A/N: we are getting close to the end! But don't worry there is a sequel in the works. Thanks for all of the great reviews for the last chapter. Please keep them coming :)
The next morning Juice and Sara laid in bed together after an early morning romp. Sara panted slightly, attempting to catch her breath as she rolled off of Juice and onto her back. "Wow..." muttered Sara appreciatively. She ran her fingers through her slightly sweaty hair pulling it away from her face. "That has to be some sort of record for us... 3 times in one morning. I don't even know if I will be able to move after this," Sara said as she laid back against the pillows. She picked up one of the strawberries from the nightstand and bit it. "The strawberries and whip cream was a really good idea."
Juice lit a cigarette and rested one hand behind his head as he relaxed in the bed. "That was definitely a record for the two of us. I can't think of a better way to spend my last morning with you. Well, you know I've been known to have good ideas every once in awhile. Do you think you will be okay while I am gone?" Juice took a drag from his cigarette.
"I couldn't agree with you more. I will miss our daily sex. But I feel like after this morning I am well caught up for what we will miss over the weekend. I will miss you while you are gone but I am sure that I will be okay. I will probably spend time with Lola this weekend. I am sure that she will be just as bored as I am without Tig."
"There is something that I wanted to talk to you about... actually," said Juice, trying to form the words in his mind. He took another drag of his cigarette and then put it out in the ashtray. He didn't know how Sara was going to take this particular news. This was his first time having an actual old lady that he needed to explain this to.
Sara looked over at Juice. She was still basking in the afterglow of their love making. "What's up?" she asked, snuggling up against his body and starting to feel the haze of tired fall over her. Sara and Juice had been at it a couple of hours now. He fingers lightly traced the tattoo on his chest.
Juice said, "You know when we go on these trip and stay overnight at other clubs... there are a lot of girls. I mean a lot of girls... and they are all very nice girls... very generous girls. They really love the club, you know. And they'd do anything for us." Juice knew that he was beating around the bush, but he didn't relish the next thing he'd have to say.
Sara quirked and eyebrow at Juice. "What are you saying?" she asked. She propped her head up on her arm so that she was looking him squarely in the eyes. Her heartbeat quickened a bit thinking about Juice being with anyone other than her.
Juice decided there was no sense in holding it back. "On the road we have sex with some of the hang-arounds or sweetbutts that hang out with the club. It's just something that happens. But it only happens on the run. When I am home... here with you... it's only you baby. If I don't do it, the guys are going to think I am a pussy, and they will never let me live it down. I just... I need you to understand."
"Understand?" yelled Sara. She climbed off the bed, snatching the sheet off Juice and wrapping it around herself. "Understand that you fuck other women while you are on a run? How many?"
Sara didn't wait for an answer. She stormed off to the bathroom slamming and locking the door behind her.
Juice groaned, lying there nakedly exposed now that Sara had pulled the sheet off him. He climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. He walked to the bathroom door and knocked.
"Sara... come out of there so that we can talk about this," he said, knocking on the bathroom door. He leaned his head on the door waiting to hear something, but there was nothing being said on the other side of the door. Instead he heard crying. "Sara! Open the damn door please? Please, baby?" Juice pleaded.
"Oh, go fuck yourself! Or - better yet - some whore you meet while you are gone! Is that what this morning was about? You think a good roll in the sheets and I won't mind the fact that you are going to be porking anything with a set of tits while you are gone?" yelled Sara through the door. "Fuck you!" Sara sniffled as she sat on the vanity in the bathroom the bedsheet still clutched around her.
Juice demanded, "Open the door!"
He was shocked at the way Sara was talking. He stood there waiting for her to answer the door. When she didn't, he put his shoulder to the door and easily burst into the bathroom.
Sara screamed when Juice burst into the bathroom. She nearly fell off the vanity. She sniffled and hurriedly tried to brush away her tears. "I'm not talking to you," she said, hopping off of the vanity and trying to slide past Juice.
Juice grabbed Sara and pulled her against him. He looked into her eyes and said, "You are not running away from me. We are going to talk about this. I know that it sucks and that you don't like it. I know that. And, believe me, this is not to hurt you. This is just the way things work - the way they have always worked."
