Mackenzie woke up and reached out for Jax, only to find cold, empty sheets. She let out a small sigh, but decided not to let it get her down. After last night's conversation, she had all intentions of going dress shopping that day. Small wedding or not, she still wanted a wedding dress.
She showered quickly, knowing Abel would be waking soon. Instead of putting her hair up like she had been lately, she blew it out and let it fall in waves down her back. She smiled as she traced on eyeliner and some mascara. Looking in the mirror at her finished efforts, she couldn't help but smile.
To Mackenzie, it was obvious she'd gained some weight after coming to Charming. Despite her previous concerns, she actually liked the way her face seemed less angular and her ribs were less prominent. She ran her hand over her still flat stomach and looked forward to feeling little Victory or Sawyer kick for the first time.
"Mackenzie?" She snapped into reality at the sound of her name and quickly pulled on a tank top and jeans before opening the bedroom door. She looked up and smiled.
"Opie! Hey, sorry I was naked." She said with a laugh as he shook his head. He handed her his open cell phone.
"Hello?" Mackenzie said, a little thrown off by being given Opie's phone.
"Hey babe. We need to get your phone switched out. I don't trust it anymore. What are you planning on doing today?" Jax asked as he flipped through the records that Juice had pulled on Tony.
"I was wanting to go dress shopping. I know we aren't doing anything big, but I still wanted to get a dress. It's the only wedding thing I ever looked forward to. Well, that and cake and getting married." Mackenzie said with a laugh. Opie smirked before turning and going into Abel's room.
"I'm sure it's in that order to. I'm going to send Phil over to ride with Opie. We still haven't found that asshole." Jax said gruffly as he tossed the folder on the desk, realizing it didn't contain anything that would help him find Tony.
"There's no point in arguing so I'm just going to say okay, but he's staying outside. Opie can come in, but not everyone needs to see my dress before you do. Do you think Gemma would want to go with us?" She asked, smiling as she watched Opie carry Abel out of his room and down towards the kitchen.
"Yeah, probably couldn't stop her if you tried. I've gotta go, babe. Have fun shopping, but try not to bore Opie to death." Jax said with a laugh.
"He'll live. Love you." Mackenzie said with an eye roll and a smile. Jax nodded and waved Unser into the chapel.
"I love you to, Mack. Don't leave until Phil gets there." Jax closed the phone and set it on the table before leaning back in his chair and looking up at Unser.
"Thanks for coming by." Jax said as he folded his arms over his chest. Unser raised his brow.
"Not like I had much choice when you send Tig and Happy to escort me. What's on your mind, Jax?" Unser said with a sigh as he stared at the boy turned man he'd known for years.
"The safety of the mother of my unborn child. Where's your new friend?" Jax asked flatly as Clay walked in and took his seat at the head of the table. Unser shook his head and let his arms fall to his side.
"They aren't my friends, Jax. The fact is, they're worried parents, just like you are. Do you know what happened to their son, Jax?" Unser asked, knowing the answer Jax was ready to give.
"Nope, didn't show up here after beating the shit out of Mackenzie and then running away like a bitch." Clay answered for Jax. Unser's eyes widened.
"When she was in the hospital? That's who did that to her?" Unser asked as his stomach tightened. Jax nodded, blowing out a long trail of smoke from his nostrils.
"If they try to pull any shit and I find out you knew where they were, I'm holding you responsible." Clay informed Unser. Wayne Unser knew better than to test Clay. Instead, he nodded and headed out of the clubhouse quickly, sensing he wasn't fully welcome at the present moment.
"So, what type of style were you looking for, Ms. Bradshaw?" The consultant asked Mackenzie with a smile. Mackenzie bit her bottom lip as she glanced over at Gemma before answering.
"Lace and backless." The consultant smiled and nodded as Mackenzie stood up to follow her back towards the rooms of dresses. Opie sighed a little, but followed them behind Gemma. He wished he'd not volunteered, but he promised Mackenzie wouldn't leave his sight.
