An incessant knock at the door brings me out of my thoughts the next morning as I wait for the coffee to finish. I scramble down the hall and burst into the bedroom. Rushing around I pull on my cut-off shorts. Filip laughs at me as I fight to pull his TM shirt over my head unsuccessfully. I shoot a scathing look his way as I fumble with the buttons, finally able to get it off and throw on a sweatshirt.
"Someone's at the door." I explain my hurry as I throw my hair into a messy bun. Jaxson's voice carries down the hall. I cross the hall to the bathroom before he turns the corner.
"Chibs, where you at man?" he calls. He pauses by the bathroom door when he sees me brushing my teeth. "Morning Bree. Sleep well?" he leans in the door way, an evil grin creeps across his face.
"The couch is ok. My own bed would be better." I tell him, trying to play it off.
"Yeah? I bet." He laughs as he pushes open the door to the bedroom. Filip's sitting on the edge of his bed, pulling his boots on.
"Morning brother." He greets Jax. "What's goin on?"
"Clay's calling everyone to the table. We gotta roll." He says.
I catch a ride on the back of Jax's bike trying to throw off his suspicions. I watch Filip as he maneuvers his bike in unison with Jax. A couple of times he glances my way, an odd expression on his face.
The rest of the guys are parking as we arrive. I climb off the bike and head to talk to my brother. He's standing near his bike, smoking a cigarette.
"Hey Op. How is work?" apparently a sore subject, his face darkens and he looks away.
"It's work." He says. I know he's having a rough time right now.
"Hey, Gemma is having a family dinner tomorrow. You should bring Donna and the kids. Maybe she'll warm up when she sees how much we all miss you guys." I try to cheer him up.
"I don't know, I think that's kinda the last thing she wants right now. We got into another fight last night. The bills are piling up and we're so far behind but she is so damned stubborn about me earning legit." This life is all he's ever known, walking away is killing him. He needs the club as much as they need him. I understand Donna's fears but she's blaming the club when they supported her for the last five years.
"You want me to talk to her?" I ask. Donna and I were still pretty close. I introduced her to my brother in high school and he fell in love overnight. She was his whole world.
"Nah, I think she just needs to cool down a little. Maybe she'll come around." He slumps his shoulders in defeat.
"She has to Opie. We were born in this club. This is our life, our family. It's in our blood and even trying to fight against it, we can't." I wrap my arm around his and put my head on his shoulder. "I love you and I miss you." I tell him.
He gives me a quick hug before he walks into the clubhouse. I stand there, watching him go. I wish there was something I could do for him.
"Bree, you seein anyone?" Jaxson's voice scares me. I didn't realize he was that close.
"Why? You offering Jaxson? I'm pretty sure you couldn't handle me." I smirk at him, keeping my face even and relaxed. He leans close and whispers in my ear.
"You be careful, I don't want you to get hurt." He says.
"I'll keep that in mind if I meet someone worth seeing. Get going before Clay has a fit." I reassure him.
He nods as he walks away, taking my words as some kind of confirmation. I carefully pull my phone out of my back pocket and scroll to Filip's name. I type out a quick text to give him a heads up.
Jaxson suspects something. He just cornered me.
A few hours into my day, Gemma pulls into the parking lot. I put aside the paperwork I'm working with and rush over to find out about Abel. She's tired, it was a long night. She fills me in on his condition as we walk to the office together. I stand in the doorway as she collapses in her chair, exhausted and scared. Nothing I can say will ease her worry right now. I just listen as she vents, her anger at Wendy builds as she talks.
"That stupid junkie whore. She should be under arrest and rotting in a jail cell but instead they're offering her a comfy room at rehab hotel." She's furious.
"What did Tara say about Abel?" I ask.
"They want to do surgery on him right away. It's his best chance." She tells me.
"What does Jaxson say?" I press her
"Jaxson's mind isn't straight right now. I told Tara to do what she needed to save Abel." Her voice is quiet and touched with sadness. I nod in agreement. She changes the subject. "I hear you're looking for your own place."
"Yeah, I love dad but I need to have my own space." I answer; my mind still on poor Abel. I push myself away from the doorway and turn to head back to the garage.
"When you're done for the day, ride with me to the storage unit. I want to grab a few things for Jax." She tells me. I agree before walking back to my inventory.
I concentrate on my work or attempt to for the rest of the day. The guys are in and out all day. So many thoughts flood my head, making it difficult to think straight but thankfully the day flies by. When Gemma calls my name from the office, I am shocked at the time. I put my files away and head to her car.
Three blocks from her house, she pulls into the driveway of a small white house with an attached garage and a cute front porch. The house is well-maintained and the lawn is cared for. We get out of the car and she comes to stand next to me as I lean against the door of her SUV giving her a confused look.
"What do you think?" she asks.
"It's cute." I shrug.
"Come inside, check it out." She said pulling my arm. The house smells of fresh paint and lemon cleaner. The interior is bright and everything looks new, including the appliances. The place is fully furnished and decorated. In the kitchen I notice that the cherry wood cabinets and marble counter are flawless. With each step, I fall a little more in love the place.
"This is nice. Jaxson thinking of getting a new place?" I ask
"Nope, this is for you." My mouth falls open.
"What? Oh my God Gemma, are you kidding me?" I can barely keep my excitement down.
"I know you needed it hun. It was your dad's idea. Opie and Jax did all the handy work and installed the appliances for you. Everyone helped out and brought all your stuff from Piney's." I stare at her for a moment before throwing my arms around her.
"You're the best! I can't believe this." I tell her.
"Your dad feels bad that he's been on your case lately. Call it an early birthday present." My smile is permanently in place.
When the SUV comes to a stop in the parking lot, I notice Piney's bike is parked by the clubhouse. I head in to see the old man before going to my own car.
"Hi Daddy." I greet him with a kiss on his weathered cheek.
"Hey baby girl. When did you get here?" he spins away from the bar to face me.
"Gemma and I just got back. She took me to see the house. Thank you so much! I love it." I gush.
"Oh it's nothing. It's time you stop cleaning up after your old man. You need your space. I'm glad you like it." He hugs me close.
Even through our rocky relationship, I'm still a daddy's girl. We only had each other when mom left with Opie. She didn't bother to take me with her. She figured Opie was the only one in danger of following in Piney's footsteps. Opie came home as soon as he was old enough. I hadn't talked to my mother in years and that was just fine.
"How's the baby?" Piney calls me back to reality.
"I'm not sure. Gemma said they're talking about surgery. I know it doesn't look good." His face falls. Filip and Bobby walk in, interrupting our conversation. I kiss my dad on his cheek and head out to my car. Just as I'm getting into my car, Filip catches up with me. He leans over the open window on the driver side.
"What did Jax say to you earlier?" I give him a quick recap of the conversation.
He watches me over his sunglasses as he leans against the top of my car. I can't help melting under his gaze. The power he has over my body is intoxicating and maddening.
"Think he's just guessing?" I ask.
"Aye, he doesn't know anything or he would have said something to Opie." He reassures me.
"What are you doing tonight?" I ask as I brush my hand up against his on the door.
"Club business." He answers, his breath catching slightly.
"I guess I'll have to actually get some sleep tonight." I pout, giving him my best puppy-dog eyes.
He shakes his head at me and heads back to the clubhouse, laughing. As I watch him walk away, I can't help wondering why I can't get this man out of my head. I pull out of the parking lot and head to the hospital to check on Abel.