Still sobbing, Sara replied, "I love you so much. And you say that you love me. I don't want anyone other than you. You are it for me. How can I believe that I am it for you if you go around sleeping with other women? What if you find that you like one of them better? That would break my heart, Juan." She pounded his chest with her fists. "Is this some sort of game to you? Because I am committed to you! But you don't seem very committed, and I am thinking that I've made a terrible mistake."
Juice stood there letting Sara hit his chest. He could see how badly she was hurting and felt powerless to fix it.
"What happens out on the road doesn't affect how I feel about you, Sara. Those girls don't mean anything. They are just... something to do until I get back home to you. What you and I have... is so much more than that. That is why I want you here living with me. Your face is the one I want to see when I come back home. Only you. Those other girls are only white noise to me. You see how the guys rib me already... I have to save face."
His eyes plead with her to understand as he continued. "I need you. That is why I want you to live me. That's why I want you to continue living with me when you start working. I don't want you moving to Stockton. I want you right here with me."
He smoothed her hair behind her ear and gazed into her eyes. "I don't want to lose you. Tell me what I have to do and I will do it."
Sara stared at him in disbelief that he just said he needed her. "That's not fair. You can't say something like that to me and just... that's not fair." She began hitting his chest again.
Juice pulled Sara into closer to him and wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he dared. "You're it for me, Sara. You have to know that. I've never had an old lady before. I've never really wanted one until you." He kissed her forehead softly.
"I... I've got to go," she said as she pulled away from him and walked into their bedroom. She pulled on a pair pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, grabbed her purse, put on her house shoes, and left the house.
Juice stood there stunned that she had actually left him standing there.
Sara dialed Lola's cell phone number as she drove away from Juice's house.
"Hey, Sara!" said Lola in a chipper voice.
Sara choked back a sob. "Are you busy? I really need to talk to you."
Lola frowned hearing that. "Sure we can talk. What is going on? Do you want to come over?" asked Lola worriedly.
"Yes, please. Where are you? I would have come straight over, but I didn't know if you were at your place or Tig's." said Sara sniffling.
"I am at Tig's. You can come over now," Lola offered. "I'm not doing anything. Tig and I just finished eating breakfast. And he was getting ready to go to the club."
"No, I wasn't," said Tig, chuckling in the background.
Lola said, "Come anyway. We'll go back to my place okay?"
"No. No. You two can stay here. I will go to the club. But you owe me sex at lunch time…kinky sex," a disgruntled Tig offered from the background.
Sara chuckled through her sniffle. "Okay...I'll be there soon."
Sara hung up and drove over to Tig's house and parked on the street. She looked at her face in the mirror and groaned.
"Great...I'm all puffy." She searched her glovebox for Kleenex and tried to clean up her face. When she felt like she was presentable Sara climbed out of the car and walked up to the front door and smiled seeing Lola waiting for her.
Lola outstretched her arms as soon as Sara made it onto the porch. "What's wrong?" asked Lola worriedly.
"Juice and I had a major fight. I just had to get out of there. I needed to think. He hurt me so much. Then he goes and says he wants me to live with and not move to Stockton and that he needs me. And all I wanted to do was melt into his arms. But I couldn't let myself do it. Not after what he told me this morning," Sara blurted as she hugged Lola.
"What did he tell you? Come inside. Do want tea or coffee? Orange juice maybe?" Lola asked as she lead Sara through the house and into the kitchen. "I've got blueberry muffins," she said, grabbing several muffins and some milk.
"Since it is too early for a cocktail, I guess I will take the milk and muffins," Sara joked with a small smile. She took in a deep breath.
"Juice is going on a trip this weekend and on these trips apparently it is customary to bang random girls that hang around the clubs. And I am just supposed to be okay with it because it doesn't happen in front of my face. But even if it doesn't happen in front of my face, I still know that it has happened. I know it... what am I supposed to do with that?" Sara broke off a piece of muffin and nibbled on it. "He finally says what I want to hear... and it's after the worst possible thing that he could tell me."
Lola shook her head. "Oh honey. I..."