"Are you the lucky man?" The consultant asked Opie with a smile. He laughed and shook his head.
"He's my brother." Opie said, taking a seat next to Gemma. He was completely out of his element as he sat on the dainty leather couch facing a platform surrounded on three sides by floor to ceiling mirrors. He felt like he was on one of those stupid shows Lyla watched all the time.
"Holy shit." Gemma said as Mackenzie walked out in the first dress. It was an off white, all lace dress with sleeves that covered her hands and fit like a glove. When she stepped up on the podium, Gemma's jaw dropped.
Mackenzie turned her head and looked at her back. The dress framed her back in lace, exposing her entire back until just centimeters above her butt. She ran her hands over the front, smoothing the fabric that clung to her chest and stomach. As tears started welling up in her eyes, she couldn't help but laugh at how stereotypical she was being.
"What do you think?" Mackenzie asked, turning around to face Gemma and Opie. Opie's eyes were wide, but he remained speechless. Gemma was nodding slowly and took a beat before speaking.
"Sweetheart, you're beautiful. I'll beat you if you don't get that dress." Gemma said with a light laugh. Mackenzie laughed as a happy tear fell down her face.
As she stood in that dress, it hit her that the life she was living was real. She wasn't going to wake up. She was marrying the man she loved and having his baby in less than eight months.
Mackenzie turned to the consultant and nodded with a huge smile. The girl was surprised at the quick decision, but smiled as she followed Mackenzie back to help her out of it.
"I don't know how you managed to fit in this dress so perfectly. Personally, I don't even see any alterations that need to be done, unless you prefer some. That will help with your budget, which is always great." She said as she unzipped the dress and Mackenzie stepped out of it.
"How much is it for cash and carry?" Mackenzie asked, knowing that most stores gave deals if you didn't finance it. The consultant looked at the price tag and thought for a minute as she hung it up.
"Right now, it's $3,800. I could do $3,400 for cash and the hot guy's phone number." She said with a wink. Mackenzie laughed and nodded.
"I can't pimp my fiancé's brother out, but $3,400 and it's sold." The consultant pouted a little but quickly smiled and nodded as she opened the dressing room door and followed Mackenzie up front.
"I got it, sweetheart." Gemma said as she pushed Mackenzie's hand away from the counter. Mackenzie narrowed her eyes and shook her head.
"Gemma, I've got it, really." Mackenzie insisted, but Gemma stood her ground and pulled out a roll of cash. Mackenzie sighed as Gemma gently shoved her to the side.
"Doll, this is my way of supporting you and Jaxson's marriage. You're family." Gemma said with a smile as she passed the bills over to the consultant. Mackenzie hugged her and let out an excited giggle as she picked the dress up from the rack. Opie opened the door for she and Gemma before answering his phone.
"Hey, Ope. You dead from boredom yet?" Jax asked with a laugh as he picked at the top of the picnic table with the tip of his knife. Opie laughed nervously.
"Wouldn't say that exactly. We're headed back. Gonna pick Abel up from Lyla's and then Mack wants to come by the clubhouse." Opie said as he sat down on his bike and pulled his helmet on.
"Damn, you got lucky. Last time she drug me shopping, we were there for hours. I'll see you when you get here. Think we've got a lead on Tony." Jax said with a grin as he looked at the address on the sticky note on his knee. The only thing they were waiting for was Happy to get back from Bakersfield and then they'd check the lead out.
"I know you aren't wanting anything big, but have you thought about where this is going to go down?" Gemma asked, peeling her eyes away from the road as Mackenzie sped down the freeway. Mackenzie nodded and turned the radio down.
"The Redwood Forest. I talked to a ranger while we were waiting on you and Phil. He said it wouldn't be a problem and we just have to pay like a hundred and something for a permit. I'm planning on asking Jax when we get back." She said with a nervous smile. Her smile turned into a scowl as she maneuvered around a slower car quickly.
"Don't forget those two behind us, speedy. Jax wouldn't say no if you told him you wanted to do it in the middle of a damn road." Gemma said with a laugh. Mackenzie looked over at her and shrugged with a little laugh.
