fucking madhouse in there though," she conceded.
"What are you bums doing? Besides letting all the women do the work?" she asked good naturedly.
"Now, now, little miss. That's where the women belong – in the kitchen," Piney piped up.
The death glare Tara shot at him could've pinned him to the wall.
Piney held up his hands defensively. "I'm just kidding little lady. I know. It's the 90's. You're empowered women now, right?"
Tara smacked his belly playfully. "Well maybe it's good we keep you out of the kitchen."
We laughed.
"Dinner almost ready?" he asked her.
Tara took another drag. "Yeah, I think so. They're letting the turkey sit or something. Should be about 15 minutes I think."
"You're an angel," Piney told her before heading over to the nearest cooler for another beer.
XOXOXOX
Tara POV
The prospect finally returned with Adam and Gemma went about rounding up the raucous group for dinner. Jax and Opie came through the back door with the rest of the guys and Jax caught my eye. He offered a brief smile before his eyes landed on Adam, and he turned away.
We all crammed around the massive mahogany table. The kids sat at makeshift tables spread around the house. Some of the group opted to make their plates and eat in the backyard, but the club members, their families, Adam and I sat in the dining room.
Everyone stuffed themselves full. I looked down the table to see Opie's plate stacked, literally piled with food. I shook my head, certain that he'd be able to put it all down.
"So how's the batting cages working out for you, Adam?" I heard someone ask.
A subtle movement of blonder hair at the other end of the table told me Jax had heard the question but he immediately turned his attention elsewhere pretending not to listen.
Adam swallowed the bite he'd just taken "Um, it's okay. You know, same shit different day. I just wish they'd let me pick up a few more hours."
An uncomfortable silence followed as the adults knowingly shook their heads.
"You know, we could use some help around the garage… if you needed some extra cash," Clay offered.
Gemma's face lit up as she smiled at Clay's idea but there was a storminess passing across John Teller's face. Jax was definitely listening now, no longer pretending to be distracted. He glared at Clay.
Adam's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
"Really?" he asked in disbelief.
"Well, yeah. If you're interested. Grease Face over here is a shit mechanic, we could use an extra hand when you have the time."
"I don't know Clay, I'm sure Adam here doesn't want to hang around with a bunch of old assholes like us. He'd be better off hanging around kids his own age at the cages. Maybe I can talk to your manager about giving you some more hours. McDow still owns the place right?" John asked. I could tell he wasn't happy with the idea but I wasn't quite sure why.
"Um, yeah. McDow still owns the place. But I mean, I'd love to work in the shop if that's an option. Been dying to get my hands on a motor since I put my car together," his voice had a wistful tone to it. He shook his head like he was waking himself up from a dream. "How many hours would you need me?"'
John went to speak but Clay beat him to it. "As many as you want."
"Could I… I mean, would I be able to just work there and drop the cages?" Adam asked tentatively. He was trying to temper his excitement, afraid they might tell him no.
"Of course you can, sweetheart," Gemma beamed, first at Adam, then toward Clay. "You just let us know what you need."
"Thanks, Gemma, Clay," He nodded his head before looking at John. "I won't let you down," Adam told them.
John tried to cover the dejection in his eyes with a sad smile. "I know you won't, son."
Adam caught my eye and smiled, gently squeezing my knee under the table. I smiled back but my stomach twisted in knots. I knew this was what Adam needed, knew logically that it was the only way for him to stay in his house and keep the lights on.
So why did it feel so wrong?