Lola trailed off when she realized that Tig, too, would be boffing plenty of chicks this weekend. He hadn't mentioned it to her, but then she reasoned why would he? She was just a girl he met that he was bagging on a regular basis. Not his old lady. Not even his girlfriend actually. She sort of shook her head to dislodge the thoughts. Right now was about Sara.
Tig walked into the kitchen. "Good Morning, Sara."
Then he said to Lola, "I am going to head over to the club. But I will see you for lunch before I have to pull out for the weekend this evening."
He went to kiss Lola on the lips, but she moved her head giving him the cheek.
Lola tried to smile after the kiss. "I don't know if I will be able to make it to lunch today. I might be busy with Sara. I'll just see you when you get back from the trip or something. I'll lock up the house when I leave here with Sara."
"Well.. uh, call me around 1:00 and let me know if you can make it to lunch. I'd really like to see you before I leave," said Tig, thinking that she was acting strange. He walked out of the house.
Lola waited until she heard the front door close before sitting down at the table with Sara.
Lola looked at her hurt friend and said, "I know what Juice has told you has to hurt. Speaking as someone who has been cheated on before... it kills a little part of you I think. I think it is in the top ten of worst things that can happen to a woman in a relationship."
"Exactly! He says that I am the one he loves. But how can he love me and screw around on me at the same time? It doesn't make sense to me. I mean I don't want anyone else. I couldn't even think of having sex with someone else. But he will and not just this time but... every time he climbs on that bike to go on a road trip."
"Well, now you are thinking like a woman instead of a man. Their dicks and their hearts aren't connected, Sara. I think it is perfectly plausible that Juice truly means that he only loves you and anyone else is just a hole to fill. And when I say hole I don't mean a hole in the heart. I mean fill her hole."
Sara nearly choked on her muffin. "Don't make me laugh at a time like this. Do you really think that he can love me and do this?"
Lola shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. But what I can say is this - Gemma and Clay and have been married for years. You can see how much they love each other. Jax and Tara seem really loving too. Opie and Lyla are so in love it was a little nauseating last night at the family dinner. Maybe this is just one of those things that you live with if you are going to be in this life. And maybe it is a good thing that he told you this now. He could have kept it a secret... instead he decided to be forthcoming. Even though he knew it would hurt you and put your relationship in jeopardy. He manned up and told you anyway. This man is going out of his way to show you that you are his woman. I guess what it really comes down to is can you live with this or is it a deal breaker."
Sara sighed. "He's such a good man, Lola. And he loves me. He doesn't just say it. He makes me feel it every day when I am with him. There are so many aspects of Juice that I love. But there are just as many that give me pause. Can I live this life forever? Being with him I have changed my thinking in some pretty radical ways. I've always had a pretty set moral code. This is right and this is wrong. This is good and this is bad. But falling in love with Juice has made me see the world in surprising shades of gray. You said something to me a while ago - Sometimes good men do bad things to make a living. But that doesn't mean that he isn't still a good man."
Lola tried to be positive. "From day one he has been a stand up guy. You know Gemma said that if either of us needed anything. We could come to her. Well, maybe you could use a little wise counsel from a woman that has lived this life longer than either of us has been alive."
"Maybe you are right," Sara said, as she drank her milk and thought about everything.
A few hours later, Tig watched Juice walk into the club looking somewhere between sad and pissed off. "If you are looking for your old lady, she is at my house with Lola. Thanks for fucking up my morning by the way," Tig hissed.
Juice walked over to the pool table where Tig was standing. "I've been calling her since she left the house this morning. I told her that I might screw around this weekend... I guess she went to Lola for comfort. Maybe I shouldn't have told her."
Tig laughed ruefully. "No wonder Lola was giving me the cold shoulder when I left. Now she knows what I will be doing this weekend. Thanks for fucking up my lunch time, too."
"You weren't going to tell her?" asked Juice.
"Fuck no," Tig scoffed.
"I just want her to be okay with this…" said Juice.
"The only woman that is going to be truly okay with you fucking around is one that has another dick on the side. Or you are the dick on the side. The rest are going to hate it even if they do it silently. You saw what happened to Cherry. That was some years of pent up rage," said Tig about Gemma hitting her in the face with a skateboard.