"I just want to be in nature. Where it's calm and away from everything. Just our family and the trees." Mackenzie said as she leaned back in the seat as she slowed the car to a stop due to the traffic light.
"A hippie with a muscle car. That's a new one." Gemma teased as they pulled into Teller-Morrow. Mackenzie shrugged and cut the engine before getting out and sliding the seat forward to get Abel out of his car seat.
"Mack, you know you shouldn't be picking him up." Jax said as he met her at the back of the car and ruffled Abel's blonde hair. Mackenzie shrugged and gave him a quick kiss before letting go of Abel's hand so he could go join Jessie and her daughter on the playground.
"You couldn't have gotten her a slower car?" Phil asked as he climbed off his bike. Jax looked from Phil to Mackenzie, who shrugged.
"I drive like you ride your bike, so don't give me that look. At least I have a metal cage around me." She said as Opie laughed and shook his head. Jax pulled her to him and kissed her forehead hard before grabbing a handful of her ass.
"I'm glad you came by. I wanted to talk to you about the whole Whitman situation." Jax said seriously as he took Mackenzie's hand and led her to the clubhouse. She groaned silently as they entered his dorm.
"Before we talk about that and I get upset, can I ask you something about the wedding?" Mackenzie asked quickly before Jax had a chance to speak. He let out a breath and nodded.
"Well, I talked to a ranger this morning. We can have it in the Redwoods this weekend. I know it's pretty soon, but." She started to say, until Jax's lips on hers cut her off.
"Yes, Mackenzie. Anywhere you want to go, we can go. As long as you and Abel are there, that's all I need. It's coming up fast, but it needs to baby." He said before kissing her one more time and hugging her close. Her question made him feel even worse about the discussion they were about to have.
"I'm sitting down now. You can hit me with it." Mackenzie said with a deep breath. Jax's smile faded and he leaned against the desk, looking into his old lady's eyes.
"It's not all bad, Mack. The good news is, we found Tony and they're actually headed back to Texas, as far as we know. The bad news is, I may have to go in for a couple months. I don't know for sure yet." Jax said heavily as he watched Mackenzie's face fall.
"When will you know? What happened?" She frowned and walked over to Jax, leaning into his shoulder. He sighed and shook his head.
"It's shit. The DA is trying to use me threatening Tony as an active crime for her RICO case. They don't have shit to process RICO, but regardless, threatening someone can put you away for up to a year, according to Unser. Lohen said she could get it cut down but I'll still probably go in." Jax said, getting angry all over again just talking about it.
"Jesus Christ, Jax. A year? Why haven't they already picked you up if it's for a threat?" Mackenzie asked as thoughts about going through labor without him ran through her mind. He shook his head.
"The more of a case they build, the better chances they have for RICO I guess. I'm not going to lie, we were going to "escort" the Whitmans out of Charming, but this shit stopped that. If we moved on them now, I'd go away for a hell of a lot longer." Jax pushed Mackenzie away a little to look her in the eye. She wasn't crying, but she was definitely paler than normal.
"You can't go in alone, Jax. If you do, you won't make it back." She said bluntly. He was a little surprised by her words, but knew she was right.
"I know, baby. We're going into church in a couple hours to figure some shit out. Happy wants to go with me. Something about having his orders." Jax said a little light hearted, giving Mackenzie a quick wink. She couldn't help laugh a little.
"So this weekend sounds better and better. I know I can't control what happens with the charges." Mackenzie said with a frustrated huff. Jax smiled and nodded before kissing her forehead.
"Exactly. What you can do is stop stressing about it and plan our wedding. I'll make sure everybody is there." Jax squeezed her to him one more time before taking a deep breath and heading towards the door. Mackenzie grabbed his hand and dragged him back to her.
"If you're going to be gone, I might as well get as much of you as I can while you're here." She said as she pushed him back on the bed and kneeled in between his knees. Jax smirked and shook his head as she slid her mouth over his instantly hard dick. He moaned and cleared his mind as he watched her.