Juice shrugged. "I am going over to your house to see if Sara will talk to me."
Juice left the club and rode over to Tig's house. He knocked on the door and it opened slightly.
"You are just going to go back to Santa Barbara without telling Tig that you are pregnant?" asked Sara walking into the kitchen.
"What would you suggest that I do?" asked Lola.
"Be honest with him and let him make the decision. You are already prepared to do this on your own. So if you tell him that you are pregnant, and he blows you off, then you are right where you started off to begin with... on your own. But he could surprise you, Lola. I mean hasn't he surprised you already? You thought you and him would be a one night stand. Just give him an opportunity before you take off," Sara suggested.
Lola shook her head negatively. "I'm so used to the men in my life letting me down. I guess I am just trying to save myself the heartache. If I make this decision on my own, then I won't be giving him the opportunity to disappoint me or break my heart. I am not saying that he isn't a good man. He has treated me better than any man I've ever dated. I'm just saying he has two daughters that are damn near adults. He isn't looking for a committed relationship. His life isn't set up for children."
"You won't know until you tell him. And more than that - he has a right to know. You are carrying his kid. He's got some say in that whether you like it or not. I know that you are afraid. But you have to open your mind. Not all men are out to hurt you. Some of them just want to love you in the best way they know how."
Juice stood there stunned for a moment as he overheard their conversation. He finally pulled the front door so that it was closed and then knocked on the door.
Lola said, "I wonder who that is."
She went to the door and looked out the peephole. "It's Juice. Sara...maybe you should talk to him."
Sara frowned a little and said, "Okay, I am going to go outside and talk to him."
Sara walked to the door and opened it. "Hi..."
"Hi..." said Juice looking back at her. "Uh, Tig told me that you were here. I really want to talk to you."
Sara nodded and closed the front door behind her. "We can sit out here and talk." Sara walked to the steps and had a seat. "I'm sorry for running out the way I did this morning. I just... I needed to think and talk to a friend. I didn't mean to make you worry about me."
Juice said, "I understand why you ran. I dropped something heavy on your lap at the last possible moment because I didn't want to deal with it. I knew how it would affect you. I heard from Jax and Opie about how it affected their old ladies. I've given it some thought and..."
Sara shook her head, cutting him off. "I don't like it, Juice. And if I think about it... it'll bring me to tears. But when I decided to be with you I knew that I was accepting some things that I wasn't used to and that I probably wouldn't always be on board with. But I had to weigh the factors. Is this enough for me to stop loving you? I don't think so. We've moved so fast falling in love. I guess I am worried that one day I am going to wake up and this will all just be a dream."
"If this is a dream then we are having it together. I know this is a lot for you to take and to put up with. This life isn't for everyone. There are a lot of risks and sacrifices, and I know that I am asking you to take those risks and make those sacrifices when I have no right to. But I'm not ready to let you go. I'm not ready to stop loving you, and I don't think I will ever be ready. I hope you aren't ready to stop loving me either..." said Juice. He pulled her into his lap.
"I'm not going anywhere, Juice. I'd just end up miserable because I would be missing you. For now, this is where I want to be," said Sara, resting her head on his shoulder.
Juice smiled and softly kissed her lips. "You know what I am thinking? This is the perfect time for make-up sex," Juice suggested with a devilish grin.
"You think you are getting sex?" Sara laughed.
Juice smirked and said, "Not for me baby... for you."
"Oh. Right. For me. You are so thoughtful," said Sara chuckling. "Let me run inside to say goodbye to Lola, and then we can go get something to eat. And I'll think about sex." She stood up and walked back into the house.
"Okay, baby."
Juice watched her head inside. He took out his cell phone and texted Tig. *You need to talk to Lola. Heard she's pg* Juice waited for Sara to walk back out of the house. He smiled at her. "I have an errand to run, but why don't you pick up lunch. And I'll meet you at home."
Sara smile and said, "Okay. I will see you at home. I need a shower anyway."
She leaned up and kissed him. Then she walked over to her car and took off.
Later that afternoon Sara and Juice laid together in silence. Juice lightly caressed her hair as she rested her head against his chest. He knew they were both avoiding having to say goodbye to one another, but they would have to do it sooner or later. Juice was scheduled to leave out in a couple of hours. The boys would be transporting a large shipment up to Oregon and then would be hanging out there for the weekend.
Sara rested her chin against Juice's chest and looked up at him. Her lips upturned into a smile.
"I have absolutely no willpower when it comes to you, Juice. You happen to be a very persuasive man. And a man with a lot of stamina," said Sara as she considered that this was their fourth time having sex in the same day. She couldn't complain though. She would miss him while he was gone.
"Why do you need willpower with me? And I'm just trying to make you happy," said Juice with a cocky grin. He watched her blond strands fall through his fingers as he stroked her hair.
Sara laughed softly and said, "You are so damn sure of yourself. It is actually sort of cute. I am going to miss you this weekend. But I will just remember that you making it back home safely will be just that much sweeter."
"I will miss you too, you know. But the weekend will go by a lot faster than you might think it would. Besides, it will give you some time to yourself. You can run around that house naked or something. Go shopping. Do whatever it is that you women do when we are not around. I was thinking you might want to make yourself more at home here. I know this place is sort of... masculine."
Sara laughed. She said, "Oh yeah. Every time you are out of the house I run around naked, baby. You are serious? You'd really let me add some of my own personality to your place?" It wasn't that she didn't like Juice's house because she did, but it was rather bland and neutral.
Juice said, "Well, this isn't just my house anymore. You live here too. I want you to feel comfortable here. I want you to feel like this is your home, too. All I ask is that it isn't too girlie. The guys will never let me live it down. It has been a long time since I was a prospect, but they still like to give me crap."
"You are so sweet!" said Sara leaning up to kiss him on the lips. "I promise it won't be too girlie. I'll probably pick up a couple of throw pillows and some candles. Maybe an area rug or two to give the house a pop of color here and there," Sara added happily.
Juice smiled seeing how happy that made her. "So do you think that you will be okay while I am gone?"
Sara said, "Oh, sure. I will be fine. I will probably do some painting and work out a sketch of the mural for Tara. And maybe hang out with Lola if she is still..." Sara trailed off realizing she was about to spill some very big beans.
"If she is still here?" questioned Juice looking at her with knowing eyes.
"How... how did you know about that?" asked Sara sitting up in the bed more.
Juice said, "I overheard your conversation this afternoon when I stopped in at Tig's house to see you. The front door wasn't closed when I got there, so I was able to hear the majority of the conversation."
"Please... don't say anything to Tig about this. Lola swore me to secrecy," said Sara with all seriousness.
Juice paused a moment and said, "I can't promise you that because I've already told him everything I knew. I texted him while you were in the house saying goodbye to Lola. He called me back when I was at the diner. I told him everything that I heard. I'm sorry, babe, but he needed to know."
Sara groaned laying back on her side of the bed. "You are right. He did need to know. But Lola is going to want your balls in a velvet bag." She rolled back over so that her head resting on his chest again. "Telling him was the right thing to do. I thought that she should have told him all along. But Lola has a stubborn streak that cannot be denied. I am glad that you told him. What was his reaction?"
Juice chuckled. He was glad that Sara wasn't angry at him for telling Tig. He said, "He was shocked mostly. He kept asking me if I was sure. Like that is something I could misunderstand?"
Juice glanced at the clock. "I have to get a shower. I'll need to head over to the club soon. Make sure the inventory is ready to go." He kissed her. "I'll try to call you when we get there... I'll call on the pre-pay."
Sara nodded and said, "I understand if you can't." She kissed him and then rolled away. "Go ahead and get your shower. You don't want to be late."
Juice nodded. "Okay."
He climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower. Afterward her walked out of the bathroom looking at the door with a chuckle. "I will fix that when I get back home after this weekend," he said as he started dressing.
Sara said, "I can't believe you broke open the door like that. It was a very macho thing to do."
"Well, you weren't going to talk to me, so... desperate times called for desperate measures," Juice explained with a smirk as he finished getting ready.
Sara picked up his cut and ran her fingers over the leather. "Be safe this weekend..." She walked over and slid the cut onto his shoulders.
"Now when is safe any fun?" asked Juice. He turned around and smiled at her. "I love you. I'll see you Monday." He kissed her.
"I love you, too." She walked Juice to the front door and watched him climb onto his bike and take off.
Tig had sat at the club for a couple of hours trying to figure out what to say to Lola when he saw her. He finally realized that he wouldn't have the time to say anything to her if he continued sitting around the club.
Tig walked into his bedroom and watched Lola collecting some of the clothes she usually left there.
"Going somewhere?" asked Tig, leaning against the door frame as he watched her move around the room.
When he first got Juice's text message he didn't know what to make of it. Tig still didn't know what to think at this moment.
Lola paused and said, "I am just taking my stuff over to my apartment. I need to do laundry anyway. I thought you were going to hang out at the club until you got ready to take off for you trip. No?" Lola finished stuffing her clothing into a bag.
"Actually, you were supposed to call me about lunch. I wanted to see you before I left. Remember?" asked Tig quirking an eyebrow at Lola.
"Oh, I just... I figured that I would just see you when you came back on Monday." said Lola as she zipped up her bag. She walked over to Tig and kissed his cheek. "I will see you Monday."
Tig shook his head. He couldn't believe she was going to walk out of this room without saying anything. His eyes trained on her and he backed her up against the wall resting one hand on the wall above her head.
"Are you actually going to be here when I get back or are you going to be in Santa Barbara?" asked Tig in a gruff voice.
Lola looked up into his blue eyes that seemed concerned yet angry all at the same time. "What makes you say that? I will be here when you get back. I said that I was staying for the summer and I am," said Lola with a smirk.
She leaned in and seductively kissed his lips. "What do you say... one more for the road?" asked Lola pushing his cut off of his shoulders. She knew that this would be the last time they saw one another. Why not have a damn good time in the process? Besides, she needed to distract him.
Tig watched her and shook his head. "You are a good liar... you know that. Nice try... but I will not be distracted. When were you going to tell me that you were pregnant and that you were returning home to Santa Barbara?"
Lola froze staring up at him. She tried to move away from him, but Tig just held her against the wall.
"You didn't think that it was something that you should tell me?" asked Tig.
"I didn't exactly know what to say to you. So I thought saying nothing at all would be better. I'd go back to my life in Santa Barbara, and you'd go back to your life here in Charming. No harm. No foul."
"No harm? No foul? You are pregnant with my kid, and you weren't going to tell me. You think that low of me - that you'd think I wouldn't want to know?" asked Tig seriously.
Lola sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Tig. I just sort of panicked when I found out. I am just some chick that you are sleeping with. I didn't know how to tell you that I was pregnant. It's not something that most men want to hear from a woman. Let alone one you are not actually in a relationship with. I am used to handling things on my own. I figured I'd go back to Santa Barbara have my baby and live my life. I didn't have to mess up yours."
Tig looked at the emotion playing in her eyes. He hated seeing that look. Tig knew it was there because hadn't told her how he felt about her. But that wasn't his thing. That wasn't how he worked.
"That is just the thing. You aren't just some random woman that I am having sex with. I know that I may not have said it, but I would have thought that my actions would have made that very clear to you. I don't normally bring the women I sleep with back to my house. We fuck at the club or at their house. And as much as I sleep around, since I've been with you... there haven't been any others. And this isn't just your kid... it is my kid too. I may not be the best father but my kids know who I am. I don't abandon them... not for any reason."
Lola was shocked listening to Tig talk. The more he talked the more foolish she felt. "I'm screwed up in the head, Tig. I'm sorry... I'm just... I'm used to men..."
"You are used to men letting you down. Abandoning you when you need them most. I've got a lot of flaws, baby, but that ain't one of them. And, yeah, you are a little screwed up. But so am I. That is why we connect the way we do," Tig said as he caressed her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
"I've got to get ready to go. Will you be here when I get back from Oregon? Or am I going to have to ride all the way down to Santa Barbara to find you?" asked Tig leaning his forehead down against hers. His arms circled her waist and pulled her into his body.
Lola nodded slightly. "You have my word. I will be in Charming when you come back. I wouldn't want you riding all the way down to Santa Barbara to find me. And I know you'd do it too."
Tig leaned in and kissed her lips. "That is what I wanted to hear. I know I've never said this to you before... but you are important to me, Lola. You really are." He took his arms from around her and rested one on her flat stomach. "I'll see you in a couple of days."
Lola couldn't hide the silly smile on her face. She just nodded. "I'll see you when you get back."
She walked Tig to the front door and watched him leave.
Tuesday morning Sara woke up with a yawn. She sighed softly.
The guys were supposed to make it back yesterday evening, but they hadn't made it back, and they had not called either. Sara tried to bite back her worry, but it was stifling. She had spent the majority of the weekend worrying about Juice's safety.
Before the weekend she had been concerned about him screwing around while he was away. But Gemma had quickly set her straight. Juice having sex with a bimbo was the least of her worries. She should be more concerned with all of the enemies the Sons had north of California. From that moment on, that was where her fear laid.
She spent the weekend with some of the old ladies and Lola. During the day it was easy not to worry about Juice. But at night when she was in their bed alone, she wondered if he was okay.
Sara rolled over to look at Juice's empty side of the bed and saw a blue velvet ring box on his pillow. Sara sat up in the bed and looked around. "Juice?" She waited for a response. "Juice, baby, are you here?"
When she didn't get a reply, she picked up the ring box and opened it. Inside she saw a three carat, emerald-cut diamond, surrounded by accent diamonds. It was set in a white gold band which had a criss-cross, split shank design. The band was encrusted with even more channel-set diamonds. Sara gasped softly and gazed at the ring. It glittered in the early morning sunlight through the window.
Juice walked into the room. He smiled when he saw the shocked look on Sara's face – as much as he could smile. His face looked as if he had gone a couple of rounds in the ring with someone.
Juice walked over to her side of the bed and got down on one knee. He gazed into her eyes and with utmost sincerity said, "I love you, and I want you to marry me, woman."
You could have knocked Sara over with a feather. She nodded slightly because she couldn't form words at the moment.
"Is that a yes?" asked Juice, looking at her curiously.
"No."
Juice's heart stopped for a moment, but Sara broke into a grin and said, "It is a hell yes!"
She kissed him passionately and then pulled back sheepishly. "Your face probably hurts too much for kissing." She laughed quietly.
Juice shook his head and took the ring from the box. He slipped the ring onto her finger and smirked, "Well, you can just kiss me and make it all better."
Lola stirred from a deep sleep when she felt a heavy body slip into the bed with her. She smiled to herself feeling his heavy arm drape over her body.
Lola jokingly said, "Be quick about it. I don't know what time Tig will be home."
Then she rolled over so that she was face to face with Tig and feigned surprise, "Tig!"
Tig chuckled and leaned in kissing her lips. "You think are funny, but you aren't." He lightly smacked on her butt. "I've missed this butt this weekend," he added, giving her butt a squeeze.
Lola laughed after the kiss and said, "I know I'm funny."
"I was wondering if you would be here when I got back today," said Tig brushing her hair away from her face.
He had missed her more that weekend than he was willing to admit to himself or her. Sure he had fun up in Oregon, but he thought about her often.
"I gave my word that I would be here when you got back. I was intent on keeping my word. Besides, there was no reason to run. The cat is already out of the bag," said Lola leaning her head against his chest.
Tig smiled and said, "I am just glad that I don't have to drive all the way down to Santa Barbara to confront you. It is better that you are here. I like coming home to you."
Lola looked up when he said that he liked coming home to her. That sort of honesty took her by surprise.
"I like you coming home to me too," she said.
"How was your weekend?" asked Tig.
"My weekend was pretty uneventful. I had lunch with Gemma and the other ladies Saturday. Sara and I hung out for a movie night afterward. We went shopping on Sunday, and I went out to Lodi to have dinner with my uncle. And yesterday I spent most of my time wondering when you'd make it back home. But I kept myself occupied," said Lola.
He shook his head and said, "You and Sara shop a lot."
Lola said, "I bought lingerie, but if you think I shop too much I just won't wear it for you."
"Lingerie is a different story. Although, I prefer you naked. Lingerie is just an extra layer for me to rip off of you," said Tig with a grin.
She smirked looking at him and asked, "How was your weekend? Full of booze, weed, and pussy?"
He quirked an eyebrow at her and asked, "Now where did you come up with that?" Although, he had to admit, that was a pretty accurate description of what his weekend had been like.
She laughed and said, "Don't play coy with me it doesn't suit you, Alex. I heard all about what you guys do when you are away."
Tig said, "The trip was successful. We got the work done that needed to be done, and we had a good time after work was done. And even better than that..." He reached beside the bed and picked up a small black bag. He unzipped it and showed her his cut of this weekend's work.
Lola's eyes got big and she grinned. "Nice. Very nice."
At that moment she was completely distracted by the money. Lola's fingers automatically went to the money counting the stacks.
Tig smirked, glad that it had worked for the moment. "Being bad pays good sometimes. 15K good," said Tig with a chuckle.
He paused a moment and said, "I don't want you to go back to Santa Barbara."
Lola tore her eyes away from the money and looked at him quizzically. "I am here, Tig. I'm not leaving until August."
She kissed him concerned about the look on his face. She didn't know what to make about it as his steely blue eyes turned serious.
He shook his head and pulled her into his lap. "I don't want you to go back in August, either. You are my girlfriend and you are pregnant with my kid. This is where you belong not almost 300 miles away."
She chuckled softly and said, "It is closer to 250 miles than 300 miles."
"You are splitting hairs to be difficult," said Tig seriously.
"I don't know what to say, Tig. My life is in Santa Barbara."
"Is it really? Your best friend is in Charming. The father of your baby is in Charming. And your uncle is in Lodi. I'd say the center of your world has shifted north."
"What about my job, Tig?" asked Lola. "What exactly am I supposed to do here in Charming?"
"Okay... I uh... talked to Jax about this shit this weekend. You teach right?" asked Tig. "But with your degree, you don't have to teach. You could just be like a counselor or something right?"
He had spent a good deal of the weekend thinking about this. The women he'd been serious about before didn't have jobs really or if they did they certainly weren't college degree dependent. This was new for him.
Lola was taken aback by the fact that Tig had taken actually time to think this through. She bit her lip a little. "If I do this... what are we? I mean... am I just some chick? Or..."
Tig cut her off and said, "You aren't just some chick. You are at my house every night. I am with you every night. I know that I've never said what our relationship was. But..."
"I'm a woman, Tig - despite the fact that I like booze, weed, and looking at the occasional stripper. I am a woman, and we need to know certain things. Like that I'm not just some random fling. I know that I should know that I'm not... but I need to hear it."
"Fair enough," Tig nodded and said, "You are my girlfriend. Not a random anything. And I want you here with me because I care about you and I care about our kid. I know it is asking a lot of you to move up here. But I don't want you to leave... so please?" He groaned.
Lola giggled and asked, "Was that so hard? I didn't want to move back to Santa Barbara anyway. I typed up my letter of resignation over the weekend. I just wanted to make you say it."
Tig shook his head and playfully dumped her off of his lap onto the bed. "You are manipulative. You know that?"
Lola teased and in a sing-songy voice said, "But you careeee about me anyway."
Tig looked down at her and said, "I love you." He kissed her tenderly.
Lola looked up at him stunned that those three words had tumbled out of his mouth.
"Yeah, that shut you up." said Tig laughing. He nestled himself between her legs and smirked. "We haven't had sex since early Friday morning..."
Lola smirked and said, "You had sex this weekend."
He shook his head and said, "Not with you..."
"That is about as close to romantic as I am going to get out of you," said Lola laughing. "I am going to go brush my teeth."
She pushed him off of her and climbed out of the bed.
Tig groaned. "Does this mean no sex?"
She walked towards the bathroom and stopped, looking at him over her shoulder. "Well, you could always spread your cash out on the bed. I've always wanted to have sex on top of money..." said Lola with a smirk.
Tig smirked and laughed. "Damn, I love that woman."
He emptied the bag onto the bed using his hands to spread out the cash.